When not to run

So remember how today I was going to run the Midsummer Night's Run in Toronto, and it was going to be awesome?  I've been running with the Running Room 5k clinic to prepare for it, and thought that this was going to be a really sweet run.


Weeeellllllllllllllll..................

Apparently disease had other plans for me.

It started on Thursday with a wicked sore throat.  I had been out drinking visiting with friends the night before, so I figured that my throat was sore because I had been drinking visiting late in a noisy place where we were talking loudly.  No biggie.  Then the stuffiness and runny nose started.  And then the sinus pressure and face pain.  And then my ears started to pop and get cloggy.  Feeling fatigued and with body aches (which I attributed to having worked long hours on Thursday and Friday in a job that requires constant standing, unloading heavy boxes, bending and reaching, etc.), I took a few days off of exercising and attempted to get sleep, though sneezing, coughing and difficulty breathing made that a challenge.

I woke up Saturday morning without the sore throat (yay!), but with more face pain and sinus pressure, and leaking from all facial orifices.  Breathing through my nose was a near impossibility, and I was still kind of achy all over.

It took all day for me to decide whether or not I should run tonight.

Asked Facebook friends after describing my symptoms.  Got mixed results - 1/2 of people said "go for it", the other half said "no way".  With such disease dripping from my face, I got someone to cover my yoga class I was teaching this afternoon before the run.  You'd think that if I was too sick to teach, I'd clue in that I was also too sick to run.  Yet this remained a really difficult decision.

It wasn't until about 20 minutes before I had to leave that I was chatting with a fellow yoga instructor about how I wanted to go so badly, but I also felt like crap.  She basically said "So, in other words, you know it's a bad idea, but you want someone to tell you it's ok".

Hmm.  Touché.

I eventually decided that I needed to stay home.  Fellow teacher was right - I knew it was a bad idea for me to go.  I knew I'd feel even crappier if I went for it, even if I had walked the 5k instead of running.  I wanted to go because I have a bunch of friends who are also running, and I was really REALLY looking forward to finally running a 5k with ease.  It wasn't going to happen today.

Most runners and sport professionals suggest using the "neck rule" when deciding whether or not to exercise while sick.  If your symptoms are above the neck, you're probably ok, but if symptoms are below the neck, stay home.

Above the neck symptoms include:

• sneezing
• runny or stuffy nose
• nasal congestion
• sore throat

Below the neck symptoms include: 

• chest cough or congestion
• body aches
• fever/temperature above 99 degrees
• nausea or upset stomach

Most of my symptoms were above-neck, but the body aches were definitely still there.  After I got home, I checked my temperature and discovered it was over 100.  So, kind of glad I decided to sit this round out.  But still sad :(

For now, I'm sipping on lemon tea with honey, cozying up in my PJs, and going to bed early.  Here's hoping the disease works itself out soon so that I can run a make-up 5k in the neighbourhood this week instead :)

Vegetable of the Month

This month I asked boyfriend what the vegetable of the month should be.  His random response:

RADICCHIO!

I say that it's a completely random response because a) I'm not sure that he's ever even eaten radicchio, and b) who thinks of radicchio as the first veggie off the top of their head???

In any case, it turns out that radicchio is actually in season in Ontario right now!  Go figure!  

What is radicchio?

Though it looks like a fancy purple lettuce or a miniature cabbage, radicchio is part of the chicory family of leafy veggies, and sometimes known as "Italian chicory".  It has a deep red, purplish colour and tightly held leaves, with white veins running throughout.  The variety most often found in the USA and Canada is round and about the size of a grapefruit, however other varieties can be found that resemble endive (small football-shape)  It's flavour is quite bitter when eaten raw, but mellows when it is cooked.  You may have seen this veggie in salad mixes that have red leaves included.

So why should I eat it?

Lots of reasons!  Like most of the veggies I've written about in these posts, radicchio also boasts a low caloric value and high nutrient, vitamin and mineral content.  Like most other rich coloured veggies, radicchio also holds antioxidants!  Radicchio contains anthocyanin, like red cabbage, a water-soluble pigment and flavanoid that research suggests may be beneficial against cancer cell growth and DNA damage, inflammatory diseases, and diabetes. 

