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Herald the
Harvest!
Georgia leads the nation in pecan
production. With the peak of the fall harvest in November, it's
appropriate that the state's governor annually proclaims
November as Georgia Pecan Month. The pecan harvest is
undoubtedly the most important time of the year for Georgia
pecan growers.
This year this is
especially true because of the Georgia Pecan Commission's
partnership with Weight Watchers International and new health
research findings about the many benefits of incorporating
pecans into a healthy diet.
Some things just don't change, like the
annual autumn pecan harvest in Georgia and the dedicated pecan
growers who know this tree nut well.
Temperate weather makes possible a long
October-December growing season. On Georgia's family farms, the
pecan trees are king, thanks to the savory, buttery, firm and
crunchy nut they produce year after year.
The pecan-growing process is timely and
precise and cannot be hurried. It can't be hurried. This is an
age-old nut, some from trees a hundred years old or more. Not
only are these trees well-anchored in the Georgia soil, but the
growing of pecans is a craft handed down through the
generations. Tending these farms are dedicated growers, many of
them born into the craft, others self-taught, who make it
possible for pecan lovers to enjoy the nut in a variety of
dishes year-round.
Georgia Pecans and WeightWatchers.com -- Now that's a healthy
partnership!
From October 1 through December 31,
2006, the Georgia Pecan Commission is participating in a
cosponsorship with Weight Watchers International. The
popular weight management Web site will provide Weight
Watchers members with innovative ideas on how they
canintegrate Georgia pecans into the Weight Watchers
diet.
The online co-sponsorship
consists of many separate but related parts including a
Georgia Pecan Commission information section within the Food
and Beverage section of the Marketplace page. In addition,
three Weight Watchers-written articles on pecans, three
health conscious recipes featuring Georgia pecans and
several graphics developed by the Georgia Pecan Commission
are also featured. Visit
www.WeightWatchers.com and embrace a healthy
lifestyle with Georgia Pecans.
WeightWatchers.com visitors will learn
that eight pecan halves contain 48 calories, .5 grams fiber
and 5 grams total fat - only .4 grams saturated fat and
zero grams trans fat. Recent studies suggest a serving
of pecans a day may even lower "bad" cholesterol levels, decrease blood
pressure and fight against prostate and breast cancer.
To continue promoting the numerous
health benefits of Georgia pecans, the Commission has
developed a new weight maintenance brochure. The brochure
contains weight maintenance advice, ideas on incorporating
pecans into a daily diet as well as several healthy Georgia
pecan recipes. Download a
copy today.
New Research Indicates Even
More Pecan Health Benefits
New research from Loma Linda
University, a health and sciences university located near
Los Angeles, reveals that pecans, which are rich in
antioxidants and vitamin E, can help protect against
unhealthy oxidation. The research indicates that simply
adding one handful of pecans to your diet every day may
inhibit unwanted oxidation of blood lipids, reducing the
risk of heart disease. The high
vitamin E content in pecans is one of the given reasons for
this positive effect. Oxidation in the blood occurs when
"bad" cholesterol becomes exposed to oxygen, this is
a process that is similar to the rusting of metal. Vitamin
E protects fat from oxidation and thus "bad" cholesterol is less likely
to build up and result in arteriosclerosis.
Researchers from Loma Linda University
conclude that even though the pecan diet contained a high
amount of unsaturated fats, oxidation decreased.
Diets rich in pecans showed reduced
oxidation of blood lipids during laboratory analysis. This
is great news for pecan lovers, especially since pecan-rich
diets already reduce levels of LDL cholesterol by as much as
16.5 percent, according to The Journal of Nutrition.
Benefit from the Most
Important Meal of the Day
A healthy diet is not only a matter of
what you eat...it's also when you eat it. Nutrition and diet
experts unanimously agree that starting the day with
a wholesome morning meal is the first step in promoting
a healthy metabolism, weight control, and the kind of
steady energy that fuels a mind and body for all kinds of daily achievement. Indeed, a so-called
"power breakfast," which once described the early morning
wheeling-and-dealing of business executives, now has
universal meaning as consumers realize that investing in breakfast results
in big nutritional payoffs. Especially if that first meal includes smart
foods like fresh fruits, whole grains, and nuts such as Georgia pecans.
Research consistently shows that regular
breakfast eaters have more strength, endurance, and an
ability to concentrate and problem-solve. According to the
American Dietetics Association, studies among school children
reveal that those who eat wholesome foods in the morning
have better hand-eye coordination and verbal fluency. Young
adults and the elderly also have better memory function when breakfast is
a part of their daily routine. Such positive mental results are not surprising
given that eating breakfast immediately replenishes
glucose(a.k.a. blood sugar) "the brain's power supply" which
is depleted each night when our bodies idle for 8 to 12 hours
without a meal or snack.
In addition to boosting mental and physical performance,
eating breakfast also seems to encourage weight control.
Researchers at Harvard University
found that adults who are in the habit of eating a morning
meal are nearly 50 percent less likely to be obese, compared
with people who do not have breakfast.
Choosing high quality breakfast
ingredients, like pecans, which supply the body with a
complex of nutrients including protein, fiber, carbohydrate,
and good-for-you unsaturated fat, also supports weight control by helping
to delay digestionand prolong satiety. Because pecans take longer to digest
than many typical morning foods that are only rich in carbohydrates, bringing
these nuts to the breakfast table can help forestall midmorning cravings
and keep appetites satisfied longer. What's more, eating pecans daily can
help reduce LDL cholesterol levels and give the body a ready supply of
fiber, vitamin E, copper, and magnesium.
For delicious and healthy breakfast
recipes, visit www. georgiapecans.org.
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