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Ear-Healthy-Holiday-Recipes-1
Holiday Recipes with Ear-Healthy Ingredients
Is there any better holiday tradition than enjoying some delicious seasonal treats?

As kids, we all could eat our fill of holiday cookies, candies, pastries, and pies, and still go to bed dreaming of sugar plums. As adults, we know the importance of keeping an eye on what we’re eating. Luckily, there are some foods that straddle the line between festive fun and nutrient rich.  
Here are a few simple ear-healthy holiday recipes that contain nutrients with proven hearing health benefits that will be right at home on any holiday season dinner table. 

Whole Grain Stuffing with Pecans and Currants

From Forks Over Knives 
The holidays are all about comfort food, and nothing says comfort like a pillowy pile of stuffing. Stuffing is a versatile dish and presents lots of opportunities to add health-promoting ingredients that won’t take away from the overall taste — and in some cases may even enhance it! 
The magnesium in whole grain breads can strengthen nerve functioning in your inner ear and help fortify your immune system. Pecans are a great source of healthy fats, including Omega-3, which may help slow age-related hearing loss and even improve ear-brain coordination. Currants can add a sweet and slightly acidic flavor, along with an immune system boost from antioxidants and vitamin C. They also contain a healthy portion of potassium — a key feature in regulating cochlea fluid. 
Add a few additional healthy ingredients and you’ve got a delicious and healthy side dish that’s perfect for the holiday season. 

Ingredients 

  • 6 cups of whole grain bread (firmly packed and diced) 
  • 1 medium yellow onion (diced small) 
  • 2 stalks of celery (diced small) 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of sage (fresh, minced) 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of rosemary (fresh, minced) 
  • Sea salt 
  • ½ cup of toasted pecans (finely chopped) 
  • ½ cup of currants 
  • Freshly-ground black pepper
  • 1 ¾ cups of low-sodium vegetable broth 

Directions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
  2. Bake the diced bread on a baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. 
  3. Dice the onion and celery to small cut size and sauté over medium heat for 8 to 9 minutes, occasionally adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water as needed to keep them from sticking. 
  4. Finely chop the pecans and mince the rosemary and sage.  
  5. Add the bread cubes and the sautéed vegetables to a mixing bowl with the sage, rosemary, pecans, and currants. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Mix well and drizzle the vegetable broth over the mixture to moisten. 
  6. Transfer the mixture to a non-stick baking pan and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the bread cubes have soaked up all the broth. 
  7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned and still slightly moist. 

Save this recipe or print to an index card 

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

From Audiology & Hearing Health 
The CDC reports people with diabetes are twice as likely to have hearing loss as their peers without diabetes.1 This recipe with sweet potatoes, leafy greens, and beans fits perfectly into a diet for diabetes and hearing health. 
Sweet potatoes are high in potassium, which helps regulate cochlea fluids. Plus, spinach and other leafy greens are packed with vitamins for inner ear health, including folate and vitamin C. 

Ingredients

  • 4 medium sweet potatoes 
  • 2 tablespoon of olive oil 
  • 1 shallot (diced) 
  • 1 garlic clove (minced) 
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary 
  • ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes 
  • 1 ½ cups of cooked and drained white beans 
  • 6 cups of spinach, trimmed and cut into ribbons 
  • Juice of 1/4 orange 
  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Bake potatoes for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until soft. 
  2. About 15 minutes before the potatoes are done, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, deep, covered saucepan over low heat. Dice the shallot, add it to the olive oil, and cook for 5 minutes. 
  3. Raise heat to moderate. Mince the garlic and add, along with the red pepper flakes and rosemary sprig. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 
  4. Add the beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  5. Add the spinach, cover the pan, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is soft, stirring occasionally. 
  6. Remove rosemary, stir in orange juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. 
  7. Slice each sweet potato lengthwise and push the ends in to open up the middle. Spoon beans and greens into the center of the potato. 

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Dark Chocolate Nut Clusters with Sea Salt

From Skinnytaste 
For many of us, the holidays are all about the seasonal desserts. Luckily, dark chocolate is rich in zinc, which can help your immune system stay healthy and even boost cell growth in your ears. Combine that with the antioxidants and healthy fats in nuts, and you’ve got a delicious dessert that you can feel good about snacking on.  

Ingredients 

  • 20 almonds 
  • 20 pecan halves 
  • 20 walnut halves 
  • 1 package of dark chocolate melting wafers (or dark chocolate chips) 
  • Sea salt 

Directions

  1. Place the chocolate wafers in a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each until melted. 
  2. Use a fork to dip a walnut half into the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess and place on a piece of wax paper. Do the same with a pecan half and lay it on top of the walnut. Repeat the dipping and stacking process with an almond. Continue with the remaining nuts to create as many clusters as you like. 
  3. Allow the clusters to cool. Before the chocolate has completely re-hardened, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on each.  
  4. Once the chocolate has fully cooled, serve right away or store in an air-tight container.

 Save this recipe or print to an index card
 

Being more conscious about what you eat doesn’t mean there’s no room for some sweet treats, especially around the holidays! The trick is to find good foods for ear health that come with added health benefits. 
These recipes will give you an idea of what kinds of ingredients will promote hearing health so you can identify new ear-healthy dishes or look for opportunities to add them to your favorite recipes! 

Sources 

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/diabetes-complications/diabetes-and-hearing-loss.html