Community Healthcare Network

Why are supplements and nutrients important during pregnancy?

Nutrition is very important during pregnancy. It’s a time when we need extra nutrients to keep women and babies healthy. In this blog post, CHN would like to share ways to increase the vitamins and minerals needed to support a healthy pregnancy through both food and supplements like prenatal vitamins.

Five Important Nutrients:

  • Iron. Iron helps give oxygen to the baby. It can be found in lean red meat, poultry, fish, dried beans and peas, iron-rich cereal, and prune juice.
  • Omega-3. Omega-3 helps with baby’s brain development. It’s recommended to eat 8-12 oz of fatty fish per week, like salmon, cod, light tuna, shrimp, eggs, and milk.
  • Folic Acid. Folic Acid helps with birth defects and helps support your baby and your placenta. Folic acid can be found in cereal, bread and pasta, peanuts, dark green leafy veggies, oranges, and beans.
  • Calcium. Calcium helps your baby build strong bones and teeth and helps them develop a healthy heart, nerves, and muscles.

Tips for Prenatal Vitamins (PNV):

  1. Start taking a daily PNV before you get pregnant or as soon as you find out you are pregnant.
  2. If your PNV makes you dizzy, try taking it at night.
  3. Find a brand that is within your budget. It is more important that you take a PNV daily in addition to a healthy diet, than taking a certain brand.
  4. Keep your eye on these nutrients:
    – Methylfolate
    – Vitamin D
    – Choline
    – Iodine
    – DHA (Omega-3)

! Prenatal vitamins are not checked by the FDA. Choose a PNV that is third-party tested with a seal of certification. These ensure the safety of the vitamins.

 

Creamy Tuscan-Inspired Salmon with White Beans

This is the perfect dinner to support a healthy pregnancy because it is packed with omega-3s from the salmon and minerals from the beans and spinach. If you are pregnant, only eat salmon and other low-mercury seafood 2-3 times a week.

Ingredients:

  • 2 salmon fillets
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup cream or coconut milk
  • 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup white beans
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions:

  1. Bake or pan-fry salmon fillets until cooked through. Set aside.
  2. In a heavy bottom pan, sauté onion in olive oil until clear.
  3. Add garlic and cherry tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add cream or coconut milk, broth, and white beans. Simmer for 5 min.
  5. Add spinach, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Stir until spinach is wilted.
  6. Add salmon to pan and cover with sauce.
  7. Top with fresh parsley and serve.

Josie Thiele, CHN Nutritionist: “Shepherd’s Pie was a classic comfort food in my home growing up. Every Christmas Eve we would prepare a Shepherd’s Pie for dinner, freezing portions to reheat during the winter months.”

  • Shepherd’s Pie is an Irish dish made of ground meat cooked in gravy with mixed veggies topped with a mashed potato crust.
  • Shepherd’s pie has been a staple in Ireland since the 1700s. It is a great way to use meat and vegetables before they go bad. Back then lamb was more on hand for Irish shepherds and used for this meal.
  • In Britain, they changed it to make “cottage pie”, which used beef, a more costly and pleasing cut of meat at the time.

Try using other meat or veggies you have on hand. Instead of lamb, try beef, lentils, or meat alternatives (like Beyond Meat).

Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Potatoes:

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 3/4 cup of milk
  • 2 tbsp greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 tsp of pepper

For the Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1 pound of ground lamb/protein*
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 tbsp thyme, chopped
  • 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 cups low sodium broth (beef or vegetable)
  • 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions:

For the Potatoes:

  • Add the potatoes to a medium sized sauce pan and cover with water.
  • Boil potatoes for ~8-10 minutes until they are fork tender.
  • Drain and return to sauce pan.
  • Add butter, greek yogurt, milk, salt and pepper to the potatoes.
  • Mash until smooth.

