Quit Sugar Cravings!

Eat greens every day. 

Daily consumption of green plant foods helped curb the urge for foods such as sweets and chocolate, according to a 2014 study in the journal Appetite.

Read more: How to Beat Cravings. Lifescript.  http://www.lifescript.com/health/centers/binge_eating_disorder/slideshows/how_to_beat_food_cravings.aspx?utm_source=aol&utm_medium=syn&utm_campaign=health

Yum! Oatmeal

Eating oatmeal is very healthy for you. It lowers cholesterol and lowers your chances of getting diabetes (source)

Reposted from Everyday Health:

http://www.everydayhealth.com/infographics/how-much-oatmeal-you-need-lower-cholesterol/?xid=fb_EH_sf

Nuts & blood pressure

Tasty Nuts

Nuts contain a variety of nutrients that contribute to a

healthy blood pressure.

 Their high concentrations of fat has shown to boost the function of blood vessels.

 Nuts also contain large amounts of magnesium

and potassium, which promote relaxation of blood vessels.

READ MORE

Red Wine: The Good, The Bad And The Ulgy

1 serving of red wine is 5 fl.oz.

The Good:
⌼ Red wine may reduce one's risk of death by heart disease by 35%. (1) (2)
⌼ Red wine is an excellent source of heart-boosting compounds (antioxidants) such      
     as resveratrol, procyanidins, and quercetin.
⌼ Red wine can serve as a blood thinner due to the resveratrol content.
⌼ Red wine can improve one's cholesterol profile. 


The Bad:
⌼ Red wine is not a calorie-free beverage. 4-fluid ounces (1/2 cup) of red wine contains about 100-120 kilocalories (100-200 calories).
Taking into consideration, the average person consumes 2 or 3 full glasses of wine per sitting, it can certainly be a hidden source of calories, whether, it is consumed with a meal or not.

The Ugly:
⌼ Excessive consumption of wine or any alcohol:
      ⌦ harms the liver (liver cirrhosis)
      ⌦ can lead to addiction
      ⌦ can lead to high blood pressure
      ⌦ can shorten one's life span (death)

Note: Excessive consumption of wine is defined as: 
     ⌦ For men: Consuming  at least 15 drinks per week (2 or more per day). 
     ⌦ For women: Consuming at least 8 drinks per week. (CDC)

What to do:
Stick to the Dietary Guidelines of having:
    ⌦ No more than 1 drink a day for females- (1 drink=  5 fl oz)
    ⌦ No more than 2 drinks a day for males
**Aaron Berdofe recommends persons have red wine with food or a meal, to help them stay within the daily limit. 

Keep in mind:
❐ One standard drink is defined as 5 fl. oz (150 mL)
❐ A standard 25 fl.oz  (750 mL) bottle of wine has about 5 glasses worth  of wine 
❐ One standard drink  contains 100-120 kilocalories.
❐ A standard bottle (25 fl.oz) contains 500 -600 kilocalories

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Read More:
Schaeffer, Juliann. 2011. To Good Wine … and Better Health — The Case for Moderate Wine Consumption. Today's Dietitian. 13:8; p32 - 37 http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/9d2fca7d#/9d2fca7d/32
or http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/080111p32.shtml

Calories in Cocktails, Hard Liquor & Wine

Did you overindulge a little bit last night by throwing back one too many cocktails? #Alcoholcalories

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The Secret to Radiant Skin.

TROPICAL FRUIT: Guava, Five Finger, Orange and Watermelon
Just think how great your skin and bowels will feel after eating this throughout the day.
source

Having a bowl of tasty tropical fruit each day is a great way to achieve radiant, glowing and healthy skin.

Tropical fruit are sun-ripen and most are loaded with vitamin C, A, lycopene and potassium. These compounds play a vital role in the general appearance of the skin.

Vitamin C is needed for collagen synthesis. Collagen makes up 70% of the human skin, however, it is the protein that forms the basis of the skin. During a vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), the skin tends to be very wrinkly.

