Easy and Healthy Recipes: What to Look For In Healthy Diet Foods
By Mary Ann MacKayNo matter what the season, finding easy and healthy recipes to keep yourself and your family from succumbing to food boredom can sometimes feel like a challenge. We can hear you saying, "Chicken? We've had it three nights in a row! Fish? Well - that's a thought but I don't usually keep fish on hand. Beef? Isn't that terribly unhealthy?" The best recipes are those which are healthy, fun, and easy to make. Here are some tips for helping you to choose the right ones.
Tip #1: Look For Ethnic Recipes
Unlike many American favorites, foods from various cultures that emphasize vegetables, whole grains, and healthy cuts of meat can be an interesting departure from the ordinary, and they also tend to be much healthier. Most favorite easy and healthy recipes from Indian and Asian cultures for example, do not give you a list of canned items to purchase for the recipes. Instead, they call for spices like ginger and turmeric. They usually call for very little fat, and many times, you can substitute broth for much of the fat used in sautéing.
Tip #2: Look For Foods Your Whole Family Will Enjoy
Making a lot of foods no one in your family will enjoy, much less try, is an exercise in futility. If your family is very picky, you can begin transitioning to easy and healthy recipes by adding some different touches to the recipes you already use. For instance, if you usually use the highest fat ground beef available to make your tacos, then use low fat ground beef instead. Increase the amount of vegetables you use, and next time, make it taco salad instead of tacos, eliminating the taco shells and using a sprinkling of organic corn chips to garnish the salad instead of as a base. Use more salsa and less sour cream, and enjoy a healthy scoop of guacamole. This type of transitioning lets your family enjoy the flavors they are accustomed to, while increasing the amount of healthy food they (and you!) are taking in.
Tip #3: Healthy and Easy Recipes Don't Have to Be Expensive to Make
A tight budget is often a fact of life, and there is no reason to spend more than necessary on your meals. The good news is that many of the best easy and healthy recipes you can create are based around whole grains,lentils and fresh vegetables, using very little processed food if any. You can buy in bulk and save money, and you can double your recipes, portion out healthy foods you have made, and have them for lunch instead of buying expensive pre-made lunch items that could be contributing to an expanding waistline.
The bottom line? Look for healthy foods in season and stock up on fresh herbs and spices. Changing the way you eat doesn't usually happen overnight, especially if you are cooking for a family. The good news is that every step you take toward healthy cooking and eating is a positive one. Soon, you'll have new selection of easy and healthy favorite recipes to enjoy.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6645417The Top 10 Best Foods to Fuel Muscle Growth
By Jim Duffy
It's always helpful to have a list to remember important things. Few things are as important to help you to increase muscle mass as the foods that you eat. With that in mind, here are the top 10 foods to fuel muscle growth.
Lean Beef.
People love steaks and hamburgers, but unfortunately the majority of cuts that you get at restaurants and grocery stores are loaded with unhealthy fats. Don't write beef out of your diet though. You can still eat beef to fuel muscle growth. In fact, the bodybuilders of years gone by ate a lot of beef to get bigger and stronger. Simply take a smart approach to eating and choose the leanest cuts possible and don't eat red meat at every meal. Stay lean to fuel lean mass.
Ground Turkey.
You can buy lean ground turkey at most grocery stores. This ground protein source is a great way to liven up bland pasta recipes and to make casseroles and other dinner dishes. Try to get lean, ground breast meat to get the most benefit from eating ground turkey. Turkey meat is a cheap, protein-rich food that can serve as a replacement for red meat in recipes for foods such as chili and taco mixes. Don't underestimate turkey as a muscle building food.
Cottage Cheese.
People don't include enough cottage cheese in their diets, and that is a shame. There aren't many foods that provide the high levels of glutamine that you can get from cottage cheese. Glutamine is an essential amino acid that promotes muscle tissue healing. Many bodybuilders like to eat cottage cheese as a late evening snack to fuel overnight muscle healing and growth.
Baked Fish.
Fish is truly a super food. If you want a food that is loaded with protein and essential fatty acids, you won't find many foods that stack up with a nice baked fish meal. There are lots of affordable fish cuts that you can pick up at the store to make for lunches or dinners. As long as you stay away from deep fried, breaded fish meals, you'll be eating a lean food that will promote muscle growth.
Nuts.
Another food that is loaded with healthy fatty acids are nuts. Nuts make a great snack food. They contain some protein in addition to healthy, essential fats that are good for your overall health. The bottom line with muscle growth is that it won't occur unless you are healthy. Nuts are a great food to eat sparingly that can provide the kind of nutrition your body needs.
Fruits & Vegetables.
No list of healthy foods would be complete without mentioning the importance of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies may not directly contribute to muscle growth like protein foods do, but they should not be neglected. Many bodybuilders, eager to get as much protein as possible, totally neglect fruits and vegetables. Your body needs the antioxidants, minerals and fiber that fruits and vegetables provide, so be sure to include these foods in your diet.
Eggs.
There's an advertising campaign that says eggs are nature's perfect food. In some ways, this assessment is right on. Eggs are a convenient food to buy and cook. They contain some of the best quality protein of any whole food that is commonly eaten. To stay healthy, it's best to eat egg whites most of the time and only an occasional yolk. Eggs are never to be eaten raw, no matter how many people you see doing this. You can get very sick from raw eggs. So keep eggs in your regular menu rotation, but skip the Rocky Balboa method of drinking raw eggs.
