Menza Foods Internship

1/12/15-1/23/15

Madeline Engelking

Table of Contents: Research

Madeline’s Recipe{Spicy Shrimp with Mango and Coconut Quinoa}

Experimental journal The “Six Tricks”

Research

Lean protein- Many Americans are lacking protein in their diet. Protein, along with carbs provide our with body fuel. Protein also keeps you fuller longer and helps repair muscles after you work out. Proteins are made of amino acids, which are the building blocks of matter. Amino acids help grow muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. Look for lean proteins like chicken, fish, tuna, eggs and white turkey meat. The AMDR range for protein suggests that 10-35% of your daily calories should be from protein.

Salt- Sometimes it is hard to tell when there is too much salt in your food and many Americans today overload on their daily salt intake. Too much salt leads to hypertension, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. The daily recommendation is only 1 teaspoon per day! Foods that contain a lot of salt include soups, baked goods and breads, meats, and sauces. Try to avoid foods that contain a long shelf life!

Good Carbs- Carbs- the scary word that Americans instantly cut out when they are on a diet. It is important to understand that not all carbs are bad for you! Switching from white breads and pastas, which are refined carbs, to complex carbs can really change your health. Complex carbs are full of fiber that helps regulate our digestive system. Some complex carbs include, whole grain oats, quinoa, whole-wheat pasta, lentils, and beans. These are all the GOOD carbs! If you are having trouble switching from refined grains to whole grains, aim to have at least half of your total grains to be WHOLE GRAIN. The daily recommendations for women, ages 19-30 is 6 ounces and men, ages 19-30 is 8 ounces. Since whole grains are full of fiber along with B vitamins, eating them can help with weight management and can also reduce the risk of heart disease. 45-65% of your calories should be from carbs.

Fruits- The daily recommendation for fruits men and women ages 19-50 is roughly 2 cups a day. One cup of fruit is can be a large banana, usually 8 inches, or a large orange. Many fruits are high in antioxidants, like blueberries and pomegranates. These help fight free radicals that are wandering around in your body. Free radicals are damaged cells that are missing something critical and go on the attack to damage healthy cells for what they are missing. Unfortunately, damaging the healthy DNA of a cell can be the root of a disease. Fruits contain essential nutrients like vitamin C, potassium, and folic acid. Eating lots of fruit can prevent certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, can lower your blood pressure and can help strengthen your immune system.

Veggies-Vegetables are low in calories and fat, and are also filled with numerous vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A helps with skin and eye health and Vitamin C helps with your immune system. The fiber in veggies strictly aid in healthy bowel movements. Eating veggies helps reduce certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Women ages 19-50 should be getting around 2 ½ cups and men ages 19-50 should be getting 3 cups everyday.

Oils-It is easy for people that are studying nutritional labels to look at oil say, “I’m not using that, there is too much fat.” What they don’t understand is that not all oils

are bad for you and many contain essential nutrients that are good for your health. Many oils are filled with “good fats” and vitamin E that are also found in avocados, nuts, and seeds. These fats are called mono and polyunsaturated fats. Coconut oil and palm oil though, are high in saturated fats. Oils like olive oil, safflower oil, and canola oil help to prevent heart disease. 20-35% of your daily calories should be from fats.

Madeline’s Recipe:{Spicy Shrimp with Mango and Coconut Quinoa}

I first started off with something that I would eat because I know it was healthy, yet tasty. I wanted to incorporate shrimp since it is not one of the main protein foods Menza Foods uses. Shrimp is a lean seafood with tons of protein and is really low in fat. I also wanted to use a beneficial carb, quinoa. (KEEN-wah)Quinoa has gotten a lot of attention in the past few years. This whole grain is loaded with fiber, minerals, protein, and does not have any gluten. Another important part of quinoa is the content of flavonoids. These molecules are antioxidants that contain many health benefits. I also included some fruit and vegetables(mango and pepper), along with some good fat. It was important for the ingredients in the quinoa to give it some texture. The sweetener I used was natural honey, along with the natural sugars in the mango! I wanted to use honey since it has a healthy Glycemic index. This means that the sugars are not so quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and therefore result in better digestion. The canola oil and coconut are the beneficial fats in the dish. Coconut does contain a lot of saturated fats, but it does contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Garlic is known as a detoxifier and helps prevent dimension and Alzheimer’s. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory of the intestines and helps flush out toxins in our bodies. Ginger was very important in this dish because it has the ability to enhance the flavors in low salt dishes. My goal for the mint and cilantro make the dish taste very fresh. The purpose of the paprika was to add some color and get some points on appearance. The Red Crushed Pepper added a little kick to the shrimp as well.