Vitamin A helps to make the skin appear smooth and even-toned.

Lycopene is a strong antioxidant that helps reduce premature ageing of the skin by reducing the amount of UV rays the skin absorbs. 

Potassium helps keep the skin moist and pimple free. This mineral is one of the major minerals needed by the body. It is essential to regulating blood pressure and blood flow within the body. 

Nevertheless have a read of the following article summary for more.
1) Fresh faced: Looking younger for longer. 2014.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140110103526.htm
2) Vitamin A Helps Reduce Wrinkles Associated With Natural Skin Ageing.2007. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070521162324.htm
3) Good Food, Good Skin. 2007. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109201438.htm

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West Indian Rules to Eating Healthy

• Keep added sugar in the diet to no more than 25 grams a day by eating foods that do not require you to add sugar/sweetener.
  
              ✑ Suggested Reading: Sugar, Sugar, Sugar! Sugar! Too Much is Bad for the Brain
  
  
  
• Eat the skin of fruits and cooked vegetables, when applicable.
  
  
• Reduce consumption of refined flours and refined grains by switching to whole-grains such as whole-grain pasta, brown rice, whole-wheat cous cous, whole wheat breads, whole-grain cereals. 

                    ✑ Suggested Reading:  Grain Confusion Part 2: Whole-Grains    

               

• Choose oils/fats wisely and use them sparingly. Preferred fat/oils: full-fat butter, ghee, coconut oil, sesame oil, cold pressed olive oil, avocado and olives.
  
  
• Incorporate ample amounts of vegetables into all main meals consumed daily. Remember all forms of vegetables count, except fried. Click for 1800 kcal Sample day 
  
  



Source

• Incorporate ground provisions and starchy fruits into your diet as a main staple rather than a side dish.                                                                           

• Incorporate cooked legumes; beans, peas and pulse, into your daily, diet. E.g. stewed beans, roasted channa,  toasted split peas and tofu
• Eat fish, poultry, rabbit instead of red meat, meat analogues, hydrolysed protein, protein isolates and processed/luncheon meats filled with mechanically separated meats, sodium nitrates (corned beef, salami, bolgna, tinned sausage, hot dog sausage, bacon etc.)
  
  ✑ Related article: Processed meats do cause cancer - WHO
• Consume at least 3 cups of plain unsweetened water daily.
  
  
• Eat wholesome foods from all food groups throughout the day.  You do not have to eat foods from all food groups at every meal but ensure you get a portion of food from each of the 6 groups, daily.

Source

Keep these rules in mind when you start your day.
This ensures your body is filled with the nutrients needed in the right amounts. 

 Always seek help from a professional if you are having difficulty in eating healthy.

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Healthy Food for Kids

Healthy Food for Kids 

Imagine if your body was a fancy sports car. What kind of fuel would you put in it? Would you give it the best fuel you could buy or whatever was around? Your body actually is a little like a sports car. When you give your body good food every day, you have energy to grow and play. You get sick less often. You grow and become strong. If you give your body poor fuel, it won’t work as well. You might have less energy or get sick more often.

So what kind of fuel does your body need? Your body needs minerals, vitamins, fibre, fats and protein every day. Each of these foods has a different purpose.

Fun Facts about Healthy Food for Kids

1. Minerals make healthy skin and strong bones and teeth.

2.  Fibre helps your body digest food. It is found in vegetables, whole grains and fruit.

3.Vitamins help your body stay healthy and fight disease. Vitamins are found in fruit and vegetables.

4. Fats in milk products, meat and fish help your body build healthy nerves and fight off disease.

5.Protein, which is found in meat, milk products, beans and fish, builds muscles and repairs damage.

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Dietary Fibre Lesson 

Source: Kids Nutrition Facebook Page. Healthy Food for Kids. Posted 30/10/2015
https://www.facebook.com/Kids-Nutrition-469055966607108/?fref=photo

Lose Weight Now! Get Jogging!

