March Madness brings out the best of the best teams to compete in head-to-head matchups on the basketball court!  In honor of the march mayhem, Skinny Gene presents the Produce Playoffs!  Just like the big dance, anything can happen on any given day as these super foods go head-to-head!  Whatever the outcome, all of these foods are winners!

SEE RULES AND GIVEAWAYS!

DAY 2 MATCHUP: Eggplant versus Beets

(voting from March 25th – March 27th @ Midnight PST)

The next matchup is the battle of the purple veggies, eggplant versus the mighty beets.  Not the most popular veggies, but these two snuck into the produce playoffs to show off their stuff.  Here is a breakdown of the two teams:

Eggplant

Season: Started the season out strong, but they may have hit their peak long before this tourney, August to October.

Star players:  fiber and manganese

On the bench: molybdenum, potassium, antioxidants

Offense:  The eggplant’s offense attack is based on their versatility.  The eggplant can be baked, roasted, or steamed and added to sandwiches, pizza, and lasagna for a low calorie filling.

Defense:  The eggplant’s defense is led by star player fiber, reducing the risk of heart disease, as well as the low calories fighting off the risk of obesity.  

VERSUS

Beets

Season: The beets peaked even earlier than the eggplant, June through October.  This is sure to be a good match up!

Star players: phytonutrients, folate, and fiber 

On the bench: dynamic duo of antioxidants, vitamin C and manganese

Offense: The beets are quick to cook, just steam for 15 minutes until soft.  Beets are a great addition to a salad bowl of greens or an easy side dish.  

Defense: The phytonutrients are the star defense players, providing some valuable antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components that are unique only to a few veggies.  The beets also match up well with the eggplants fiber defense.

THE WINNER

This was an awesome matchup. Both teams played hard, but there could only be 1 winner. And  it was…. CLICK TO SEE THE ANSWER!

March Madness brings out the best of the best teams to compete in head-to-head matchups on the basketball court!  In honor of the march mayhem, Skinny Gene presents the Produce Playoffs!  Just like the big dance, anything can happen on any given day as these super foods go head-to-head!  Whatever the outcome, all of these foods are winners!

SEE RULES AND GIVEAWAYS!

DAY 1 MATCHUP: Pears versus Asparagus

(voting from March 21st – March 22 @ Midnight PST)

This is sure to be a great matchup to kickoff the Produce Playoffs!  The Aspargus team brings a lot to the table besides their obvious height advantage.  Here are the scouting reports for the two teams:

Pears

Season: Peak from summer to early January, they may have peaked too soon for to make a run in this tourney!

Star players:  Fiber and vitamin C

On the bench: Antioxidants

Offense:  The pears offense is based on their speed.  The quick chopping and dicing allow the pears to be added to so many things!  Our favorite plays are adding diced pears to cereals and oatmeal, and adding slices to fresh spinach salads.

Defense:  The defense attack is led by the Pear’s bench play of the antioxidants.  The threesome of beta-carotene, lutein, and zea-xanthin are super protective against any free radicals reducing risk of colon and other cancers.  The star player, fiber, also provides a defensive edge lowering cholesterol and keeping the bowels moving nicely.

VERSUS

Asparagus 

Season: Lucky for the Asparagus team, they are peaking at just the right time for this match up, February through June!

Star players: Fiber, antioxidants, folic acid and B-vitamins

On the bench: Vitamin foursome – A, C, E, K

Offense: Aspargus is extremely versatile.  On the fast break they can be sautéed with olive oil, garlic, and pepper…a sure slam dunk!

Defense: A great matchup for the pears with fiber, keeping blood sugars stable, lowering cholesterol, and keeping the bowels moving.  Additional defense from the antioxidants and vitamins reducing risk of cancer and reduces inflammation!

THE WINNER

This was an awesome matchup. Both teams played hard, but there could only be 1 winner. And  it was…. CLICK TO SEE THE ANSWER!

HOW TO PLAY

Each week some of our favorite performing produce will go head-to-head. We will give you the scouting reports  for each produce team, including their offensive/defensive lineups. Using the information provided, simply guess which produce in each head-to-head matchup will prevail.  Just know that some produce are prone to pull an upset!   

To make your selection, simply cast your vote using the poll at the bottom of each matchup. Then, tell us who you voted for in the blog comments below.   For each matchup, you can only cast 1 vote, and once the winner is announced the voting for that matchup will be closed. Don’t worry if you miss one, there will be up to 4  matchups each week during March Madness and plenty of chances to earn points and prizes.

POINTS AND PRIZES

– For each head-to-head you guess correctly, you will get one (1) point.

– For each head-to- head, leave us a comment below telling us why you think your chosen produce will take the    prize, and you’ll earn two (2) additional points. {Keep it clean folks, or it won’t count.}

-If your comment is sooo good that we feature it on our Skinny Gene Facebook page, we will give you three (3) more points.

 But, the easiest way to win a prize is to GET SOCIAL!!  Here’s the deal… if your friend wins a prize, so will you.

At the end of the March Madness Produce Playoffs tournament, we will count up all the points. Each point counts as 1 entry in our prize drawing(s).

The more participants we have in our Produce Playoffs, the more prizes we will  give away!  So recruit your friends to play against you in the 2013 Skinny Gene Produce Playoffs.

So far,  UP FOR GRABS are….two (2) $25 Visa Gift Cards – 1 for the winner of the random drawing, 1 for the person who recruited them to the tournament.

Each entry counts as one chance to win.  US Only!  Winner will be announced April 9th. Winner will be chosen AT RANDOM by random.org.

READY TO PLAY!!!

(Click on the links below to pick your produce in the head-to-head matchups or to see the results)

DAY 1 : PEARS vs, ASPARAGUS  – voting is closed. Winner…ASPARAGUS!! See how they pulled it off!

Who knew you could learn so much from a sticker?!

From Nutrition Styles

What is organic production?

Great question!  The short answer is :

“Organically grown” food is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources (e.g., biological pesticides) may also be used in producing organically grown food.

Many people  are purchasing organically grown and processed foods as a way to reduce their exposure to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Please click the link to learn more about the specific USDA Definition and Regulations.

What are GMO ( Genetically Modified Organisms) a.k.a Genetically Modified Foods

Even better question!

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can be defined as organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species.

Such methods are used to create GM plants – which are then used to grow GM food crops.

The World Health Organization (WHO) put together 20 questions and answers  in response to questions and concerns about the nature and safety of genetically modified food. Please click here to see their responses.

Organizations, such Say No To GMOs!, support mandatory labeling, long-term independent safety testing, more stringent regulation and full corporate liability for damages resulting from the irresponsible introduction of GMOs to the food supply and environment.

Hopefully this information will help you to pick the right produce!