On top of all those disease-fighting properties, according to the Canadian Nutrient File 1 cup of shredded radicchio will give you:

• a mere 10 calories!
• 6% of your daily folate needs
• Over 100% of women's daily Vitamin K need (90% for males)!  Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin needed to produce proteins used in blood coagulation and bone metabolism.
• Lutein, a carotenoid that plays a role in eye health and preventing macular degeneration.

Wow!!!

How do I eat radicchio?

You can eat radicchio raw or cooked.  Raw radicchio can be shredded like cabbage, or torn into smaller leaves and included with your green salad or in lettuce mixes.  It adds a slightly peppery or spicy flavour and bitterness, adding some creativity to your plain old boring salad.

If you're not into the bitter leafy veggies thing though, radicchio can also be cooked, which helps to mellow out the bitter flavour but retain the peppery qualities.  Since it's summertime though, why cook radicchio when you can grill it!

Grilled Radicchio Salad

You can add grilled radicchio to any other ordinary salad for a little something different, or have it all on its own. Simply cut your radicchio heads in half, spray with non-stick cooking spray or rub with a bit of canola oil to prevent sticking to the grill, and plop it on the barbeque for about 2-3 minutes per side until the whole thing is lightly browned.  Chop up the grilled radicchio into bite-sized bits.  From here, anything goes!  I like grilled radicchio salad with a citrusy vinaigrette (see below), a few orange segments, and walnuts or sunflower seeds.

Simple citrusy vinaigrette: combine 2 Tbsp canola oil with 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar (more if you like a more vinegary dressing - I like it with an equal oil-to-vinegar ratio).  Add 1/2 to 1 tsp honey (depending on taste), orange zest or lemon zest, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  You could also reduce the honey and replace with orange juice if desired.  Try changing up the orange with other citrusy flavours like grapefruit!

Fun with five... km.

It's been a while since I've posted anything to do with fitness, but as we all know - activity is an essential part of healthy living!

From my previous posts about running, you will know that I have a sort of love-hate relationship with running.  I do like to run, really I do.  I like that it gives me time outside, that I don't need any special equipment or need to spend any money doing it, and I like the feeling of a body-mind connection that I feel when I run - I can refocus my run and feel lighter in motion by concentrating on deep full breathing and letting go of distractions in my head - much like the reasons that I enjoy yoga!

However.

Running and I don't always get along.  My knees have taken a beating over the years - in fact, before I took my first step in a running shoe, my left knee was already having some trouble (which had improved while I was losing weight, but never fully recovered).  The knee trouble has radiated out to other foot and hip instability, including plantar fasciitis and SI joint jamming (wheeeee).  However most definitely the thing that I dislike most about running is my own self-judgement.  I do like the competitive spirit and love it when I can beat my own time or pace from a previous run, however, I tend to get very judgmental of myself when I don't achieve a goal.  We may recall the time when I ran the TYS10K, had really nasty GI issues and knee pain, and ended up running my slowest 10K ever.  The mental bad-talking that resulted from this epic fail put me in a downward spiral and feeling really crappy about running.  I didn't want to do it again for a very long time.  I canceled my half marathon scheduled a few months later, because I stopped training altogether.  

I did eventually talk myself out of that funk and got back to running, and ran the Oasis Zoo Run 10K later that year (in a faster time than I had run the TYS10K, thank you very much).  But I realized that running wasn't fun when it was making me depressed about my body's limitations when they became limitations.  I wanted to feel good about running for all of the reasons that I actually enjoy running.

As a result, this year I'm running with a different intention in mind, and choosing events that will help me reconnect with my feet on the pavement rather than the time on the chip.  I signed up for a few 5k runs where I may or may not be timed, and where fun takes priority over competition.  I decided to reduce my distance from 10k to 5k, because I've noticed that once you get past 5k, runners tend to take themselves way too seriously.  The 5k runs are where all the fun stuff happens - crazy costumes, strange theme runs, and they tend to be more accessible to all age and ability groups.

Case in point: 

A few weeks ago, boyfriend and I ran Colour Me Rad, a 5k run in which every kilometre or so a squad of volunteers pummels you with coloured cornstarch, leaving you at the end of the run looking like you ran through a rainbow.  It rained.  A lot.  By the end, I was soaking wet, had green cornstarch stuck in every crevice, and was coughing colours.