Thirty minutes of jogging can burn 300 calories. Do that five days every week and you could lose almost two extra pounds per month (Source:How Many Calories? ‏@HowManyCaloriee )

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The 1-minute Dietary Fibre Lesson

Fibre is good.

Fibre is great.

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate but is classed as a non-nutrient because it is not digested or absorbed by the body.

Fibre is  found in plant-based foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, peas, fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, roots, tubers and starchy fruits. It is not found in any foods from animal, naturally.

The fibre in these foods come in two main forms-insoluble and soluble. Insoluble fibre also known as roughage, which moves through the digestive track untouched, while, soluble fibre moves through the blood stream before it is eliminated.

Nevertheless, both forms of fibre aid in promoting good digestive; colon and heart health.
Consuming at least 20 grams of fibre a day has shown to reduce risk of heart disease, colon cancer, aid in weight management and aid in reducing insulin resistance.

Here is an example of how I got 30 g fibre  in one day

When water is added to food the soluble fibre thickens and becomes sticky, gummy and gel-like e.g. linseed, chia seeds, oatmeal. Other examples of foods with soluble fibre: avocado, purple passion fruit,  cooked carrots. ripe mango, prunes, eggplant,  cooked beans and peas (for more foods).

Beware, consuming too much  insoluble fibre, as it can cause you to be constipated or have harden bowel movements. Insoluble fibre absorbs fluid in the large intestine. This only becomes an issue when inadequate amounts of water is consumed throughout the day, thus resulting in stiff and bulky stools that is hard to pass.
Examples of foods with insoluble fibre: Wheat bran (e.g. bran stix, bran flakes), oatbran (e.g. oatbran flakes), oatmeal, edible skin of fruits, brown rice, dark-green leafy vegetables (e.g. dasheen leaves, spinach, bhagi, kale), cooked beans and peas amongst others.

  Also beware of fibre supplements, "Purified dietary fibres may reduce acutely the absorption of some vitamins and minerals (e.g. calcium) by binding them in the small intestinal." FAO

Bottom-line, eat a variety of fibre-rich foods daily to promote good digestion, heart health and ward off colon cancer. However, remember to consume adequate amounts of water to ward off constipation.

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Skip the Jello. Eat Vegan Agar Agar Jelly Treats

Agar or agar-agar is a jelly-like substance, obtained from the ocean (algae). It is a great alternative for persons who do not consume animal products and gelatine. It comes in long translucent sticks or powdered or flakes and is relatively economical.  It is flavourless and can be used just like gelatine for most recipes, however, the texture of the final product may be a little denser than if gelatine were used. 

Nutrition-wise, agar agar  contains very little nutrients compared with the dried or raw algae form. Check out Food Thesaurus for more. Nevertheless, here are 3 lovely recipes you can use agar agar in, boost vegetable and fruit take.

1) Mango Coconut Jelly Cubes (Agar Agar)

2) Pouched Fruit Jelly

3) Carrot Jelly 

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❹ Unhealthy Food Safety Practices

Over 30% of food poisoning cases occur within the home environment due to risky food handling, storage and preparation practices.  In fact, food safety in the home is one of the issues many individuals take lightly and as much as 90 % of home cooks and home chefs unknowingly contaminate food. (1) 
Poor food safety practices not only compromise food but leads to contamination all around the kitchen, including on handles, counter-tops, faucets and trash cans. (1)

However, research shows that getting individuals to change poor food safety habits can take longer than simply exposing them to food safety messages before cooking. (2) 
Habits are often hard to break especially when they have been passed on from generation to generation or done out of convenience. This does not mean educators should stop trying to get the message of food safety out there but should seek out innovative ways to  present the message. (3)
Nevertheless,  listed below are ❹ unhealthy food safety practices. Accompanying each point is a video from USDAfoodsafety.com explaining how to these practices can be improved. 