Tuna Fish.
Earlier in this list, fish was mentioned as a great muscle building food. Tuna deserves its own special place on the top 10 list of muscle building foods. Tuna is cheap, easy to take anywhere and it is full of great protein and omega fatty acids essential to good healthy diet. Stock up on tuna when you go to the grocery store for a simple, economical food that helps to pack on muscle mass.
Chicken Breast.
This is one of the staples of bodybuilding diets and fat burning plans. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is a delicious, filling food that is loaded with top quality proteins. Chicken breast is lean and can be incorporated into lots of different recipes. Prices fluctuate on boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can usually pick it up in bulk when it is on sale. Keep a full supply of chicken breast in your freezer for healthy, muscle promoting meals. Just stay away from the nuggets and fried chicken; they contain too much unhealthy fat.
10 Best Nutrition Benefit of A Kiwi Fruite
By Andy Croucher
When was the last time you ate a fruit and counted its nutritional facts? I am sure the answer might be never. Although we hear daily the famous quote "an apple a day keeps the doctors away," but we never pause to think why and how it keeps the doctor away. We know that fruits are good for health, but we never think of how they are good and in what way they benefit. By having knowledge about the nutritional facts and benefits of different fruits helps a lot while curing and preventing many diseases. So now let us see the 10 best nutritional benefits of a fruit.
This information will help us a lot in many ways. Like by introducing these fruits in our daily routine the health of the family specially kids can be protected. The cost of medicine and doctors can be reduced. The tension and depression related with a sick person can be eliminated. So what are the nutritional benefits of this amazing fruit that makes it the most favorite fruit among the doctors? First, it has high content of vitamin c, which is a best source in preventing various respiratory diseases.
The vitamin C in is fruit is even higher than orange. So it not only helps in preventing various breathing problems but build the immune system. The whole fruit of kiwi is filled with different nutrition, from the skin to the seeds it has some benefits to offer. Like the oil from seeds are high in alpha- linolenic acid, which helps in preventing various heart diseases. The skin of the fruit is rich in antioxidants, which help the red blood cells in absorption of oxygen.
The nutritional benefit of kiwi fruit can be availed if the fruit is added in a regular diet. However, this is impossible because this fruit is seasonable and id present in only two months of the year. Furthermore, the fruit available in the market is not always fresh. The suppliers found a solution to this problem by introducing fruit storage facility in every country, but it has been proven by the research that the stored fruit looses their nutritional value.
So after this storage solution the next-best option that the medical field has invented is the substitute this product is the best substitute for the nutritional benefits of kiwi fruit. This product is designed for the whole family. No artificial ingredients are used in the making of this product so you and your families are saved from the harmful effects of the artificial chemicals. This product is named on one of the benefits of kiwi fruit. An excellent fruit that helps in improving the digestive system as it contains the high sources of fiber.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6650886What Is Coconut Water and Why Is It So Popular Today
By Momo Danah
People in the West may now know what coconut water is. In the tropical areas, however, everyone knows how a refreshing drink coconut juice is. Moreover, because famous celebrities are often seen holding and drinking one, the popularity of this drink has gone up to soaring heights.
A coconut water is the juice inside young coconut fruits. The coconut tree is part of the palm family, and confusion aside, they certainly are not botanical nuts such as hazelnuts and chestnuts. In Asia, basic needs such as food, shelter, and fuel can be derived from the coconut tree. In fact, it is believed to be the "Tree of Life" because of its many uses.
The flesh inside the fruit is called the endosperm, and the coconut juice is named liquid endosperm. Industries that produce copra from coconut fruits do not need the water and throw it away, but the juice contains many uses and benefits. Fermenting it can produce vinegar; brewed longer, a coconut wine is made. Other than that, the water can be used as a dextrose substitute, to hydrate, and a laxative.
Moreover, a successful and advanced use of the coconut water is discovered in the Philippines. Urinary stones present in the urinary tract can be dissolved by consuming coconut water. The medical breakthrough is called bukolysis: buko, the local name of the fruit; and -lysis, to describe the process. Consuming one coconut water per day may prevent the formation of stones. To those already carrying the condition, bukolysis is a cheap yet effective option for treatment.
The coconut juice is popular in highway stops and beaches because it is a definite thirst quencher, even if it is not cold. It is sold in tetra paks, cans, and bottles for easy travel. However, cutting the coconut fresh in front of customers is a sought-after activity. This way, one can ensure cleanliness, potability and freshness of the juice. Because it is also rich in minerals, potassium most notably, water from the coconut is an organic sports drink. It contains more minerals, which are the main components of sports drinks, and full of natural sugars and salts.
Compared to other processed drinks, such as whole milk and infant milk, the water is much more healthy and nutritious. It contains no calories, has less cholesterol and fat. It is packed with lauric acid available in breast milk. Fresh coconut water is generally sterile, and there are recorded practices of transfusion using the water. Besides being germ-free, the coconut juice has the same plasma concentration with the human blood making it a suitable solution for intravenous infusion.
The value of the coconut is priceless. In countries where coconut is abundant, they have made generous use of the tree by using every part - roots to leaves. Although more studies are needed to verify the health benefits of the coconut water, nevertheless, testaments from people who have experienced miracles from the coconut juice gave others new hope for cure to some illnesses. Nonetheless, what is coconut water is an organic drink with so many uses.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6642349