The Nutrition of Freeze Dried Strawberries

Nutrition of Freeze Dried Strawberries by Andrea Cespedes

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Nutrition of Freeze Dried Strawberries
by Andrea Cespedes

http://www.livestrong.com/article/280942-freeze-dried-strawberries-nutrition/
Overview
Freeze-dried strawberries are sliced strawberries that have had most of the water removed. This concentrates their flavor and nutrients while extending their shelf life. They may be rehydrated in water, tossed into cereal or baked goods, or eaten on their own as a snack.

Calories and Macronutrients
One oz. of freeze-dried strawberries, about 1 1/4 cups, contains about 90 calories. Of the 24 g of carbohydrates, 12 g are from natural fruit sugar. Freeze-dried strawberries contain no fat and 2 g of protein.

One oz. provides 316 percent of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA of vitamin C, based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet. As noted by the USDA, values may be higher or lower depending on total calorie intake. In addition, an ounce of freeze-dried strawberries contains 4 percent of calcium needs and 8 percent of iron.
Flavonoids
Compounds in strawberries called flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. In the "Journal of Nutrition" issue from September 28, 2009, researchers from Oklahoma State University tested freeze-dried strawberry powder's effects on cholesterol and markers of stress and inflammation. After four weeks, women with metabolic syndrome who consumed 25 g of the freeze-dried strawberries two times a day experienced significant decreases in total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol -- the bad kind.

Method
Unlike conventional dehydration methods that allow the texture, flavor and appearance of fruits deteriorate, freeze-drying maintains fruits' appearance and flavor. The method of freeze drying strawberries begins with partially freezing the strawberries at a temperature that breaks down their cellular structure and freezes 25 to 45 percent of water within the fruit. The strawberries are then sliced and frozen completely. They are dehydrated in a vacuum, resulting in a product with a moisture content of approximately 3 percent.

Considerations
Freeze drying does not affect the nutrition content of strawberries as do other preservation methods like microwave drying notes a study in an issue of "Food Science and Technology International" published in February 2006. Many companies sell bags or cans of freeze dried strawberries. They are also found in packaged cereals listing "with real strawberries."

About the Author
Andrea Cespedes is a professionally trained chef who has focused studies in nutrition. With more than 20 years of experience in the fitness industry, she coaches cycling and running and teaches Pilates and yoga. She is an American Council on Exercise-certified personal trainer and has degrees from Princeton and Columbia University.



http://www.livestrong.com/article/280942-freeze-dried-strawberries-nutrition/

Taking the Plunge!

Ok, my Mom and I have been trying to help people prepare by getting some food into peoples houses and the food that we have fallen in love with are in the Thrive line from Shelf Reliance. We have been getting some food from them and now are trying to get it into other peoples homes. It's the BEST food we have found. Nate and I are taking the plunge as well! Super excited and LOVE the food! The quality is the best we have tasted and they also have a monthly program called the Q that lets you pick what you want to get and how much you want to spend monthly. From that monthly amount you get points to get more food free and they also send you the new products, recipes, sometimes you get free shipping, coupons, etc. It's a great deal and no contracts! Plus they deliver it straight to your home. They have also gone direct sales and do home demonstrations so that everyone can taste what they are buying before they buy! Fabulous idea right?! Anyway, I love it. :-) We will keep you posted about different specials, recipes and other fun things! If you haven't tasted it and you want to I'll send you samples!! Woohoo for yummy food storage and convenience in everyday cooking! Their chicken and cheeses are already chopped, cooked, grated etc. They taste really good and it's super easy and convenient to use! Plus the shelf life is 25 to 30 years unopened and opened it's good for 6 months to 1 year. It's so great!! Gonna try to post the specials here... :-)

Memories of my Father-in-law

Glenn Goodman, my Father-in-law passed away on Monday January 3rd early in the morning after a noble fight with ALS aka Lou Gherig's Disease. This day was also my sweet daughters birthday. He will be sorely missed.

My first memory of him is at the dinner table when Nate and I were dating in high school at the age of 16. We were eating and no one was saying a word. It was quiet but for the sound of the silverware against the plates. This is unusual for me, in my house you have to practically yell. The only time there was any noise was when the two youngest siblings were fighting about one of them being too close to the other. Even then Glenn just looked at them for a second and went back to eating. It made me laugh actually.

My Father-in-law was an exactly honest man in his speech and in his thoughts and actions. In conversation he demanded the same. Not by being rude or by request but by his quiet example. He was a man of few words but they were often wise and probing. He was practical and a man of integrity and he was also funny. Watching him laugh was contagious because of his smile.

Growing up I HATED playing games. I think this is because I didn't like it when people, especially myself had to lose and they felt bad. We didn't play many games in my house growing up. Dating Nate we would play games for family Home Evening from time-to-time. I was able to watch one game and played most of the time after that. One game Glenn was about to score a point and the game was a game involving the people around you. He was laughing so hard that he started to cry, turn bright red and started to drool. We were all laughing because he was laughing, and he hadn't even taken his turn yet! It was so fun and a memory I will carry with me forever! Games weren't so bad after that! Not many people saw that side of Glenn and it's too bad. He is so much fun.

