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Mustard’s Powerful Punch on Barbecued Lamb

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Mustard may be a “side” at any outdoor grill party, but it is anything but an afterthought when it comes to your health. One tiny mustard seed, for example, is packed with a mountain of health benefits. As much as 43.6% protein can be found in one whole seed and when it comes to essential oils, the diminutive seed packs a tidy wallop at 48%.  And it does not end  there. The mustard seed is also a rich source of health benefiting minerals including calcium, manganese, phosphorus, and iron, so next time you are debating whether to choose between ketchup and mustard, try a good mustard condiment on your barbecued steak or burger.

Our gourmet favorite is Beaver Brand’s new Beaver Brand Stone Ground Mustard, an all-natural mustard recipe with no preservatives and best of all, gluten-free. This fourth generation company out of Hillsboro, Oregon, has a secret weapon in their Chairman Gene Biggi, son of founder Rose Biggi, who started developing mustards in the 1950s. According to National Mustard Museum Curator, Barry Levenson, “Gene Biggi is not only imaginative; he is fearless!” We agree – we love the taste!

With the promise of summer and barbecues around the corner, we asked Beaverton Foods for their favorite lamb recipe using the stone ground mustard.  Enjoy!

GRILLED MONGOLIAN STYLE LEG OF LAMB

Historically, Mongolians usually eat mutton rather than lamb; and it is usually seasoned with just salt and garlic, and then grilled over an open fire. However, Mongolia’s proximity to China has influenced many Mongolian recipes combining many different flavors to enhance the basic taste of lamb.

1 boneless, butterflied leg of lamb

Marinade Ingredients:

6 cloves of finely minced fresh garlic

3 Tbs Chinese hoisin sauce

3 Tbs Chinese ground bean sauce

4 Tbs honey

3 Tbs Beaver Brand Stone Ground Mustard

¼ cup light soy sauce

¼ cup Shaoxing wine, sake, or dry sherry

¼ cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup olive or canola oil

½ tsp Chinese 5 spice powder

2 Tbs Sichuan peppercorns ground in a spice grinder or with a mortar & pestle

Combine the marinade ingredients and marinate lamb in a plastic bag for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the lamb from the bag and reserve the marinade. Bring to room temperature. Grill on indirect heat on a gas or charcoal grill for approximately 45 minutes on each side. Baste with the reserved marinade every 10 minutes. Cook to an internal temperature of 145 degrees for medium-rare, 160 for medium, 175 for well done. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Summer Salads

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So, I’m over my go-to iceberg salad with creamy Italian and croutons work day lunch routine, what’s next? Summer salads are the next best thing for a spin on all your faves and are quick, easy, and delish. I made sure to cover the major meat groups and summer time fruits.

A few steps and a handful of creative ingredients will shake things up a bit. These healthy salad recipes are worth a shot:

Cajun Shrimp Salad

Cajun Shrimp

This salad is a light and crispy mouthwatering treat. The best part is that it’s a fast recipe, under fifteen minutes, that’ll still fill you up and leave you satisfied. Shrimp is a summer favorite with a low-fat, low-calorie, and high protein count and with the Cajun spin, it’s a can’t miss meal.

Ingredients include spinach, grape tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, shrimp, shaved Parmesan, and avocado.

From: Babaganosh.org
Get this recipe!

Chopped Steak Salad

Chopped Steak

A classic salad with colorful toppings is always a great choice for a healthy lunchtime meal. Take some of those leftovers from the grill and toss them together with some fresh veggies, add a savory balsamic dressing, and viola!

Ingredients include red onion, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, olives, grilled steak, and more.

From: MyRecipes.com
Get this recipe!

Grilled Chicken-Asparagus Salad

Grilled Chicken

This hearty salad won’t leave you hungry and is brightened up with mouthwatering mint, lemon juice, and fresh dill. YUM!

Ingredients include asparagus, goat cheese, buttermilk, mint, dill and boneless chicken bites.

From: MyRecipes.com
Get this recipe!

Kamut Wheat, Berry Tangerine, and Arugula Salad

Kamut Salad

Here’s an insider recipe that uses an ancient grain called Kamut and is easy-to-prepare, refreshing and delicious. It’ll make a great healthy side dish for any backyard BBQ or a lean lunch time meal.

This dish makes two servings and includes the following ingredients:

1 cup cooked KAMUT® wheat berries
½ lemon
1 bunch arugula (2 loosely packed cups)
2 tangerines (medium, peeled, sliced cross-wise, & segments separated)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
½ cup  walnuts (shelled walnuts, roughly chopped)
½ cup pecorino romano cheese (ribbons, optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a serving bowl combine KAMUT® berries, arugula, tangerine pieces, walnuts, and olive oil. Mix well and squeeze with lemon juice and drizzle with rice wine vinegar. Top with Pecorino Romano ribbons, if using, before serving. Keeps in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several days.

Enjoy!

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Strawberry Walnut

This five-ingredient summer classic is jam packed with flavor and uses in-season strawberries to its advantage. You can also mix this one up with candied pecans instead of walnuts, honey dressing instead of raspberry vinaigrette, and crumbled blue cheese instead of gorgonzola. Experiment with these variations and see (rather, taste) what your tummy loves best.

Ingredients include strawberries, spinach, gorgonzola, walnuts, and red onion.

From: Aggies Kitchen
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 Grilled Peach Salad

Grilled Peaches

Now this one is good for a little splurge and includes a few ingredients that’ll count toward your cheat foods. With crispy caramelized brown sugar bacon in a creamy buttermilk dressing drenched over grilled peaches and onions, this salad is a summertime dream.  According to Food & Wine, the secret to this salad is using big, juicy sweet onions like the Vidalias, which get nicely charred on the grill.

Ingredients include thick sliced bacon, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, peaches, sour cream, buttermilk, and more.

From: Food & Wine
Get this recipe!

Cover Photo: Shutterstock

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Sugar Detox Plan: Why You Should Do It

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We’ve all been there. We try to eat healthily, but those Oreos on the top shelf are screaming your name. Meanwhile, you’re salivating at the thought of dunking that decadent cookie into a tall glass of cold milk. You can practically taste the satisfaction and hear the package screeching as you rip it open. My friends, this is what we call the “sweet tooth woes” but don’t worry, you’re not alone.

“In the United States alone, a little more than 1 out of 3 people are either prediabetic or have diabetes—a metabolic disorder that around 30 years ago, when I was born, was nearly non-existent or relegated to much older folks. We now live in a world where obesity has become the #1 greatest health concern for parents over drug abuse, smoking or gun violence, and where diabetes is expected to grow by 50% by 2050. A recent Credit Suisse report shares that over $1 trillion of our healthcare costs in the U.S.—a cost I can’t even fathom—is linked to our over consumption of sugar.” -SUMMER RAYNE OAKES, SugarDetoxMe

sweet tooth woesSugar is one of life’s greatest oxymorons, it’s terrible for you but it tastes so good. However, it is a problem. Author of SugarDetoxMe, Summer Rayne Oakes started SugarDetox.me to document her own 30-day journey of removing free sugars (sugars not bound by fiber). Our question is: why would anyone want to give up something that satisfies in a way nothing else does?

  1. Sugar’s sweetness has the power to change your brain
  2. Sugars provide a sort of “temporary happiness” by releasing beta-endorhphin and dopamine “happy horomone” but is actually harming the body
  3. People are less active as a whole than 40 years ago, thus eating healthily is even more important

Getting rid of sugar completely isn’t about depriving the body of what it wants. It’s about giving our bodies what they need, which is wholesome and nutritional food. Summer Rayne Oakes wrote SugarDetoxMe to help people live a healthier lifestyle and understand just what sugar does to our bodies. The key is approaching it as a positive lifestyle change instead of deprivation. Also, because sugar releases neurotransmitters (beta-endorphin and dopamine), sugar can override self-control mechanisms. The food industry loves to take advantage of this, as food inventors have tirelessly tried to find the “bliss point” or optimum amount of sugar that keeps everyone coming back for more.

Luckily, SugarDetoxMe provides readers with 100+ recipes to curb cravings in order to live a healthier lifestyle. The 10-step detox plan is simple and easy to follow, and the recipes are delicious. Check out this one below!

Poached Egg in Avocado Boat (over microgreens)

sweet tooth woesTen minutes, Serves two people, Vegetarian
(Reprinted with permission from SugarDetoxMe  © 2017 by Summer Rayne Oakes, Sterling Epicure)

INGREDIENTS: 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons distilled vinegar, 3 ounces microgreen mix, 1 avocado, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, Pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Poach 1 egg in water with the distilled vinegar in medium saucepan for 4 minutes. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel on a plate. Do the same for the second egg, using the same water.
  2. Divide the microgreens between the two plates. Halve an avocado, remove the pit and skin, and place each half on top of the microgreens.
  3. Add a poached egg to the divot in each of the avocados. Drizzle then with olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and pepper. 

