Healthy

Healthy Banana Bread

healthy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:49:07 +0000

Healthy eating habits and a balanced lifestyle can help you to prevent a lot of diseases and you can control your weight . Despite the fact that nowadays life has a much more faster rhythm and we have less time to take care of our health , we should not forget that we are what we eat and that it has influence on the quality of our lifestyle . One of the major problems that our generations have to deal with is : obesity . This issue may be linked with the fact that we do not have so much time to say home and prepare our meals ; let’s face it : it is much more simple to go out and grab something to eat in your way even if most of the time we end up eating fast food – such unhealthy food and with a high level of calories .

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This kind of problems are such a common problem for more and more people nutritionists have started to create many healthy recipes that will help us face this problem or to prevent us from having it . One recipe of this kind is : healthy banana bread . For preparing this recipe you will need the following ingredients : 1 cup all purpose flour , 1 cup whole wheat flour , ½ cup brown sugar , 1 teaspoon of baking powder , 1 teaspoon of baking soda , some salt , ½ teaspoon of cinnamon , 1 egg and 4 of 5 bananas which you will smash .

First step is to smash the bananas and meanwhile beat the egg . After that , you have to combine them and mix them into a bowl together with sugar , salt and cinnamon . After you have finished this , take a big bowl and mix in it the flour , baking soda and add the mixture you have made earlier . Mix it well and then put in into a bread pan and all you have to do is to bake it for 50 minutes or 60 minutes . Make sure that the temperature of the oven is about 180 Celsius grades . If you are not sure that the bread is ready , you can try it by sticking a knife or a little wood stick into a loaf: if the stick comes out clean it means that is baked and you can stop the oven . Per serving , meaning circa 50 grams, you will intake 100 calories and 0.2 grams of fat and 0 grams cholesterol .

As you can see , it is a good alternative for any kind of person because it has a low content of calories , it also helps you keep your heart healthy even if you already have heart problems or if you want to prevent this kind of health problems . It is easy to make ,delicious and it is appropriate for every moment of the day and you can eat it whenever you are hungry or you just want to crunch something .

Healthy Turkey Chili Recipe

healthy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:46:21 +0000

One of the major problems that our generations have to deal with is : obesity .We all complain about our weight , about the fact that we eat only unhealthy food but we do almost nothing to change this thing . We always say that we do not have so much time to stay home and prepare our meals ; let’s face it : it is much more simple to go out and grab something to eat in your way even if most of the time we end up eating fast food – such unhealthy food and with a high level of calories . And obesity besides the fact that changes your body in an unpleasant way it is also unhealthy .

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I want to present you a delicious dish that we can prepare our selves and which is very healthy , contains less calories than the any other similar dish that we could eat in a fast food or we could buy already made . Turkey chili is a low calorie soup which is suitable for all the family . For this you need the following ingredients : 1 spoon of olive oil , 1 chopped onion , 1 chopped red pepper , some celery , 2 garlic cloves , 1 kilo fat-free ground turkey , 2 teaspoons of chili powder , some ground cumin , little oregano and coriander , 1 or 2 cans of crushed tomatoes , 1 can of tomato sauce but with no added salt , a hand of black beans , 4 spoons of fat-free cream or yoghurt , and some fresh chopped cilantro .

Heat the oil in a pan , then add the onion , celery , minced garlic and red pepper . Cook it for about 5 minutes till the onion changes its color . In another pan crumble the turkey and cook it for a couple of minutes or better said before it is no longer pink . Add the chili powder , cumin , coriander and oregano . Then is time to put in the tomatoes and tomatoes sauce . Simmer it for about 10 minutes . After that you may add the black beans and the mixture from the first pan which contained the onion and the other vegetables . Cook it at low heat for another 10 minutes . It can be served into bowls ; on top add a spoon of free-fat cream or yoghurt and some fresh chopped cilantro , if you like it , it is optional . Per serving , this dish contains 298 calories , total fat is only 5,7 g , cholesterol is 35 milligrams , sodium 440 milligrams . You can notice it is also very health for your heart not only if you already have heart problems it is also good for preventing this kind of health problems .

You see , it is important to try to cook at home recipes that take little time to prepare but also are healthy , full of vegetables , with little fat and cholesterol . In this way , you will always enjoy a home-cooked healthy meal .

Healthy Snacks For Kids

healthy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:39:09 +0000

Snacks are one important part of our eating habits and it has been proven that our majority intake of calories comes from the snacks that we have between the meals . If an adult can’t say that , what can you say about kids ?! They always want something between the meals and statistics points out that fourth of the calories that a kid eats per day comes from the snacks . So for parents it is hard to control what snacks eat their kids and especially how healthy are they .

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Almost everything that is at hand and most of the snacks contain a high level of calories and a great amount of fat ; this leads to gaining weight and if children start losing control on their weight then they will start having health problems . Because they are so full of energy all day long , you can come up with some simple healthy snacks for kids .