Glenn wasn't afraid of saying what needed to be said or doing what needed to be done. He was a courageous man and a very hard worker and taught that to his children. Because of him my husband is one of the hardest working men I know, and enjoys it because he has very fond memories of working side-by-side with his Father. He owned 2 El Caminos and I remember him working on those a lot in his garage. He was good at fixing just about everything.

Later on when grandchildren starting coming, he always brought his camera with him and was always taking pictures of them. He really loved them and enjoyed them! He would play with them and tickle them and I know it made him sad when he could no longer do those things with them. So, rather than feel sad he did other things that he COULD do with them. He put them on his lap and took them for rides outside in his wheelchair. They laughed and smiled and had a great time!

He was very healthy and was very contientious about the subject. He would make "green smoothies" for breakfast and after having tried some my husband affectionately referred to them as Dirt smoothies. :-) Some of the things that went into these smoothies included: kale, swiss chard, celery, blueberries, carrots, flaxseed, spinach, collard greens, and anything else that was healthy really. I admire him just for being able to drink them!!! :-) If you started a conversation about his subject you could get him talking for quite a while! One time I asked him something about milk, and he went on for a while. When he was done there was complete silence. After a minute he said, "I take it you guys don't agree." It was hilarious and we all had a good laugh about it, including Glenn!

I have so many other memories of him, and will try to post some more. I am blessed to be able to be a part of the family that he helped create and will miss his wit, wisdom, smile and quiet ways. His love and testimony will be survived by the way he lived his life and taught his children. His fight with the horrendous illness that he had gave me and my husband the honor of serving him for just a short time before he passed. Though the only contribution I was able to make was to make my husband, his son available at any point of need. I wish it could have been more. I am grateful for the honor it was to share in his life and to be part of his noble family! We'll miss you Glenn!!!

Day 1

Well, I told myself that as soon as I got my materials for my cleanse in the mail, I would start the next day. Of course that day was New Year's Eve...not the most fun!! BUT...I did it! We went to some friends house and they had Cheesecake, quiches, chips and dip, hot dogs, taquitoes, did I mention cheesecake? Anyway, I didn't have anything but my water. It was complete torture!! I enjoy eating...a lot! But, I did it. I can't say honestly if I feel any different yet because, we stayed up way too late and I'm exhausted. I can say that the smoothies are yummier than I thought they would be. My kids love them too. I have made, vanilla smoothie with a few strawberries, spinach, carrots, and more spinach. And a chocolate one with spinach, a couple grapes, cauliflower, carrots, and a little bit of broccoli. They were great!! The detox tea, I don't like....at all...but I'm told that that starts to taste better after a few days and you get rid of a bunch of the toxins. I hope so. It's got a bitter aftertaste and that's what I'm told is gone in a few days. We'll see. It's not a lot so it's drinkable. As far as my meals it isn't hard to stay away from dairy and bread...we can't really have bread anyway. It's the sugar that's killing me. I would really, really like a big candy bar right now!!!

The wierd things I do

I have decided that I'm going to do a cleanse. If you have no desire to read any further...I completely understand. But I've decided to blog about this because I think it will be theraputic of me and also because it's what I'm doing. I've heard of people doing them and never in my wildest imaginings did I ever think I would do one...but...I am. I always thought when I was a teenager and even until I started having children that people who had their babies at home were crazy hippies and that people who did cleanses were just weird. It wasn't until I had my 2nd child that my way of thinking changed. Having my third child at home was difficult and rewarding and comforting and life-altering for me all at the same time.

So now I'm a home-birther! Not that Nate and I plan on having anymore but if we do it won't be delivered in a hospital! Anyway, I stumbbled onto a cleanse that a friend of mine did and absolutely loved. I was very skeptical. I started doing research into them. Some were just drinking water mixed with cheyanne pepper, honey and lemon juice, others involved some sort of pill. None sounded like anything I was interested in. I researched the company that my friend told me about called Arbonne and what the ingredients were in the cleanse. Many of the ingredients are herbs. Milk Thistle, Burdock root, etc. You don't starve yourself, but with the gluten intolerances in our family, this cleanse seems exactly what I need! I'm really excited about it and how I will feel. I'm going to try to post everyday about how I feel and what the effects seem to be.

