Three Recipes for Foods You Love with a Healthier Vibe

When you go on a diet, missing out on your favourite foods really takes its toll on your wellbeing. It’s hard to get excited about bulgar wheat and chickpeas when you’re used to burgers and cupcakes, right? However, depriving yourself of the foods you love isn’t actually good for your weight loss, let alone your wellness, so how do you have your cake and eat it too? The answer: make healthier versions. Below, we’ve got three recipes that can help you tuck into your food favourites, without packing on the pounds in the process.

 

1. French Toast: This recipe, courtesy of The Nutrition Twins, Tammy Lakatos Shames, RD, and Lyssie Lakatos, RD, serves two and can be ready in 15 minutes. Per serving, you’ll find 166 calories, 296mg of sodium, 26g of carbs, 4g of fibre, 2g of fat (none of which is saturated), sugars, 12g of protein, 122mg of calcium and 2mg of iron. For this healthy version of French toast you will need:

 

• 3 egg whites


• 1/4 cup skimmed milk


• 1 teaspoon cinnamon


• 1 teaspoon nutmeg


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• 2 slices whole-grain bread


• Cooking spray


• 1/2 cup berries


• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)


• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)


• 2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)

 

The Nutrition Twins instruct, ‘In a medium mixing bowl, blend egg whites, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Place bread in batter one slice at a time and let soak for one minute per side. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add bread and let cook about three minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove to a plate and top with berries, honey, sugar, and chia seeds, if desired.’

 

 

2. Onion Rings: Registered dietician Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, author of S.A.S.S! Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches, provides a recipe for onion rings that can be completed in 45 minutes. Each serving contains 248 calories, 127mg of sodium, 44g of carbs, 7g of fibre, 3g of fat (none of which is saturated), sugars, 14g of protein, 53mg of calcium and 2mg of iron. For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

 

• Cooking spray


• 2 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour


• 2 organic egg whites


• 1/4 cup organic whole-grain cornmeal


• 1/2 teaspoon salt-free Italian herb seasoning


• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder


• 1 dash cayenne powder


• 1 medium sweet yellow onion, sliced into rings

 

‘Preheat oven to 400 degrees,’ Sass directs. ‘Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place flour in one bowl, whisk egg whites in a second, and blend cornmeal and seasonings in a third. Dip each ring into flour, then egg whites, then cornmeal, and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until crispy.’

 

 

3. Chocolate Chip Cookies: Michelle Dudash, RD, author of Clean Eating for Busy Families: Get Meals on the Table in Minutes with Simple and Satisfying Whole-Foods Recipes You and Your Kids Will Love, provides the following recipe for Almond Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. You will need:

 

• 3 tablespoons flaxseed meal


• 4 ounces unsalted butter, sliced


• 1 packed cup brown sugar, clumps broken up


• 1/2 cup granulated raw sugar (evaporated cane juice)


• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond butter


• 2 1/4 cups unbleached white whole-wheat flour


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teasoon salt


• 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats


• 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

 

Dudash details, ‘Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two large sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. In a small bowl, stir together flaxseed meal and 1/2 cup water. In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly fluffy, about three minutes. Add flaxseed slurry, almond butter, and 1/4 cup water and beat on low until incorporated. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed, stopping just before ingredients are completely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add oats and chocolate chips and mix on low just until distributed evenly. Using a tablespoon or your hands, portion dough into balls of about one heaping tablespoon each. Place on sheet pans about one and a half inches apart. (You will need to bake dough in two batches.) Bake until lightly golden, about eight to 10 minutes. Cool and store in airtight containers for up to five days, or freeze for up to four months.’

Categories: almond butter, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chips, cooking spray, egg whites, flaxseed meal, french toast, nutrition twins, onion rings, pure vanilla, saturated sugars

Get Started on Your Dukan Diet with Our Four-Day Plan!

If you want to lose weight and take care of your wellbeing, the Dukan Diet can help you do it. However, if simply getting started is sending your wellness in a spin, fear not; we’ve got a four-day meal plan just for you.

 

Day One: For breakfast, you can have two scrambled eggs (made with skimmed milk) with as much chopped smoked salmon as you like. At lunchtime, mix of finely chopped 175g extra-lean ham, 225g fat-free quark, finely chopped chives and marjoram, four finely chopped shallots and Tabasco, and roll into small balls – this serves four. For out dinner-for-two Vietnamese beef, combine 400g sirloin steak (cut into small cubes) with two tablespoons soy sauce, one tablespoon oyster sauce, one big piece of grated ginger and a little black pepper. Let this marinate for 30 minutes or more. Brown four crushed garlic cloves in a pan, add beef and stir over high heat for 10-15 seconds for medium-rare.

 

Day Two: At breakfast, sprinkle 200g fat-free yoghurt with oat bran, one drop of vanilla essence and sweetener. Lunch on day two is an oat bran pancake, made by stirring together 1½ tablespoons oat bran, 1½ tablespoons fat-free quark, dried herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper, two egg yolks and 175g of either flaked tuna, smoked salmon, ham or chicken. Beat the leftover egg whites until stiff peaks form, and then fold into oat bran mixture. Cook it as you usually would pancakes. For dinner, preheat oven to 220ºC and season 800g white fish fillets before you wrap them in greaseproof paper. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 180ºC and remove the fish from the oven. In a blender, blitz the fish, 300g fat-free fromage frais, four eggs and five tablespoons chopped herbs. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, place this dish into a bigger dish and half-fill the bigger dish with cold water. Bake until cooked through (roughly 45 minutes).

