We all know that three o’clock feeling: you can’t remember the things you’re sure you know, everything seems to move sluggishly and concentrating on one thing for five whole minutes is impossible. Yes, that’s called low blood sugar (usually).

The remedy most of us choose is to reach for something – anything – to kick-start our energy levels, but while this is the body’s automatic response, choosing an unnatural snack worsens the situation. You see, insulin is what controls how many of these newly available calories are made available in the bloodstream, and how many are converted to fat as quickly as possible. If you choose to consume a can of soda (9 teaspoons of refined sugar, 150 calories), you might well feel energized for a few minutes, but you will be worse off than before as soon as your pancreas catches up!

Not only does this prevent you from operating at your peak efficiency when working or studying, this glucose roller coaster can eventually cause damage to your nerves and kidneys and even lead to diabetes. On top of that, eating unhealthy snacks can make your skin look puffy and inflamed, and will almost certainly lead to gaining weight.

Optimum nutrient absorption takes place when different types of food are combined into one meal. Therefore, the ideal healthy snack would contain some complex carbs, some protein, and some fiber; the latter of which slows down digestion to keep you feeling satisfied for longer. Not these snacks meet this criterion, but we hope to present a range of healthier options that will suit everyone’s tongue. Most require some sort of preparation: this is really the only way to avoid putting huge quantities of preservatives and other artificial chemicals into your body. If even mold rejects the packaged food on your supermarket’s shelves, can eating that be good for you? The amount of work required really is minimal, however, and you can prepare treats for the whole family simultaneously the night before. Doing this will also turn out to be much cheaper than buying factory food (not to mention dodging future medical bills).

Candy Bar vs. Fruit

“Empty” calories are fats, sugars and refined carbs that come with no additional nutrients (minerals, protein, vitamins and many other types). You should know that your body uses up these nutrients when it digests empty calories, so not only aren’t you gaining anything, you’re giving up nutrition you’ve already taken in! Eating a diet high in sugar can deplete your body of important stuff like iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C, even to the point of damaging your immune system and inviting conditions like anemia.

Sugary candies often consist of pretty much sugar and coloring, so they fit this definition perfectly. Chocolate candy bars may include a few healthy ingredients such as nuts or oats, but the rest will amount to sugar and fat that you don’t need, will mostly be absorbed as new body fat and takes up the place of healthier alternatives. A single large candy bar can contain over 500 calories or as much as a quarter of the energy an average person needs daily.

The calorie equivalent of that greasy, sugar-stuffed snack is five apples or bananas, but the nutritional impact is completely different. You’ll gain a hefty amount of potassium, antioxidants, fiber and vitamins without a bunch of added fat, while still quieting your hunger pangs. Combining fruit with a protein such as a few unsalted nuts or a slice of cheese results in a perfectly balanced snack.

If fresh fruit is too boring or difficult for you to eat, try one of the following recipes:

Drying Fruit in the Oven

Though this might seem like something only medieval housewives would do, it’s very simple, and you can make and store huge batches at a time. Choose ripe, seasonal fruit for best results. Pineapples, peaches, bananas, apples and berries are all good choices, but any fruit will do.

Simply wash, peel, and remove any stones or pits. Cut them thinly and evenly so that they will dry out faster and all at the same rate – which takes no time at all with a mandolin. For easy peeling offa large number of fruit, get a pot of boiling water and a bowl of iced water. Just cut a shallow cross into the skin at the bottom of the fruit and immerse in hot water for half a minute, followed by the cold water – you should be able to pull the skin off with your fingers. As your pile of slices grows, keep putting them in water with a few squirts of lemon juice added.

Place the fruit on trays lined with parchment paper, without any pieces overlapping. Drying them out should take several hours at 140°F (60°C), but you don’t need to spend your whole Saturday watching the process. When they feel chewy but still soft, remove them and store in an open container for a week to get rid of excess moisture. There’s no need to add sugar.

Nutrition: around 350 calories per 4 oz. (100g), with almost all the natural goodness still present.

Baked Fruit Snacks

If drying your own fruit seems a little too DIY for you, try the following for a delicious, nutritious, portable snack the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 2 bananas
• 2 peaches
• 2 apples
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. brown sugar

Just pre-heat the oven to 370°F (190°C), slice the fruit, place on a baking tray lined with wax paper and sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon. Bake for 15 minutes and serve either hot or let cool before putting into a lunchbox. There’s nothing to stop you from including nuts, honey or any other healthy addition.

Nutrition: around 120 calories for every whole fruit, and way more nutrition than any other nibble that will satisfy the sweetest tooth.

Ramen vs. Salad

Often enough, with a deadline drawing closer, we just want to get full and keep working, while spending a minimum of time on preparing a quick meal. Unfortunately, this is no good in the long term. Eating only refined carbohydrates will noticeably affect your mental acuity over the long term, since your brain also needs a healthy diet to function at its best. Equally badly, you’ll have to eat junk food much more frequently just to maintain your energy level. Without some fiber and protein to back up the carbs, the snack is practically digested all at once, soon leaving you hungry once again.

Of course, I say “only carbohydrates,” but a look at the packaging of the typical ramen will quickly show a long list of ingredients that are difficult to pronounce. The side effects of many of these additives are not really known but are unlikely to include lower blood pressure and unexpected superpowers. A simple salad takes almost no increased work and yields a meal that will be tastier, healthier and keep you going for much longer. You should know that a store-bought salad can contain just as many calories as a fast food hamburger – they just love to load up the dressing with unnecessary fat, sugar, and salt.

Simple Lentil Salad

Unless you are truly addicted to chicken-flavored noodles (which don’t taste anything like chicken), you will prefer this crunchy, fresh-tasting salad which will take you no more than five minutes of actual work to prepare.

• ½ cup brown lentils
• 1 small stick celery
• 1 apple
• 1 carrot
• handful shredded fresh basil leaves
• 1 lime or lemon
• ¼ tsp salt
• black pepper

In a saucepan, add 2 cups of (unsalted) water to the lentils and turn up the heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, drain and let cool. Just chop the celery, carrot, and apple, squeeze out the lemon over the apple, and combine everything. You’ll have to wait for the lentils to cook and cool, but this isn’t time you have to spend away from whatever you were doing. Any excess can be kept in the fridge for one or two days.

Nutrition: 450 calories for basically a full meal, which will keep digesting slowly and feed your blood sugar for hours. Also, 30g of protein (half or more of your recommended daily intake), heaps of fiber and many other nutrients. Compare that with 380 calories for a packet of ramen, which offers no additional nutrition except a ton of sodium.

Two-Minute Tuna Salad

If you really can’t be asked to cut a vegetable, just toss the following together in a bowl:

• 1 bag of pre-washed salad leaves
• 1 can sweetcorn
• 1 can tuna in brine
• pickles of your choice
• herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste

It’s still quicker than preparing ramen, is infinitely more appetizing and healthier and tastes great served with bread.

Nutrition: 300 calories (plus the bread) for one huge bowl of salad, 30g protein and a stack of nutrients. Lettuce is one of the most under-rated nutrient-dense foods and contains virtually no calories so you can eat as much as you want.

Fizzy Drinks vs. Iced Tea

Many people have the habit of sipping soda while they work, believing that the added caffeine and sugar will keep them more alert. This will work in the short run but loses its effectiveness when it becomes no more than a routine. Aside from regularly messing with your blood sugar levels, the caffeine becomes less effective as you become addicted, and you’ll suffer withdrawal symptoms whenever you’re not guzzling that unnatural stuff.

The canned soda industry is simply a triumph of marketing over every kind of logic; there’s literally no reason to drink it. The high levels of sugar are unhealthy for you all the way from your teeth to your colon, artificial sweeteners can be even worse, the phosphoric acid sucks out calcium from your body, and the amount of bad stuff it contains makes it dehydrate you while you’re taking in liquid!

Still, if you’re used to having a drink on your desk, there’s no reason to change that. Simply substitute something you can make at home for a tiny fraction of the price of a can of rubbish; you’ll be just as satisfied and live slightly longer, too.

Ginger Cinnamon Tea

Even though the amount you consume is tiny, research increasingly shows that eating spices have great and unexpected health benefits. You can prepare this iced tea in the morning and hand out a bottle to each family member, or just keep a jug in the fridge for as needed.

Ingredients for one gallon (4 liters):

• a little more than 1 gallon (4L) water (some will evaporate)
• 8 cinnamon sticks
• 2 inch (5cm) fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
• 3 Fl. oz. (90ml) honey
• lemon juice to taste

Just drop everything in a saucepan, turn on the hotplate and allow to come to the boil. If you want to, strain after cooling.

Nutrition: 17 oz. (500ml) of this refreshing drink contains only about 30 calories – that’s a little over a tenth of commercial sodas, without any nasty additives, and the price of the ingredients is less than a percent of what you would have paid for a can of soda.

Potato Chips vs. Homemade Granola Bars

If you look on the back of the packet, you’ll see that potato chips typically contain an unbelievable 20 to 30% fat! Seriously, try it. What makes it worse is that much of this will be saturated or trans fats, which are in no way healthy for you, resulting from using the same frying oil for long periods.

Easy Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup dried fruit
• 2 tbsp.wholewheat flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup unrefined sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter
• pinch salt

Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and just mix everything together. When it starts to come together, drop the mixture onto a baking tray lined with wax paper and use another sheet of paper to press it into a solid sheet. Bake at 270°F (130°C) for about half an hour, allow to cool and cut into strips.

Nutrition: depends too much on what kind of nuts you use to say, but that’s not really the point. Nuts are a good source of protein, fiber, and UN-saturated fats, all of which make you feel full quicker and for longer. Unhealthy fats are a major cause of heart disease, so cutting them out of your diet is always a good idea.

The Healthy Lifestyle

There is really no excuse for cramming unhealthy snacks down your throat when so many healthy, tasty options are available, which take little more effort than a walk to the vending machine. Ignore what your TV tells you! The benefits are constant and life-long, you’ll save money, and you’ll soon feel more alive and productive.

The post 6 Healthy Snacks to Satisfy that Afternoon Craving appeared first on The Active Health.

This view is increasingly being challenged in by researchers. One of the five-a-day plan’s flaws is, ironically, that it has become so ubiquitous after governments and school systems used it as a slogan to encourage healthier eating. Marketers wasted no time in launching themselves onto the bandwagon, without paying much attention to the underlying science or what really comprises a “portion.”Thus, even people who pay attention to the health implications of their diet are thoroughly confused. Is marmalade a vegetable? A packet of raisins? Chicken soup that contains vegetables? Are frozen and fresh vegetables equivalent?

The World Health Organization’s recommendation is to eat 400g (a little less than a pound) of fruits and vegetables per day. Dividing this into five yields a reasonable portion size, but retailers tend to simply make up a figure for what a portion size should be, completely ruining what was supposed to be a “scientific” system.

Worse, it is a major intellectual exercise to set up a daily or weekly meal plan on this basis, even though you can supposedly count off the servings on the fingers of one hand. To simplify healthy eating, this article presents some no-nonsense tips on improving your nutritional intake now you’re able to make the best decisions: the weekly trip to the supermarket.

You won’t need a calendar or pocket calculator to follow this advice, nor do you need to throw out the habits of a lifetime over the course of one day. Like any lifestyle change, slow and gradual means painless and sustainable – trying to accomplish everything in one heroic effort will just use up all your willpower, and you’ll be back where you started within a few days.

Determine Your Menu When You Shop – What Ought to Be in Your Shopping Cart

It’s an established fact that people who go grocery shopping while hungry buy more and less healthy foodstuffs. Munching on a granola bar or an apple before you will help you make more considered choices and avoid impulse buying. The principle behind shopping for a healthy diet is to choose healthy options, buy enough of the right stuff, and then use these ingredients to cook meals that won’t be a chore to eat.

You might be a meticulous menu planner who knows exactly what you need, but most of us probably just figure out what we’re going to cook as we stumble along through the week. However, the following guidelines can be useful.

The average adult needs, per day:

• almost 1 pound (400g) of vegetable matter
• 2500 calories, depending on many factors
• 2 ounces (55g) of protein
• water when thirsty

That is pretty much it. If you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables, your need for fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals will be taken care of automatically. If you do the multiplication, a family of four is supposed to eat a whopping 24 pounds (11kg) of fruit and vegetables per week! Yes, seeing it all together at once will be intimidating, but here’s one way it can break down: a banana for breakfast, an apple at lunch, and a cup of cooked vegetables and a small salad at dinner. You don’t have to eat it all at once!