I mentioned the gluten-intolerance, it seems that Ethan, Natalie, Me and possibly Conner are gluten-intolerant/ have Celiac's Disease. We have had to eliminate all gluten from our diet. This means no wheat, barley or rye products. So any cookie, cracker, pasta, bread, cake, etc. we can't have. Ironic isn't it when I LOVE to bake so much!! I didn't think that it would be a big deal at first but I also didn't realize the extent to which gluten is used in food. Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup, both have gluten and are therefor off limits. There is also gluten in soy sauce, and caramel color, which roughly translated means soda, and anything dark in color. Food starch is gluten, and so I have been relegated to excessive label reading!! Fortunately I feel a ton better eating gluten free and Ethan has made a huge improvement as well. We have had less tummy aches and bathroom problems and Ethan is sleeping better as am I. Eating gluten free has other advantages as well. Most flours and products that are gluten free are also free of preservatives. This I learned when talking with my Visiting teacher whose sons are also Celiacs. Inspired assignment for a visiting teacher I think. I didn't know that we had this when she was assigned to me but having her as my visiting teacher is a tender mercy if you ask me. She has been very helpful with tips, and advice, and ideas for our family!! But I digress... anyway, this has been a big change for me and for our family. It's also been an experiment in seeing what is good and what is not. FYI Pamela's brand is the best out there for Gluten intolerances!! Cookies, bread you name it she has a mix for it and it's fabulous! My father was the one who was diagnosed with it and since it's genetic we thought it might be good to look into. I'm glad we did. So if you know someone who is gluten-intolerant or has Celiacs Disease, don't be afraid to have them over for dinner. We can have Corn, rice, potatoes, quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), beans, any veggies,and fruits, corn tortillas are fine just not flour, corn chips, and potato chips are ok too.

Here's where I found the cleanse: www.arbonne.com It's in the figure 8 line of products. I'm pretty excited about it. We'll see how it goes! Wish me luck!!

Thanksgiving

I actually have a few minutes...Nate is using the chain saw outside and our 2 adorable boys can hardly contain themselves. If it's electronic or some sort of machine that is powerful they want to own it, use it, or stare at it! Trains, motorcycles, tractors, monster trucks, chain saws, drills, weed wackers, lawn mowers, anything like that!

We had a wonderful thanksgiving and ate too much food of course! Uncle Daniel came and brought the Wii with him giving my kids hours and hours of mindless entertainment, which they of course loved. They even got him to spend the night 2 nights in a row. We had a lot of fun despite serving everyone some dry gluten-free pancakes! Still getting the hang of this gluten-free thing. I'm just not used to the textures and consistencies and everything that goes into it...but I will. :-)

Nate is home with us for 5 whole days...we're not sure what to do with him!! ;-) We sure enjoy every minute we get with him! Hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving.

Life in the last few months

So I have been a horrible blogger...not gonna lie, I kinda figured I would be. With Nate gone as much as he is, I'm marathoning daily just to keep the house clean and make sure the kids homework is done.

We have had family out to visit this month and last and I'm always reminded of how much I love my family, not just the family I was born into, who I love dearly but my "married family". My sisters-in-law are the most wonderful and talented ladies who are talented in so many ways! My brothers-in-law are wonderful examples and my Mother & Father-in law couldn't be better. In life not many people have such a great support system. I wish I lived much closer to all of them!!


We have been trunk-or-treating, visited the train Museum, gone on picnics, the Pumpkin Patch, dinner together, and just spent time. Nate has visited several states and the kids seem to have grown a bunch. I am still heavily weighing homeschooling the girls and feel strongly that I should. It's actually doing it where I have been a bit hesitant.

I have been wondering why I don't have a huge amount of friends, people who go out every now and then, and hang out together at the park all the time. Chatting in the group of Moms that all their kids play together etc. In thinking about this I realized, that isn't my job. If I did those things I wouldn't have much time with my kids and, I'm actually glad that it's this way. I've never been "popular" I've always had just a couple of really good friends in my life and others who I like and would consider chat buddies or good acquaintances. It takes a lot of effort for me to be a good friend and being a good friend to a lot of people just isn't possible. So I just decide to like everyone and once or maybe 3 or 4 times in my life I make a friend that I will keep forever. I can say that I only really have 2 of those kinds of friends, if you aren't counting family. That is a blessing!! Those two people I treasure!!! One being my hubby!!! The other I won't embarress by name but she knows who she is!!! Real friends aren't afraid to say the truth if they know you need to hear it! She has always done this in a kind and supportive way, and yet, never backed away from what needed to be said, encouraging or even difficult things. Those are the kinds of friends you keep!!






Halloween was great. It was Little Nate's Birthday and we had family over to help celebrate! He is 4 years old and it's so weird how fast time goes by when you start having children!!! He is such a sweet, sincere, caring, and helpful boy! Everyone who meets him instantly loves him. He greets strangers with enthusiasm and people are drawn to him. He is such a special boy and just like his Daddy! He loves to help his Dad mow the lawn, weed wack, blow with the blower, and also pull weeds. He works side by side with him and I'm so thankful that he has such a wonderful and powerful example of that in is Daddy! He loves Tractors, motorcycles, garbage trucks, and trains.

Nate is still teaching Sunday school, and I am still in nursery and life is just as busy and wonderful as ever!!!