Have a Better Life

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Celery has been considered to be one of the best low calorie food because it contains only 16 calories per 100 g leaves. This is rich in fiber which are good for digestion. Because of its aroma, this vegetable has made famous all over the world to incorporate in their gourmet cooking.

The veggie is rich in Vitamin C and chemical compounds phthalides and coumarins which help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of cancers.

This is also in Vitamin A, iron, folic acid, Vitamin K, potassium, sodium, calcium, manganese, magnesium and beta carotene. (Who needs post-workout supplements with all these vitamins within a celery).

These vitamins and minerals in celery are good for people who have Alzheimer’s disease, low bone mass, and poor eyesight.

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A suitably procedure of a dietetic treatment linked with proper exercise and other measures for promoting elimination is the exclusive scientific method of dealing with obesity.

The major factor in this treatment should be the balanced election of foods which supply the maximum required nutrients with the least number of calories.

To begin with, the patient should initiate a juice fast for seven to ten days. Lemon juices, grape fruit, orange, pineapple and celery, may be taken during this phase. Prolonged juice fast up to 40 days can also be undertaken, but only under professional supervision and control.

As an option, short juice fasts should be repeated at periodic intervals of two months or so until the appropriate decrease in weight is achieved.

After the juice fast, the person should spend a furthermore four or five days on an all – fruit diet, having three meals of fresh juicy fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, pineapple and papaya. Thereafter, he may gradually go for a low calorie well balanced diet of three basic food groups, namely: seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables and fruits, with priority on raw fruits,vegetables and fresh juices.

The foods which should be remarkably reduced or totally avoided are high fat foods such as butter, cheese, chocolates, cream, ice cream, fat meats, fried foods, and gravies; high carbohydrate foods like bread, candy, cake, cookies, cereal products, legumes, potatoes, honey, sugar, syrup and rich puddings beverages such as all fountain and alcoholic drinks.

Of course some people prefer to go through the expensive but easier way to get rid of weigh and they go to a Cosmetic Surgery Clinic to be “fixed”. Of course this type of clinic can help the person improve several parts of the body in the same surgery making it worth the money spent. It can also be useful to remove scar imperfections. Overall the use of a clinic is an easy way to have a great body without going through weight loss diets.

Of course not everyone can afford cosmetic surgery so most of the time a strict diet plan must be followed to accomplish the goal of losing weight.

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It’s almost time to start collecting my organic vegetables. The culprits and lettuces are already big enough but I’ll have to wait a little more for the carrots.

I had much more to collect if it wasn’t for the neighbor kids that, curious about the vegetables, keep stripping them off the soil to see if they are big enough and then they are useless.

Sometimes I wish I had a driveway alarm that could warn me about the neighbor kids arrival. I would then make no noise and pretend I wasn’t at home.

Here is a very easy snack with lots of vegetables. It can be used also as an appetizer, for a picnic or even for lunch. If you like you can change the ingredients of even add new ones to make it a richer recipe.

Easy Snack Wraps

INGREDIENTS

• 12 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 (6 ounce) package sliced deli-style turkey
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 cups minced tomato

DIRECTIONS
1. Spread cream cheese evenly over the tortillas. Top the cream cheese with lettuce leaves. Arrange the turkey slices in even layers on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle the carrots and tomato over the turkey slices. Roll the tortillas into wraps. Cut the wraps diagonally into bite-sized pieces. Secure with toothpicks.

I found this recipe on All Recipes where you can find other delicious recipes and cooking tips.

It’s time for another Light Recipe. High temperatures and good weather (at least here in Portugal) make us want easy, light and fresh recipes that’s why this week I choose a healthy salad.

I found this EatingWell Power Salad at the EatingWell website.

This recipe is very easy to prepare, it only takes 10 minutes to be ready, ingredients are very easy to find and we usually have them at home, no fat ingredients so…let’s cook for the family.

• 6 cups mixed salad greens
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup dressing, such as Creamy Dill Ranch Dressing (recipe follows)
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 4 slices roast turkey breast, cut up (3 ounces)
• 2 slices reduced-fat Swiss cheese, cut up (2 ounces)

Toss greens, carrots, onion and dressing in a large bowl until coated. Divide between 2 plates. Arrange tomatoes, turkey and cheese on top of the salad.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 180 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat, 0 g mono); 27 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 21 g protein; 6 g fiber; 757 mg sodium; 956 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (290% daily value), Vitamin C (70% dv), Folate (55% dv), Calcium (40% dv).
Exchanges: 3 vegetable, 2 very lean meat, 1/2 fat
1 Carbohydrate Serving

Do you have some Light Recipes to share? Leave you link and I will be please to visit your site or blog.

Eat healthy food and Have a Better Life.

Vegetables are a great source of healthy nutrients that should be preserved when we cook the vegetables. Vegetables that can be eaten in their natural state, preserve all the nutrients, those that are cooked can lose some of the great proprieties they have. The best thing is to cook them in the most healthier way. I found an article that show us Healthy Ways To Cook Vegetables, here they are:

Steaming
Steaming is fast, preserves nutrients, and it works best for fresh and frozen vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, spinach and roots like beets, parsnips, peas and beans. If you don’t have a steaming basket, you can fill a pot with mixed vegetables and add about 1 1/2 inches of unsalted water and cover. Simmer until the vegetables are tender. Check often to make sure that the water doesn’t evaporate. If it gets too low, just add a little more water. Don’t forget to keep the remaining broth for soup or do what I do, pour it in a nice mug and enjoy the warm flavorful broth.

Roasting
Roasting is quick, simple, and is an excellent way for cooking vegetables as it preserves the vitamins, flavors and minerals. In a large bowl, cover sliced vegetables with olive oil. Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Place them on a cookie sheet and roast them at 350 degrees until tender.

Stir-Frying
Stir-frying is another very good flavor and color preserving cooking method. Sliced vegetables are put in frying pan covered at bottom with any liquid for cooking such as chicken broth or a broth made from stir-fry seasonings. Constantly stir the vegetables until they are crispy and glossy.

As most of the ways I described are based on waterless cooking as it reduces cooking time, makes cooking easy, easy clean of cooking ware and most of all no loss of nutrient in juices of vegetable giving more flavor to food.

Panning
Vegetables can also be cooked by the steam produced by their own vegetable juices. In a fry pan, add a little olive oil, sliced vegetables and your favorite seasonings. Cover the pan, put it on medium heat, and within 5-8 minutes you’ll have spicy and crispy vegetables. Stir often. Panning works best for carrots, beans, summer squash and shredded cabbage.

Choose the method you prefer and cook your vegetables without losing their nutrients, this will help you have a better life!!

This is a personal record. My husband who has been and still is over weighted for a few years, since he changed jobs last October he also started having a little care with his meals.

As he eats in the factory, he takes from home a dish of soup and A LOT of fruit specially oranges and apples. Drinks around 1.5 to 2 liters of waters a day and already lost 7 Kgs (+/- 15 pound). Dinner is pretty much what we all eat in the house.

I think the reduction of bread on his diet, less cheese and ham and the inclusion of fruit is helping out. He’s not drinking any diet products or Orovo supplements, just keeping the meals as I mentioned before.