HOW TO POACH AN EGG

Get a medium size saucepan and fill it with water about half full. Begin to simmer the water and keep it simmering. Add about 2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar to the saucepan. Crack a fresh egg into a small cup or ramekin. Begin creating a gentle whirlpool with a spoon in the simmering water. Slowly tip the ramekin or cup with the egg into the whirlpool. This helps the egg white wrap around the yolk. Leave to cook for 4 minutes. Remove egg with a slotted spoon and place on a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to remove any excess water.

SugarDetoxMe is the nutritional reset you need to change your relationship with food. Summer Rayne’s indispensable program empowers readers to take back good health by controlling sugar.” MARK HYMAN, MD, bestselling author of Eat Fat, Get Thin

Dr. Mark Hyman is an American physician, and scholar. He is also the founder and medical director of the UltraWellness Center and he writes for the Huffington Post. In addition, he is a best-selling author and had high praise for SugarDetoxMe as seen above. Summer Rayne used Dr. Hyman’s book (The Blood Sugar Solution: The UltraHealthy Program for Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Feeling Great Now!) to help create the Sugar Detox.

Sweet tooth woes are normal, and a having a single cupcake won’t kill you. However, if you’re looking to treat your body right, Summer Rayne makes it easy for anyone to do the Sugar Detox while eating very tasty food! If you’re looking to give sugar up for good, you can buy it online heresweet tooth woes

sweet tooth woes

 

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Seeds of Life

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One tiny seed is packed with a mountain of health benefits. But be sure to only eat them raw, soaked, or mashed, as heat zaps their nutritional value.  Also, try the delicious tomato, chia, and pomegranate salad below. It is refreshingly light and makes the perfect accompaniment to a roast leg of lamb/pork/beef during the Holidays.

POMEGRANATE

At least 60 clinical trials were registered with the National Institute of Health this year to examine the effects of pomegranates on a myriad disorders. High in vitamins C and K, as well as dietary fiber, a palm full of pomegranate is a delicious, healthy treat.

CUMIN

Cumin seeds have been used since ancient Egyptian times and are as ubiquitous on Middle Eastern tables as pepper is to us. Stews and curry dishes are lost without cumin’s distinctive flavor and unmistakable aroma. Rich in iron and other essential fatty acids, cumin helps boost liver function.

HEMP

Although hemp comes from the cannabis plant, it contains negligible amounts of the psychoactive substance found in marijuana. What hemp seeds will get you high on is protein, as well as those nine essential amino acids our bodies cannot produce.

CHIA

Native to Mexico and Guatemala, these little black or white seeds were as important as maize to the Aztecs. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B, and add a healthy boost to any morning smoothie or bowl of cereal.

APRICOT

Used extensively in clinical trials, the compound amygdalin (B17), found in the apricot kernel, is purported to help with cancer treatment. Mediterranean apricot kernels are sweeter than their bitter-tasting cousins and can sometimes be substituted for almonds in recipes.

 

Tomato and Pomegranate Salad

2 ½ pounds of heirloom tomatoes (red and yellow) diced small

1 small red onion chopped finely

1 red pepper cored and chopped finely

1 large clove of garlic chopped finely

Seeds of one pomegranate

Some fresh oregano leaves

Dressing

½ tsp ground allspice

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

25 ml agave syrup

60 ml olive oil

1/3 tsp salt

Method

Mix tomatoes, onion, red pepper, and garlic in a bowl together. Whisk the dressing in a separate bowl and then combine all ingredients together.  Arrange all the ingredients on a platter and sprinkle the salad with the pomegranate seeds and oregano leaves. Finish off with a little extra drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!

 

 

 

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Alpha of Omegas

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by Dr. Sharon McQuillan
PHOTOGRAPHY by Claire Benoist

THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF DESIRES THAT HUMAN BEINGS universally share. We want to feel healthy and energetic. We want to achieve harmonious balance in our heads, hearts, and bodies. We want to enjoy the benefits of youth, and to feel as attractive as possible. One of the most effective ways to achieve these goals is to introduce an omega-3 supplement into your diet—regardless of age, gender, or current state of health.

These fatty acids perform many important functions in the body—most importantly, reducing inflammation. Maladies such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and osteoarthritis are all caused by inflammation, and a high-quality omega-3 is your first line of defense against these disorders. However, it is crucial to understand the differences between the myriad omega-3 supplements offered and choose the right one for you.

Nature designed our bodies to have a balance of essential fatty acids that protect our blood vessels, hearts, joints, and nerves from inflammation. Two important classes of essential fatty acids control the inflammatory process in our bodies: omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3s come from marine oils, walnuts, and flax seeds, and function to reduce inflammation. Omega-6 fatty acids are obtained from corn, soy, vegetable oil, and livestock, and trigger inflammation. When these fatty acids are balanced, the immune system protects you from infection and injury. Uncontrolled or exaggerated inflammation can cause pain, injury, and disability in virtually every organ system throughout your body.

Changes in food manufacturing practices have resulted in huge quantities of omega-6 fatty acids in our food supply—hydrogenated vegetable oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and genetically engineered corn and soy products are all major sources. At the same time, our consumption of omega-3 fatty acids has dramatically reduced, creating an imbalance of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids. The ideal ratio is 1:1. Studies show that the majority of Americans now have a 20:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which accounts for many medical conditions plaguing society today. From there, the source, purity, potency, bioavailability (activity in the body), and fatty-acid content all determine the quality. Products on the market today vary greatly in terms of these characteristics, as well as health value that ranges from vital to worthless.

SOURCE AND PURITY 

ALTHOUGH MOST POPULAR OMEGA-3S ARE DERIVED FROM fish oil, such is not necessarily the best source for a variety of reasons. Fish live in polluted waters and eat other fish as their food source. This reality results in the accumulation of harmful toxins, such as mercury and organic solvents, which may not be removed during the manufacturing process of some fish oils. This poses a potential health risk, which is why pregnant women are advised to limit fish intake and not take fish oil supplements. To make matters worse, the fish parts used to create fish oil supplements are not the fillets, but rather leftover parts such as the scales, eyes, and fins.

Then there are omega-3 supplements derived from krill oil, tiny crustaceans at the bottom of the food chain. Krill do not consume other fish and compound toxin presence as with larger marine life. There is controversy, however, regarding the eco-responsibility of harvesting krill in open water, which is the primary food source for much marine life. A number of US retailers refuse to carry krill oil due to this practice.

The most important and healthful source of omega-3 products come from green-lipped mussel oil extract. This oil is harvested from mussels sustainably farmed in the purest waters of the world, New Zealand’s Marlborough Sound, where they feed on nutrient-rich, antioxidant-rich plankton. This creates the purest natural source for omega-3 fatty acids, free from heavy metals and solvents.

POTENCY AND BIOAVAILABILITY

ANOTHER IMPORTANT DETERMINING FACTOR WHEN WE talk about omega-3s is the manufacturing process used to extract the oil. The oils are extracted by three different techniques: cold press, distillation, or supercritical fluid extraction. The latter process—more expensive and less-often used in manufacturing—results in marine oils abundant in “free fatty acids.” This form of fatty acids can be more easily and fully absorbed by your body than the other forms. Both cold press and distillation processes result in “bound” forms of fatty acids, which require multiple metabolic steps before entering the bloodstream. The supercritical process also removes the risk of allergic reaction to fish or shellfish where as the other processes do not remove this risk. An optimal omega-3 is produced via supercritical fluid extraction and delivers high concentrations of free fatty acids.

Large doses of traditionally manufactured fish oils can cause both bleeding problems and increases in harmful cholesterol, in addition to digestive challenges. When analyzing products for potency, free fatty acid content is relevant.

This should also be considered when manufacturers compare fish oil products on the basis of their EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). EPA and DHA have become “buzz words,” and therefore manufacturers attempt to out-do one another by creating products with increased amounts of EPA/DHA—without regard to the free fatty acid content or side effects associated with the total dose of oil. Never forget: Manufacturers are in business to sell their products.