For the Filling:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Heat oil, ground meat, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over high heat.
  • Once the meat has browned, add in onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
  • Stir in thyme, rosemary and tomato paste and cook for ~ 1 minute.
  • Add in flour and cook for another minute, keep stirring.
  • Add the broth, allowing to a simmer for 3 minutes until liquid is reduced.
  • Stir in frozen peas, carrots, and corn and remove from heat.
  • Spread filling onto a baking dish.
  • Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the filling.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling out on the edges.

May Lemon, CHN Nutritionist: “In the fall, I look forward to hot teas and nourishing soups to build my immune system and keep the flu at bay. Growing up, my Grandmother would always make Coix Seed Soup when the weather changed from Summer to Fall to boost our immune systems. She said it removes dampness and prevents phlegm and it is easy for adults and children to drink. In my family we use Coix seed in our desserts and meat soups. It is our medicine in our everyday foods.”

Coix seed (Yi Mi) is a round white seed with a bland and mildly sweet taste and a slightly chewy texture. Since it is a seed, it is a complete protein and a good source of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Coix seed is very common in Chinese supermarkets and herbal stores.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Ingredients

  • 6 cups of water
  • 1 cups of coix seed
  • 3 to 5 honey dates

Directions:

  1. Place coix seed and honey dates in your pot and rinse with cold water until water runs clear. Drain the water.
  2. Add 6 cups of water to the pot.
  3. Cook on medium heat for 1.5 hours or until the seeds are soft and the dates have softened and fallen apart.
  4. Cover with the lid and let sit for 30 minutes to steam the soup.
  5. Spoon out the soup and coix seed into small bowls and serve.

TIP: For faster cooking, you can use a pressure cooker on high for 20 mins.

What is Nigerian Joloff Rice?

Did you know “World Jollof Day” has been celebrated since 2015 every August 22nd? Jollof or jollof rice, is a dish from West Africa. The dish traditionally consists of rice, cooking oil, and vegetables such as tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, ginger and Scotch bonnet chili peppers. To enhance the color of the dish, tomato paste (purée) is added. As seasoning, spices, salt, stock cubes, curry powder and dried thyme are used. Chicken, turkey, beef or fish are often served with the dish.

Sulaimon Yusuff, CHN’s Lab Director, says, “My memories about Joloff Rice growing up in Africa is that whenever you are served Jollof, it always means it’s a special occasion – Birthdays, Weddings, special holidays and family events all include Joloff on the menu!”

Recipe:

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 75 mins
Total: 90 mins
Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the Stew Base:

  • 1 pound plum tomatoes (about 3 medium), cored and roughly chopped
  • 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 of a Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, stemmed and seeded
  • 1 1/2 cups stock

For the Jollof Rice:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced, divided
  • 3 dried bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 Tablespoon butter, divided into 3 teaspoon-size pats
  • 1 1/2 cups stock
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 1 plum tomato, halved then sliced thinly crosswise into half-moons

Directions:

For the Stew Base:

  • In a blender jar, combine tomatoes, red pepper, onion, Scotch bonnet or habanero, and stock. Blend until a smooth puree forms, about 2 minutes.
  • Transfer the stew base to a large saucepan, cover partially with a lid, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the Jollof Rice:

  • In a 4-quart pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add half the sliced onion along with the bay leaves, curry powder, dried thyme, a large pinch of salt, and a large pinch of pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions soften slightly, about 3 minutes.
  • Stir in tomato paste and 2 teaspoons butter. Cook, stirring continuously, until the tomato paste darkens, about 3 minutes. Stir in reserved stew base, cover partially with lid, and cook at a gentle simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.
  • Stir in stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Stir in rice until evenly coated in sauce. Cover the pot with a double piece of foil or parchment paper, crimped down around the edges to seal, then top with lid to trap the steam. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible and cook for 20 minutes, then uncover pot and gently stir rice. Cover again and continue to cook until rice is just cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. If rice is undercooked and/or still wet, cover and cook 5 minutes longer.
  • Stir in sliced tomato along with the remaining sliced onion and the remaining 1 teaspoon butter until fully melted.
  • Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve.