Vegetables are nutrient-rich but low in calories so you can assume that this daily ration will contribute only about 300 calories. The following amount of carbohydrates will contribute another 2000, leaving 200 to be supplied by oil used in cooking and other sources:

• 10 cups of cooked white rice
• 5 ½ pounds (2 ½ kg) potatoes
• 1 pound (½ kg) dry pasta, or one medium pot full when cooked

By contrast, 4 large candy bars or 4 medium servings of French fries contain the same amount of food energy. Of course, most people don’t eat potatoes and vegetables exclusively, and calories from starch should make up only about 1/3 of a balanced diet.

For your protein requirement, the following foods can provide your 2 oz. Daily requirement:

• 9 eggs
• 7 oz. (200g) pork or beef
• one mounded cup of uncooked kidney beans
• 7 oz. (200g) cooked shrimp
• 14 oz. (400g) halibut

As you can see, a healthy diet can comprise a huge amount of food. Nobody needs to go hungry to lose weight. Doing the appropriate multiplication for how many people you need to feed, and of course keeping in mind that nutritional requirements are dependent on body mass, you can figure out approximately how much of these staples you should be buying, cooking and eating per week. Please note that religiously paying attention to these numbers is neither necessary nor very scientific; these are only rules of thumb to guide your shopping decisions.

Go for the Freshest

Especially when it comes to fresh produce that’s out of season or imported, your supermarket’s “fresh” fruit and vegetables may have been picked anything from a week to months before they appear on the shelves. During this time, they may be preserved in a variety of ways, from picking them before they’re ripe to chemical treatments. Making friends with a local greengrocer, who’s willing to tell you where his product comes from, will mean getting the most nutritional value out of that pound of plant-based food you should be eating every day.

Eat Fewer, Healthier Fats and Less Sugar

Trans and saturated fats, typically formed when oil is kept at high temperatures for long periods, are extremely unhealthy for your heart and cardiovascular system. Margarine and store-bought mayonnaise are some of the worst offenders. I’m practically willing to throw a tantrum complete with screams and tears if I’m served a dish containing one of these at a restaurant – yes, you can taste the difference. Opting for healthier alternatives (say, butter and sour cream) will significantly decrease your odds of heart disease a few years down the line.

Fried snack food is equally bad, so replacing those potato chips with baked salty treats or mixed nuts, is an excellent step in avoiding these killer fats. Many sweet baked goods and cake mixes also contain shortening – learning to bake from scratch is not difficult and will also save you from ingesting the added preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, anti-caking agents and who knows what else.

Animal fat is also not particularly good for you, especially if you’re going to grill your meat at high temperatures. Choosing leaner cuts is more expensive, but so is a visit to the cardiologist. You can also consider eating more seafood, skinless chicken, eggs or low-fat cheese.

A vegetable oil such as canola is suitable for most purposes, but it’s also worthwhile to keep a bottle of more expensive extra virgin olive oil in the kitchen for dressings or any dish that won’t be cooked much.

Excessive sugar, particularly as found in manufactured food, is the major cause of weight gain and diabetes. Our bodies are in no way evolved to digest candy or soda, so not buying these at all is by far the more healthful option.

Learn About Legumes and Whole Grains

Lentils, dark-colored beans, and garbanzos are all great sources of healthy protein, fiber, and more nutrients than you would believe. Buying them dried and in bulk saves money and ensures that you’ll never be without an option for dinner. Some of these needs to be soaked overnight, while others can do without. They can form part of a salad, be served with some mixed vegetables, be dropped into soups for a little more body, or be served on their own.

Whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat have the reputation of not being easy to prepare or being less tasty than processed alternatives, but this is usually unfair. Including all parts of the seed dramatically increases the amount of protein, minerals, vitamins and fiber you take in.

Spend on Seasonings

It goes without saying that we all want to eat well, but this doesn’t mean frying everything in lard before smothering it in ketchup. A few basic condiments will help bring out the best in your food without you even trying hard. The following basics can certainly be granted a permanent place in your pantry or fridge:

Fresh herbs: cilantro, thyme, parsley, basil.

Ground spices: chili, ginger, garlic, pre-mixed curry powder, cinnamon, paprika and so many others.

Liquid flavorings: red wine vinegar, toasted sesame seed oil, honey, light soy sauce, lemon juice.

Seeds for flavor and texture: sesame, sunflower, flax, pumpkin.

Many of these, such as herbs and spices, have significant positive effects on the body even in tiny quantities. Experimenting with them will very rarely result in culinary disaster, while these lively flavors will add another dimension to otherwise boring vegetables without putting in too much of another dangerous additive: salt.

Include Raw Foods

Although it sounds faddish, including raw food in your diet significantly increases the amount of nutrition you take in. Lettuce, spinach, cabbage and other leafy vegetables can all be eaten raw, contain virtually no calories and provide unbelievable quantities of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and other things your body needs. Throwing a salad together is very quick and can complement almost any meal.

Variety

Every vegetable doesn’t contain all the nutrients you need. Eating the same thing seven days a week is not only boring, but won’t provide you with all the nourishment, including micronutrients, that you need to stay healthy, happy and energized. Even if you or your family have a favorite fruit or vegetable, make a point of buying other types from time to time. If you can combine different types on the same plate, for instance by stir-frying zucchini and carrots together, or tossing half a dozen different vegetables into a rich soup, so much the better.

Making a Start Towards the Ultimate Healthy Grocery List

Now that we’ve discussed some basic guidelines let’s look at specific healthful foods that you can slot into your weekly grocery list.

Oatmeal, being a whole grain, contains a large quantity of fiber and absorbs cholesterol in the gut, before it can reach the bloodstream. Besides this, it contains significant amounts of several minerals, antioxidants and B vitamins. You can improve both the appeal and the nutritional value of this breakfast by cooking it with cinnamon or vanilla essence or adding fresh fruit.

Legumes: eating lentils, garbanzos or any kind of beans two or three times a week will improve digestion, lower cholesterol and contribute to weight loss.

Fresh fruit: Not just apples and oranges, but as wide a variety as you can find. When shopping, figure on ten pieces per person per week or choose larger fruit the whole household can share. Don’t forget to grab some berries (any type), which have some unique health effects.

Vegetables: The one thing that cannot be neglected in a healthy diet. Yes, six pounds per person per week seems crazy, but this quickly becomes easy when you discover new ways of preparing them. Try stir-fries, sliced raw and tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, in soups and stews along with some meat, or invest in a steamer.

Healthy proteins: The key here is to include as little fat as possible, and increase the amount of vegetable protein you eat. Beans and nuts are good choices, while leafy greens shouldn’t be overlooked. As far as cholesterol is concerned, the jury is still out about eggs.

Salad stuff: Humble ingredients such as cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, and tomatoes are all enormously rich in nutrients, easy to prepare, low in calories and the perfect accompaniment to almost anything, including just some wholewheat bread.

Superfoods: These ingredients are the superstars of the nutritional world. Although they might not occupy a regular place on your grocery list, including them from time to time will give your body a nutritional boost.

Avocados are jam-packed with healthy oils that benefit every organ from your heart to your skin and assist in the absorption of other nutrients.

Omega 3 and 6 are oils essential for optimal brain function and a strong immune system. Sources include free range eggs and certain types of seafood.

Leafy greens, such as bok choi, spinach, and kale. These have too many benefits to mention, but certainly, the available calcium alone makes them worthwhile to eat.

Asparagus: Extremely high in folate and vitamin K, while also supporting the kidneys.

Teas: Black, green, chamomile, mint, or any of several dozen popular varieties. Comprising exactly zero calories, they are all pleasant to sip after dinner and provide some nutrients to supplement the solid part of your diet.

Soy products: Whether tofu, soy milk or plain beans, this food is one of the most complete vegetable sources of amino acids and helps stabilize hormone levels, particularly during menopause.

Staying with It

Eating healthily is not about emulating a rabbit one day of the week and a pig the rest of the time, but of making small, consistent efforts that will bear fruit in the long run. You can still enjoy the occasional treat if you are mostly doing what you know you should. Above all, avoiding the worst processed foods and eating a variety of vegetables will have you looking and feeling better in less time than you would have thought possible.

The post What a Healthy Grocery List Looks Like appeared first on The Active Health.

Chocolate doesn’t have to be unhealthy. In fact, studies have shown that a little bit of chocolate daily is a good thing. It can help to boost endorphins, which boosts the mood. It also curbs the binging on treats because of our sugar cravings and is good for the heart health.Of course, a little means a little.

That doesn’t mean you can eat a whole bar of Hershey’s, Dairy Milk, or any other favorite brand that you have.You can add chocolate to your desserts, though. A little bit of chocolate as an end to a delicious meal will do you a world of good. You’ll also feel like your meal is complete. But where do you start? How do you know that a dessert is going to be healthy rather than cause you to pile on the pounds?

We’re right there for you. Here are our seven favorite healthy chocolate dessert recipes that you need to try out. There is some nut-free and vegan-friendly options in this list, but we wanted to give a range to make sure there was something to suit everyone’s preferences and interests.

Vegan-Friendly Chocolate Donuts

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How often do you get a donut craving? What if you could have a donut and still lose weight and live well? Yes, this is possible with this recipe. It’s completely vegan-friendly, but you can switch out the substitutes if you want. This is also a nut free recipe for those who are allergic.Opt for a donut at the end of your meal. It’s easy to eat and will leave you feeling fully satisfied.

Ingredients for the donuts:

• 1 cup of garbanzo beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ a cup of almond/soy milk
• 3/4tsp baking powder
• 1/4tsp baking soda
• 2tbsp vanilla extract
• 1tsp apple cider vinegar
• Pinch of salt
• ½ a cup of sugar
• ¾ cup of vegan chocolate chips
• 1 cup of flour

Ingredients for the frosting:

• ½ cup of vegan chocolate chips
• 1tbsp almond/soy milk
• 1/2tsp vanilla
• ¼ cup of powdered sugar

Method

• Preheat your oven to 350F and spray two donut pans with cooking spray
• Mix the chickpeas/beans, milk, baking powder and soda, extract, vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a blender until smooth
• Melt your chocolate chips in your microwave
• Stir the chickpea mixture into the chocolate with the flour and stir until it becomes a thick batter
• Fill your donut pan evenly
• Bake for 10 minutes and then allow to cool for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack
• Meanwhile, melt your chocolate chips for the frosting in a bowl and then stir in the rest of the ingredients
• Top your cooled donuts with the frosting

The donuts will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. They’ll make excellent snacks throughout the day and will work for your kids’ lunches.

Vegan-Friendly Almond Bites

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While this is another vegan-friendly option, it’s not a nut free one. However, it will give you some fruit to fill you up, which makes it a healthier option than the donuts above. These are great for dinner parties, where you want to serve a small selection of donuts that people can pick up.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe bananas
• 1/8 cup of almond butter
• 1/8 cup of applesauce
• 1 cup of vegan chocolate chips (dark chocolate is better)

Method

• Slice your bananas into pieces
• Mix the applesauce and butter together in a bowl
• Smear the butter mixture onto a banana and top with another banana slice, making a butter sandwich
• Line a cutting board with parchment paper and fill up with the sandwiches, placing the board in the freezer for 30+ minutes
• Melt the chocolate chips over some boiling water, stirring frequently
• Dip the frozen banana sandwiches into the melted chocolate and place back on the paper
• Pop the bites back into the freezer for about 15 minutes

You can prepare the bites the night before your dinner party if you want. Keep them in the fridge once the chocolate has hardened to stop the chocolate from melting. They make great snacks, but you can also serve a couple of them with some fruit surrounding it for a healthier dessert.

Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Who ever said that chocolate chip cookies had to be bad for you? The great thing about cookies is that you can use a variety of alternate ingredients to make them. In this case, we’re using pumpkin. So, you’re not just getting the chocolaty goodness in the form of a cookie, but you’re also getting some of your five a day.No, you don’t have to stick with these just for Thanksgiving.

They’re excellent all year round, and kids will absolutely love them. You’ll barely tell that you used pumpkin in the recipe!