Nowadays junk food plays a big role in everyone’s life that includes also our kids . It is important to create a balanced diet for them . No one says that they should not eat sweets or to grab a snack or to eat something like fast food but what parents can do is to make themselves those kind of snacks for kids . In this way , they will know exactly what the snacks contain and they will be able to make them out of healthy products . For instance , when they want something sweet try to make home made ice creams out of fruits and yoghurt ; it will be a sweet and healthy snack but also they will eat ice cream , which we all love , especially kids .

When we are talking about cookies , it is better to make some home-made biscuits than buying . There are so many recipes for cookies and you can add chocolate , fruits , vanilla in them so that your kid will enjoy eating so many flavors.

Of course , your kids will also want something like a hamburger or pizza to eat . You should allow them but make the hamburgers and pizza at home . You can buy beef meat or chicken and make it on grill and add some vegetables such as tomatoes , cucumber , salad into a pita and there you have a much more healthier hamburger . Or for pizza you can also create a wide range of types by adding different kind of vegetables , cheese and pick between chicken or beef . It is all about putting healthier products and not buying those high calories dishes that are all over the market .

Remember always that we are what we eat and our kids need healthy food for developing nicely and for being healthy without problems . For growing , it is necessary to have a balanced diet based on healthy food and also on sport exercises . So be creative and offer your kids some healthy snacks .

Healthy Choice Coupons

healthy — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:35:56 +0000

If you want to have an equilibrated life stile and eat properly at every meal, both at home and when you are away, you should get a healthy choice coupon.

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In the United State, there are some governmental programs that give to very poor Americans, food coupons with an amount of one dollar, brown coupon, five dollars, blue coupon, or ten dollars, orange coupon. The beneficiaries of this program can buy with the coupons anything besides hot food. For example, they can buy bread and cereals, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products, including plants which provide food for the family. Only alcohol, tobacco, pet food and vitamins are totally excluded. However, even children can buy soft drinks and sweets, food with a low nutritional value, which can contribute to the growth of fat and can cause many diseases, from diabetes to heart disease. At least 79% of families included in the national program are young. About 51% of program beneficiaries are under 17 years and 65% of them come from single parent families. Although, the meal coupons they get are not based on the concept of healthy food, and probably they don’t even know what that means, it is a much needed way for them to get the food they need to survive.

But what is a healthy choice coupon? Well, today there are many food producers. Some of them give to their regular customers regular discount coupons. The same thing happens at fast foods and at healthy food producers. For example, if you buy five meals, you will get a tree dollar discount.

The discount coupons have a great influence on people choice. Many Americans decide to buy something to eat because of the chance of getting a discount coupon. Coupons are as well a very important method of publicity, placed after the free samples in the Americans preferences. This can also confirm the saturation of advertising consumers to other means of marketing. It is interesting that in the U.S. where coupons have a very long history buyers give more attention to discount coupons than traditional ad.

You can find discount coupons both in stores and on line. So, because of the impact they still seam to have on many people, coupons here introduced for healthy food as well. Healthy food coupons are a method of promoting the concept of healthy eating.

However, if you enjoy healthy eating and you wouldn’t mind to receive a discount coupon, you can try the healthy choice meals coupons, you can find on line and you can use them, after you have bought two meals like Chinese chicken salad, spaghetti salad and cool or albacore tuna salad. But that is not all. There are many others salads based on the season, and you can a get a coupon as well.

Healthy Low Fat Recipes

healthy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:08:55 +0000

One of the major problems that our generations have to deal with is : obesity . This issue may be linked with the fact that we do not have so much time to say home and prepare our meals ; let’s face it : it is much more simple to go out and grab something to eat in your way even if most of the time we end up eating fast food – such unhealthy food and with a high level of calories . And obesity besides the fact that changes your body in an unpleasant way it is also unhealthy .

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Because of this matter , there have been developed all kind of recipes and eating plans so that we maintain under control our weight and to have healthy eating habits . Nutritionists propose us a great variety of healthy low calorie recipes . One of the most loved recipe is : Steak Salad-Stuffed Pockets . For that , you need the following ingredients : a quarter cup lemon juice , 3 tablespoons olive oil , 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard , fresh pepper , 1 pound steak , 4 cups romaine lettuce , 1 cucumber , 1 tomato , 8 wheat pitas . Put the lemon juice , oil , mustard , salt and pepper into a large bowl . After you had put the steak into a large dish , pour half of the resulted dressing above . Then prepare the salad by chopping the lettuce , cucumber , tomato and then add the remained dressing . Broil the steak in a pan for five minutes on each side . In the end , put meat and salad into each pita . This contains 400 calories but it contains only 16 g of fat and it is perfect for lunch time .