I have no idea how long it took to run the 5k.

It was awesome.

My next upcoming run is the Midsummer Night's Run, also a 5k.  This run also has a 15 and 30km option, but I stuck with the 5k.  Why?  Because the 15 and 30k people are the hardcore runners, where the 5k people dress in fairy costumes and prance through the park and have a blast.  I want to be a person who has a crapload of fun prancing around the Toronto Island!

In the meantime, I've enlisted the help of the Running Room's 5k clinic to improve my endurance and form for my upcoming runs, because I want to be able to focus more on the fun than on feeling uncomfortable while running or dealing with achy knees/feet instead.

I do hope that this 5k/fun-run strategy gets me back into the spirit of running and reignites my interest in running longer distances, because the 10k runs I've done in the past were fabulous and I would love to do them again.  But, I want to return to them stronger in mind and body, and feeling like I am there to enjoy myself rather than to beat myself up.

Huevos

This topic seems to have come up a lot lately in my conversations with friends.  In the last few weeks, two people have asked me...

"What do you think about eggs?"

In one case, it came with the pretext of the person telling me that she thinks her friend's cholesterol is sky high because they often eat eggs for breakfast.  And well, eggs have cholesterol, therefore that must be the cause.

Let's talk.

Eggs have had a bad reputation for decades, but it seems that more recent research and education have started to reveal the many benefits of eggs, and changing our understanding of cholesterol in the body.  To understand what the deal is with eggs, let's first talk about cholesterol.

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is produced in the body to perform many functions, including building and maintaining cell membranes in the body, transporting lipids around the body, and producing various sterol hormones (e.g. cortisol, aldosterone, and sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone).  Cholesterol is also required for humans to convert sunlight to Vitamin D.  It is also used to produce bile, the yellow-greenish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gall bladder, used to help digest fats from the diet. You do need to have some cholesterol in your body to perform these, and other, functions.  You obtain blood cholesterol in two ways: dietary sources, and  production from the liver.

HDL?  LDL?  WTF?
Not all cholesterol is created equal.  You've probably heard the terms "good" and "bad" cholesterol, or "healthy HDL" and "lousy LDL" cholesterol.  Sort of.

When cholesterol leaves the liver, it is in the form of VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), which floats around the bloodstream and delivers triglycerides to tissues.  As the triglycerides get picked off, the density of the lipoprotein gets higher, becoming IDL (indermediate density), LDL (low density) and eventually HDL (high density).  While having more HDL is, indeed, a better place to be in than having lots of LDL (people with higher levels of HDL than LDL tend to have lower incidence of cardiovascular disease) they are still both cholesterol.  A high level of total cholesterol, whether HDL or LDL, is still a bad thing.

When does cholesterol become a problem?
As I mentioned, we need some cholesterol floating around the body to perform functions we need to live.  But, having high total blood cholesterol is a problem because it can become trapped in the lining of arteries.  If damage occurs in the arteries (e.g. because of high blood pressure, or just due to normal breakdown with age), cholesterol can enter the lining of the artery and cause an inflammatory response, leading to the buildup of plaques.  Having a high level of cholesterol in the blood increases the chance of this happening and, therefore, increases your risk of vessel blockage.

So how does cholesterol end up in my blood?
The liver is responsible for making about 75% of your blood cholesterol, which is made from saturated and trans-fatty acids from your diet (note - not the cholesterol in your diet, but from the types of fats).  These types of fats are typically found in animal sources of protein, such as meats and milk, in processed foods, and in some plant sources such as coconut and palm oils.  The liver packages up the triglycerides from these compounds and creates lipoproteins, which go out into the blood.  The type of fat may have some influence on the type of lipoprotein created - saturated fats in general tend to increase both HDL and LDL, while omega 3 and medium chain fatty acids tend to increase HDL production.  Removing trans fats from the diet also tends to increase HDL production.
Dietary cholesterol alone, such as that found in eggs, accounts for only about 25% of your blood cholesterol level.  Many studies have suggested that reducing dietary cholesterol alone, without also reducing saturated fat or (especially) trans fat intake, has little effect on total cholesterol.  Dietary cholesterol is also not very well absorbed if consumed with other nutrients, like soluble fibre.  In fact, soluble fibre helps to soak up cholesterol from bile and excrete it in your poop so that it doesn't get reabsorbed into the blood.  Now that's good to know!