You can eliminate the chocolate chips if you would like. Of course, that makes it a non-chocolate dessert, but this is an option available if you’d like.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of almond butter
• ½ cup of pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup of maple syrup
• 2tsp pumpkin spice
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup of chocolate chips

Method

• Preheat oven to 350F and line 2 baking sheets with some parchment paper
• Combine all the ingredients except the chocolate chips above in a bowl until they form a smooth batter
• Fold in the chocolate chips
• Place the batter into dollops on your baking sheet or use a piping bag if you’ve like a mini meringue style
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden
• Allow to cool and then remove from the baking sheet

Store the cookies in an airtight container. They’ll last for a few days. For dessert, place them on a plate in the middle of the table and let people enjoy them at their leisure.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Banana Bites

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If you want to eliminate the peanut butter from this, you can. It’s best replaced with sun butter, as you need something of similar texture between the chocolate and the banana.

This is a great way to use up your ripe bananas and offer some small desserts to your guests or your family members. Make them up with some of the smaller options above, and you can have a selection of small desserts to share.

Ingredients:

• 1tbsp peanut butter, smooth
• 1/2a pre-prepared chocolate pudding
• 30 vanilla wafers
• 1 ripe banana, sliced into chunks

Method

• Line a baking sheet or cutting board with some parchment paper
• Mix the peanut butter and chocolate pudding together in a bowl
• Crumble the vanilla wafer into the mixture and stir in
• Dip your banana into the pudding mixture and place on the baking sheet
• Place in the freezer for about two hours, until the bites are firm

These desserts will store for about two weeks. Transfer them to the fridge to make it easier to bite into them. You’ll get about two mouthfuls of dessert with just one.

Healthy and Gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

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Need fudge? Check! Want something that is healthier than the gooey stuff from the shops? Check! Want something chocolaty? Check!

We have everything we could possibly want with this gooey marshmallow fudge. It’s extremely easy to make and completely guilt-free. You can turn it into a vegan option if you can find all the substitutes but it is delicious just the way it is.

When it comes to serving this fudge, you can let your guests cut the size that they way. Or you can cut into bite-size pieces and serve with some ice cream. I favor the second option.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 2/3 cups of sugar
• 2/3 cup of evaporated milk
• 2tbsp light butter/margarine
• 12oz of chocolate, chopped
• 14 large marshmallows

Method

• Coat a small pan with cooking spray
• Mix the sugar, milk, and butter into a pan and bring to the boil, then reducing the heat to simmer for about 3 minutes
• Stir in the marshmallows and chocolate
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir everything together until a smooth mixture
• Pour into your pan and place in the fridge for 2 hours, until firm

It really is extremely simple to make. You can leave in the fridge overnight if you want to make these the night before. Store in an airtight tub for up to a week—if they last that long!

Chocolate and Coffee Mousse

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Mousse is a light dessert to finish off your night. Everyone loves it, and it really isn’t that tricky to make. The hardest part you’ll have is not eating the mixture before you’ve finished making the desserts!

There is an alternative if you want an Irish coffee version of the mousse, which is included at the bottom. This is perfect for Christmas and other holiday seasons.

This recipe calls for 16 shot glasses, but you can always add the mixture to larger glasses to get more per serving. The benefit of the shot glasses is that you keep the amount of chocolate you get in one sitting to a minimum.

Ingredients:

• 1tsp instant espresso
• 1 packet of instant chocolate pudding/pie filling mix
• 1.5 cups of milk
• 1.5 cups of whipped topping
• 16 chocolate wafers, broken lightly

Method

• Combine the coffee with some water until the coffee dissolves
• Mix the pudding mix with the milk until it full combines and then whisk in the coffee
• Fold in half a cup of the whipped topping
• Line up your shot glasses and spoon in a tbsp. of the pudding into each one
• Top with some wafers and chocolate and then add another tbsp. pudding, before finishing with more of the wafer and chocolate pieces
• Garnish with a tbsp. of the whipped topping

Make It Irish

• Instead of 1.5 cups of milk, only use a cup of it. You can add half a cup of Irish Crème Liquor to create an alcoholic version of the dessert.
• You can also garnish this with some crushed coffee beans instead of the whipped topping if you want to make it a little more caffeinated.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies with Courgette

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The last of the recipes is another vegan-friendly one. This will also help you get a few more of your five a day and helps to eliminate some sugar from your diet. There is certainly no guilt when you opt for this courgette-based brownie mixture.

I know it initially sounds questionable, but it is a recipe that you want to try. You’ll be surprised at how great vegetables are for a dessert base.

Ingredients:

• 1tbsp flax meal
• 3tbsp water
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 courgette
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips

Method

• Preheat your oven to 350F and spray a pan with cooking spray
• Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl
• Place the courgette in a blender and puree as much as possible before adding the extract and oil and pureeing until smooth
• Stir in your flax meal mixtureStir in your chocolate chips and place in the baking pan
• Bake for 15 minutes, until the brownies are cooked through
• Cool for about 15 minutes before delving in

When serving as a dessert, opt for some dairy-free (or normal) ice cream on the side. You can also opt for cream or just pile on the fruit. The brownies are also delicious on their own and make excellent small portioned desserts for a packed lunch.

Tell Us Your Favourite Chocolate Dessert Recipe

These are just seven healthy dessert recipes to try out right now. They are all extremely easy to make, and some of them will take just minutes. The longest part for many is waiting for the chocolate to freeze in the freezer!

There’s no excuse not to add chocolate into your diet. In moderation, you will get all the health benefits without any of the risks. Dark chocolate is certainly the best since there isn’t as much sugar added to it, but you can use milk if you want. You can also switch to white chocolate if you want something a little different to finish off your last meal of the day.

Let us know which chocolate dessert recipes you’ll try first. We’d love to hear what you think of them.

Chocolate Donuts

The post 7 Healthy Chocolate Dessert Ideas appeared first on The Active Health.

Pasta in all its shapes must be the ultimate comfort food, easily beating out chocolate mousse, fried chicken and any pastry you can name. Even better, it’s possible to enjoy it in style as part of a healthy diet. By choosing your recipes with a little care, and possibly making a few small changes here and there, you and your family can enjoy pasta three times a week or more while getting all the nourishment you need and without gaining an ounce.

One change you can make today, without spending a single additional cent, is to switch to wholewheat pasta products. Even those who claim that they “just don’t like” wholegrain bread and brown rice will enjoy wholewheat pasta. The texture is only slightly firmer than that of pasta made with white semolina, and it has a more pronounced, slightly nutty flavor. This simple change to your diet may be more significant than you think: our bodies require nutrients to digest our food. Whole grains and the products made from them typically contain the minerals and vitamins needed to absorb their bulk nutrients, while refined grains do not. Hence, they draw on reserves of nutrients you’ve already eaten to be processed, a problem you won’t have with whole grain products.

A huge number of our favorite pasta sauces (carbonara, alfredo, etc.) are based on cream. While a little occasionally won’t break the calorie bank, the cream can usually be substituted either with a simple béchamel sauce or by whisking in two tablespoons of cornstarch into one cup of skimmed milk while bringing to the boil. The latter won’t feel quite the same in your mouth but contains virtually no fat at all.

Finally, avoid bottled, ready-made sauces and even canned tomatoes. Manufactured sauces tend to be heavy in fat, sodium, and sugar since these are simply the easiest, cheapest ways to impart flavor. Some healthier options are available, but check the nutritional information label instead of trusting the advertisements. The problem with canned tomatoes (and beans, and other foods) centers on a chemical called BPA, which mimics natural estrogen and has been linked to a long list of medical conditions. This BPA is found in the inner lining of many (but not all) cans, and the high acidity of tomatoes may contribute to finding its way into your dinner. In past centuries, tomatoes were thought to be toxic – the tomatoes on their own were fine, but cooking them in a pot made partially of lead was not the best idea. Soaking beans overnight and then simmering them for an hour, or peeling your own tomatoes, takes less effort and time than you might think and will eliminate this sneaky risk.

Pasta dishes offer some advantages to the home cook who cares about what goes into his and his family’s bodies. In the first place, they’re fantastically easy to prepare. You don’t need a culinary degree from France to follow most recipes, many of which can be ready by the time the pasta water is boiling. The variety of ways to prepare pasta, from a fresh Primavera to a hearty meat lasagna, means that dinner need never be boring, whether you’re eight or eighty years old.

From a dietary perspective, it also allows us to blend some different food groups into one serving. Increasingly, nutritionists are advising the public to combine different foodstuffs (vegetables, protein, carbs and fiber) that complement each other’s nutrient absorption processes, and makes the entire meal digest more slowly and evenly. The latter is important in controlling blood sugar, which prevents weight gain and leads to a general sense of increased well-being. If you eat carbs for breakfast, grilled chicken for lunch and steamed broccoli for dinner, you’re technically hitting the right nutritional notes, but combining them all in one dish yields much greater benefits.

We’ve done the hard work of analyzing some of the most popular traditional Italian pasta dishes, and gladly present a few that can have a place in any calorie-controlled, nutritious diet. All of them are well within the capabilities of the average home cook, and none require ingredients your local supermarket does not stock. For actual recipes, the internet is your best friend.

Spaghetti Bolognese

It may seem odd to start off our collection of healthy recipes with one that seems to consist of nothing much besides meat and starch. Not true! Don’t be fooled by whatever you were served last time at a restaurant: aside from any good chef wanting to place his own stamp on what his kitchen produces, modern restaurants are often guilty of using traditional names on the menu for dishes that mainly reflect what their clientèle will enjoy. As one example, many places serve “Chicken Caesar Salad” – no such thing has ever existed.

Real-deal bolognese has proportions of about one quarter dry pasta, one-quarter lean meat, one-quarter tomatoes and one-quarter vegetables – celery, carrots, and onion. As such, it’s a hearty meal, but it’s not the Italian equivalent of meatloaf. The powerful flavor derives from seasonings such as chicken stock, bacon (a really small amount), red wine, garlic, bay leaves and other flavorings, not just piling on the beef.

To put this in perspective, the average less active person requires only between 45g and 60g of protein per day (about 1 ½ to 2 oz.). If half of this is contained in a bolognese dinner, ½kg (1 pound) of lean beef mince is sufficient for 4 people. The celery, onion, tomato and carrot, meanwhile, add a healthy amount of fiber and a truly impressive list of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Some of this nutrition is lost during cooking, so chopping any veggies left over into a side salad is a very good idea.

In keeping with the principles of G. I. dieting, the combination of protein, starch, and fiber helps the body to absorb and use the included calories gradually instead of sending them directly to fatty tissue.

Pro Tip: Many pasta dishes fall on presentation. Garnish with a few raw cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves to take your plate to the next level, and don’t forget some grated Parmesan cheese.

Vegetable Lasagna

If the pitter-patter of tiny feet to your dinner table is often followed by cries of “I don’ want to eat green stuff!” this one for you.

Lasagna has the reputation of being a lot of work to make, and this is somewhat deserved. Using vegetables cuts out the need for cooking a separate meat sauce, however, meaning that the only real preparation is washing and slicing vegetables (or buying them ready for cooking), stirring up a béchamel sauce and grating some cheese. While you’re at it, why not make a second tray and freeze it, uncooked, for a rainy day, or at least one that involves overtime and traffic jams.

Containing cheese and butter (in the bechamel sauce), lasagna is also notorious for being laden with fat. How much you want to add is entirely up to you, though. There are plenty of béchamel recipes available with reduced calories, and you can melt the cheese into the sauce to spread the savory flavor around without using a huge amount. You would typically spread some sauce over each layer of vegetables and pasta sheets. Also, the total amount of fat in the baking tray is not as relevant as how much each portion contains. You can absolutely load up on vegetables to bulk up each serving size without many additional calories, right up to the point where the lasagna starts to fall apart when you serve it (more sauce will help the layers cohere). This gives you a low-calorie dish very high in essential nutrition.

There must be a thousand combinations of vegetables you can use, but for the sake of balanced nutrition, we’ll look at spinach and mushrooms. With a little garlic, onion and tomato puree, their flavors go wonderfully together, and you can usually buy packaged frozen spinach and sliced mushrooms in a ready-to-go format.

For vegetarians (or people who just don’t care for meat more than a few times a week), spinach and mushrooms are especially important nutrient sources. Between the two of them, they’re loaded with iron, phosphorus, B vitamins, zinc and micronutrients you will struggle to find in other sources. Even for non-vegetarians, these vegetables can aid in everything from reducing blood pressure to improving memory and mental clarity.

Pro Tip: Try to use three or four vegetables which go well together and are also different colors; bell peppers in various stages of ripeness are good. Put each vegetable in a different layer for visual appeal and to make every bite taste distinctive.