EPA and DHA receive a lot of attention because they are both essential fatty acids—meaning they cannot be produced in the body and therefore must be consumed in the diet. We have focused much attention on these two fatty acids because they are, in fact, essential. This trend originated over 30 years ago with the discovery that Greenland Eskimos, who consumed large amounts of fatty fish, had fewer heart attacks and strokes. The cellular pathways accounting for this observation had not yet been fully elucidated, so it was assumed that EPA and DHA alone accounted for a reduction in cardiovascular risk. We now know, however, that there are other vital, biologically active fatty acids in marine oils involved in cardiovascular protection and many other health benefits. Controlling inflammation is the key.

Our current understanding of metabolism enables us to better understand how nutrients work in our bodies to preserve and promote health. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential in controlling inflammation and maintaining cell structure, yet Americans are largely deficient in these nutrients. Supplementation with omega-3s is one of the most important preventive measures we can take, but it should be with a pure, potent, complete product.

When choosing an omega-3 supplement, it is important to know how much of these essential fatty acids, such as EPA and DHA, are available in the free or bioactive form. Most fish oils contain fatty acids in the triglyceride form, which means it must be broken down in your body into the free form in order for you to receive its health benefits. Not only does this take significant time, but much of the free fatty acid is lost along the way, with only a small amount making its way to its final destination in the body. Much more omega-3 oil is required in the triglyceride form to get the same benefit.

The higher concentration of free fatty acids in green-lipped mussel oil makes them more readily available in the bioactive form, so they do not need to be metabolized or “digested” by the body. Such a supplement is more effective in smaller doses when compared with other fish oil products. The amount of omega-3 fatty acids in the wrong form will actually work against you, in that it interferes with your body’s blood clotting processes and raises LDL (a.k.a. “bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood. In most instances, it’s not how much omega-3 fatty acid a supplement contains, but how readily available it is to your body that determines its effectiveness. More free form omega-3 fatty acid in the supplement you choose translates to more benefits and faster results.

PATENTED GREEN-LIPPED MUSSEL OIL (PCSO-524) STUDIES

Analysis of this green-lipped mussel oil (PCSO-524) reveals 30 different fatty acids that work synergistically to reduce inflammation 100 times better than traditional fish oils. In 30 different clinical trials over 25 years, PCSO-524 reduced inflammation and relieved symptoms in degenerative disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease. PCSO-524 contains EPA and DHA, as well as 28 more fatty acids that create a significant anti-inflammatory effect, modifying 53 inflammatory pathways. (Even though PCSO-524 contains 30 different fatty acids, it has a far greater concentration of the “free fatty acid” form.) Accordingly, smaller quantities are required for an effective dose. PCSO-524 has similarly been shown to reduce pain and swelling as effectively as many anti-inflammatory medications (such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs), without the side effects and drug interactions associated with these products. NSAIDs cause approximately 16,500 consumer problems yearly, due to their tendency to increase bleeding as well as kidney and liver problems. Analysis has shown that there are up to 22 times higher levels of omega-3 free fatty acids in the PCSO-524 green lipped mussel oil extract than in a regular fish oil.

OVERALL BENEFIT

A CRUCIAL FACTOR IN CHOOSING A PROPER OMEGA-3 Supplement is whether or not it interferes with platelet function—meaning it will not interfere with blood-thinning medications. A good omega-3 will prove efficacious on subtle, silent diseases such as cardiovascular disease, preventing and improving the conditions that lead to heart disease including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and atherosclerosis. Omega-3s lower triglyceride levels by controlling the fat or lipids produced by the body, as well as the amount of triglyceride released into the bloodstream. In essence, this lowers the amount of fat in your blood, and hence your risk of suffering a heart attack.

Arrhythmia, an irregular or abnormal heart rate, affects nearly 10 million Americans and is the leading cause of sudden cardiac death. Clinical evidence shows that omega-3 may reduce arrhythmia and people who take omega-3 supplements after a heart attack cut their risk of sudden death by 45 percent.

Meanwhile, asthma affects 1 in 12 adults in this country, narrowing the airways to the lungs and causing them to overproduce mucous. This makes it very difficult to breath. Asthma is the direct result of inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids help alleviate wheezing and allow for better air flow to the lungs.

And of course more than 1.4 million adults in the US suffer from some form of inflammatory bowel condition. People with inflammatory bowel disease are at increased risk of colon cancer. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown clinically to improve gastrointestinal and digestive inflammation, which contribute to these conditions.

An omega-3 fatty acid supplement is an important step for optimal health. It will prevent many pressing medical conditions and rebalance fatty acid metabolism. It’s an issue we all deserve to be informed about, and a practice to integrate into our daily lives.

 

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Food for Thought

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Story by Valerie Latona

Photography by Andrew Scrivani

 

We’ve all got them: food fears. Tuna’s toxic, sugar’s really bad for you, and that soy in your morning latté could give you breast cancer. Here, we examine the most debated foods so you can stop stressing and start enjoying.

After Manhattan nutritionist Brooke Alpert, MS, RD, sweats through her favorite Soul Cycle class on Manhattan’s Upper East side, she watches her fellow cycling devotees make a beeline for the nearby Juice Generation—the popular New York City juice chain—for their post-sweat fix. One of the most requested drinks on the menu is Daily Detox, a blend of fresh carrot, cucumber,apple, lemon, and ginger.

The thinking: Daily juicing will cleanse your body of all its junk, detoxing it in the process. “Juicing is great because of all the micro nutrients you get from greens like kale and spinach,” says Alpert, whose company, B Nutritious,counsels clients on eating well. “On the other hand, it’s not great because some of these juices—fruit-based ones, in particular—contain a lot of natural sugar, which is absorbed very quickly by the body. These people think they’redoing something good for their bodies, but they’re actually overdoing it and,in the process, consuming more calories than they’re burning.”

Despite this fact, juicing is big business. More than $2.04 billion has been spent at juice bars and smoothie chains in the US this year. What those lines of people might not realize it that a diet rich in fiber—full of brightly colored fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants—the body(particularly the liver) detoxes on its own, without all of the extra juice mixed in.

Food fads—propelled by fears and the myths that inevitably grow out of them—often become major moneymakers.As a result, there’s more confusion than ever about what to eat and what not to eat. “One hundred and fifty years ago,we didn’t have food myths,” says Jeffrey Morrison, MD, a Manhattan-based integrative health specialist and author of Cleanse Your Body, Clear Your Mind. “All of our food was coming from our backyard.”

Nutrition experts such as Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD—founder of High Performance Nutrition, LLC, a consulting firm in Mercer Island, Washington, and the author of seven books including the popular Power Eating—understand why these ideas become so buzz worthy. “Many of the food myths do start out with a kernel of truth,” she insists.

To clear up the confusion, we asked some top experts to give their perspective on what kind of foods to eat and what items to avoid.

Grass-Fed Beef

Are we being fed marketing hype, or is “grass-fed” truly a healthier alternative to the beef of conventionally farmed cows? According to Dr. Kleiner, grass-fed beef naturally produces more amounts of DHA and EPA, the omega-3 fatty acids important for a healthy brain and heart. That, in her opinion, makes grass-fed a superior choice.

When cows eat corn and grain—as they do when they’re not grass-fed—they get fat very quickly, which changes the chemical consistency of the beef. According to Dr.Morrison, non-grass-fed cows are higher in unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids, which can cause inflammation and heart disease. “Grass-fed cows are allowed to enjoy a life consistent with the way their bodies work,” adds Morrison.“They eat grass, and as a result produce omega-3’s.” 374x316_cows-running-square

If you do eat grass-fed beef, keep in mind that it will taste different from season to season. “The beef from grass-fed cows is a direct expression of their diet, so as the cow’s diet changes throughout the year and goes from eating lush grass in the summer to eating hay over the winter, you will probably be able to taste this in the meat,” notes Kristy Lambrou,MS, RD, culinary nutritionist for Michelin-starred restaurant Rouge Tomate in New York City. Regardless of the season,never order your grass-fed beef well-done. “Grass-fed beef is leaner and has less fat,” Lambrou explains. “You should order it medium rare—or at most medium—to keep it tender.”

Gluten

When star tennis player Novak Djokovic announced he was gluten-free in 2010—and went on to have a winning streak—many people adopted the attitude that they, too, should shun all gluten. In the intervening years, the gluten-free food and beverage industry has grown dramatically, and sales of these products are on track to exceed $5 billion by 2015.

However, when Djokovic announced his dietary choice,few people paid attention to the fact that he had a medical reason for the change. Djokovic has celiac disease, which affects one out of every 133 Americans. “A gluten-free diet is the only known treatment for celiac disease,” explains Keri Glassman, nutrition expert and author of The New You (and Improved!) Diet. “It’s an autoimmune digestive disease that affects the small intestine’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. For people who suffer from the disease, gluten can cause significant digestive problems and malnutrition.”

