Why Weight Loss Shakes Can Be a Great Part of Your Diet Plan

Weight loss milkshakes are nothing new, but once you’ve tried every other tip and trick in the book, you find your eye wandering to the diet shakes on the shelves. However, before you stock up on a three-month supply of diet shake mixes, you need to first consider what they might do to your wellness. The attractive advertisements might lure you in with promises of Instant Weight Loss, but, even if that’s true, Instant Weight Loss rarely means Permanent Weight Loss, right? While weight loss shakes are healthy and tasty, a diet solely made up of these shakes can be more harmful than beneficial to your wellbeing. Still, there are several good reasons why weight loss shakes are popular amongst dieters, so let’s weigh up the good against the bad.

 

Pro – Weight loss shakes are healthy: You can make a weight loss shake at home easily, and include only your favourite ingredients. Using fruits and vegetables enables you to get the nutrition of wholesome vitamins and minerals bundled in to a glass within no time.

 

Pro – The ingredients are easily available: The packaged weight loss shake powders don’t always taste that great, so why not make your own weight loss shake at home? This provides the perfect alternative, enabling you to consume your favourite flavours that you can easily find in your local supermarket. Some of the common ingredients that you can add to these weight loss shakes include fruits (to help you get rid of toxins in your body) yoghurt or low-fat milk (for your dose of vitamin D and calcium) and protein powder (which helps build lean muscle mass and keeps digestion going smooth).

 

Pro – Other people have done it: As weight loss shakes are nothing new, other people have spend time and effort perfecting their recipes, and, thanks to the internet, are passing their knowledge onto you! You can find various delicious recipes on any weight loss forums that will allow you to make your own glassful of health at home.

 

Con – You can’t drink weight loss shakes alone: The problem with weight loss shake diets is that people ONLY consume weight loss shakes, which is completely foolish. As you can see from this list, the pros of weight loss shakes far outweigh the cons, but that’s only if you consume them as part of a balanced diet. Even if ruling out all other foods causes you to drop weight fast, you’ll only put it back on – and then some – when you return to your regular eating habits. Therefore, if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you should drink weight loss shakes as one of your smaller meals, and not rely solely on them to help you achieve your goal weight.

 

Weight loss shakes, then, are a helpful addition to your overall diet plan, as long as you do it right. Relying on simple-to-make weight loss shakes as a meal replacement for your pre-workout and post-workout nutrition is an especially great idea – just make sure you don’t try to substitute it for a proper, balanced diet. Now we’ve got that cleared up, here’s a simple recipe to get you started:

 

For this super-easy and healthy weight loss shake, you will need…

• ½ a cup of skimmed milk or ½ a cup of plain, fat-free yoghurt


• One scoop of low-calorie protein powder (optional)


• ½ a banana


• One cup of fresh or frozen berries


• Crushed ice (optional)

 

Take a blender, and throw in all of your ingredients apart from the crushed ice. Blend them together and, if you’re not using crushed ice, stop here and enjoy your gorgeously thick shake. However, if you’re after a smoother consistency, add in your crushed ice and drink away that weight!

Categories: balanced diet, crushed ice, drink weight, instant weight, loss shake, loss shakes, nbsp pro, Pros and Cons, protein powder, recipe, Weight Loss, weight loss shakes

Zucchini Recipes: Easy and Super Quick!

Do you like eating zucchini? Did you know that the vegetable can be cooked to make various dishes ranging from spicy, savory to sweet delicacies?  It’s rich in vitamin A, has got a few calories and is very simple to cook. Take a look at these quick and easy recipes:

 

Zucchini fries

Zucchini fries can be your perfect summer snack. Try cooking parmesan-encrusted zucchini fries. The squash strips get baked and breaded. Its light and is appetizing. You can lower the cholesterol content by opting for egg whites instead of the yolk.

 

Zucchini muffins

The muffins can be a perfect snack after dinner or breakfast. It’s a treat for your stomach and it tastes yummy. These muffins can also be preserved in the freezer for a few days.

 

Zucchini bread

It’s a classic treat. The dish is moist, light and contains the right amount of sweetness. You can add some nuts, maybe walnuts to make the bread more crunchy and delicious.

 

Marinated zucchini and yellow squash salad

Peel the zucchini lengthwise instead of going horizontally as your salad will look beautiful with those green and yellow squash. Add some fresh basils as that will increase vitamin A in your dish.

A colourful salad with a lot of flavor, marinated zucchini and yellow squash salad is ready in no time.

 

Tomato-Zucchini Bake

Cook zucchini with some vegetables available in your fridge like corn, tomatoes and more. Toss them all in an oven. This baked dish tastes crunchy and has got no calories since you don’t have to use oil. It’s a perfect summer snack.

 

Zucchini bread with Moroccan spices

Add a twist to the classic zucchini bread by spicing it up with diced red bell peppers and hot chilli flakes. This Morrocan spiced zucchini bread will taste even better if you can add a few pistachios and make it crunchy.

 

Zucchini with corn and cilantro

Your salsa dishes or guacamole can be easily replaced by zucchini- corn and cilantro. This dish has a very less content of fat than the traditional guac and also contains less sodium. If you have less time to cook then this dish is a perfect savior comprising healthy nutrition.