Linguine Pescatore or Frutti di Mare

There are few diets that can’t be improved by a little extra seafood, and not just an overcooked breaded fish fillet once a week, but a variety of shellfish, too. In Italy, where food rarely travels more than a few miles from the farm or docks before being consumed, this is very much a regional dish, made with freshly caught ingredients and often eaten within sight of the ocean. Fortunately, most supermarkets make cooking these dishes (fisherman’s pasta, or fruit of the sea) easy by offering frozen variety packs containing different kinds of seafood.

Aside from being some of the best sources of iodine and omega acids, seafood is a fantastically nutritious source of protein. The number of different nutrients the sea’s bounty provides affects everything from skeletal health to eyesight to mental function, which is why combining a variety of different types in one meal is such a good idea.

These recipes are low in fat and high in healthy protein but lack fiber, so serving with a few slices of wholewheat bread or a simple salad is a good idea.

Pro Tip: The frozen seafood you buy should already have been cleaned. Unless (and even if) you are cooking for children, keep the included shells for garnish and use alongside fresh herbs like those you added to the sauce. Nothing says “authentic” in quite the same way.

Grilled Vegetable Fusilli Salad

Carbohydrates, including pasta, certainly form part of a healthy diet, but empty calories shouldn’t take the place of nutritious food. Enter pasta salad, where a small amount of pasta can bring together some other ingredients to make up a highly nutritious and satisfying meal.

For this salad, though many combinations of ingredients can be used, let’s examine the health benefits of grilled zucchini, bell peppers, raw mange tout (young snow pea pods) and raw tomato. Grilling the former two, either in the oven or on a griddle pan, is easy while keeping the other two raw provides additional nutrition benefits.

Zucchini provides high levels of potassium and magnesium, which are essential components in heart and cardiovascular health. It also provides vitamin C, calcium and regulates water retention, resulting in skin that’s adequately moisturized without being puffy. The peppers further build up the vitamin C levels, provide complementary chemicals that improve eye health, as well as a huge catalog of beneficial organic chemicals including capsaicin, which you’ll have trouble finding in fruits other than peppers and chilies.

Since this dish is served cold, and we are already including the delicious smoky flavor notes of the grilled vegetables, we might as well serve the snow pea pods and tomato raw for additional textures. They also just happen to include nutrients such as vitamin K and a fantastic concentration of antioxidants; serving them raw prevents any of these being lost, though you’ll still benefit even if they’re cooked, particularly if this is done quickly or at low heat.

All four of these vegetables are extremely low in calories, so the energy you’re consuming lies principally in the pasta and the dressing – therefore the number of calories is totally under your control, and you can basically eat as much as you want.

Pro Tip: Fresh herbs, particularly when raw, have a vibrancy of flavor that the dried versions just can’t match, and offer numerous health benefits of their own. They’re also dirt cheap. Chopping a handful of fresh parsley and basil into your salad will elevate the appearance and taste in a dozen ways.

If eating a healthy diet is making you unhappy, you are probably just doing it wrong. Eliminating carbs completely may work for some people, but no pasta lover is going to take that lying down. If you are careful about what recipes you select and how you cook them, dozens of Italian delicacies can still be regular features on your dinner table. Buon Appetitio!

The post Pasta Food Choices When Craving for Good Carbs appeared first on The Active Health.

Sugar Craving

There are several theories for the causes of sugar craving, however, what is indisputable is that sugar is highly addictive, and can be found in most of those popular junk foods and fizzy drinks out there. If you have ever tried to cut back on your usual sugar intake, you have probably experienced that how difficult it can be to resist those cravings. One of the fundamental explanations behind sugar cravings is that it has a powerful impact on our brain and body. This comes from the fact, that food containing high levels of sugar makes our brain release extremely high levels of dopamine in the “reward center” of the brain. As this process is continuous, since we often eat these kinds of food in large amounts, the dopamine receptors start to down-regulate, meaning that their effect will be much lower next time. This means that we will not only be trying to reach that same dopamine level that we have had reached in the first instance, but we will probably never be able to achieve it – only by raising the amount of sugar intake. This is one of the number one causes for obesity, as we are not giving enough attention to our sugar addiction. On the other hand, obviously, there are more simple and positive scenarios, where – for example during a rigorous diet -, your body is only notifying you that your sugar and insulin level is too low. However, with the recent changes in our eating habit (the popularity of junk food), usually, this is not the case.

Salt Craving

Surprisingly, the situation is the same with salt. Sodium, which is the main component in salt, also triggers the pleasure center of the brain, making it release high amounts of dopamine, that once again blunt our receptors, making our craving grow more and more. This not only changes our brain chemistry, but it also has dangerous effects on our system in the long run: recent studies have proved, that it does not only increase our thirst, but high sodium levels are also connected with dementia, cancer, and other serious health issues. In case you are exceeding your daily intake dosage (min. 1,500 mg. – max 2,500 mg. sodium/day) on the long run, you must face severe consequences. With salt, there are also other scenarios where your body is only notifying you of your low sodium level, which can be the result of a rigorous diet, dehydration, or simply by the fact that your daily sodium intake was low. Once again, with the rising popularity of junk food and fizzy drinks, usually this is a more unlikely situation, as these foods and drinks contain an enormously high level of both sodium and sugar.

What to do?

Well, we decided to put together a list of healthy alternatives that can help you overcome those cravings, simply by substituting that bottle of coke with a healthy drink, or that Doritos with some crunchy and healthy alternative, that will deliver a similar effect on your dopamine levels. The key aspect is to trigger similar results and still make your dopamine rise – obviously in a smaller dosage -, which can help you cut back on your intake in the long run, and stabilize your receptors and brain chemistry. These healthy solutions can help you avoid those severe consequences. However, you must be devoted and maintain your motivation. So, let’s see, what are the top choices when your sugar or salt cravings strike again:

5 Simple Snacks in No Time

Sunflower Seeds

As an alternative mid-day snack, sunflower seeds can help you regulate your salt and sugar carvings. While being full of nutritions, once again it is important to keep an eye on your snack portion. Get a 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds the next time your craving strikes and watch as the temptation withers.

Fresh Fruits + Frozen Yogurt (Plain)

Once you find yourself struck with that sugar craving again, where you cannot think of anything else than a big bowl of ice cream, why not go for a healthy remedy. Frozen plain yogurt contains considerably less fat, while it also provides you with high levels of protein. If you mix it up with fresh fruits, you will get a much better taste, and finally, healthy vitamins. Keep some of that yogurt in the fridge to be prepared to fight those cravings.

Dark Chocolate

Again, a healthy alternative to cure your sugar cravings. While dark chocolate will quickly fill you up, it will also satisfy your sweet tooth in no time. Furthermore, as it contains high levels of antioxidants, you will also be snacking healthy. To choose the right kind of dark chocolate, keep an eye on the product’s composition, where the cocoa portion, should be at least 65%.

Pistachios

Pistachios can be a handy, healthy solution for a mid-day snack, which can help you cure your salt craving in no time. This natural and fun snack is full of antioxidants, which are health and useful for your body. Make sure not to go for the extra salty package, as it contains high levels of added sodium. Keep an eye on the portion also, and only take a handful (about 30 pieces) as a mid-day snack between meals. Pistachios can help you easily fight your salt craving.

Whole-Wheat Pretzel

In case you are after a crunchier solution that can also keep you filled for more time, pretzels are a way better alternative compared to salty chips out there. Make sure that you go for the whole-wheat version, which has lower levels of carbs and is more natural. These pretzels are packed with tons of fiber, so you won’t be finding yourself craving for a high-calorie food for a longer time. They can also prove to be a useful asset when fighting your sugar cravings.

7 Snacks that Need Some Preparations

Whole-Wheat Crackers with Olive Spread

This delicious and crunchy snack is not only low in fat but also provides you with a great solution against those salt cravings. The whole-wheat crackers will satisfy your crunchy cravings, while the olive will deliver a salty taste that can help you resist that rush for the vending machine. Prepare some of this healthy snack in advance, to make sure that you are stocked up with supplies that can help you fight your salt cravings.

Homemade, Healthy Granola Bar

As many candy bars, granola bars out there contain high levels of sugar, why not bake a healthy alternative at home. This does not have to mean, that it won’t be tasty, as there are tons of recipes out there introducing various tasty flavors, and mixing them with a huge load of crunchiness. Look for recipes online and give it a shot at home. There are also variations which do not even require any kind of baking. Therefore you can prepare them in no time. With homemade granola bars, you can be sure that all ingredients are at the right portion, keeping your anti-sugar-craving snack healthy.

Diced Watermelon and Crumbled Feta Cheese

If you like feta, you will love this delicious composition, where sweet meets salty in an extremely tasty way. Get 1 cup of diced watermelon and mix it with 1/4 cup crumbled feta. Add some balsamic vinegar for an even better taste. While watermelon is a great source of hydration and natural sugar, feta – keep an eye on the portion – will get your sodium levels higher, while giving your snack a special taste. Don’t be afraid to experiment, and add other healthy components, like sunflower seed for some crunchiness.

Organic Honey

If you are after that sweetness once again, there is no better alternative than raw, organic honey. It is filled with vitamins, immune system supporters, while it treats tons of things from a sore throat to hangover. Eat a spoonful on its own, add it to tea, toast or plain yogurt. Honey can be a great alternative to help you fight your sugar craving, while it also provides you with several health benefits. You can also try looking for alternative healthy ways to introduce it to your lifestyle changing, healthy diet.

Tomato + Olive Oil + Feta

In case you are looking for a more ordinary experience, try a cup of tomatoes with an ounce of crumbled feta, and add some olive oil. This should deliver the saltiness that you are after in a healthy way while helping you resist your next bag of Doritos. Add a pinch of sea salt in case the feta does not deliver enough saltiness, but remember to watch those portions to keep your sodium level in balance. Once again, experimenting is always advisable to keep your meals fun and exciting. If you can think of anything that would help you heal your salt craving (only natural, healthy components), add something new, like onions or pearl onions.

Frozen Grapes

The perfect after-dinner solution! Grab a bag of grapes and put it into the freezer. In case your sugar craving strikes, pop in a few and enjoy your healthy ice-cream alternative. This is the most simple and easiest solution that can get your sugar level higher while keeping it natural and healthy. As grapes are full of natural antioxidants, you will enjoy numerous health benefits in the long run, if you can successfully introduce as much fruit treats into the daily routine, as possible. Oh, and it is also a nice treat in summer, to cool you in a tasty way.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese can help you avoid those salty carbs, while it can help you reduce your cravings. Get some whole-wheat crackers and as a topping add cottage cheese. For extra flavor, you can add a pinch of sea salt but watch those sodium levels once again. Try mixing it with other vegetables like fresh tomatoes, or pepper for a more intense taste. Crisp breads are also great with cottage cheese, experiment and find the best taste that can help you resist your next salt carving

Devotion is Key

Once you decide to go for that healthier lifestyle, you have been dreaming of, or simply just would like to introduce some new alternatives which can help you fight your cravings, keep your motivation up and stick to your decision. Every once in while you may fall into temptation, but don’t give up as these alternatives can mean a huge difference to your health in the long run. Hopefully, this list will come in handy when you find yourself facing your next craving. Don’t be afraid to do some experimenting in the kitchen to avoid getting bored of these snacks. The most important thing is that you try to avoid processed and junk food, and keep an eye on those salt and sugar levels. It might be easier said than done, but by taking advantage of our few hints and alternative, you will be surely able to fight those cravings.

The post The Ultimate List of Foods that Stop Salt and Sugar Cravings appeared first on The Active Health.

Decaffeination

Decaffeination is the process of removing caffeine from coffee beans, tea leaves, and cocoa. These drinks typically contain 1-2 percent of the original caffeine content and sometimes as much as 20 percent.

When you turn back, the pages of history, Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge was the first one to isolate caffeine from coffee beans in 1820. German merchant Ludwig Roselius and co-workers in 1903 were the first ones to invent industrial decaffeination process.

Decaffeination Processes for Coffee

The general process of decaffeination includes the steaming of unroasted green beans. The next step involves rinsing the beans with a solvent which extracts caffeine and leaves other constituents largely unaffected. This rinsing process is repeated 8 to 12 times so that the caffeine content meets the required standard (97 percent caffeine removed according to US standard.)

Removing the caffeine from the coffee beans is the greatest challenge to the decaffeination process. The coffee contains around 1000 chemicals that contribute to its aroma and taste. You can very well imagine that separating caffeine from these 1000 chemicals is not an easy task. Caffeine is a polar, water soluble substance and so water is used in all forms of decaffeination.