How come eggs make my cholesterol go up then?
They don't.  It's true that eggs contain dietary cholesterol, about 200mg, but not enough that it would actually make your blood cholesterol increase all that much.  Since most of your blood cholesterol comes from your intake of saturated and trans fats, it's far more likely that the other stuff you're eating with your eggs at breakfast are at least partly responsible.  Often morning eggs are accompanied by sausage or bacon, buttered toast, maybe some fried hash browns, and cream in your coffee.  That's spelled S-A-T-U-R-A-T-E-D   F-A-T

You mean, eggs aren't the devil after all?
Eggs-actly (HA!!!!!!!!!!!)!  Eggs are an excellent source of protein, and are amazingly inexpensive.  They are versatile, as they can be prepared in so many interesting ways, and they hold a load of nutritional qualities that far outweigh the cholesterol content.  How about 50% of the B12 you need in a day, and 10-15% of your daily Vitamin A, D and E (fat soluble vitamins)?  Eggs are also a great source of lutein, needed for eye health.

If you're still concerned about eating lots of eggs, consider using egg whites, which contain NO fat, only protein.  This, however, also means that you will not be getting all those other awesome fat-soluble benefits of eggs that are found only in the yolks (A, D, E and lutein, among many others).  I often eat one egg and one egg white at breakfast, giving me the extra protein while still getting that load of egg yolky goodness.




How do I eat eggs?
Really?

Well.  Eggs can be boiled (hard, soft), poached, fried, sunny side up, over easy, scrambled, baked, and lots of other options.  If you're concerned about cholesterol, cook your eggs using ingredients lower in saturated fat.  For example, instead of making a fried egg with butter, use canola oil in your pan instead.  Also, check out the other items that you're serving up.  If your eggs appear alongside bacon, sausage, ham, fried potatoes, etc etc etc, rethink it.  Make your accompaniments something with fibre, such as whole wheat toast, veggies, or a piece of fruit.
Among my favourite breakfasts is a veggie-egg scramble.  Take whatever veggies you have - peppers, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, whatever.  Chop it up, sautee, and add scrambled eggs (1 egg + 1 egg white).  Serve topped with salsa, a bit of hot sauce, and with a slice of whole wheat toast, lightly buttered.  Mmmmmm.

The moral of the story:
Don't be afraid!  Eggs can be your friends.  The people who need to be concerned about eggs and avoid them are people who a) are allergic to them, or b) have been advised by their health care provider to limit dietary cholesterol due to existing heart issues.  If your doctor or health care provider has never mentioned such a thing, and you don't have significant heart issues (i.e. you haven't had a heart attack, you aren't on multiple cholesterol meds, etc), then you really have little to worry your pretty little head about.

If you do have heart issues or high cholesterol, or are concerned about your risk, talk to your doc or a dietitian about eggs and your specific situation regarding dietary cholesterol.  Chances are that you can still eat eggs, but might just need to monitor how many you eat in a week.  Cardiac patients can usually still include 1-2 egg yolks per week in their balanced diet.

Want to learn more about eggs?  Egg Farmers of Canada has a lot of great resources, including dietary information, recipes, info for specific groups (e.g. eggs and your baby), research about eggs and cholesterol, and more.  Check out their website at www.eggs.ca/ *

*disclaimer: I have not been asked to support Egg Farmers or been sponsored by them in any way (I wish!).  I just really like eggs, and the Egg Farmers website has easy to read, accessible resources!

Vegetable of the Month

Hey, guess what?  This is Snack Sweat Spirit's 100th post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a great day to bring you another tasty Vegetable of the Month :D!




Drumroll please!


drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr






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rrrrrrrr

It's RHUBARB!!!

Though this leafy plant is often associated with fruit, it is indeed actually a veggie!  Once revered for its medicinal properties, today rhubarb's fruity flavour is enjoyed during the springtime before most other fruits are available locally.  These ruby red stalks are just coming out of season in Ontario, so get them while they're still available!

According to the Canadian Nutrient File, 1 cup of diced raw rhubarb will yield...