 

Zucchini spaghetti

Here’s a guilt free way of indulging in your favourite pasta dish without the extra calories. It is light, tastes brilliant and can be cooked spicy. Opt for whole-wheat pasta to increase the fiber intake.

 

Asparagus and zucchini Pizza

A pizza serving with fewer calories is possible with zucchini and some veggies. Bake zucchini properly with this recipe for a crunchy pizza. Top it up with colourful veggies.

 

Zucchini oven chips

These oven baked chips are low in fat, cholesterol and saturated fat. This recipe is perfect for both your waist line and your heart.

 

Crunchy zucchini rounds with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese

Zucchini’s vibrant green colour looks refreshing for an appetizer. Make small pieces in round and top it up with goat cheese and some dried tomatoes. A beautiful dish to hog on! You will like the savory taste and it’s cooked in no time.

 

Shrimp and zucchini barley risotto

Got only ten minutes to cook a meal? Shrimp and zucchini barley risotto can be easily prepared in no time. You need to keep it for 40 minutes for cooking. The shrimp is rich in vitamin D and the barley will bring in fiber nutrition.

Categories: goat cheese, marinated zucchini, nbsp zucchini, perfect summer, Quick, recipe, squash salad, time nbsp, yellow squash, zucchini, zucchini bread, zucchini fries

5 Awesome Ways to Eat Kale and Why

Being a nutritional powerhouse packed with more nutrients than your typical green leafy vegetables, KALE has definitely grown much in popularity with health enthusiasts these days. Kale comes from the cabbage family and is also called black kale, cavolo nero or Tuscan black cabbage. This frilly vegetable even surpasses vitamin and mineral content of the once popular spinach. Rich in nutrients very much needed for healthy bones, skin and eyes, it promotes good digestion and immune function. It is packed with Omega-3, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus and Potassium. It even has 3x more Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Beta Carotene and 10x more Vitamin C than spinach. Although we can almost consider kale as the perfect vegetable, it however contains naturally occurring substances called Oxylates that can interfere with the absorption of calcium. Hence, do not plan your calcium-rich food intake together with kale in your meals.

When picking out Kale, avoid ones that are yellowing, dry and wilted. Choose the ones that are a healthy dark green to purple to a deep red in color and have a lot of spring to them.

Upon storage keep them unwashed until it is time to use them, as moisture speeds up wilting and decay. Put them in the coldest part of the refrigerator, usually at the back, and keep away from other stored foods that have a strong smell, especially meats. Use within 3 days of purchase.

Because Kale is slightly bitter in flavor, pairing it with other fruits and juices plus a thorough washing will considerably tone down its tart taste. Below are 5 awesomely delicious ways to enjoy Kale in a nutritious snack, appetizer or drink!

 

1. KALE TACOS

To make 2 “tacos” you will need:

• 2 kale leaves


• 1 chopped tomato


• a handful of chopped cilantro

To assemble:

• Fold kale leaf


• Spoon chopped tomatoes and cilantro, then carefully place in folded leaf


• Serve with blue cheese or cheddar cheese dip

 

2. FRUITY KALE SALAD

To make 2 servings you will need:

• 1 large bunch kale leaves, shredded thinly


• a squeeze of lemon


• ¼  tsp olive oil


• a pinch of sea salt


• a dash of black pepper


• 2 handfuls chopped onions


• 1 chopped tomato


• ½  an apple, sliced thinly


• ½ an orange, peeled and separated into sections


• a handful chopped mint

To prepare:

• After shredding the kale, massage a good squeeze of lemon, a little olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper


• Toss and sprinkle with more fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste


• Serve with your favorite vinaigrette or dressing

 

3. KALE WRAP

To make 2 wraps you will need:

• 2 kale leaves


• 1 sliced tomato


• ½ small cucumber, grated


• ½ small carrot, grated


• ¼ small avocado, sliced vertically

To assemble:

• Lay out kale leaves, set tomato, cucumber, carrots and avocado on top


• Wrap carefully and serve with your favorite dip!

 

4. KALE JUICE

To make 2 servings you will need:

• 3 kale leaves, cut into 2 inch strips


• 1 cucumber, unpeeled and cut into strips


• 3 stalks of celery cut into 2 inch lengths


• 1 apple chopped


• 1/3 cup parsley sprigs


• ½ lemon, peeled

 

Feed kale, cucumber, celery, apple, parsley and lemon into a juicer. Discard the leftover solids, pour into glasses and serve!

 

5. KALE SMOOTHIE

To make 2 servings you will need:

• 2 cups chopped kale


• ½ cup coconut milk


• ½ cup water


• 1-1/2 cup strawberries


• 1 ripe banana

To prepare:

• Combine the coconut milk, water, the kale, strawberries and banana in a blender


• Puree until smooth, about 1 minute


• Add more water to smoothen consistency

 

Samantha Samonte is a writer for Culinary One, a website about culinary careers, cuisines and food. Helping aspiring chefs to find the best cooking schools. She spends the rest of her time living life to the fullest in the company of her laptop and creative writing prowess.

Categories: black pepper, chopped tomato, coconut milk, diet and nutrition, dip nbsp, grated small, kale, kale leaves, olive oil, recipe, sea salt