However, water alone is not the best decaffeinating agent. Other agents like methylene chloride, CO2, activated charcoal or ethyl acetate are used to speed up the process and minimize the washed out effects that water alone might have on the taste of decaffeinated coffee.

Swiss Water Process

This method entirely depends on two concepts: solubility and osmosis. The Swiss water process takes eight to ten hours and produces 99.9 percent caffeine-free beans meeting the required standard.

Organic Solvent Processes

The preferred solvents have become dichloromethane and ethyl acetate because of the numerous health scares when using solvents such as benzene, chloroform, and trichloroethylene. The organic solvent process uses either a direct or indirect method to produce decaf coffee beans.

CO2 Process

The above process is technically known as supercritical fluid extraction. It avoids the use of potentially harmful substances which is an advantage. This process is used to decaffeinate large quantities of commercial-grade, less exotic coffee found in grocery stores.

Triglyceride Process

Triglyceride process is a direct contact method of decaffeination. The process involves soaking the beans in coffee oils, obtained from used coffee grounds. The seeds are allowed to soak, and after several hours of high temperature, the triglycerides in the oil remove the caffeine.

Decaf Coffee Isn’t Caffeine Free

Mostly all decaffeinated coffee has got some amount of caffeine in it according to the researchers of the University of Florida.

 “If someone drinks five to 10 cups of decaffeinated coffee, the dose of caffeine could easily reach the level present in a cup or two of caffeinated coffee,” says co-author Bruce Goldberger, Ph.D., a professor, and director of UF’s William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine.

The UF researchers conducted a two-phase study to determine how much caffeine likely turns up in decaffeinated coffee. They purchased 10 16 ounces decaffeinated drip brewed coffee beverages and found caffeine content ranging from 8.6 milligrams to 13.9 milligrams. In comparison, an 8-ounce cup of drip brewed coffee contains 85 milligrams of caffeine.

In the second phase, the researchers analyzed 12 samples of Starbucks decaffeinated brewed and espresso coffee. The espresso drinks contained 3 mg to 15.8 mg of caffeine per shot. The brewed coffees included 12mg to 13.4mg of caffeine per 16 ounces serving.

“The important point is that decaffeinated is not the same as caffeine-free,”  “People who are trying to eliminate caffeine from their diet should be aware that traditional espresso drinks such as lattes (which contain two shots of espresso) can deliver as much caffeine as a can of Coca-Cola – about 31 milligrams,” says Roland Griffiths, PhD, a professor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in a news release for a study conducted by the University of Florida on caffeine content in decaf coffee.

Harmful Effects of Chemical Solvents Used in Decaf Coffee

The most common method for decaffeinating the coffee beans uses chemical solvents that may leave a residue on the coffee seeds. Soaking the coffee seeds in several chemical solvents such as methylene chloride and ethyl acetate for about 10 hours may be the reason for this.  The beans are steamed again to remove most of the solvents. Be known that the FDA allows residues of these solvents to remain on the decaf coffee beans even after roasting.

It’s up to you to decide whether the trace elements of these chemicals should be inside your morning coffee or not. Consuming methylene chloride and ethyl acetate on a regular basis will vastly increase a person’s chances of getting a serious disease such as cancer. The industry’s marketers never mention this, and they know what happens when the knowledge is made public.

Methylene Chloride

The solvent methylene chloride used in decaffeination process is an important solvent in paint and varnish strippers. Usually, methylene chloride exposure to any route can cause severe CNS depression. If you ingest methylene chloride, it may cause intense gastrointestinal irritation.  A metabolite of methylene chloride which is carbon monoxide may contribute to delayed toxic effects. The neonates and fetus are particularly vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Ethyl Acetate

It is otherwise known as dry cleaning fluid. Exposing to high levels of ethyl acetate for a short term may cause irritation of eyes, nose, and throat. Very high concentrations can cause a stupor, but it is relatively nontoxic.

Adverse Health Effects of Decaf Coffee

Harmful to Heart Health

Per the American Heart Association, decaffeinated coffee may cause an increase in harmful LDL cholesterol. It increases a particular type of blood fat linked to metabolic syndrome. In this study, the researchers gave participants caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee brands and coffee makers. To standardize the procedure, they gave preparation instructions. All participants drank only black coffee.

After drinking decaffeinated coffee for three months, the participants experienced a rise in ApoB – a protein associated with LDL or bad cholesterol. The ApoB is the only protein attached to LDL. Research studies say that ApoB might be a better estimator of cardiovascular disease risk than one’s LDL level. This protein level did not change in the other two groups.

The non-esterified fatty acids NEFA rose an average of 18 percent in the decaffeinated group, while it did not change in the other two groups. “NEFA is the fuel that can drive the increase in ApoB and LDL,” says H. Robert Superko, M.D., lead author of the study and chairman of molecular, genetic, and preventive cardiology at the Fuqua Heart Center and the Piedmont-Mercer Center for Health and Learning in Atlanta, Ga.

May Raise Cholesterol Levels

Coffee drinks contain two types of natural chemicals kahweol and cafestol both of which increase cholesterol levels. If you prepare regular caffeinated coffee using a paper filter, it filters most of the two chemicals. However, Harvard Family Health Guide reports decaf can raise your cholesterol levels even if it is prepared using a paper filter.

According to a news report by New Scientist, the cholesterol-raising properties of decaf may be due to the type of beans used. Decaf coffee is made using Robusta beans which are believed to contain very high levels of kahweol and cafestol when compared to Arabica beans used to make regular coffee.

Decaf Coffee Increases Homocysteine Levels

Increased levels of homocysteine in plasma raise the heart attack risk in a person. Coffee drinking both caffeine and decaf significantly increase the levels of homocysteine in the blood. You can find this harmful effect within hours of coffee consumption.

If you overconsume decaf coffee, it may result in some gastrointestinal issues. A report in Medical News Today warns that decaf coffee, when overused, can cause heartburn, ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease which is a precursor to esophageal cancer. If you drink one or two cups of decaf coffee a day, it won’t cause any serious gastrointestinal issues. If you drink super-size coffee drinks larger than 16oz on a regular basis, it may lead to some complications.

Why coffee irritates? There are certain chemicals in coffee that cause your stomach to over produce acid. According to a report in the ‘Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology’ caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee had similar stimulating effects on the hormone gastrin. Gastrin prompts the release of acid in the stomach.

European researchers Veronika Somoza and Thomas Hofmann, in a study presented at the 2010 National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, identified catechols, N-alkanoly-5-hydroxytryptamides, and caffeine as the compounds responsible for the acid release.

The overproduction of acid severely affects your gastrointestinal health.It should be noted that though decaf coffee has less caffeine, the other chemicals such as catechols, N-alkanoly-5-hydroxytryptamides may contribute to the release of acid in your stomach.

Laxative Effects of Decaf Coffee

Coffee stimulates your bowels. For some people, this laxative effect may cause stomach cramping, diarrhea, and bloat. When you drink coffee, your body releases a digestive hormone called cholecystokinin which may be responsible for abdominal cramping.

According to a research study published in the “European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,” caffeinated coffee’s stimulation of colon activity was 23 percent more than decaffeinated coffee’s effects. Decaf had stimulus effects equal to that of a meal in inducing bowel activity and had far more effect than drinking a glass of water.

Decaf Coffee Interferes with Mineral Absorption

Caffeine is not the only ingredient that interferes with iron absorption, a chlorogenic acid which is also present in decaffeinated coffee reduces your body’s ability to absorb iron from food sources. General coffee drinking including decaf is shown to increase the loss of calcium, zinc, and magnesium.

Decaf Coffee Interferes with Bone Density

Drinking decaf coffee increases metabolic acidity and interferes with healthy bone density. Excess acidity has been linked to negative calcium balance and increased excretion of calcium. As you may be aware, calcium is essential for preventing osteoporosis, and it maintains adequate bone density. Calcium is essential for healthy heart and nervous system.

Decaffeinated Coffee Stimulates Autonomic or Sympathetic Nervous System

Caffeinated and decaf coffee stimulates the arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic nervous activity that includes tremors or jitters and hand shaking. So, it becomes clear that substances other than caffeine present in coffee create these effects.

Decaf Coffee Increases Eye Pressure

Coffee in general increases intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure enhances the risk of glaucoma. While caffeinated coffee significantly raises the intraocular pressure, decaf coffee also caused an increase in pressure within the eye.

Decaf Coffee Increases Rheumatoid Arthritis Risk

A large-scale epidemiological study has shown that drinking more than four cups of decaf coffee per day is associated with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Caffeine intake did not increase the arthritis risk.

Decaf Coffee and Health

Robusta coffee beans which have the highest acidity is used to make decaf coffee. Robusta is considered inferior in flavor characteristics to the Arabica beans, but its high acidic content makes it better for decaf coffee.  Elevated levels of acidity can cause heartburn, inflammatory bowel conditions, ulcers, and osteoporosis and urinary tract inflammations.

Decaf coffee loses antioxidants during extraction. Steaming the coffee beans opens up the pores and boiling or steaming the coffee beans changes the phytochemical structure. Thus decaf coffee became chemically altered and degraded when compared with the non-decaffeinated coffee beans. Both the caffeinated and regular coffee lose antioxidants during the roasting process. But decaf coffee has higher loss of chlorogenic acids because of the chemical changes that it underwent during the decaffeination process.

Weight Gain

A cup of black coffee has only five calories, but many decaf drinkers do not drink pure decaf coffee. They add cream and sugar; some drink decaf espresso lattes that contain a lot of whole milk. Sugary white coffee drinks contain calories and fat. Such coffee drinks can wreak havoc on your waistline if you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight.

Conclusion

If you drink a couple of decaf cups of coffee, each day it is unlikely that you’ll suffer from any adverse health effects. If you have problems from high cholesterol or at a risk of heart disease, then better have a word with your doctor about decaf.

Decaf coffee does contain some antioxidants, but you should not use it as a substitute for fruits and veggies. If you are selective about decaf, you can try the natural caffeine free coffee varieties available in the market such as Teeccino herbal coffee and Orzo the natural caffeine free coffee just to name a few. Natural teas such as peppermint tea, chamomile tea, and ginger tea are caffeine free and can pep up your energy levels.

What is your idea about decaf? Share with us your valuable views and experiences in the comments section below.

The post Negative Effects of Decaf Coffee (All You Need to Know) appeared first on The Active Health.

Unfortunately (has absolutely EVERYONE can attest) doing that – abandoning your favorite foods, those salty snacks and sugary sweets – can be almost impossible, especially if you don’t have a little bit of help to give you the edge that allows you to push past cravings and lead the kind of healthy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.

Getting of course what it comes to your new healthy eating habits for a week or two is one thing. You’re able to rely on the excitement of building a new you to push you past your initial cravings, and you’re able to rely on your new mindset to push you past the ones that are a little bit tougher to fight back against.

But sooner or later, the craving monster gets us all, if we haven’t sufficiently armored ourselves against it and take advantage of all the different tips and tricks we included below to help you get the home and beat back cravings once and for all.

Each one of these strategies has proven to be wildly effective no matter what kind of healthy eating lifestyle you’re going to pursue in the future. So, dive into all the inside information that we can share with you below, and you’ll find it becomes a lot easier (though never effortless) to eliminate cravings from your life once and for all.

Make the most of these tips and tricks today, and you’ll be a much happier, a much healthier and a much more confident you are going forward and more never must answer to the craving monster ever again!

Let’s dig right in.

Better Understand the Craving Monster Before Doing Anything Else

It is going to be impossible for you to successfully fight back against any cravings unless you know exactly what those cravings are going to be moving forward. And believe it or not, though the overwhelming majority of people out there would be able to tell you exactly what they think they are big cravings are, most of them have absolutely no idea what they are going to be craving at 3 AM 21 days into a brand-new healthy eating lifestyle.

Therefore, it is so critically important to really try to understand the craving monster and what that is for you specifically. Are you a salty treat kind of guy or more of a sugary sweet kind of gal? Are there specific foods, specific types of foods, or specific “oddball” cravings that you find yourself reaching for more often than anything else? Have you ever had an out of the blue craving that you just can’t explain, but one that was more powerful than any other?

Each one of these answers is going to be able to help you better understand exactly what you’re fighting back against Kelly and will provide you with the inside information you need to win the war against cravings from here on out.

Time Your Meals and Your Snacks

The overwhelming majority of folks out there that are really struggling with a new healthy eating lifestyle struggle not because they don’t have any willpower or because they aren’t really committed to change, but instead because they have trained themselves to become “grazers” – the kind of folks that eat a little bit here and they are all throughout the day without even really thinking about it.