• only 27 calories!  Almost 0 fat, only 5g of carbohydrate, and 1g of protein
• Over 2g of fibre, helping you feel fuller longer!
• About 11% of your daily calcium needs 
• About 8% of your daily potassium needs, an important mineral that aids in digestive and kidney health, and may help to lower blood pressure
• About 13% of your Vitamin C!

EatRightOntario, run by the Dietitians of Canada, and Canadian Living have great articles about the benefits of rhubarb, preparation ideas, how to choose rhubarb, and how to store and freeze it.  Here are a few highlights to help you enjoy this veggie as soon as possible!

Look for rhubarb that is still crisp, not soft or saggy (kind of like when you're looking for celery).  The stalks should be straight, brightly coloured, and (if the leaves are still attached) have bright unblemished leaves.  However, do not eat the leaves.  Rhubarb leaves contain a compound called oxalic acid, which can be harmful or even fatal to humans if consumed.  The leaves can be safely composted though, so no need to worry about tossing them in your pile.  Store your rhubarb in the fridge, or freeze by washing, boiling for about 2 minutes (blanching), chopping into small pieces and store in an airtight bag.

Most people are familiar with rhubarb paired with fruity preparations, like strawberry rhubarb jam, and of course strawberry rhubarb pie (mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm).  But this veggie can be used in many different ways!  It can be baked into muffins or breads, fermented into wine, enjoyed in jams and compotes, and included in desserts like tarts, pies, trifles and cakes.  It also pairs beautifully in sauces and chutneys with pork or chicken.  The recipe below comes to you from Foodland Ontario:

Rhubarb Chutney

3 cups chopped rhubarb stalks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 apple, peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup raisins
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar, water, raisins and ginger.  Cook at medium heat, covered and stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the fruit has softened. Stir in the salt, cinnamon and cloves.
If you wish to store this chutney, pour it into clean and sterilized jars (run them through the dishwasher) and refrigerate for up to 1 month.  Try this chutney over grilled pork chops or tenderloin for a tangy surprise!

What's your favourite summer veggie?  Leave me a comment, it could be next month's veggie!

Staying on track while on staycation

It's almost Canada Day!  And if you aren't Canadian, well, there's probably another holiday coming up for you sometime in the next couple of weeks too :)

Tradition for me on Canada Day is to go to my friend's cottage for 3 or 4 days for a weekend of debauchery, copious drink and not-so-WW-friendly food.  Don't get me wrong - I do generally still try to eat well while away for this beach extravaganza, but it can be hard to do so when my fellow cottagers have brought only sacks of meat, bags of chips/junky snack foods, and several 24's of beer.

I've been to the cottage while actively losing weight, and several more times while maintaining my weight.  What gives?  How can someone attend such a social gathering and still stay even remotely on track???  Here are a few of my tried-and-true tricks to help you stay on plan while on staycation.  (stay-cay?)

• Bring your own food.  My friends and I usually do a group grocery shop for the cottage and split the costs.  I try to go with them to the store (if the timing works out that I'm actually there when the shop happens) to make sure that some healthy things make it into the cart.  My friends usually end up eating it too, since they might not have bought it themselves, but once it's in the house they will happily eat it. I make sure to bring or stock up on veggies for the grill or for fresh salads, lean meats for the grill (chicken breasts, lean ground meats to make hamburgers, etc), and bring lots of healthy snacks (see below).
• Bring your own snacks.  Though my friends are happier to bring a carload of chips and junky snacks, I always always bring snacks that I know I will feel good eating.  I'm one of those unfortunate people who really can't eat just one chip or salty snack - I will eat the entire bag.  In minutes.  Uncontrollably.  After nearly 7 years of maintained weight loss, I've learned that I simply can't have those things around lest I demolish them.  To avoid going anywhere near them at the cottage and throwing myself under the wagon (not just off the wagon, I would get run over by it :P), I bring my own snacks and gladly share them with friends.  On the way to the cottage, grab a bag of apples, oranges, cherries, peaches, or other in-season fruit, and some easy-to-cut and munch veggies like celery, cucumbers, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers.  I also always stop at a bulk store before I head out of town to get other healthy snacks, like dry roasted unsalted almonds, dried apricots, pineapples or other fruits, mini pretzels, and a low-sodium trail mix.  
• Look for nutritional info at your bulk store (e.g. Bulk Barn has nutrition info right on the bins) to pick snacks that will keep you on track - lower in sodium, lower in sugar, and higher in protein and fibre.  Watch for the portion sizes as well!  I sometimes will portion my trail mix and nuts out into little snack baggies so that I know I won't overindulge.
• Be active.  In years past, cottage weekend meant doing little beyond moving from bed to the kitchen, kitchen to the beach chair, and not much else.  There is always an opportunity to be active, wherever you go.  My friends invested in a bocce ball set a couple of years ago, keeping us up and moving on the beach.  We also have a volleyball, and a couple of badminton rackets (no nets for either).  But you don't need fancy equipment to stay active - go for a walk along the beach, do some yoga, swim in the lake, or just have fun in the sand - build a sandcastle, dig for shells, whatever.
• Pace yourself.  In Canada, "cottage weekend" is synonymous with "drink yourself stupid".  If it's possible to just say no to the booze altogether, more power to you.  However it can be very hard to sustain that, especially when all of your friends are having drinks.  If you do decide to drink, make it a conscious choice, and make a decision to pace yourself over the weekend.  Generally, my friends operate on a BYOB system, so to control how much booze I'm going to drink, I simply don't bring as much with me!  Instead of a 24, bring a 6 or 12 pack to last the weekend.  Drink lots of water in between to keep well-hydrated, especially when you're spending time outside.  

