WATER WEDNESDAYS AT GEMS

With upcoming events focused on health and nutrition, we at Harlem Gems are doing our part in the fight against obesity by introducing “Water Wednesdays”. Every Wednesday everyone is encouraged to only drink water throughout the day instead of juice or other beverages.

Consuming beverages high in sugar has been linked to diabetes, tooth decay and obesity in young men and women. We think that devoting one day a week to only water would jump start healthier eating habits for those that are not accustomed to the proper daily intake, and reinforce the benefits of drinking water for others.

WAY TO GO GEMS!

Fun and Fit in the City Event: Saturday, October 1, 2011

To everyone who is part of the Harlem Children's Zone and Promise Academy community, we would like to invite you to join us at the Fun and Fit in the City Event (presented by Target and the New York City Wine & Food Festival) Saturday, October 1st, 2011 at the Harlem Armory. There will be celebrity chefs, culinary demos, nutrition education, and fitness activities for the whole family.

FREE ZUMBA CLASSES FOR ADULTS

Wednesdays at 7:30-8:30pm
Saturdays at 10:00-11:00am
Harlem Armory
40 W. 143rd St b/t Lenox Ave & 5th Ave
RSVP to hli@hcz.org

Kitchen Wordle

Wordle you say? Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes.

For the serving area of the kitchen at the main building, we created a wordle not only to visually improve the serving area but also to teach the students about words we commonly use. We will also put together a key describing each words meaning.

Enjoy!

What's for lunch? September 12th 2011

Todays menu features Beef Chili, Brown Rice and Steamed Broccoli.

The beef that we use to prepare our meals is produced locally and grass fed, but what is grass fed beef?

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of grass farming is that the meat offers tremendously significant health benefits. Grass Fed Beef contains high levels of Omega 3’s—the fatty acids that can reduce cholesterol and fight heart disease. In contrast, grain-finished animals from feedlots are high in Omega 6’s—the fatty acids that can raise cholesterol levels. In addition, grass-finished beef offers 400 percent more vitamin A and E than commercial beef, and is rich in beta-carotene and conjugated linoleic acids, both major cancer inhibitors.

Most beef consumed in the US is “grain finished” at large-scale commercial feedlots. Grass-fed beef is raised and finished on an all-natural, grass diet, that results in animals that are much healthier. The cows never receive antibiotics, hormone implants or by-products, so there’s no risk of mad cow disease.

Bon Appetit!