One of the best ways to prepare yourself for a life without cravings is to simply you eliminate the ability for you to eat all day long even if you had wanted to. Create a program that allows you to eat your main meals at right around the same time every day and burn that into a brand-new habit, but is sure to set aside certain blocks of times throughout the day that allows you to snack on healthier options.

This approach will make sure that you feel plenty fall throughout the day but also will help you to avoid reaching for snacks absentmindedly, the kinds of snacks that would have set you back from all your weight loss or fitness goals.

Clean House When It Comes to Getting Rid of Junk Food

In the same vein as the tip above, you’re going to want to do absolutely everything you can to really “autopilot” your ability to say goodbye to cravings once and for all – and that means throwing out ALL of the junk food that you have in your house so that you aren’t even kind of attempted to reach for one of those bad snacks going forward.

This is one of the hardest and most challenging things for most folks to do, not only from a physical standpoint (getting rid of your favorite foods is just something that most people aren’t prepared for) but also something that’s quite challenging from a mental standpoint as well. There’s going to be moments of indecision, moments of fear, and moments where you feel like you just can’t get rid of absolutely everything. Push past those, commit to your new healthy eating lifestyle and get rid of any of the “poison” that would otherwise push you off course.

Drown Your Cravings with Plenty of Water

The overwhelming majority of the times that we think we feel hungry we really are just thirsty, and simply don’t recognize the signs any longer. So because we think we’re hungry (when we really aren’t) and of reaching for those salty snacks or sugary treats, crush just as many of them as humanly possible – usually until we feel that we’ve gone too far – and completely ignore the fact that our bodies are dehydrated and are practically begging for water.

Thankfully, though, by recognizing that this is a problem in the first place you’re going to be able to resolve the issue instantly effectively and permanently from here on out but you’re also going to learn a great way to push past cravings once and for all as well.

You see, water (plenty of it) can eliminate our feelings of hunger completely and can wash away any of the crazy cravings that we may have been really looking forward to. You’re not only going to be able to hydrate your body and help yourself get a lot healthier in the process by drinking more water throughout the day, but you’re also going to be able to kill off surprise cravings as they present themselves.

Stack Up on Sticks of Gum

If you are used to reaching for cravings all the time now, and if you have almost trained your body to get your hands on some snacks that aren’t the best for you whenever you feel like snacking throughout the day, you’re going to have a bit of a tough time getting rid of those kinds of habits unless you effectively replace them with something else that won’t throw off your healthy eating lifestyle. That’s where good old-fashioned chewing gum comes into play.

Sometimes it’s real, easy to curb a craving just by popping a piece of gum into your mouth and chewing away. There’s just a little bit of sugar in most gum to help you fix sweet cravings, and the mere act of chewing gum is usually enough to set back any real temptations that might have otherwise run you right off course.

Chewing gum is one of the most powerful habit builders there are, as well as one of the most effective tools for those that are looking to break habits that aren’t at all that beneficial. There’s a reason why folks that are looking to give up smoking once and for all take to chewing gum, and you’ll be able to enjoy those same kinds of benefits when you’re looking to abandon salts, sugar, and excess fat.

Brush Your Teeth when You Feel a Craving Coming On

One of the most effective ways to shut down surprise cravings whenever they present themselves throughout the day is to simply take a little bit of time to pop into a bathroom somewhere and just brush your teeth. This is going to do two different things at the exact same time.

For starters, it’s a going to allow you to completely distract your conscious mind and your subconscious so that you aren’t any longer thinking about the cravings that you have consumed with just a few moments ago, Secondly, you’re going to be able to completely clean your teeth (which is never a bad thing), but you’re also going to “poison” the taste of most unhealthy snacks if you do decide to cave into the pressure that these cravings cause.This will help retrain your mind and your body to give up on these kinds of foods altogether – creating a real win-win for you!

Swing Into Action when You Feel Cravings Coming On

Using your cravings sensations for unhealthy foods as a bit of a “dog whistle” to exercise is one of the smartest things you can do to eliminate cravings altogether but also to help your body become a lot healthier along the way as well.

If you’re starting to feel cravings for sugary stacks, salty foods, more fatty fried food that you know is it going to do your body any good, lace up your sneakers and go for a quick walk or run, pound out some quick push-ups, or pump out a little bit of core and abdominal work to really reinforce your new healthy lifestyle.

This kind of approach is going to rewire your mind and your body to no longer fear cravings but instead embrace them when they happen as they will trigger your mind and body into action so that you push through workout programs and exercise that gives you the health boosting results you’re after without you caving into cravings at all.

Plan for a Craving Car Crash Ahead of Time

At the end of the day, it’s going to be impossible (IMPOSSIBLE) for you to give up on your favorite foods completely and thinking anything else is 100% irrational. But there’s power in understanding that you are eventually going to cave in to pressure from time to time, and instead of resisting this set-in stone fact of human nature you understand, embrace, and plan for these kinds of problems.

Give yourself a single day each month to eat pretty much anything and everything you like, but make sure that it’s at least 30 days away from when you start your new healthy eating lifestyle. This allows you to enjoy all of your favorite foods still, but also make sure that you aren’t ever going just to reach for them anytime you’d like absentmindedly.

Now you’re going to be scheduled your cheat days, schedule your cravings, and it might even help you to enjoy better and even respect these kinds of “bad” foods for what they are. It will help you save yourself from running completely off the rails of your new healthy eating lifestyle without forcing you to sacrifice your favorite snacks forever.

Closing Thoughts

At the end of the day, there are always going to be some different things you can do to fight back against cravings – some of them more effective than others. But by taking advantage of all the tips and tricks that we outlined above and using them in combination with one another you’re going to be able to fight back against these cravings without devastating your long-term health and diet plans.

It’s going to take a commitment to improving your diet and your lifestyle, but it can be accomplished and with a lot less effort than a lot of people makes it out to be.

The post 8 Tips to Enjoy a Healthy Craving-Free Life! appeared first on The Active Health.

#1. Stewed Squid in Tomatoes

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Let’s start with a very simple recipe to make. This one involves minimal ingredients, and you can make it as spicy as you want. There is the optional ingredient of red chili, if you really want to add a kick to the mix.

Apart from the squid, you’ll find that most of the ingredients are already in your cupboards. If they’re not, they’re affordable and easy to buy.

Ingredients

• Splash of olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced finely
• 1 garlic clove, sliced 
• 1 handful of black olives, pitted
• Pinch of paprika
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 215g butter beans drained and rinsed
• 300g fresh squid scored and sliced into rings
• Lemon zest
• Parsley sprigs to taste
• Red chili, seeded and sliced (optional)
• Lemon wedges for garnishing

Method

• 1. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic, with your parsley
• 2. Add in the olives, paprika, and chili (if using)
• 3. After a minute, add the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes
• 4. Add in the beans and season to taste
• 5. Bring the liquid to a boil and add the squid in a layer on top of the sauce
• 6. Cover and simmer for five minutes
• 7. Add the grated lemon and serve with the lemon wedges

You may find that you want to cook the squid for a little longer, depending on how cooked you like it.

#2. Fish Stew with Squid

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What about adding your squid with other seafood? This is a great way to get people in the house to try the ingredient. A fish stew is a favorite for many because it’s so easy to make. Here’s a recipe that you need to try.

Ingredients

• 4.4lb of fresh fish and shellfish of choice (don’t forget to include the squid in this)
• 8tbsp oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 800g chopped tomatoes
• 4fl oz red wine
• Chilli to taste (optional)
• 3tbsp parsley, chopped
• 1tsp fennel seeds
• 6-8 slices of bread, toasted

Method

• 1. Clean and prepare the fish, cutting into large and manageable pieces
• 2. Heat the oil and fry the garlic and onion
• 3. Add the tomatoes, chili, wine, seeds, and parsley, seasoning to taste and cook for 15 minutes
• 4. Add in the larger pieces of fish first, cooking until tender
• 5. Add in the smaller pieces afterward
• 6. Drizzle the bread with some oil and place at the bottom of a soup bowl, pouring the fish stew over the top

This will make the perfect, hearty meal for the end of a long winter day. You can add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and have it ready for when you come home if you want.

#3. Squid and Chicken Paella

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How about getting a little international with your squid? Add it with some other meat to rice and make your own Spanish paella.

Ingredients

• 1tbsp oil
• 6 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, chopped in half
• 75g chorizo, skinned and sliced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, sliced
• 150g green beans, chopped lengthways
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2tsp paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 175g medium grain rice
• 1lt chicken stock, hot
• 500g mussels
• 225g squid rings
• 12 king prawns, raw and peeled

Method

• 1. Season the chicken to taste and add to a heated pan with the oil, frying for 5 minutes
• 2. Add the chorizo and cook for another 30 seconds
• 3. Transfer the chicken and chorizo to another bowl
• 4. Fry the onions until soften and then add the peppers and green beans, cooking for another two minutes
• 5. Stir in the garlic, paprika, and bay leaf, cooking for another couple of minutes
• 6. Add the rice and cook until it glistens
• 7. Add the chicken and chorizo into the pan and pour in the chicken stock, stirring while it simmers
• 8. Add the mussels after about 12 minutes and stir, cooking until the mussels have mostly opened
• 9. Add in the rest of the seafood and cook until the rice is tender and prawns are pink (don’t stir)

Pick out mussels that haven’t completely opened and serve in bowls.

#4. Prawn and Squid Ginger Stir-Fry

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Another international dish to try is a ginger stir-fry. This is delicious with some prawns and chili added to it.

Ingredients

• 2tbsp oil
• 12 tiger prawns, raw and shelled
• 200g squid rings, raw
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 courgette, ribboned
• 4 bok choi heads, sliced
• 2 red chillis, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 100g ginger, chopped
• 2tbsp soy sauce
• 1 lemon juice
• Sesame oil

Method

• 1. Heat the oil in the pan and fry the prawns for a couple of minutes
• 2. Add the squid and fry until the prawns and squid are cooked, putting to one side afterward
• 3. Cook the courgette, garlic, chili, carrot, ginger, and bok choi for a minute
• 4. Add the soy sauce and cook for a minute, and then add the lemon juice and splash of sesame oil
• 5. Add the seafood back in and then serve

It will take minutes to make this meal, making it perfect for those quick meals at the end of a long day. While quick, it is hot and filling.

You can make some noodles on the side if you want, but they’re really not necessary.

#5. Thai Squid Salad

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Not all your squid meals need to be hot. You can opt for a spicy salad instead. This one is an oriental dish that will make your mouth water

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 3 chillis, seeded and chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2tbsp sugar
• 2tbsp Thai fish sauce
• ½ a lime, juiced

Ingredients for the salad

• 400g baby squid, with tentacles, removed
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• Bunch of chives, chopped
• 5 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
• 5 shallots, sliced
• 20 cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
• ½ a cucumber, chopped in half
• Handful of mint leaves
• Handful of basil leaves
• Two-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
• 3tbsp oil

Method

• 1. Make the dressing by grinding all the ingredients together and place to one side
• 2. Make the salad by preparing the salad and scoring, placing aside after
• 3. Combine the garlic, chives, onions, shallots, tomatoes, and cucumber in a bowl
• 4. Add the mint and basil and mix together
• 5. Fry the vegetables with a tbsp of oil
• 6. Add in the ginger and then the squid, cooking until the squid is cooked
• 7. Add in the dressing

You can serve this hot if you want, but it’s a great option to take to work with you as it doesn’t need reheating. Your colleagues will be queuing for the recipe from you.

#6. Oriental Squid Salad

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If you want to get away from the Thai spices but still want a salad, this is the recipe that you want to try. It’s very easy to make and another that you can take on the road with you.

Ingredients:

• 1 lime, juiced and zest
• ½ lemon, juiced and zest
• ½ orange, juiced and zest
• Bunch of coriander, chopped
• Bunch of mints, chopped
• 1tbsp soy sauce
• 1 red chili, chopped
• 1in of ginger, grated
• Pinch of sugar
• 5tbsp oil (sesame oil is good)
• 4 squid, fully gutted and dried
• 150g mixed cress leaves

Method

• 1. Combine all the citrus juices with the zests, soy, herbs, chili, sugar, and ginger
• 2. Add in oils and combine thoroughly, seasoning to taste
• 3. Score the squid
• 4. Heat a pan, rub the squid with some oil and then cook for a minute or two
• 5. Remove the pan from the heat and flip the squid over, leaving it for 30seconds
• 6. Put the squid on one side and coat with the dressing
• 7. Add back to the heat and cook until done as you like
• 8. Mix with the salad leaves and serve

#7. Garlic Dipping Sauce with Chilli Squid

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Not all your squid dishes need to be main meals. One of the best things about this ingredient is that it works for a healthy snack. You can serve with a garlic dipping sauce and let your kids enjoy something new for a change.