But are there significant benefits to be gained by those unaffected by celiac disease? Glassman notices that a lot of people who go gluten-free lose the weight because they eliminate unnecessary snack foods. “If you cut out calorieladen products you could lose weight, too,” she says. “But it won’t be related to the gluten.”

According to Lauren Slayton, MS, RD, who founded the New York-based nutrition consultancy Food trainers, the health benefits of going gluten-free have more to do with what you add than what you take away. “A lot of people feel better with less gluten in their lives because our wheat is difficult to digest,” Slayton says. “But that’s only if you’re cutting out white flour and processed foods in favor of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains. If you’re replacing these foods with gluten-free packaged foods,eating gluten-free is not going to be any better for you.”

Diet Soda

Diet or regular. Does it matter, if both still cause weight gain? “Diet soda versus regular soda is like the electric chair versus lethal injection. Neither one is good for you,”says Food trainers’ Slayton. She points out that diet soda has never actually been shown to help weight loss. “It’s full of artificial sweeteners, is very acidic, is carcinogenic, and causes bloating because of the carbonation.”

A recent Brazilian study backs up this claim about diet soda. The study, conducted on laboratory rats, found that eating diet products with non-nutritive sweeteners in the form of saccharin or aspartame—from no-calorie frozen yogurt to diet soda—led to weight gain in rats, even when their total caloric intake was not increased.“

It’s a very controversial issue,” says Joy Bauer, best selling author of Food Cures and a nutrition and health expert for The Today Show. “Even though diet sodas don’t contain any real sugar, many brands contain acids—citric, malic, or phosphoric—that wear down your tooth enamel, making you more susceptible to cavities.” Bauer notes that while the carbonation in soda can contribute to short-term bloating,it’s unlikely to affect long-term weight gain.

A better bet? “Naturally flavored seltzers,” recommends Bauer. “They’re calorie-free and don’t have anything artificial.”

Agave

Agave nectar first became popular because it is natural,from a cactus-like plant, and has a low glycemic index. This means it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels as much as other sweeteners, a key for those with diabetes or who are at risk of diabetes. The accepted lore is that plain old sugar will make you fat, while agave nectar is the Holy Grail of sweeteners.

It turns out that agave is not as great as originally thought.“Agave is really a processed sweetener,” says Alpert, whose book, The Sugar Detox, comes out in the spring. It seems natural because it originates from a plant, but unlike a truly natural sweetener like raw honey, agave is produced using a highly chemical process that extracts nectar out of the plants. This type of sweetener is readily metabolized as fat,which can cause weight gain. What’s worse: “It’s almost one hundred-percent pure fructose,” explains Alpert. (That’s more fructose than high fructose corn syrup.) “Eating too much fructose gives the liver a workout because it’s metabolized there and can cause fatty liver disease. That is the beginning of everything from heart disease to diabetes.”

So what do you do if you need a sweet fix? Your best options are unprocessed raw honey (“Heating honey kills the enzymes that give it its health benefits,” explains Morrison), molasses (best in smoothies and baked goods),and coconut palm sugar (a low processed, no-fructose sweetener from coconut palm leaves). But don’t over-stress about agave. Small amounts here and there won’t kill you.“You’re better off having a bite or two of a real dessert than using those pink, yellow, or blue packets filled with chemical sweeteners,” insists Alpert. “You shouldn’t worry about just what’s in your dessert. You also need to worry about how much of it you eat, so watch your portion sizes.”

Organic Produce

A recent review of studies at the Stanford School of Medicine,published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and widely reported in the media, found that organic produce was no more nutritious than the conventionally grown kind. Many experts dispute this, however, saying the funding for the study was from food manufacturers and inherently biased.

“Logically, something without carcinogens sprayed on them is going to be the healthier, tastier option,” says B Nutritious founder Alpert, who recommends organic produce for all of her clients.

“Because organic fruits and vegetables have to struggle in their environment to be a healthy plant, they produce phytonutrients, antioxidants, and enzymes that help fend off pests and infections,” explains Morrison. “We get the benefit of those when we eat them.” While conventional produce contains nutrients, experts like Morrison maintain that it’s nowhere near the amount found in organic fruits and vegetables.

“You just have to ask yourself: Do I really want to be exposed to, or have my kids exposed to, all of these pesticides?”says Robyn O’Brien, author of The Unhealthy Truth:How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It. “You buy ‘organic’ not necessarily for what’s in it, but for what’s not in it.”

But does that mean if you can’t get, or afford, organic that you shouldn’t eat conventional fruits and vegetables at all?Absolutely not, according to Alpert. Fruits and vegetables organic or not, still contain nutrients. There is, however, a list of must-eat-organic fruits and vegetables—the so-called“dirty dozen” that deserves consideration. It’s based on findings from the non-profit Environmental Working Group and focuses on produce most contaminated with pesticides—peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries,cherries, pears, grape, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

One other important note: Organic processed food is no healthier than any other processed food. “Junk food, even if made with organic ingredients, is still junk food,” Alpert says.

Fish

Fish has long been considered one of the most virtuous proteins on earth, though a number of controversies have been swimming around—one being the debate between wild-caught and farm-raised fish. “Eating farmed fish is like eating a fish that’s been smoking cigarettes,” insists Alpert,who advises consumers to always choose sustainable wildfish. “Many farmed fish have higher levels of contaminants like PCBs and antibiotics.”

“Farming fish today is like farming cattle,” concurs Dr.Morrison, who adds that eating farmed salmon can actually cause you to gain weight, thanks to hormone-changing chemicals found in the water. “They herd fish into pens,which is completely unnatural, and they’re fed foods that are not natural to them to make them grow bigger and faster.”Morrison tells people to opt for varieties like tilapia,red snapper, and ocean trout or branzino. In general, go for fish that are small enough to fit whole on your plate (salmon being the exception).

Then there’s the issue of toxic mercury in tuna and other popular fish, blamed for a host of health matters including fertility issues, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s Disease. The burning of coal by power plants releases mercury into the air, which settles into water or on land where it can be washed into the water. Fish and shellfish take it in, and the metal toxin builds up in their bodies. Large, fatty, predatory fish (tuna, Chilean sea bass,swordfish) eat these smaller fish. Because the bigger fish live longer, they have more time to absorb the mercury, and it accumulates in their fat.

If you eat such fish—particularly fatty tuna or toro sold at sushi restaurants—you’re absorbing whatever toxins rest within that meal. Experts agree that it’s unnecessary to totally ban these popular fish from your diet, but cutting down consumption—and changing up the kinds of fish you eat—makes better sense.

Corn

It’s been widely reported that corn—unless it’s organic—should be avoided at all costs, because it has been genetically modified. When you think about corn, particularly genetically modified corn, you need to know about one company: Monsanto. It’s an American agriculture biotech company that is the single largest producer of genetically engineered seeds, including corn, soybeans, canola, and cottonseed. “Companies like Monsanto took a toxin that had been sprayed over corn fields and engineered it into the seed itself, so the growing corn plant produces its own insecticides,”explains O’Brien. “The result is that the corn plant now has to be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency as a pesticide.”

It’s not common knowledge that this genetic tinkering has been going on behind the scenes of foods like corn.“These foods look, taste, and smell the same as foods that have been grown without genetically engineered seeds,”says O’Brien, who is working to have genetically engineered foods labeled as such in the United States. “This is the kind of corn that gets blended up and processed and can be found in corn starch or high fructose corn syrup, which is big in processed foods.” Right now, they’re not labeled.According to O’Brien’s estimation, 70 percent of processed foods contain genetically modified organisms or, as they’re commonly referred, GMOs.

California recently tried to pass legislation (Proposition 37) that required the mandatory labeling of these products,but it got shot down by voters in the recent election. (O’Brien points to a whopping $46 million spent by the food industry against the proposition as one of the reasons for its defeat.)The problem in a nutshell? “We haven’t done the decades of research to see how we’re going to react to these genetically engineered seeds,” says High Performance Nutrition’s Kleiner. But research is starting to slowly trickle in.

“What we do know is this: from the President’s Cancer Panel to the American Academy of Pediatrics, doctors are telling us to reduce our exposure to these synthetic chemicals and pesticides being poured on these crops,” says O’Brien, who adds that wheat and sugar beets are next up on Monsanto’s list of crops to become genetically engineered.

So how do you avoid genetically engineered corn until specific labeling has been put in place? Do your best to steer clear of processed foods with non-organic, corn based ingredients. You can make sure to limit your intake of processed foods altogether and opt for only fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. For a complete list of corn-based ingredients, which will often go by other names, go to livecornfree.com, a website dedicated to those with corn allergies.