The absolute most important thing about going to the cottage or wherever you're going is to have fun!  And, if you end up getting off track, don't beat yourself up over it.  It happens.  In fact, it can sometimes be worthwhile to give yourself a break from your program and have a social life - however it's even more worthwhile to get back on track as soon as you can!  If you blow it for a day or two - forgive yourself, and get back on track the next day or the next meal.  You can still meet your goals despite long weekends getting in the way!

How do you stay on track while on vacation?

Vegetable of the month

It's that time again!  This month's veggie is..........................






.................







................

Fiddleheads!!!

Fiddle whaaaat?

Fiddleheads are in season at this time of year, and won't be around for long!  Get these tasty little ferns while you still can :)

So what is a fiddlehead?  They are the curled up fronds of young ferns - left on their own, they would eventually uncurl and turn into ferns, but when harvested at this stage, they make for a tasty veggie.  The taste and texture somewhat resembles asparagus, though with a bit of leafiness - not everyone is a fan of the taste of fiddleheads, but if you've never tried them it's worth a go!

Fiddleheads are not cultivated through traditional large farming methods, but picked by individuals along the side of rivers and streams.  As a result, they might be a bit tricky to find at grocery stores, but are often found at farmer's markets and your local fruit and vegetable stands.  Look for fiddleheads that are tightly curled, and a bright green colour without much brown spotting.

What's so great about fiddleheads anyway?  Per 1/2 cup serving, according to the Canadian Nutrient File...

• only 21 calories!
• 16% of a woman's vitamin A needs
• over 21% of your vitamin C needs
• over 21% of your niacin needs
• low in sodium, but high in phosphorus, so this veggie can be helpful for people on very low-sodium diets

How do I prepare fiddleheads?

Because fiddleheads are cut close to the ground, they hold the potential to contain bacteria.  As a result, Health Canada recommends that fiddleheads only be consumed when cooked.  Before cooking, brush off any brown scaly bits, then wash thoroughly with cold running water and trim off the bottom of the stems (like asparagus, the ends of the stems can be tough and woody).  

There are many ways to prepare and eat fiddleheads.  Try boiling them in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, then drizzle with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Or, sautee with garlic and a bit of butter for a flavourful side dish.  Spice it up by adding a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.  Fiddleheads can be used much like asparagus in recipes, such as pastas, omelettes, quiches, and salads.

How can you enjoy the goodness of fiddleheads later in the year when they're so seasonal?  Fear not -- fiddleheads can be frozen too!  Before you freeze your fiddleheads, you'll need to wash them well and boil to prevent bacterial growth.  Cook till fork tender, drain, rinse with cold water and lay them on a paper towel.  When the fiddleheads are completely cooled and dried off, put them into an airtight plastic baggie and try to get all of the air out before you seal it up and freeze.  Enjoy your fiddleheads within a few months for optimal goodness!

Happy eating!