January 8-14 is considered Folic Acid Awareness Week and is a good time for people to be reminded of the importance of getting some of that vitamin each day. Folic acid is an essential B vitamin, and a lack of it can lead to birth defects. It also serves a variety of functions within the body, and a shortage or absence of it can lead to health problems.

“Folic acid is important to our health, yet many people are not even familiar with what it is or why we need it,” explains Dwayne Adams, registered nurse and creator of the RNHealthCoach.com, an online health and wellness coach directory. “The more people know about it, and where to get it, the more they are able to make a point of including it in their diet. And the health benefits that result speak for themselves.”

Folic acid is considered a fundamental building block in our body. It is used for cell growth and reproduction, and it also helps in the building of DNA. Other health benefits of getting an adequate supply include it helping to protect against heart disease, stroke, and some mental conditions, such as Alzheimer’s Disease.

To help avoid birth defects, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, it is important that women get enough folic acid, not only during pregnancy, but for at least a month before becoming pregnant, as well. Those not pregnant can still suffer serious health consequences from not getting enough folic acid, including anemia and irritability.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women need 400 micrograms each day. Getting the recommended daily amount of folic acid can be achieved as easily as taking a multivitamin that contains it, but a full daily supply can also be found in a variety of breakfast cereals, such as Kellogg’s Special K, Kashi Heart to Heart, and General Mills Total Raisin Bran.

A quick scan of the nutritional label will show how much folic acid is found in the cereal per serving. Additionally, some folic acid can be obtained through foods such as spinach, broccoli, black beans, pinto beans, and chickpeas. ”Getting enough folic acid is crucial,” adds Adams. “The good news is that it is surprisingly easy to accomplish that each day.”

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Hummus is the perfect food. What can best these levels of protein and fiber? Hardly any carbs? No meat? Wait, it only costs one dollar to make a dozen servings? It takes minutes to make? You do not have to use an oven or microwave? Endless customizable options? Jesus ate it?

Hummus is an ancient food eaten during biblical times. Incorporating the garbanzo bean (chickpea), ground sesame seeds, and Mesopotamian spices, the dish has been eaten for eons. While donning a robe and manipulating a mortar and pestle is the traditional, more cathartic method of grounding the elements together, a food processor will be the only tool really needed to enjoy this exotic, yet simple dish.

The mistake of using a single large can of chickpeas is an error most first-timers will make. Go for dry. Although it is more instantly gratifying to open into a can of soft beans floating amidst a salty brine, go for dry. If using canned, the final hummus product will be done in no less than ten minutes. Grow wise and realize that dry is the advantageous option.

A standard bag of garbanzo beans will yield four batches of delicious hummus per preparation. This annihilates the canned variety, which yields only one-per-can. Bag versus canned is not even a close contest. Bagged chickpeas yield over half your daily fiber serving. It is good to stay regular. Canned beans offer you only 20 percent of colon-cleansing benefits. Both varieties should pack between 7-8g of protein.

The instructions for making hummus are as follows:

Take a bag of dry chickpeas, and rinse and drain 1.5 dry cups worth.

Look out for stones and dark brown rejects.

Introduce into slow cooker along with 4 cups water. (There is no science to this ratio, as long as the chickpeas come out of the cooker brown and soft. Jesus and Moses did not need measurements and technology to enjoy this nutritious dish.)

Proceed to heat them in a slow cooker overnight on low for 8 hours.
Douse two red peppers with olive oil and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes until they start burning.
Flip up and over once or twice while they cook.
Prepare the rest of the elements.

Gather several garlic cloves and procure bottles of lemon juice, tahini (sesame-seed paste), cumin powder, and pita breads.

Remove the peppers and place in a closed container, allowing the steam to break the outer skin down. Using the blender as the receptacle is ideal.

Rinse in cold water to allow easier handling.                                                                                                                                                                             Peel away the pepper skin, then rip off the stem to subtract the inner membrane containing seeds. Leave seeds in if you want a spicy hummus.

Remove as much water from the peppers as possible. Use a “salad-spinner” if feeling fancy.
Now you are ready for the genesis of a hummus batch.

Throw the peppers into the blender along with 2 to 5 garlic cloves, 3 tbs. tahini (sesame-seed paste), liberal splashes of lemon juice, and 1-2 tbs. cumin powder.

Blend this together before adding chickpeas.                                                                                                                                                                                       Once it is broken down and liquid, start adding beans. You may need a tool to fold the mixture around if blender blade ceases effectiveness.

If the mixture becomes too thick, and you want to add viscosity or want hummus-soup, introduce some olive oil.

Upon full assimilation, and when no full beans can be seen, transfer hummus into a storage device to be chilled.
The dish can be enjoyed cold or warm.

Pita is the most authentic device to transfer hummus from storage to mouth/body. Markets provide packs of ten for close to an American dollar. Heat one briefly in the oven until malleable. Now sit cross-legged in desert sands beside a camel to dip and consume whilst drinking mint tea.

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