Ingredients for the sauce:

• 100g caster sugar
• 2tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 red chili, chopped (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 15g ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1tbsp coriander, chopped

Ingredients for squid:

• 200g prepared squid
• 4tsp peppercorns
• 1/2tsp chili flakes
• 1tbsp salt
• 5tbsp flour
• 5tbsp cornflour
• Oil

Method

• 1. Make the dipping sauce by combining the sugar with some water and a tbsp of vinegar in a pan, heating until the sugar dissolves
• 2. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the vinegar, and simmer for a minute
• 3. Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the vinegar
• 4. For the squid, chop the squid into pieces and score the inside in a criss-cross pattern
• 5. Place the peppercorns, chili, and salt in a pan and heat
• 6. Tip into a pestle and mortar and grind, before stirring in the flours
• 7. Add the squid to the bowl and coat well
• 8. Heat some oil and add the squid to fry the coating, you’ll need to use tongs because the oil will get extremely hot
• 9. Cook until golden and then place on a plate, with the dipping sauce in the middle

While you can allow these to cool and eat cold, they taste much better when they’ve just been freshly cooked.

#8. Grilled Squid with a Goats’ Curd and Olives

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Sometimes you just want to try a dish that is completely different. It helps to keep things interesting and will make you enjoy your food more. This is also a great way to boosts the interests in new foods from the rest of your family.

Ingredients:

• ¼ watermelon, skin removed
• 100ml sherry vinegar
• 100g clear honey
• 50g vine leaves, drained
• 2tbsp oil
• 500g squid scored and cut into pieces
• 200g olives
• 200g goats’ curd, broken

Method

• 1. Chop the watermelon flesh into rectangles and place in the fridge
• 2. Heat the vinegar and honey in a small pan for a couple of minutes, then remove and place the watermelon skin in
• 3. Grill the squid on a griddle, until flesh is not transparent
• 4. Arrange your goats’ curd, olives, and watermelon on plates, topping with the vine leaves and squid
• 5. Drizzle olive oil and finish with some chopped parsley leaves
• 6. Place the melon rind around the dish

If you are going to take this with you to work, make sure you keep the olive oil separate until you’re ready to serve. That way all the salad will remain fresh and won’t go soggy.

#9. Braised Squid with Garlic and Herbs

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There are so many ways to cook squid. Braising it is a healthy option, and this is a great recipe to try at home.

Ingredients:

• 1.5lbs squid, prepared
• 2 cups of parsley sprigs
• 5 garlic cloves
• 3tbsp oil
• 1/4tsp red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 can of tomatoes in juice
• 1/4 cup of water

Method

• 1. Chop the squid into rings
• 2. Chop up the parsley, putting 2tbsp to one side
• 3. Mix the rest of the parsley with the garlic
• 4. Heat the oil in a pot and cook the garlic and parsley, adding the red pepper flakes and cooking for two minutes
• 5. On a higher heat, add in the squid and cook until almost opaque
• 6. Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes
• 7. Add the tomatoes and juice, water, and seasoning to taste, cooking for 40 minutes

This is delicious for an evening meal where you get to sit down and enjoy it. Your kids will barely realize that there is a different type of fish mixed in.

#10. 5-Spice Fried Squid

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It’s time to get Oriental again with this 5-spice recipe. You can make it in minutes, making it one of the easiest on the list.

Ingredients:

• 1.5lb squid, chopped into 1in pieces
• Oil for frying
• 1 cup of cornstarch
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2tsp 5-spice
• Serrano chillis to taste, sliced thinly
• Cilantro for garnishing
• Lime wedges for garnishing

Method

• 1. Rinse the squid and pat dry, while heating the oil in a pan
• 2. Mix the cornstarch, seasoning, cayenne, and 5-spice in a bowl, setting aside
• 3. Dip the squid into the mixture and them place in the hot oil, avoiding overcrowding the pan, and cook for two minutes
• 4. Plot the bits of squid on a paper towel and place in a serving bowl
• 5. Serve with some of the chillis and a dipping sauce
• 6. Alternatively you can serve with your choice of stir-fried veggies and noodles

When you do make this, watch out for the oil because it will get extremely hot. Make sure you use tongs for placing the squid into the pan.

#11. Stuffed Squid with Spinach and Herbs

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Did you know that you can stuff your squid for something a little different? Here’s something that the kids could highly enjoy preparing with you, if you don’t want to get your hands slimy.

Ingredients:

• 11 squid tubes, divided and cleaned
• 0.5lb shrimp, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups of baby spinach
• 2 eggs
• 0.5-0.75 cups of breadcrumbs
• 0.5 cup of grated parmesan
• Small bunch of oregano, chopped
• 2 pinches of red pepper flakes

Ingredients for the sauce:

• Oil
• 1 onion, diced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 0.75 cup of white wine, dry is better
• 1 can of plum tomatoes

Method

• 1. Prepare the squid by chopping three of the tubes and adding to a food processor with the shrimp and garlic, pulsing until creating a pasta
• 2. Remove and add to a bowl with the spinach, eggs, cheese, herbs, flakes, and bread crumbs, seasoning to taste
• 3. You should be able to make a mini patty with the seasoning mix
• 4. Add the stuffing to the squid and secure with toothpicks
• 5. Make the sauce by oiling a large skillet and frying the onion and flakes, cooking for about 7 minutes
• 6. Add in the garlic and cook for another two minutes
• 7. Stir in the wine and cook until the liquid reduces by half
• 8. Puree the tune of tomatoes and add a cup of water, adding the mixture to the skillet and cooking for 15 minutes
• 9. Add in the squid and cook for 20-25 minutes, turning half way through
• 10. Remove the squid and allow the sauce to thicken
• 11. Arrange the squid without toothpicks on plates and cover with the sauce

This is best served immediately. Try sprinkling some parsley or dill over the top of the sauce and serve with lime wedges.

#12. Kung Pao Squid

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This final recipe is a favorite in many Chinese restaurants. Usually, the sauce is done with chicken or prawns, but it is delicious with some squid instead. You can add in some prawns if you want to create a mixed seafood meal.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of plum sauce
• 3tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 2tbsp oil
• Pinches of black and white sesame seeds
• ¼ bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 2lbs cornflour
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 2.5lbs squid, chopped into quarter-inch rings
• 15oz hot pepper rings, drained and sliced
• 5-10oz peanuts, dry roasted
• 5oz scallions, chopped
• Lemon wedges, options

Method

• 1. Mix the sauce, half a cup of water, vinegar, garlic sauce, oil, seeds, and cilantro together in a bowl and put to one side
• 2. Combine the cornflour, baking powder, and seasoning to taste in a bowl and put to one side
• 3. Heat a pan with some oil or prepare your deep fryer
• 4. Cover the squid in the flour mixture and carefully add to the heated oil, frying for a minute
• 5. Add the hot pepper and fry for another 30 seconds
• 6. Drain the squid and peppers
• 7. Drizzle the kung po sauce over the squid and peppers on plates, sprinkle with the peanuts and scallions, and garnish with the lemon

This is delicious served on a bed of boiled wild rice. You can also make some egg fried rice if you really want the taste of your local Chinese takeout.

Get Your Kids to Choose the One that Sounds Like Their Favourite

The post 12 Squid Dishes to Try At Home The Family Will Love appeared first on The Active Health.

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

“Is binge eating disorder even real?”

“Why don’t people simply stop putting food in their mouths?”

As it occurs far too often in our society, we as people dismiss things when we are not personally struggling with them.  For someone who has not suffered through periods of binge eating and binge eating disorder, it can be challenging to empathize or relate to what is going on.  Know this.  Binge eating disorder is very real.  It affects millions of Americans every year, and it can have serious ramifications.  If you believe that you are suffering from a binge eating disorder, then know that you are not alone.  There are services available, ways for you to address the underlying issue, and ways that you can successfully move on with your life.  It all begins with information.

Per the National Eating Disorder Organization and the National Institute of Health (NIH), more than 60% of American adults are considered overweight.  One in three adults is considered obese.  It is believed that many of the people listed in either or both categories have either unhealthy eating disorders or binge eating disorders.  While there is not much information out on a number of people who are currently experiencing binge eating disorders, estimates put it at a conservative 4 million Americans.  So, what is this binge eating disorder that so many people are struggling with?

A binge eating disorder is when a person has repeated episodes they eat large amounts of food.  They often consume the food very quickly and often to the point of being uncomfortable.  It is incredibly common to feel a sense of loss of control during a binge eating episode.  Thus, the clear majority of people who suffer from binge eating disorders also suffer from the shame, humiliation, and loss of control that comes with this terrible disorder.  What people who do not have a binge eating disorder do not understand is that a person simply can’t stop the process.  It is a disorder because it occurs outside the control of the individual, who also does not want this to be happening.

A binge eating disorder usually comes into existence in late adolescence and even early adulthood.  It is more common in women than men, with one report suggesting that 3.5% of women and 2% of men deal with binge eating disorders.  While most people experiencing binge eating disorders will be overweight, it can also occur to people who are at or below weight and due to metabolism, physiology, or exercise, do not put on the weight in the same way as the rest of us.

Binge eating disorders are different from anorexia or bulimia in that they do not throw up the food they are eating.  It is common for people with binge eating disorders to eat more quickly during an episode, eat when they are not hungry, eat alone due to a sense of embarrassment, and feel disgusted or ashamed of their actions.

What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?

There are 4 primary causes of binge eating disorder.  Below we review all 4 and then look at a psychological model that explains exactly why we do.  Also, this section is a lead into section V, where we discuss ways that you can reverse the binge eating trend and take back control of your life.  As a quick note, it is uncommon to have just one thing going on that starts binge eating disorders.  Often, several different things including those listed below can come together and create the perfect storm.

Biology: Brain chemistry can play a big role in why people develop binge eating disorders.  Binge eating disorder can occur in families and research is currently being conducted to see if there is a biological link.  Brain imaging scans reveal similarities in people with a binge eating disorder, leading to a hypothesis that neuro-chemicals and development may play a bigger role than first thought.  While an exciting line of research, it is still primarily in early stages and will take some time before the biological reasons provide solutions.

Coping Skills: Psychologically speaking, binge eating can be explained in part through improper coping skills centered around food.  When individuals have a challenging time handling emotions, they find ways to cope.  Some of these are more destructive than others.  As food, can provide a satisfying emotional experience, the start of a binge eating disorder be a way for the mind to deal with stresses it is otherwise unequipped to deal with.  The sad truth is that it will quickly become a major problem.

Depression: It is estimated that nearly 1 in 2 people with eating disorders are depressed.  Depression can occur due to emotions, moods, a psychological condition, disorders, diseases, dieting, and more.  While the causes of depression can be challenging to pin down, it leaves open plenty of possible solutions that when addressed will remove the underlying behavior behind binge eating.

Dieting: Dieting is an attempt to lose weight and return to a healthier state.  Sometimes, it can go dramatically wrong and lead to the exact opposite.  Whether people are binging because they are not eating enough food throughout the rest of the day, because they are skipping meals, or attempting to avoid certain foods, dieting can play a harmful role in causing binge eating disorder.

Why We Do It

A field of Humanistic Psychology known as Self-Determination Theory provides an interesting model for why individuals engage in binge eating disorders.  The theory suggests that every person on the planet needs to fulfill 3 core values to be happy.  Every person must feel competent, related to others, and in control of their actions.

A binge eating disorder perpetuates itself in part because of the strong feeling of a lack of control.  Impulsive behavior is quite common among those with binge eating disorders, and it is very easy to feel as if we’ve lost the ability to regulate our own behavior.  When we feel like we have a lack of control, we can doubt any attempt for ourselves or others to help, causing the cycle to self-perpetuate.

It is also common for people with binge eating disorders to feel a detachment from others.  A lack of relatedness, feeling detached means being less grounded and increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, stress, fear, and insecurity.  It can lead to people feeling quite along and incapable of solving the problem.

Finally, competence is a big issue and many people who suffer from a binge eating disorder struggle to feel competent when every attempt they make to change is stymied.  This can lead to abusing alcohol and giving up on ever trying to get better.