Make-Ahead and Store

The stew base can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for a week in an airtight container, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Jollof rice keeps well—in fact many people love leftover jollof. Thaw leftovers overnight in the fridge, then warm on the stove top over gentle heat, or in the microwave.

What is Chana Masala?

Chana Masala or Indian Chickpea Curry, is one of the most popular vegetarian curries in South Asia. It is seen mainly in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The word “curry” in South Asian food refers to any spicy stir-fried gravy dish with meat or vegetables. This dish is also called Chole masala, Channey or Chholay. This dish can be eaten at any time.

Health benefits of Chickpeas:

  • Great source of protein and fiber. These nutrients helps you to feel fuller for longer.
  • Fiber in chickpeas helps to prevent constipation.
  • Loaded with folate, iron, magnesium, zinc and B vitamins.
  • Promotes heart health. They are naturally cholesterol free.
  • Helps to control blood sugar.

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 green chile, or jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 30 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

How to make:

  1. Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat
  2. Sauté onion until brown
  3. Add garlic, ginger, and green chili, garam masala, turmeric, salt, and black pepper, keep cooking for 1–2 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, and water and stir. As the tomatoes break down, the mixture should get thick like a stew. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
  5. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Cook for 1–2 minutes.
  6. Serve over basmati rice or with a side of naan.

To learn more about wellness contact the Wellness Department at Community Healthcare Network at (212)-432-8494 or email [email protected].

“Growing up, whenever my family felt homesick, they would make Filipino food like sinigang to remind them of home. This dish feels like a way to honor my family’s history and the journey it took for them to come here.”
– Josephine Ledda, CHN Nutritionist

Filipino Cuisine

The Philippines was a trade crossroads for many Asian countries, such as China, Japan, and Malaysia. The Spanish colonized the Philippines for over 300 years. In the early 20th century the United States had control over the Philippines until 1946, when it gained independence.

These cultural influences are present in the language and cuisine. There are over 120 languages spoken in the Philippines, but the national language is Tagalog.

What is Sinigang?

Sinigang is a dish native to the Philippines, an archipelago made up of more than 7,000 islands in Southeast Asia. Traditional dishes are often soups or stews that can be simmered for many hours. Because of the warmer temperatures, many souring agents are used as preservatives.

Common ingredients are sour mango, tamarind, vinegar and Calamansi, a variety of lime specific to the Philippines. This recipe relies on tamarind paste, which can be found at Latin and Asian supermarkets.

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • 5 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1 inch peeled ginger, sliced
  • 1 small daikon radish, slice
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 1/2 pounds of salmon?
  • 2 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
  • 1 cup of okra, sliced
  • 1 small eggplant, cut into rounds, halved
  • 1 bunch of spinach

How to make:

  1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. 
  2. Add garlic, onions, and ginger to the pot and sauté until translucent.
  3. Add tomatoes. Cover with a lid and cook for ~ 5 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened.
  4. Add water and simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Add in tamarind, radish, eggplant, and okra. Stir occasionally and continue cooking until vegetables are soft.
  6. Add salmon, making sure it is fully immersed in the broth and cook for 2 minutes.
  7. Add in spinach and fish sauce. Simmer for 1 minute then remove from heat.
  8. Serve over rice.

Recipe adapted from Riverten Kitchen

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Habichuelas con Dulce Recipe

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Kelsy Camilo, CHN Nutritionist:
“I love how serious my family takes making Habichuelas con Dulce, each year during Lent. It’s always their first order of business. To them it’s never just about food. It is tradition, respect, love, pride, and harmony. There is always enough to feed a village, don’t ever hesitate to ask for more in a Dominican household!”

What is Habichuelas con Dulce?