Soy

We’ve all heard rumblings of a potential connection between soy consumption and breast cancer. Could this ubiquitous legume and dairy alternative really pose such a risk? Research shows that soy protein contains a high level of plant-based estrogens called phytoestrogens, which mimic estrogens in the body and have been proven to increase breast cell proliferation.This is a widely accepted marker of breast cancer risk.

“For people who are estrogen-receptor-positive—or have breast cancer triggered by high levels of estrogen—it’s recommended by oncologists that they limit their soy to no more than two to four servings per week,” says Lambrou,who worked as an outpatient dietician at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. “The general consensus is that it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“A soy latté every now and then isn’t the end of the world,” adds Yael Cohen, founder and CEO of nonprofit organization FCancer (letsfcancer.com), which encourages young adults to engage with parents about cancer prevention and early detection. “But chowing down on soy products daily might be more of a risk than it’s worth.”

As a rule, many experts suggest eating only pure, organic,non-genetically-modified soy products—tofu, tempeh, edamame—as opposed to processed soy products. Keep in mind that dairy-free latté alternatives like almond milk and cashew milk are protein-rich and super healthy for you.

Raw Food

“Raw foodists believe that cooking food greatly decreases its nutritional content and destroys plant enzymes that enhancehow efficiently you digest and absorb food,” explains Bauer.“Although there are many ‘raw’ variations out there and noone set of rules to follow, raw food diets are typically vegandiets that include only uncooked food or food warmed to atemperature that does not exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit.”Bauer adds that, unfortunately, “There’s not much scienceto back up the enormous effort.”

There’s evidence that when it comes to nutrients, you get more, in many cases, once you cook some foods. “The nutrientsin some foods actually become more bioavailable whencooked,” says Rouge Tomate’s Lambrou. “Tomato is one ofthese. The carotenoid lycopene is found in higher amountsin cooked tomatoes versus raw tomatoes. In fact, most of the antioxidants in the carotenoid family, found in orange and red fruits and vegetables—but also in some dark green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach—are more bioavailable when cooked and eaten with a small amount of fat.”

One study, published in The British Journal of Nutrition,found that raw foodists—while having high levels of some nutrients in their blood—actually had low levels of the antioxidant lycopene. (A Harvard Medical School study, and others, have linked high intake of lycopene with a lower risk of cancer and heart attack.) Asparagus, spinach, cabbage,mushrooms, and carrots are other foods that benefit frombeing cooked. What that means? You’re getting more nutrients from these foods once you steam or lightly sauté them.

“Heat and light do damage to other essential nutrients,such as vitamin C and the B-vitamins, which are water soluble,”explains Lambrou. “For these foods, you should cook them as little as possible, particularly when it comes to cruciferous veggies like broccoli.” In this case, Lambrourecommends blanching. “Blanching cuts down on cookingtime and prolonged exposure to heat, which is what destroysthese sensitive nutrients. This process also helps retain the bright color of the vegetables.”

One thing you should always eat raw? Extra virgin oliveoil. “Never cook with this, as contact with heat will destroyits extra benefits,” says Lambrou. Instead, cook with regular olive oil or opt for grapeseed or safflower oil, which have higher smoke points and are able to tolerate high heat.

Coconut Water

Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz around the idea thatwater can’t hydrate you well, and coconut water is better foryou. Coconut water—the clear, fat-free, nut-flavored liquidfound inside young coconuts—is being marketed by beveragecompanies as a superior source of hydration because it’snaturally rich in electrolytes like potassium. It’s also being pitched to exercisers and athletes as a healthy alternative to water as well as sports beverages, which are made withadded sugar and artificial colors.374x316_coconut-water-square

In the midst of the hype, many people—including recreational and hard-core athletes—believe that coconut water is the most natural way to replenish fluids post-exercise.One study from the School of Medical Science at Universiti Sains Malaysia, disputes this notion. It says that exercisers who drank coconut water did, in fact, drink more, but they weren’t actually any more hydrated than those who drank either a sports drink or water.

“Coconut water is good because it’s natural and a great source of potassium,” says Food trainers’ Slayton. “But itdoesn’t have sodium.” You can’t use it to replace a sportsdrink like Gatorade, which contains a balance of bothsodium and potassium. She adds that drinking too much coconut water, and taking in too much potassium, can cause bloating, gas, and diarrhea.

Intense exercise aside, is coconut water worth drinking?That’s up to the individual. There are certainly less healthybeverages found at the corner store, but a “magic elixir” itis not. A few things to remember: coconut water tastes best when served cold, its sweetened varieties are packed with sugar, and—as with all things you consume—it’s best to drink it in moderation.

 

 

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Rooted in Health

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Delve into the rich benefits of Mother Earth to experience nourishing nutrition. It’s what’s underneath—not necessarily on top—that delivers a treasure.

YAMS

Around the holidays, we give thanks to the lowly yam wallowing in marshmallows for our healthy eyes and skin. The more vibrant its color, the richer its beta carotene, which our bodies use to produce vitamin A. Eat them for the rest of the year to supe up your immune system.

BEETS

Beets are blessed with phytonutrients called betalain that offer powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support. Betalain, together with vitamin C and manganese— also found in this root vegetable—offer very valuable additions to your daily diet. Grate raw beets into your next salad for maximum nutrient benefit.

GINGER

For life’s aches and pains, fresh ginger in a cup of hot water—or in a smoothie—works miracles. This elixir also helps nausea and facilitates the absorption of essential nutrients. When you’re feeling blue, dip a piece of ginger into honey and chew slowly for a quick mood change.

FENNEL

If you find yourself running on empty, chop some iron rich fennel stalks into your salad for instant energy. This versatile bulb also comes in handy if you need to freshen up your breath or ease your digestion or constipation. It’s a versatile and natural solution when you’re in a bind!

PARSNIPS

This pale root veggie is surprisingly high in vitamin K and is necessary for blood and bone health. Boasting a sweet, distinctive flavor, parsnips are rich in omega fatty acids, as well as vitamins C and E. Mash parsnips and cauliflower together for a one-two nutrient punch.

 

Fennel bulbs and beets can be rather daunting for any aspiring cook. However, once you master the skill of how to use them, these root vegetables will become indispensable in your kitchen. They simply add a marvelous zest and flavor to any dish. Below is a delicious and healthy South African salad to add to your holiday menu. Bon appetite!

CABBAGE, BEET, AND FENNEL SALAD

Ingredients

½ head cabbage, finely shredded

½ cup celery leaves, chopped

½ cup parsley, chopped

1/3 cup beetroot, peeled and finely shredded666_ny_celeb-web-post_cabbage-374x316

1 head fennel, very finely sliced

½ cup watercress, leaves only

½ cup chopped walnuts or sunflower seeds

 

Lemon Mayonnaise Dressing

50 g cream cheese

30 ml sunflower seed oil

15 ml lemon juice

2,5 ml finely grated lemon rind

pinch of sea salt

2.5 ml French mustard

 

Beat the cheese in a bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in the oil, drop by drop as if making mayonnaise. Then, slowly add the lemon juice and the remaining ingredients to taste.

Mix into the salad and chill before serving.

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Five Foods That Help You Sleep Better at Night

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Do you sometimes feel as if you are spinning around in a washing machine instead of sleeping in your bed? There are many reasons why you may find it hard to sleep at night but did you know that a simple solution of just eating foods that could help you sleep better may be an answer? If anything, it is worth a try. According to the National Sleep Foundation, certain foods contain an amino acid called tryptophan that can cause drowsiness. Carbohydrates, they say, make tryptophan more available to the brain which is why a carbohydrate-heavy meal at night can make you sleepy. The building blocks of tryptophan come from the proteins we eat, which is why the best bedtime snack is one that contains both a protein and a carbohydrate. Here are five healthy foods that can help you to sleep better at night.

 

Oats

Oats are rich in melatonin. Melatonin is a natural hormone made by your body’s pineal gland. According to the National Sleep Foundation, during the day, the pineal is inactive but when the

Sun goes down and darkness occurs, the pineal is “turned on” by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and begins to actively produce melatonin, which is released into the blood. Usually, this occurs around 9 pm. As a result, melatonin levels in the blood rise sharply and you begin to feel less alert. Sleep becomes more inviting. Melatonin levels in the blood stay elevated for about 12 hours – all through the night – before the light of a new day when they fall back to low daytime levels by about 9 am. Daytime levels of melatonin are barely detectable.