①  Washing meat and poultry before cooking -70 %of consumers rinse or wash raw poultry before cooking it (1)

② Relying on the colour of meat/poultry/seafood to indicate when it is fully cooked- Less than 10 % of food thermometer owners actually use it to check for done-ness of all types of poultry (1)

③ Putting raw meat/poultry on the top shelf in the refrigerator - only 18 % of consumers correctly store raw poultry products in the refrigerator (1)

④  Defrosting frozen meat/poultry at room temperature- only 11 % of consumers who thaw raw poultry in cold water do it correctly (1)

Bottom-line, habits are hard to break but that should not stop anyone from at least trying their best every day to practice good food safety practices (see poster below). 

Be Food Safe!

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References:
1) Kansas State University. "Food safety fumble: Research finds 90 percent of home chefs contaminate food." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 January 2015. .

2) Katherine M. Kosa, Sheryl C. Cates, Samantha Bradley, Edgar Chambers IV, Sandria Godwin. Consumer-Reported Handling of Raw Poultry Products at Home: Results from a National Survey. Journal of Food Protection, 2015; 78 (1): 180 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-14-231

3) North Carolina State University. "Food safety social media guide developed by researchers." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 August 2014.

10 Healthy Foods I Dislike & Regret Buying

① Chia seeds & chia pudding - 

The gooey texture and appearance is off putting. I do not mind using it within muffin batters.
               

☑ Pricey

② Hemp Seeds-

The soft texture of the seeds is great but the strong musty (earthy) taste is not welcomed. When added to smoothies or oatmeal it imparts a noticeable taste. I however, enjoy and find hemp milk quite tasty.

☑ Pricey

③ Stevia-

The brand of stevia I bought is not 100% stevia and this may be why the product has a bitter taste that is quite noticeable.

               

☑ Pricey

④ Coconut Flour

Boy, oh boy, Coconut flour is one of the most challenging gluten-free flours I have tested out. It soaks up a lot of water, it requires a binder (e.g. egg),  products made with it can have a grainy texture, etc. etc. I honestly, made  3 recipes with this and I gave up. 

⑤ Unsweetened Almond milk (homemade or store-bought)-

I will  stick to chewing my almonds, considering it is packed with more nutrition that unfortified almond milk per ounce.

⑥ Seaweed

This tastes like a mix of the ocean and fresh salt-water fish; not my favourite flavour combo.

⑦ Carielle or Bitter melon-         

The vegetable, despite it's health and nutritional properties is really bitter. It smells really good when fried but the bitterness is just to strong for my taste buds. 

source

⑧ Quinoa-

It tastes bland when cooked without herbs or spices but the miniature seeds are creepy.
          

☑ Pricey

⑨ Coconut oil and Olive oil- 

These impart a strong flavour on foods. I will stick to sesame oil and use coconut oil and olive oil in my hair.
      

⑩ Whole-wheat /Whole-Grain

The whole-grain versions of grain products  e.g. whole-wheat coucous, whole-wheat pasta and whole-wheat wraps have strong and bold flavours.  I would rather limit my consumption of the refined versions, that purchase the whole-grain version. The whole-grain versions are also quite pricey 

☑ Pricey

These are the health foods, I do not enjoy and in some cases regret purchasing.

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What are the health foods you dislike?

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Healthy Food Hacks I Dislike

1) Frozen Banana "ice cream" for dessert
Bananas is one of those fruits, you either like it or not. I prefer my bananas fresh, whole and ripe. I am not a fan of banana chips, banana bread/muffins/cakes/fritters, banana punch or banana in oatmeal. 

Tasty Banana Treat

When I first heard about this and the many positive reviews, I was amazed. I attempted making the frozen banana "ice cream" 3 times and
❶ it does not taste like ice cream, 
❷ it does not have the same texture as ice -cream, 
❸ it does not give me the same satisfaction as ice-cream and
❹ the texture when it melts is just weird

Bottom-lime: I will stick to eating my bananas fresh, whole and ripe; plain or with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

For the record, here were my "banana ice-cream" experiences:

Frozen Banana "ice cream"

✦ The first attempt: I added too much liquid because I was unsure it would blend. 
✦ The second attempt: It came out smooth, thick and creamy. However, it tasted just like cold puréed bananas. 
✦ The third attempt: I added frozen strawberries for some added flavour, it came out pink and was tasty.