In the Dominican Republic, Habichuelas con Dulce, is a traditional sweet dish enjoyed for Lent and Easter. However, it can be eaten throughout the year! Translating to “Sweet Beans”, it should be no surprise that its primary ingredient is red beans. Additional ingredients like batata (Dominican sweet potato) and milk help cultivate its thick and creamy texture. Habichuelas con Dulce is usually topped with milk cookies that have an engraved cross on them. The cross can be seen as an ode to the strong Catholic beliefs in Dominican culture. Habichuelas con Dulce can be eaten as a meal, snack, or dessert. It is usually eaten warm, but can also be cold or frozen-reminiscent to ice cream. Con dulce is typically made in big batches in a caldero (cauldron.) It is customary to offer to family and friends or store in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Recipe

Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • 5 Bags of Dominican Red Beans
  • 3 batatas, peeled and chopped
  • 1/4 cup Raisins
  • 1 cup of Whole Milk
  • 5 cups of Evaporated Milk
  • 1 can Sweet Condensed Milk
  • 2 cups of Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/2 tbsp each Ground Cloves & Cinnamon
  • 3 Cinnamon Sticks
  • 2 tbsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tbsp Cloves

How to make Habichuelas con Dulce:

  1. Soften beans in 8 cups water. Once softened, blend with 1 cup of whole milk.
  2. Use a fine-mesh colander to strain beans mixture.
  3. Pour the strained beans into a caldero and then pour evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Stir regularly for about 5 minutes
  4. Add the batatas and set your heat to low medium, stirring regularly for about 20-25 minutes
  5. Add the raisins and simmer for 10 minutes
  6. Serve and top portion with as many milk cookies as you’d like!

In Egyptian cuisine it is common to cook legumes (beans, lentils, peas and peanuts) and vegetable dishes. Koshary is the national dish of Egypt. It is made of rice, chickpeas, macaroni, and lentils. Pita bread called eish balad is also a staple. Nuts and honey are commonly added to desserts. One popular dish, Qatayef (also called Arabic pancakes), is a pancake stuffed with nuts and honey added on top. A lot of spices are used in Egyptian cooking, and the most popular spice is Cumin.

Health benefits of Cumin:

  • Cumin helps with digestion.
  • Cumin has a lot of Iron—1 tsp of cumin seed provides 17.5% of the recommended amount of iron for adults for the day.
  • Cumin acts as an antioxidant, which fights inflammation.

Health Benefits of Honey

  • Honey is also rich in antioxidants.
  • Honey is anti-bacterial.
  • Honey can help ease minor coughs.

Note: Do not give honey to children under 12 months old. It can cause an illness called infant botulism and is a choking hazard.

Cumin & Carrot Salad

In Egyptian cuisine, cumin and carrot salad is a tasty and healthy dish. It mixes the flavorful cumin spice with sweet carrots, making it a great side dish for many Egyptian meals.

Ingredients:

  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp cumin seed
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
  • 5 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 5 carrots, grated
  • Small bunch of coriander, chopped
  • ½ a small bunch of chopped mint

How to make:
Combine all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and serve.

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Rasam is a spicy lentil soup eaten with rice. It is thought to help with digestion and to treat colds and flus. It’s a go-to dish when funds are low. It can feed the whole family and can be eaten for several meals a day. The British call it Mulligatawny. The name comes from the Tamil words milagu, and tanni literally meaning “pepper-water.”

History of Rasam: The story goes that the King’s son had taken ill and would barely eat anything, so the King declared a prize for anyone who could come up with a dish that the son would eat. A chef in Madurai in Tamil Nadu, named Karuna is believed to have made Rasam for the son and it healed his illness! This is why Rasam is thought to be a healing dish to this day.

Ingredients you’ll need*:

Rasam Seasoning:

  • 2-3 dry Kashmiri or any dried red chilies
  • 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

Rasam Ingredients:

  • 3 whole garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 1 small diced tomato
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 cup dried lentils (toor dal)
  • 1 key lime-sized ball of sour tamarind, soaked in water
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 pinch of hing or asafetida
  • 4 sprigs of fresh cilantro
  • Kosher or rock salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

Tempering Spices:

  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
  • 2 dry red Kashmiri chilies, broken in half width-wise
  • 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
  • 1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of ghee (clarified butter)

*Visit your local Indian or South Asian grocer to find some of these specialty ingredients.