Almonds

Almonds contain both tryptophan and magnesium, which help to relax your muscles and keep your heart at a steady rhythm. According to the National Institute of Health, “magnesium plays a role in the active transport of calcium and potassium ions across cell membranes, a process that is important to nerve impulse conduction, muscle contraction, and normal heart rhythm.” Almonds also boost serotonin levels, so try almond butter on a cracker before bedtime.

Bananas

Bananas are rich in magnesium, which helps to relax your muscles. It is also rich in sleep-promoting hormones serotonin and melatonin, so sliced banana on toast maybe be a good idea.

Honey

Just a spoonful of honey makes you sleepy. How? Honey contains glucose, which tells your brain to shut off orexin, the chemical known to keep you alert. According to a study done by the National Center of Biotechnology Institute (NCBI), “orexin-containing islet cells, like those in the brain and gut, are glucosensitive and part of a network of glucose “sensing” cells that become activated when blood glucose levels fall.”

Turkey

Everyone knows that turkey makes you sleepy, but did you ever wonder how? Turkey is loaded with sleep-inducing tryptophan. To really hedge your bets on getting a good night’s sleep, try honey baked turkey on oat bread.

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Healthy and delicious September recipes!

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September is in full swing and so are many fruits and vegetables! There’s no better feeling than eating a fruit in-season because of its wholesome and rich taste. Not only are they more delicious, but in-season produce is usually cheaper and better for the environment. Just because we see the same fruits and vegetables available in the grocery stores year-round, it doesn’t mean that their quality is as great as when it’s in season.

Some notable September in-season produce includes:

  • beets
  • eggplant
  • greens
  • Apples
  • Blackberries
  • Corn
  • Cucumber
  • Onion
  • Potatoes
  • Pumpkin
  • Tomato

 

Below we provide you with three delicious and healthy recipes that feature some September produce!

 

CHOPPED SALAD WITH QUINOA, SWEET POTATOES, AND APPLES

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

Salad:

  • 2/3 cup of rinsed quinoa,
  • 1 lb. sweet potatoes/approx. 2 large & cut into 1/2” cubes
  • 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • salt + pepper
  • 2 large apples, diced
  • 8 cups packed baby greens
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
  • 1/4 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 tsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • sprouted kitchen

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400′.
  2. Put a drizzle of olive oil in a pot and add the quinoa to toast over moderate heat for two minutes. Add 1 1/3 cups water and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15-18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the quinoa and set aside to cool.
  3. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and hearty pinches of salt and pepper. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 25 minutes until golden. Let them cool.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Add the cooled quinoa, potatoes, apple, greens, parsley, and onion and toss everything to coat. Serve immediately.

Source: SproutedKitchen.com

 

ONE SKILLET SPICY SHAKSHUKA WITH FETA

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 10 Mins

Cook Time: 30 Mins

Total Time: 40 Mins

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 28 oz can/jar tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley or oregano or herbs of your choice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 6 ounces feta cheese (add more or less if you want to)
  • parsley, for garnish

Instructions:

  1. In a pan over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon of olive or coconut oil.
  2. Add the onions and bell peppers and stir. Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until translucent and a bit softer.
  3. Add the garlic and stir for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
  4. Add the tomato sauce, the cumin, the red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and stir everything together. Allow it all to cook together for 10 minutes. The bell peppers and onions should get much softer and the sauce should get thicker. Stir in the feta cheese at the end.
  5. To add the eggs, just crack them over the tomato sauce mixture.
  6. Cook eggs until the whites firm up a bit but the yolks are still runny; about 10 minutes.
  7. Garnish with parsley. Serve immediately with pita bread.

Notes:

  • DO NOT REHEAT EGGS. If preparing ahead of time, first make the sauce and then add fresh eggs to a small bit when reheating it in the pot. The eggs will not reheat well.
  • This dish shouldn’t stay out longer than 2 hours.

Source: JessicaInTheKitchen.com

 

SAUTEED POWER GREENS AND MUSHROOMS

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 lb of greens (spinach, chard, kale, etc.)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
  • Sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions:

  1. Add the olive oil to a large enameled dutch oven and warm over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are very well browned.
  2. Add the garlic, kosher salt, and ground black pepper to the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to medium, and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
  3. Next, add several large handfuls of power greens to the dutch oven. Stir with a spatula and let wilt slightly, then keep adding more greens until they all fit in the dutch oven.
  4. Continue cooking and stirring until the greens are wilted but still bright green.
  5. Turn off the heat, squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the top, drizzle with a little extra olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve right away!

Source: EricaJoulson.com

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Vitamin A The Natural Way

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Colorful gourds and squashes, those late-autumn musts, are surprisingly nutritious. One cup of squash delivers a healthy dose of fiber and vitamin A… all the better to see on a dark winter’s night. And when hunger strikes, try my quick and easy gluten free butternut squash bread recipe below. Friends and foes will come back for more.
By Ruchel Louis Coetzee

Bottle Gourd
Also known as calabash gourd, this light-green, long-necked vine fruit can be prepared in a similar manner to squash. Its firm-textured flesh has a delicate, nutty flavor and is an excellent addition to curry vegetable stew.

Carnival Squash

While the variegated orange and green patterns in the furrowed folds of carnival squash offer a festive splash to winter décor, they are just as good for dinner. This squash’s rich, buttery flavor emerges when cooked.

 

Fairytale Pumpkin

At the stroke of midnight, Cinderella’s stagecoach turns into a decorative, deeply lobed pumpkin with an orange-brown rind. The rich, orange flesh is sweet and tender, making it a nice choice for traditional pumpkin pie.

Hubbard Squash

Old Mother Hubbard had plenty to say about this delightful squash. They are hard to overlook in the yard, after all, with their large, teardrop shape and gray-blue hue. The longer you store them, the sweeter they become, so don’t toss them after they tire of sitting on the porch.

Red Kuri Squash

This deep-scarlet squash, with its hard outer shell and chestnut-like flavor, packs plenty of beta-carotene. Red kuri is also an excellent choice for various soups and homemade bread. Meanwhile, the hard shell is a unique receptacle for chili con carne.

 

GLUTEN-FREE BUTTERNUT CRANBERRY BREAD 374x316_pumpkin-bread-cranberry-square

This is a version of my very easy South African health bread that I have been making for decades to rave reviews. There is no yeast involved so the preparation time is much shorter if you have left over cooked butternut squash. If not, set your oven to 350F/180C, place a whole butternut squash in a shallow dish of water and bake until soft (about an hour/ hour and a half).  This bread is deliciously moist, gluten free, and filled with nutritional wholesomeness. Butternut squash is rich in fiber, vitamins C, A, and E; magnesium, and potassium. So set your oven to 350F/180C and get ready to serve this at your Thanksgiving table with some Amish butter.

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1 cup Red Mill gluten free flour

1 ½ cups oat flour

1 tsp salt

¼ cup flaxseed

1 cup walnuts

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 tbsp honey

1 ½ cups cooked butternut squash

250 ml plain Greek yoghurt or kefir

1 heaping tsp bicarbonate of soda

 

METHOD

 

Mix the first 7 ingredients in a bowl – a wooden spoon or spatula can be used to mix. In a separate small bowl, mix bicarbonate soda into the Greek yoghurt and then add it to the dry ingredients. Finally, add the cooked butternut into the mixture. If the dough is still a little dry, add a little water. Place into a greased loaf pan and bake in oven for about an hour or until a knife slides through clean but a little sticky.

 

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Healthy Munchies For Your Late Night Cravings

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While it may be fine to snack on something right before bed, (because nobody really stops eating after 6 pm) it doesn’t give you the freedom to eat anything you want.

If you’re reaching for a peanut butter sandwich or a grilled cheese, you may want to rethink your choices. Heavy, spicy, and protein filled foods will only leave you feeling too full to have a good nights’ rest.

However, there are certain snacks that have sleep-inducing nutrients such as melatonin, carbohydrates, tryptophan, and protein. Ensure a good nights’ rest by grabbing these healthy options before bed.

Pro Tip: Pre-make as many of these snacks as you can so you can just reach for it quickly once your cravings set in.

  • Strawberry-Banana Ice cream

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If ice cream is just one late night snack you refuse to give up, this alternative is perfect for you. With a cup of ice cream packing almost 200 calories, it’s a definite no-no to eat this before bed. Mashed frozen bananas will give you an ice cream like consistency without the added calories, fat, and sugars. The recipe is super simple in that once you freeze your bananas, simply blend the strawberries and bananas together in a food processor until you get the consistency you desire, then voila! One scoop of vegan ice cream, or two!