Quinoa mix- 7.3 ounces7.2 ounces water3.0 ounces quinoa

3.0 ounces mango.8 ounces coconut flakes, sweetened.8 ounces onion.8 ounces lemon juice.6 ounces canola oil1 teaspoon lime zest.4 ounces honey .1 ounces cilantro.1 ounces mint

Shrimp- 2.7 ounces2.7 ounces shrimp.5 ounces canola oil.5 ounces crushed red pepper.2 ounces ground ginger.1 ounces salt¼ teaspoon paprika powder½ teaspoon cilantro

Experiment 1: I was pleased with the appearance of the first trail. I thought that the mango, cilantro and red pepper provided the dish with a lot of attractive color. After tasting the meal, it was obvious that the dish did need some salt and more of a kick. I also needed to cut back on the amount of lemon juice because it was too lemony. The shrimp was overcooked and lacked flavor. I think that garlic, ginger, and paprika was lost in the lemon juice and did not stick to the shrimp. For the next trial, I am going to use bigger shrimp and grill the shrimp on a pan with the spices. Therefore, the spices will cook with the shrimp and give it more flavors. I will also add red crushed pepper that will make the shrimp spicy.

Experiment 2: The second trial went very well. I added .1oz of salt to the shrimp along with 1.0 oz of crushed red pepper. I also used cooked shrimp and grilled it with the spices for about 2 minutes. That way when the entrée was reheated, the shrimp is not overcooked. The shrimp had a lot more flavor than the first trial when it was boiled. I also took out .6 oz of lemon juice out of the quinoa mix since the first trail was too lemony. This change made an improvement. The only thing I will change for the dish is the amount of red pepper. It was a little too spicy and hot, even more me! I will cut the amount in half.

The “Six tricks” for my new friends at the office!

The idea of loosing weight is a scary thing but when you understand the little and easy things to change, it really isn’t that bad! Also, working out does help you lose weight, but starting with a clean diet can make a big difference. Therefore, don’t stress about finding hours to spend at the gym everyday, focus on your diet first!

1) Do not skip breakfast! You guys work very hard all day and the first thing you need to do when you wakeup is start your metabolism because your body has been fasting (not eating) all night while you were sleeping. I am not saying you have to spend the time to make an egg omelet when you are rushing to work, but a quick banana and peanut butter or some yogurt with almonds are great ideas. Even a bag of trail mix that you can eat in the car on the way to work would be better than not eating anything.

2) Bring little snacks! It is very important to not let yourself get to the point of starvation. I understand that that is hard since there are times when you are working for a straight 3 hours. When you have a little break, make sure you get a chance to get something to eat. An example of a quick snack is a piece of fruit or handful of almonds, nuts, or seeds that are full of protein and will carry you over longer. Another idea is carrots and hummus or hard-boiled eggs! The main reason we don’t want to get to the point where we are starving is because a lot of time we will eventually overeat because we haven’t eaten all day. We will then say the excuse, “I haven’t eaten anything all day, so I can eat this cheeseburger.” So, it is better to have 5 little meals throughout the day.

3) Eat lean and clean! Try to always eat lean meats instead of red meats that are full of saturated fats. Chicken and turkey are great lean meats. Also, try for whole-wheat tortillas that aren’t full of refined carbs. Switch from plain potatoes to sweet potatoes, which are full of vitamins and nutrients. Pablo even saw a big difference in his weight when he didn’t include any tortillas! I am not saying never have tortillas, but look for the healthier kinds or limit yourself to 2, if you usually have 4!

4) Drink Water! Since you are working for a while, it is easy for you to not think about getting enough water. Water is easily mistaken for hunger! Sometimes when you keep eating and aren’t getting full, you might just be really thirsty and need water! Water has numerous health benefits for your body and it is important to drink half of your body weight in ounces. For example, if you weight 140 pounds, you should be drinking 70 ounces of water per day!

5) Avoid Added Sugar! Since sugar usually does not have a high fat content, many people do not focus on this additive. Sugar is known as belly fat. We crave the sugar rush and then regret it after we crash. It is important to notice that there are added sugars in yogurts, cereals, and ESPECAILLY sauces. Also, limit your soda intake! There is roughly 10 teaspoons of sugar in one coke can! Don’t look for the diet products as well because these are full of “fake” sugars that can cause cancers and also have this ability to make you crave more sugar! The best thing is WATER. Most importantly, if you are

craving something sweet, grab an apple or some strawberries since these are loaded with natural sugars.

6) Everything in Moderation! The final tip that is the most important is the concept of moderation. Moderation means not doing something in excess amounts, like eating three cookies every single day. A problem that many dieters run into is that they will cut out a fat in their diet, like cheese. Then, when they are craving cheese because they haven’t had it in 3 months since the diet, they will go overboard and eat so much cheese! The trick is to incorporate little amounts of cheese in your diet so you don’t feel deprived of it and then suddenly crave it. So, it is okay to sprinkle some cheese a few times a week on your salad, just do not eat a chunk of cheese everyday. Another example of moderation is desserts! You can’t totally cut yourself out of the simple joy of eating desserts. Sometimes you deserve a little treat after Mr. Menza has kept you extremely busy all week Let yourself have a cheat meal once in awhile and have a slice of chocolate cake! Dessert once a week is not bad!

I hope you have learned some new nutrition tips! I truly enjoyed my experience at the office and was excited to come everyday. I much would have rather been here learning, listening, and laughing with all of you then sitting on my

couch all day in boredom. I honestly wish I were able to be here longer! I would like to sincerely thank you for inviting me into your business and taking the time to run me through your daily duties that make a successful business! I understand that it is not easy to finish all your daily tasks along with teaching some little blonde everything you are doing You all make a great team and I hope to see you again!

Sincerely, Madeline Engelking