While this is a lot for anyone to deal with, you have the power within you to work against these negatives and regain the sense of self you deserve.  We will talk about what you can do to help yourself further in this article.

What Kind of Health Consequences are There?

There are countless reasons to address a binge eating disorder.  They include psychological, mental health conditions, physical damage, and more.

Mental Health Conditions

It is quite common for binge eating disorders to make existing mental health conditions significantly worse.  For example, it can lead to and perpetuate depression.  It can increase anxiety and lead to anxiety and panic attacks.  Other personality disorders will not benefit from the loss of control and emotional toll that mental health conditions take.  Solving a binge eating disorder, as a result, can dramatically improve one’s state of mind.

Physical Damage

Individuals suffering from binge eating disorders are most often overweight as well.  Thus, they are subject to a range of physical damage against their body, including Type-2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, certain types of cancer, heart disease, gallbladder disease, and more.  Eliminating a binge eating disorder can make it dramatically easier to get your weight under control and to reduce the risk of these things happening.

How to Stop Binge Eating

Binge eating disorders are approached in a similar way too many other psychological disorders out there.  Extensive therapy is suggested first with drug-therapy being used if the underlying conditions cannot be fixed through traditional therapy.  For example, if the depression element of a binge eating disorder happens to be chemically biological, then an anti-depressant may be used to deal with this piece of the puzzle.

Therapy

Often, cognitive behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, is used.  Conducted by an individual who is a clinical social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist, the therapist should have an underlying knowledge of binge eating disorders.  Through psychotherapy, you can approach the underlying issues that cause binge eating, work through the shame, fear, and guild that often comes up, and push through to re-establish control, a sense of worth, and a goal working forward.

Drug-Therapy

Drug therapy is a good idea if the issues cannot be resolved with traditional therapy alone or there is an underlying issue that is biological or chemical in nature.  For some individuals suffering from binge eating disorders, anti-depressants are prescribed.  While they can be helpful, they also come with their own black box list of possible side effects that can be quite dangerous.  Before beginning any anti-depressant, it is imperative to have a doctor you trust work through what the prescription would be, and what kinds of side affects you might want to be aware of beforehand.

Nutritionist

A Nutritionist can help you to set up meal plans and goals that keep you on track now and into the future.  Nutritionists are great sources of information, capable of taking all the guesswork out of healthy eating.  If you happen to have access to one, then you should really consider taking up their services as it is often invaluable.

If nothing else, being open about your disorder and finding supporting family and support groups can be critical.  Reaching out and forming bonds with other people helps you know that you are not alone and re-affirms the progress you are making through this challenging period in your life.

Additional Resources

It’s never too late to address this serious medical condition.  Understanding the need for care services, there are a range of additional resources that you can take advantage of.

womenshealth.gov – for women, you can reach out and get information and assistance.

• Phone: 800-994-9662
• (TDD: 888-220-5446)

Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) – open to all, the organization is among the best placed to aid and additional information on what you can do to address your concerns.

• Phone: 847-498-4274

American Psychological Association – the APA has a lot of information on disorders, including Binge Eating Disorder and is well worth using as a tool for more information.

• Phone: 800-374-2721

National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, HHS – the government branch responsible for tracking and providing information on a wide range of disorders, the NIH can be a helpful place to gather information.

• Phone: 866-615-8431

National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) – NEDA is specially placed to aid as they have a great deal of experience dealing with all kinds of eating disorders.

• Phone: 800-931-2237

The Obesity Society – another great source for those looking for additional assistance and information.

• Phone: 301-563-6526

Your Next Step

The most valuable thing in the world is your life, happiness, and wellbeing.  But only you have the power to act on your behalf.  While the road ahead may be challenging and often feel impossible, you can do it.  Thousands have come before you, and thousands more will come after.  Your next step is in reaching out for assistance and in addressing what can be immensely painful and frightening.  Know that you are not alone and that you are well worth it.

The post The Truth About Binge Eating: Straight Facts Only appeared first on The Active Health.

The misconception about fish mostly comes into play for people that think it is difficult to cook fish on their own. However, these people couldn’t be more wrong. Cooking fish generally takes about 20 minutes, depending of course on the recipe, how long you intend to marinate the fish and what kind of fish you are cooking. When it comes to preparing the fish, most fish don’t require much apart from cleaning, deveining or gutting. If you have just purchased a piece of fresh fish from the store, all you really need is some seasoning and some idea of how you want to cook it. Since fish cooks relatively fast, you will have dinner on the table in no time.

In addition to speeding up your time in the kitchen, adding fish into your diet is a great way to avoid the pitfalls of fast food and all the dietary problems that come with only eating pork, red meat, and poultry. With all the nutrients and protein that fish has, you would do well to try fish for yourself.

Low-Fat Fish Dishes

For all the many great things about eating fish, there is one pesky problem associated with seafood—high cholesterol. For this reason, many health-conscious eaters are starting to avoid diets high in fish, but this isn’t always necessary. When it comes to eating healthier fish food, consider recipes that are low in fat and oils. These low-fat fish dishes are perfect for the weekday alternative to any meat. While there are many ways to prepare a tasty meal of fish, these seven low-fat fish dishes offer you the healthiest options for lunch or dinner.

Bourbon Glazed Salmon

This tasty bourbon salmon is a great choice for a low-fat meal. Trade in the standard “Tuesday night casserole.”For this recipe get 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, three tablespoons of bourbon (the good stuff!), 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, 3 minced garlic cloves, ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper, ¼ cup of sliced green onions, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, cooking spray, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, 4 skinless fillets of salmon.

To try a healthier alternative to this recipe, consider nixing the sugar and using a dash of honey.

Once you gather all the ingredients, create the marinade in a plastic bag. Once the marinade is all mixed together, put the salmon in the bag and seal it. Place the salmon in the refrigerator for 1 ½ hours and turn the fish every so often. For the best marinade, consider leaving the fish to soak for a full 24 hours. While this is a long time, it will ensure that the fish is full of flavor. Get a large skillet and coat it with cooking spray. Place the fish and the marinade in the skillet, then cook for four minutes on both sides or until the salmon is done. Plate the salmon then drizzle each fillet with two teaspoons of sauce, green onions, and sesame seeds.

Now that the salmon is served gather the family and enjoy.

Creamy Garlic Pasta with Shrimp & Vegetables

This creamy dish is a perfect combination of pasta, vegetables, and garlic. This recipe is inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine. Impress guests with a recipe like this– it will look and taste like it came straight from the kitchen of a restaurant. This meal mixes yogurt sauce, pasta, shrimp, peas, red bell pepper, and asparagus. Once cooked, serve with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

Start this recipe off by boiling 6 ounces of whole wheat spaghetti. While it boils, prepare 12 ounces of peeled and deveined raw shrimp. Get the asparagus, trim it and slice the bell pepper.

Gather bell peppers, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 ½ cups of low-fat yogurt, ¼ cup of parsley, three tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon of pepper, 1.4 cups of toasted pine nuts. Do be sure that no one is allergic to nuts.

After the spaghetti, add the pepper, shrimp, and peas to the pasta. Drain the pasta well and mash the garlic and salt in a bowl until it becomes a paste. Mix in the yogurt, lemon juice, parsley, pepper, and oil. Add the pasta then the pine nuts, as you wish.

When choosing the proper shrimp for this dish, try to find certified shrimp like fish from the Marine Stewardship or Wild American Shrimp to promote sustainably caught shrimp. You can get creative with this meal by adding your own favorites to the sauce.

With a serving size of two cups, this meal has 361 calories, 28 grams of protein, 109 mg of cholesterol, and 949 mg of sodium.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

This tilapia recipe is full flavor and is quick and easy to make. The broiling makes this fish full of texture and keeps the meat moist. This recipe is a welcome change to the typical way most people cook tilapia. Tilapia is often typically plain and boring, but with this recipe, it stands out and really packs a punch.

In order to make this recipe, gather ½ a cup or Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup of butter, 3 tablespoons of softened mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of dried basil, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, 1/8 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/8 of a teaspoon of celery salt and 2 pounds of tilapia.

Preheat the oven’s broiler, grease the broiling pan, line the pan with aluminum. Mix together Parmesan cheese in a bowl along with butter, lemon juice, and mayonnaise. Season the tilapia with onion powder, celery salt, basil, and pepper.

Arrange the fillets of salmon in the pan then broil the fish a couple of inches from the heat for about 2 or 3 minutes. Flip the fish over and broil it for a few more minutes. Take the fish from the oven and cover the fish with the cheese mixture. Broil the fish again until the mixture on top is browned. Once fully brown, remove the fish from the broiler and portion it out to your family. This recipe is the secret to the best tilapia we’ve ever tasted.

Trout with Thyme and Lime

Whether you’ve just come back from a fishing trip or you have a great piece of trout from the store, this recipe for trout is very simple and tasty. This easy marinade works well with trout but can also be used on any other kind of fish. For this recipe, you’ll need 1 juiced lime, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, 2 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

In a bowl, mix lime juice, thyme, olive oil, garlic, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a reseal-able plastic bag. Once mixed, place trout fillets in the bag, seal the bag and let it marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium heat and then lightly oil the grills’ grate. Remove the fillets from the marinade and remove the excess. Grill the fish on the grill until the flesh comes off easily, turning once.

Marinated Halibut Fillets

As one of the best fishes for a low-fat diet, Halibut is a great choice for your next meal. Halibut is a fish that many people don’t eat that often, but after trying this recipe, you will see that it really is a tasty catch. Start this recipe off with 6 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of basil, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 4 6-ounce fillets of halibut without the skin and parsley for the garnish.

Start to marinate the fish in a sealable bag with the olive oil, basil, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Add the fish to the bag then turn each fillet to coat it. Place the fish in the fridge for 30 minutes to two hours.

After marinating the fish, remove it from the bag and place it in a pre-heated and pre-oiled skillet. Once the fish is added, brush the top of the filets with the marinade. Cook the fish until it is seared at about 3 minutes, then turn it around to sear it on all sides. Cook the fish until the fillets’ centers are opaque, at 2 – 4 minutes on each side. Add more marinade until cooked and add garnish after removing the fish from the pan.

Tuna and Wasabi Crunch

This meal puts a great spin on the traditional crusted fish dish. This dish uses crushed up wasabi peas to create a great “crunch” and awesome texture to and dish.

Start this recipe with 1 cup of wasabi peas, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 1 pound of tuna steaks, 1 teaspoon of hot chili sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of canola oil, 6 thinly sliced baby bok choy, 3 ounces of fresh orange juice and 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce.

Put wasabi and salt into a food processor with a steel blade. Process the wasabi peas until they have a cornmeal-like consistency. Press this wasabi mixture onto the fish. Heath both types of oil into a nonstick pan. Brown the fish on each side for about ten minutes.

Place the drained and rinsed bok choy into the second skillet. Sauté the bok choy until they are wilted, then add the orange juice and the soy sauce. Cook this for about two minutes and serve the bok choy with tuna. If you have any other favorite fresh vegetables that you would like to add to the meal, don’t hesitate.

The Truth About Fish

Fish is a great source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are considered good fats that are essential nutrients for all humans. These fatty acids help maintain the human cardiovascular system by regulating blood clotting and the constriction of blood vessels. Additionally, they are essential for prenatal as well as postnatal neurological development, help to reduce the inflammation of tissue, alleviate the symptoms caused by rheumatoid arthritis well as play a role in reducing cardiac arrhythmia.

These fatty acids are often found in wild salmon, sardines, mackerel, anchovies, herring, tuna and more. Many people that don’t consume fish on a regular basis tend to get their omega 3 fatty acids from supplements. While this is a great idea, it is also helpful to make fish a regular part of your diet.

While doctors recommend eating fish at least twice a week, some people might shy away from eating an abundance of fish, as they have heard it can be harmful. The harm with fish comes into play when the fish that is being consumed contains large amounts of mercury and other environmental contaminants. The best way to avoid these kinds of contaminants in fish is to maintain a steady diet of fish caught in places where the water is regulated, and the salmon are younger and healthy. Additionally, it doesn’t hurt to regulate your fish intake.

Most people avoid eating fish for every single meal and instead branch out to other meats and vegetables. Life is all about moderation and with fish, it is no different. Eating fish about 2 – 4 times a week is generally the sweet spot for fish. So, as you read through our great fish recipes, think about what you will eat this week and be sure to try out one of these seven fish recipes and see which works best for you.

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