  • Pistachios

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Nuts usually get a bad rap for being bad especially when trying to lose weight, but seeing that taking the shells off pistachios can be quite the challenge, it actually makes for the perfect night time snack because the slower you eat, the less you eat. Nuts offer a variety of nutrients such as fiber, biotin, vitamin B6, and folate. Plus, unlike regular nuts, you’re able to eat more pistachios per ounce than any other nut. You can also pair your pistachios with fruits such as berries. Almonds are also a great nut if consumed moderately (quarter-cup)

  • Raspberry Greek Yogurt Popsicles

pop

We all get that tingly feeling inside when we hear the ice cream truck coming down our street. But if you’re able to purchase your popsicles in the store or from the truck, it’s most likely filled with a ton of processed sugar. For a great after-dinner snack, mash a few raspberries with 2% plain Greek yogurt, place the mixture in a popsicle mold, and place in the freezer until fully frozen.

  • Kale Chips

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Repeat after me: No more barbeque lays, no more hot Cheetos. Now say it until you mean it. If you need your late night salty crunch fix, kale chips are a great alternative without the extra calories and fat. They also provide vitamin K, A, and C and have cancer-fighting phytochemicals such as carotenoids, which are all nutrients not found in regular potato chips. Prepping time for kale chips is minimal and they taste best when freshly baked leaving you with a great bed time snack consisting of only 63 calories.

  • Eggs

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Are you the kind of person who doesn’t mind going to IHOP after breakfast hours? We all know that eggs are a great source of protein, so before you head to bed, whip up some scrambled eggs and wheat toast for your snack. The protein will help to keep hunger away for longer to ensure a peaceful night of sleep.

Now your sweet dreams are just one bite away.

Photo Credits: Shutterstock

 

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Healthy Super Bowl Recipes

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Super Bowl is the second largest food consumption day in America, behind Thanksgiving. Most people look forward to the food more than the game. Here, we feature some healthy recipes to keep you on track during the big game day.

According to Blimpie, over Super Bowl weekend, approximately 100 pounds of guacamole will be eaten. It takes more than 220,000 football fields worth of farmland to grow all these avocados.

GuacamoleBlimpie Game Day Guac Recipe

2 ripe avocados

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ripe tomato, chopped

1 lime, juiced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in onion, garlic, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for half an hour to blend flavors.

Colman Recipe SuperbowlColman’s Dry Rub Recipe

After baking chicken wings, season with this rub:

BBQ Dry rub

1/3 cup Garlic Powder

1 1/2 tbsp Cumin, ground

2 1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Cayenne

¼ cup Colman’s mustard powder

1/4 cup Cinnamon or canella, ground

2 cup La Colombe Decaf. Espresso, ground

1 1/2 cup Salt, kosher

1/2 cup Black Pepper, ground

Directions:

Mix all together in a bowl and store in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place. Sprinkle the seasoning on chicken wings and toss to coat.

For football fans that can’t grill outside, the T-fal’s OptiGrill  can grill all of your favorite game day foods indoors!

chicken-skewersGreek Style Chicken Skewers:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

2 tsp (10 ml) dried oregano

1 tsp (5 ml) finely grated lemon zest

3/4 tsp (4 ml) each salt and pepper

1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground paprika

6 garlic cloves, minced

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Tzatziki sauce

Directions:

Whisk the oil with the lemon juice, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic in a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

Thread the chicken onto 8-inch (20 cm) wooden skewers. Turn the T-fal OptiGrill on. Select the Poultry program. Lightly grease the cooking plates with cooking spray. Once the purple indicator light has stopped flashing, place the skewers on the grill and close the lid.

Cook, in batches, until the indicator light has changed to red. Serve the chicken skewers with tzatziki sauce on the side.

The post Healthy Super Bowl Recipes appeared first on NewYou.com.

Joy Bauer Daily Food Diet

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Peak performance Food bestselling authors—fitness and nutrition guru Harley Pasternak and TODAY Show nutrition and health expert Joy Bauer—are what they eat: healthy and smart.

 

Harley Pasternak Author, The Body Reset Diet.

I’ve always believed in grazing over gorging, making sure I eat five times a day—three meals and two snacks—with five components present at each meal: lean protein, a healthy carb, fiber, healthy fats, and a calorie-free beverage. I am, however, a self-confessed French fry addict and truly value my two “free” meals a week when I let myself indulge. I’ve found many helpful eating tips by studying world cultures that stay lean and live long. I try to have five different colors represented at each meal (Japan); I stop eating when I’m 70% full (Sweden), and I choose smaller portions (France).

BREAKFAST

White Smoothie

• Raw almonds

• Red apple, with skin

• Banana, frozen and chopped

• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt

• Nonfat milk

• Ground cinnamon

I start my day with a smoothie. Studies find that using a blender increases bioavailability of nutrients, which was the inspiration for my book, The Body Reset Diet. Greek yogurt is full of protein (casein and whey), calcium, and vitamin D. Almonds and cinnamon regulate blood sugar and aid in brain function, while apple and banana actively promote digestive heath.

LUNCH

5 Factor Pizza

• Whole wheat tortilla

• Tomato sauce/ Roma tomatoes

• Low-fat mozzarella cheese

• Fresh basil, chopped

• Low-fat turkey or veggie pepperoni

My 5 Factor recipe maintains the “holy trinity” of pizza—crunchy crust, gooey cheese, and tangy tomato—without the fat and high-calorie hangover. Tomatoes are an amazing source of the antioxidant lycopene as well as vitamins A and C, boosting skin and immunity. The cheese packs a punch of calcium and vitamin D.

DINNER

Shrimp Stir Fry with Quinoa

• Shrimp

• Quinoa

• Broccoli

• Low sodium soy sauce

Peruvian super-grain quinoa is full of magnesium (strong bones and teeth), iron (big energy), protein (metabolism), and fiber (digestion). This healthy take on Chinese food is easy to make and yet another delicious way to get veggies onto my plate. The shrimp is high in an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory called astaxanthin and is a fantastic way to work seafood into your diet while steering clear of harmful mercury.

SNACKS

• Carrots

• Celery

• Hummus (non-fat or low-fat)

• Shakelee Crisps

Because I have a liquid breakfast, I crave crunch at snack time. Carrots and celery fill me up with fiber and are a perfect complement to hummus. Chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are a near-perfect food—high in protein, fiber, and healthy fat. This combo keeps you full and revs up your metabolism. Shaklee Sea Salt Crisps are also a great go-to snack in the afternoon, as they have fiber, protein, and are only 100 calories per bag.

 

Joy Bauer Nutrition & Health Expert, The TODAY Show

My overall food philosophy is: “Life is hard, food should be easy.” My goal is to make healthy eating simple, manageable, delicious, and affordable. I believe in a “90-10” food strategy, meaning 90% healthy and 10% fun. For breakfast and lunch, I’m pretty consistent. For dinner, anything goes. A few nights a week, I’m good for a glass of red wine, a bowl of ice cream, or some dark chocolate (which I love straight out of the freezer). There are times—holidays and special occasions—when I let myself completely enjoy a meal without worrying about calories, fat, or sugar. I just make sure to hit the gym the next morning and eat super-clean for the next few days.

BREAKFAST

• Black coffee

• Nonfat plain Greek yogurt

• Banana

Black coffee is my morning religion. I wake up craving an aromatic cup of Joe without added milk and sugar. High-protein Greek yogurt gives me fuel to power through busy mornings. Sometimes I’ll doctor it up with a dollop of pumpkin puree and a dash of vanilla extract or teaspoon of maple syrup and sprinkle of cinnamon. That makes it feel like pumpkin pudding. A potassium-packed banana is an easy way to add natural sweetness to the tart Greek yogurt.

LUNCH

Salad with the works

Mixed greens

Cucumbers

Red bell peppers

Beets

Chickpeas

Mushrooms

Grilled Chicken or Tofu

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

I love salads, and this variety of colorful veggies is loaded with vital vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. I make my own Balsamic vinaigrette with vinegar, water, olive oil, mustard, honey, and garlic. The heart-healthy fats in olive oil enable my body to absorb the immune boosting beta-carotene found in green and orange veggies, while balsamic vinegar works hard to normalize blood sugar and prevent sugar spikes from the meal. Great protein from the chicken or tofu keeps me going for a strong afternoon.

DINNER

• Turkey burger

• Oven roasted sweet potato fries

• Sugar snap peas or green beans

• Fro-yo or ice cream

For dinner, there’s always a lean protein and a vegetable. I use lean ground turkey meat and mix in spinach for antioxidants. Spinach has lutein and zeaxanthin to promote sharp vision. What’s a burger without fries? I go for sweet potato, for a dose of beta-carotene—great for skin—and bake mine to keep fat and calories down. On occasion, I’ll have frozen yogurt or ice cream. That’s the 10% fun part!