 

Day Three: Combine two tablespoons of oat bran and a little wheat bran with skimmed milk and sweetener. Microwave for two minutes and that’s your breakfast! Rosemary beef burgers for three are on the lunch menu. Combine 750g minced beef, a chopped onion, two crushed garlic cloves, two tablespoons plum sauce, one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, two tablespoons finely chopped rosemary, one to two tablespoons finely chopped mint or basil and one lightly beaten egg. Shape into burgers, grill until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, and serve with salad. For dinner, beat three egg whites until stiff, and add six tablespoons fat-free quark, one tablespoon cornflour, one crushed garlic clove, chopped herbs, one chopped white fish fillet and three thinly sliced crabsticks. Bake in a lined tin at 180ºC for 45 minutes and you have your fishcake dinner.

 

Day Four: These oat bran breakfast muffins serve four. Heat the oven to 180ºC and beat four egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, mix eight tablespoons oat bran, four tablespoons fromage frais, half a teaspoon of sweetener and lemon zest or cinnamon. Pour into cases and bake for 20-30 minutes. For lunch, make a vinaigrette with one teaspoon of olive oil, four teaspoons of cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix 600g lettuce, tarragon leaves and 200g cooked and shelled prawns in a bowl. Soft-boil four eggs for 5-6 minutes and serve while still very hot, on top of dressed lettuce and prawns. Finally for dinner, cut four thick pieces of salmon into thin slices, and gently fry these slices in a non-stick pan for one minute each side. Brown two chopped shallots, reduce heat and add one tablespoon of mustard and six teaspoons fromage frais. Simmer for five minutes and return salmon to the pan. Add finely chopped dill, cook until heated through and serve with asparagus (This meal serves four.)

Categories: 4-day plan, crushed garlic, Dukan Diet, egg whites, finely chopped, free quark, fromage frais, nbsp day, oat bran, pan add, tablespoons finely, Weight Loss

Nine Foods That Fight Common Health Problems

People struggle with health problems every single day. It’s something that our lives will never allow us to get away from. Illness is just a natural part of life that we can’t avoid thanks to the myriad bacteria, viruses and the natural breakdown of cells in the body that contributes to serious problems throughout your life.

 

But while many people suffer with issues for their whole lives, there are actually simple and effective ways that you can deal with many problems. Primarily this can come through added certain foods into your diet. Here is our list of nine foods that can really help you out with certain health problems.

 

What is good for arthritis?

 

Ginger

Ginger is not only a delicious additive to many different foods such as soups and curries, but it can also be very beneficial to your health. It can work in a similar way to anti-inflammatory medicines and so can function as pain relief. It’s important to remember that it is also a blood thinner, so it shouldn’t be eaten too excessively or taken with other blood thinning medicine.

 

Pumpkin

According to recent research, the high levels of antioxidants in pumpkins can help to prevent arthritis and provide pain relief through anti-inflammatory methods. You could try eating pumpkin puree to get plenty of it on board. Pumpkin soup is highly delicious too and well worth eating to get your fix.

 

Red bell pepper

With a large amount of vitamin C and a good number of carotenoids, which are great for fighting inflammation, red peppers are very good for you. With regards to the vitamin C, it’s been shown in a number of studies that a lack of vitamin C in your diet can lead to an increased risk of arthritis. Given that peppers can be put in virtually anything, it’s easy to get more of them in your diet.

 

 

What is good for diabetes?

 

Beans

Beans are great for diabetes, whether they are kidney beans, pinto beans or anything of the other beans. They are able to stabilise the blood sugar levels which is exactly the problem that people with diabetes have.

 

Egg whites

We know the quality of eggs, but you might think that the yolk is the only way to get ideal nutrients. But it seems that egg whites are great for the battle against diabetes. This is because they are very low calorie but high in protein.

 

Nuts

Nuts are highly delicious and they are extremely versatile. There are many different types of nut including pistachios, brazils, almonds and peanuts. They are all great for fighting diabetes because of their high levels of protein. They are also packed with healthy fats that are actually good for you.

 

 

What’s good for PMS?

 

Cheese

Studies have shown that women who suffer from PMS often have low levels of calcium. There is no doubt that cheese has high levels of calcium and given that it’s very tasty you can add it to almost anything and it stays great.

 

Pineapple

Pineapple does a lot for you if you’re suffering from PMS. It’s a great source of manganese, which can help reduce mood swings in women with PMS. It’s high level of water can help reduce the bloating that many women experience during their struggles with PMS.

 

Almonds

Almonds are a fantastic source of magnesium which is a mineral that is known to relieve the symptoms of PMS. Almonds can be eaten simply as a great snack or can be put in salads and other dishes to eat as part of a main meal.

Categories: anti-inflammatory, Arthritis, Diabetes, egg whites, health problems, high levels, levels, nbsp, nbsp nbsp, Pain Relief, PMS, pms nbsp