2)  Do-It-Yourself  Microwave Popcorn
I love popcorn. I have always made my popcorn the old-fashioned way, using a deep pot, oil and popcorn kernels. However, upon hearing that I could skip the use of oil, I was intrigued. I attempted popping popcorn kernels using the microwave at least 3 times but this method is not for me.
❶ Microwave Bowl method:
It takes forever to pop, if you use the wrong bowl. On my first attempt, I used a ceramic bowl and the kernels took forever to pop. I re-tried it with a glass bowl, using the popcorn setting and it was tasty but dry.
❷  Microwave Bag Method: 
I attempted this method without adding oil, it came out good but dry. However, when I tried coating the kernels with oil first, a number of kernels got burnt without popping...wastage!.

It should be noted, 
✦ The bag method  encourages portion control, seeing that only so much popcorn can fit in the bag without making a mess during the popping phase.
✦Seasoning & flavourings such as salt, black pepper, garlic powder, grated parmesan or cinnamon do not stick to the popcorn if no oil is used during the popping. They just coat the bottom of the bowl.

Bottom-lime: I will stick to the old-fashioned way of making popcorn.

3)  Plain Yoghurt instead of Mayonnaise in Salads (tuna, chicken. potato salad)
While plain yoghurt and mayonnaise both have a creamy and thick texture, they are not interchangeable.  Plain yoghurt has a tart flavour that changes the flavour profile of the food item. Depending on your taste buds, you may enjoy this flavour change but I do not. Adding more flavourings or seasoning make a slight difference.

Bottom-lime: I will stick to regular mayonnaise in those type of salads (tuna, chicken. potato salad) or go without it.

4) Coconut Milk as a Milk Substitute

Breakfast: 1 spoonful of coconut milk in my oatmeal

Being from the Caribbean island of Trinidad and consuming coconut milk only within dishes such as callaloo and pelau. I never, considered using coconut milk as a milk substitute or a as a non-dairy creamer. Nevertheless, after trying it out in my oatmeal, eggless pancake batter, black coffee, green tea and Indian chai tea, it is not for me. Coconut milk enhances the creaminess of these items but the flavour of the food item also changes; not in a good way, with the exception of the pancakes.  In the pancakes, the coconut milk positively enhanced the flavour but in the beverages and oatmeal, the flavour profile is weird.

Bottom-lime: I will stick to adding coconut milk to meal items such as callaloo and pelau. 

5) Linseed Wraps (high-fibre; low-carb wrap)
I attempted this after reading an article about cholesterol on DailyMail Uk. These wraps serve as an alternative to wheat based or corn tortillas. However, it is quite tricky to make. 
To clarify: 
❶ Sometimes the batter will stick to the plate and you will end up with a broken tortilla
❷ One tortilla is made at a time; hence it is inefficient
❸ Whole egg or egg whites are essential to get the wraps to bind; when made without the egg,  the batter  does not cook or bind
❹ The linseed flavour is strong. If you do not like the taste of linseed then this recipe is not for you.

Bottom-line: I will stick to regular wheat or corn tortillas

Video demo of the linseed wrap from Youtube user 'that'sveryjerry' 

6) Cauliflower Pizza (low-carb pizza alternative)
I enjoy cauliflower; steamed, baked or even as cauliflower rice but cauliflower pizza is a no, no. I first heard about this on Blogilates. I will admit I did not add the egg to the crust and this is probably was the reason for the pizza coming out soft, mushy and weird. After, viewing Chef John from Foodwishes recipe, I may one day try it again. 

There you go folks, these are the 6 healthy food hacks I do not enjoy. 

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