SNACKS

• Pistachios or almonds

• Sunflower seeds

• Dark chocolate

Nuts are a perfect grab and- go snack, packed with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, which can help lower cholesterol. They’re a great source of vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps keep skin looking beautiful. Dark chocolate is loaded with flavanols, shown to boost brainpower and keep blood vessels healthy and elastic.

The post Joy Bauer Daily Food Diet appeared first on NewYou.com.

Healthy Ways To Detox Your Body

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The word “detox” has come to have some negative connotations. Many people associate detoxification with fad diets and self-starvation. However, removing toxins from your body is key to achieving optimum health. There are many healthy ways to cleanse your body from the inside out without subsisting on a liquid fast.

Making a few simple lifestyle changes can help flush toxins out of your body regularly and stimulate your energy levels. Here’s a guide to the small steps you can take kick-start the detoxification process.

8 Ways to Detox Your Body

  • Begin your day by drinking a tall glass of water with lemon. The acidity in the lemon juice will detox your liver and improve the overall function of your digestive system. Continue drinking water throughout the day, at least eight ounces, to further flush toxins out of your body.
  • Exercise regularly. Rigorous exercise will cause you to sweat, which is one of the primary ways the body expels toxins. Exercise also improves the functionality of your body’s organs, including your kidneys and liver, which act to get rid of waste.
  • Hit the sauna after a workout. Along with exercise, spending time sweating in the sauna also aids the detoxification process by excreting toxins from your body.
  • Exfoliate your skin. By frequently exfoliating your skin, you will improve blood circulation and remove impurities from your pores.
  • Limit your intake of sugar. Almost all detoxes include the limitation or complete removal of sugar from your diet. The excessive consumption of sugar leads to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health problems.
  • Eat a fiber-rich diet of whole grains and organic vegetables and fruit. Fiber works together with water in ramping up the detox process by pushing waste through your colon and out of your body.
  • Drink lots of tea. Tea will keep your stomach full, and your body hydrated while also cleansing your liver and kidneys.
  • Use a Netipot. Nasal irrigation can rid your nose of pollutants while boosting your immune system and improving your sense of smell.

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Summer Salads

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So, I’m over my go-to iceberg salad with creamy Italian and croutons work day lunch routine, what’s next? Summer salads are the next best thing for a spin on all your faves and are quick, easy, and delish. I made sure to cover the major meat groups and summer time fruits.

A few steps and a handful of creative ingredients will shake things up a bit. These healthy salad recipes are worth a shot:

Cajun Shrimp Salad

Cajun Shrimp

This salad is a light and crispy mouthwatering treat. The best part is that it’s a fast recipe, under fifteen minutes, that’ll still fill you up and leave you satisfied. Shrimp is a summer favorite with a low-fat, low-calorie, and high protein count and with the Cajun spin, it’s a can’t miss meal.

Ingredients include spinach, grape tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, shrimp, shaved Parmesan, and avocado.

From: Babaganosh.org
Get this recipe!

Chopped Steak Salad

Chopped Steak

A classic salad with colorful toppings is always a great choice for a healthy lunchtime meal. Take some of those leftovers from the grill and toss them together with some fresh veggies, add a savory balsamic dressing, and viola!

Ingredients include red onion, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, olives, grilled steak, and more.

From: MyRecipes.com
Get this recipe!

Grilled Chicken-Asparagus Salad

Grilled Chicken

This hearty salad won’t leave you hungry and is brightened up with mouthwatering mint, lemon juice, and fresh dill. YUM!

Ingredients include asparagus, goat cheese, buttermilk, mint, dill and boneless chicken bites.

From: MyRecipes.com
Get this recipe!

Kamut Wheat, Berry Tangerine, and Arugula Salad

Kamut Salad

Here’s an insider recipe that uses an ancient grain called Kamut and is easy-to-prepare, refreshing and delicious. It’ll make a great healthy side dish for any backyard BBQ or a lean lunch time meal.

This dish makes two servings and includes the following ingredients:

1 cup cooked KAMUT® wheat berries
½ lemon
1 bunch arugula (2 loosely packed cups)
2 tangerines (medium, peeled, sliced cross-wise, & segments separated)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
½ cup  walnuts (shelled walnuts, roughly chopped)
½ cup pecorino romano cheese (ribbons, optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a serving bowl combine KAMUT® berries, arugula, tangerine pieces, walnuts, and olive oil. Mix well and squeeze with lemon juice and drizzle with rice wine vinegar. Top with Pecorino Romano ribbons, if using, before serving. Keeps in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for several days.

Enjoy!

Strawberry & Spinach Salad

Strawberry Walnut

This five-ingredient summer classic is jam packed with flavor and uses in-season strawberries to its advantage. You can also mix this one up with candied pecans instead of walnuts, honey dressing instead of raspberry vinaigrette, and crumbled blue cheese instead of gorgonzola. Experiment with these variations and see (rather, taste) what your tummy loves best.

Ingredients include strawberries, spinach, gorgonzola, walnuts, and red onion.

From: Aggies Kitchen
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 Grilled Peach Salad

Grilled Peaches

Now this one is good for a little splurge and includes a few ingredients that’ll count toward your cheat foods. With crispy caramelized brown sugar bacon in a creamy buttermilk dressing drenched over grilled peaches and onions, this salad is a summertime dream.  According to Food & Wine, the secret to this salad is using big, juicy sweet onions like the Vidalias, which get nicely charred on the grill.

Ingredients include thick-sliced bacon, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, peaches, sour cream, buttermilk, and more.

From: Food & Wine
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Cover Photo: Shutterstock

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Healthy Munchies For Your Late Night Cravings

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While it may be fine to snack on something right before bed, (because nobody really stops eating after 6 pm) it doesn’t give you the freedom to eat anything you want.

If you’re reaching for a peanut butter sandwich or a grilled cheese, you may want to rethink your choices. Heavy, spicy, and protein filled foods will only leave you feeling too full to have a good nights’ rest.

However, there are certain snacks that have sleep-inducing nutrients such as melatonin, carbohydrates, tryptophan, and protein. Ensure a good nights’ rest by grabbing these healthy options before bed.

Pro Tip: Pre-make as many of these snacks as you can so you can just reach for it quickly once your cravings set in.

Strawberry-Banana Ice cream

shutterstock_323846000

If ice cream is just one late-night snack you refuse to give up, this alternative is perfect for you. With a cup of ice cream packing almost 200 calories, it’s a definite no-no to eat this before bed. Mashed frozen bananas will give you an ice cream like consistency without the added calories, fat, and sugars. The recipe is super simple in that once you freeze your bananas, simply blend the strawberries and bananas together in a food processor until you get the consistency you desire, then voila! One scoop of vegan ice cream, or two!

Pistachios

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Nuts usually get a bad rap for being bad especially when trying to lose weight, but seeing that taking the shells off pistachios can be quite the challenge, it actually makes for the perfect night time snack because the slower you eat, the less you eat. Nuts offer a variety of nutrients such as fiber, biotin, vitamin B6, and folate. Plus, unlike regular nuts, you’re able to eat more pistachios per ounce than any other nut. You can also pair your pistachios with fruits such as berries. Almonds are also a great nut if consumed moderately (quarter-cup)

Raspberry Greek Yogurt Popsicles

pop

We all get that tingly feeling inside when we hear the ice cream truck coming down our street. But if you’re able to purchase your popsicles in the store or from the truck, it’s most likely filled with a ton of processed sugar. For a great after-dinner snack, mash a few raspberries with 2% plain Greek yogurt, place the mixture in a popsicle mold, and place in the freezer until fully frozen.

Kale Chips

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Repeat after me: No more barbeque lays, no more hot Cheetos. Now say it until you mean it. If you need your late-night salty crunch fix, kale chips are a great alternative without the extra calories and fat. They also provide vitamins K, A, and C and have cancer-fighting phytochemicals such as carotenoids, which are all nutrients not found in regular potato chips. Prepping time for kale chips is minimal and they taste best when freshly baked leaving you with a great bedtime snack consisting of only 63 calories.

Eggs

healthy munchies

Are you the kind of person who doesn’t mind going to IHOP after breakfast hours? We all know that eggs are a great source of protein, so before you head to bed, whip up some scrambled eggs and wheat toast for your snack. The protein will help to keep hunger away for longer to ensure a peaceful night of sleep.

Now your sweet dreams are just one bite away.

Photo Credits: Shutterstock

 

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