How to make:

  1. Soak dal (lentils) in 2 cups of water for at least 1 hour.
  2. Soak tamarind in warm water for at least 45 minutes
  3. Cook dal (lentils) with the turmeric, hing, and 2.5 cups of water. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Once the dal is done, blend until smooth. Set aside.
  4. In a separate pan, dry roast the rasam seasoning ingredients on medium-low heat for no more than 2 minutes.
  5. Once roasted, add the rasam seasoning ingredients to a coffee or spice grinder. Grind them until fine.
  6. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a pan. Fry the cumin seeds for 30 to 60 seconds.
  7. Add garlic and tomato. Sauté for 2 minutes.
  8. Use your finger to crush the tamarind in the water it’s been soaking in to get as much tamarind juice out as possible.
  9. Pour tamarind juice through a fine mesh strainer into the pan with the cumin, garlic and tomato.
  10. Add in blended dal, salt, and freshly ground rasam seasoning.
  11. Let it all come to a boil. If needed, add water to get the consistency you want. Rasam should be a thin, watery, but deeply flavorful soup.
  12. In a small sauce pan, heat the ghee on medium heat.
  13. When hot, add in tempering spices. Lower the heat, and swirl the pan until you can smell the toasted spices, about 30 seconds.
  14. Add the ghee and tempering spices into the rasam.
  15. Turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro and freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt if needed.

Our bodies change during menopause. What we eat and our lifestyle choices can help make this change easier:

Hot flashes and insomnia: Lower levels of estrogen and progesterone during menopause can cause hot flashes. Hot flashes can lead to insomnia (trouble falling asleep or staying asleep).

  • To get better sleep: Avoid drinking caffeinated drinks 4-6 hours before bedtime. Avoid drinking alcohol within 3 hours of bedtime. Practice a regular sleep routine. Eat a light evening meal and exercise early in the day or at least 3 hours before bedtime.

Changes in body composition: Your body composition is how much fat, bone, and muscle your body has. Lower estrogen levels can lead to an increase in fat and the loss of lean body mass. These changes can also increase the amount of fat that is stored in the stomach area.

  • Change your exercise goals from 30 minutes to 60 minutes each day.
  • Eating more protein can help during menopause. Aim for about 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram (kg) of body weight or try to include 25-30 grams of lean or plant-based protein at each meal.

Bone Health: Lower reproductive hormones also can lead to a decrease in bone mineral density, causing your bones to get weaker.

  • Make sure you are getting enough calcium, vitamin D, and protein. If you are over 50, it is recommended that you get 1200 milligrams (mg) of calcium each day.
  • Quit smoking and try to exercise each day to help slow bone loss. Include weight-bearing activity and resistance training in your routine.

Heart Health: Your risk for heart disease increases during menopause.

  • Eat more lean and plant-based protein, heart-healthy fats, lots of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Eat less sodium (salt) to support heart health.

Mushroom Shawarma Pitas
(Pita bread sandwiches filled with various vegetables)
Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 pound mushrooms of your choice, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 1 medium red onion, halved and cut into 1/3 inch wedges
  • 3 tbsp plus 2tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 3/4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 4 pitas
  • 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 3/4 tsp ground turmeric
  • Cilantro or mint, chopped, for serving

To prepare:

  1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss mushrooms, red onion, 3 tbsp oil, cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread the mixture in an even layer on a rimmed sheet pan.
  2. Roast until tender and browned, about 20 minutes. Add the pita directly to oven rack to warm during last 5 minutes of cooking.
  3. Toss cabbage with 2 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and turmeric.
  5. To serve, add the yogurt to pitas and top with cabbage, mushroom mixture, and herbs.