Healthy eating starts at Sill commissary

By Mr. James Brabenec (IMCOM)November 21, 2012

Healthy eats
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Food guide
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Shopping at the Fort Sill Commissary, Jeannie Marshall holds a bunch of chard, a versatile vitamin-packed vegetable that can be cooked or chopped up in salads. Nutritionally, chard delivers the goods with high marks in vitamins A, B-complex, C and K ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT SILL, Okla.-- Fort Sill Commissary customers seeking healthy foods for holiday meals can find a variety of products to create any meal.

Jeannie Marshall, a certified fitness nutrition specialist and professional body builder, will share some shopping suggestions she uses to maintain her family's active and healthy lifestyle.

"Most of the fresh and healthier choice foods are going to be found on the store's perimeter," she said. "Whether talking about fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy or frozen foods, these products generally don't include a lot of salt or chemicals to keep them fresh and shelf stable."

Further into the store, customers will find more prepackaged items, some with lengthy lists of ingredients that tend to be less beneficial for the family table. Although there are exceptions throughout the store, Marshall said this is a good rule of thumb from which to begin.

Following that concept, the Cannoneer's commissary tour begins in the produce area, which for many customers is the first part of the store they visit while shopping. Rather than point to items most people are familiar with, Marshall revealed some gastronomic gems that may further enhance shoppers larders.

Many customers can spot a good apple, tomato or ear of corn, but some produce isn't so easily selected. Fortunately, Rosa Sims, produce manager, and her team of produce workers check produce before displaying it in the store.

"We do our best to put out only good quality produce for our customers," she said.

Sometimes though, even their best efforts can't guarantee customers will walk out with a good deal. But, their shopping experience doesn't have to end in frustration and another item to toss on the compost pile.

"Some items, such as honeydew melons, are difficult to judge quality. If a customer buys a melon, cuts into it and finds it isn't any good, we can replace that item," she said. "Customers just need to bring in their receipt and we will give them another melon."

Marshall said many produce items can be adequately judged either by appearance, feel or smell.

One vegetable that might not be on too many people's culinary radars is kabocha squash. The dark green, tough exterior gives way to a bright orange interior that is comparable to butternut squash, though lower in calories. It is a good choice to add to soups or stews.

Although people can eat the skin, Marshall prefers to peel it, cut into wedges, toss with cocunut or olive oil then add a dash of sea salt and pepper.

"I roast these wedges in the oven and when done it produces a taste like a sweeter French fry," said Marshall. "My husband isn't a big fan of squash, but he really likes it this way."

Kabocha is a nutrient dense vegetable high in vitamins A and C with lesser amounts of some B vitamins. It also contains beta carotene, which is an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, and is a good source of iron.

Marshall said the vegetable can be tricky to cut into. She uses a big chef's knife and works from a stable surface. People can also opt to poke a few hole in the skin and microwave the squash a short time to soften up the exterior.

For many Americans, Thanksgiving includes sweet potatoes drowned in butter and brown sugar, and perhaps topped with marshmallows. Rather than add all this fat and sugar to her meals, Marshall combines ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a bit of coconut creamer to a roasted sweet tater. Roasting concentrates the vegetables sugar content and the spices bring out the the tater's taste with only the coconut adding a small amount of sweetness to the final product.

Marshall's eyes lit up when she saw nearby a fruit that looked something like a lime on steroids. She said the fruit is called pummelo and hails from Southeast Asia. The yellowish-orange fruit is comparable to a grapefruit, though sweeter.

"This is the best season for pummelo, as they usually ripen from November through December," she said. "A ripe pummelo has a yellowish-green exterior, though greener ones will ripen if stored unrefrigerated."

Like grapefruit, Marshall said pummelos taste best with the inner off-white membrane removed revealing the pulpy fruit. Nutritionally, a one-cup serving explodes with Vitamin C -- almost doubling the daily requirement, and is a good source of potassium and fiber.

Vitamins and minerals practically ooze from the pores of vegetables collectively known as greens. This group includes collard and mustard greens, Swiss chard and kale.

While Marshall advised collard and mustard greens' fibrous nature makes cooking the normal manner to prepare them, chard and kale can either be cooked or chopped up and used in salads or eaten raw.

"These low-calorie foods are great anytime you're looking to fill a dish," she said. "I like to sautee them in garlic, coconut oil and experiment with different spices, such as lemongrass."

Nutritionally, collards pack a punch sporting an impressive resume including a source of protein, thiamin, niacin and potassium, and a very good source of fiber, vitamins A, C, E K, B2, B6, along with calcium and manganese. Chard complements many of the nutritional benefits of collard's scorecard along with adding iron, zinc,magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper.

The Cannoneer commissary tour continues next week with some ideas to throw a change-up into party snacks. Additional articles will follow highlighting the commissary shopping experience while promoting good nutrition for Fort Sill shoppers.

Related Links:

Healthy foods great for commissary business