For dinner , you can try a lighter dish such as Green Eggs and Ham Frittata . The ingredients are : 8 eggs , one and a half teaspoons of dried dill , salt , fresh pepper , 2 spoons of olive oil , 2 leeks , 500g baby spinach ,some diced ham and Muenster cheese . Mix the eggs, dill , salt and pepper into a large bowl . Meanwhile , in a pan , cook the leeks for 4 minutes , then add the spinach and ham until it becomes wilted . After , you can add the egg mixture above the vegetable and cook it for another 2-3 minutes . Sprinkle the cheese on the top and then let it cook in the oven for 8 minutes . Per serving , you will eat about 200 calories and some 15 g fat .

As you can see above , these are only two examples of healthy low calories recipes ; what is important is that we will enjoy eating , we will spend not so much time cooking and we will keep our intake of calories controlled and our weight at a normal level . It is just a problem of organizing our time and of having the willing to prepare our food at home so that we can enjoy some healthy meals . Remember , we are what we eat .

Healthy Meals

healthy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:51:45 +0000

What means healthy eating? Well, there are many possible answers to this question, but if we are trying a synthetic definition, we may say that healthy eating is having regular meals, based on fruits, vegetables and grains, without junk food, harmful substances and high fat unhealthy food.

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Usually, the healthy meals are the ones took with the family, cooked in the house, using ingredients you know and trust. Unhealthy meals are the ones eaten in hurry, ordered by phone at home or took in a fast food. In these cases you don’t know what the thing you are thing in made of, or who made it. That doesn’t mean that you can not find healthy food in the city.

As we can see it is not easy to eat properly. To choose between healthy and unhealthy food is not an easy thing to do. But the key to a better state of health lies in finding the difference between healthy and unhealthy nutrients. By doing just a few easy changes in food choice, you could bring a huge improvement in your health and energy level.

One healthy meal, according to many nutritionists is a colorful meal. For example, you can sprinkle over potatoes red peppers or add tomatoes over pasta. Healthy proteins provide our body amino acids. Amino acids are needed to build and rebuild muscle, skin, hair and nails. The best sources for them are vegetables, salmon, beans, seeds, almonds, peanuts, walnuts and peanut butter. On the other side, unhealthy proteins are full of saturated fat and cholesterol, such as beef, ham, lamb or salami.

Besides proteins, every meal contains different fats. But, like proteins, they can have healthy and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats are unsaturated fats and the best sources of them are extra virgin olive oil, nuts and flax seeds. They help the body absorb antioxidant micronutrients such as vitamins A, E, D and K. Butter and margarine are unhealthy fats and they favor the development of heart disease. It also increases the level of cholesterol, hypertension and obesity.

Eating nutrients rich foods helps the body function, produces a general state of good and improves digestion. These substances help you body in the fight against various diseases of heart, cancer and diabetes, strengthens the immune system, increases energy levels and cognitive performance.

Because every meal is important we have to choose it carefully. A very simple way to make the correct choice for a healthy meal is to search for food in bright colors, because they usually contain beneficial vitamins and minerals owe body needs. For example, red and pink grapefruit contain lycopene, an antioxidant that maintains heart health and fight cancer, unlike white grapefruit that does not contain this particular substance.

Healthy Carrot Cake

healthy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:48:27 +0000

Although not many people know, carrots have got important therapeutic properties. Of course, many people have heard about the vitamin A and beta-carotene content of carrots and its effect on improving sight. But carrots also have other proprieties. For example, a carrot soup with red dates can hill cough at children. Skin burns can also be treated successfully with fresh carrot juice. If you want to get rid of an edema, cook on low heat five grams of carrot seeds in one glass of water, until the water is halved. By consuming the pickle resulted, you can significantly improve your diuresis. For those who want to improve their view it is recommended a meal of carrot with chicken or duck liver. By eating just half cup of carrots every day, our body receives two grams of dietary fiber, 4960 mcg of beta carotene, six grams of Vitamin C and 127 mg of potassium.

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As we can see, carrots have got many therapeutic properties. So, a healthy meal should contain carrots as well, if not on everyday meal, at least weekly. And besides salads or full meals we can also make a tasty desert.

So what about a healthy carrot cake? The next recipe is ready in 45 minutes. You need, of course carrots, six cups, four cups of flour, three cups of sugar and butter. You have to cut the carrots and let them flow, and than mix all the ingredients. You just have to put the dough in the tray and than in oven.

Another recipe for healthy carrot cake is the next one. Blend 250g carrots and separately the 80 pineapple grams. Than mix 200g porridge oats, 200g bran flakes, 250ml milk and leave all to soak for ten minutes. Than add the pineapple and carrot you prepared earlier and two egg whites. Mix all together. Put the dough in a tray and than to oven for a hour. If you want to you can make as well a chocolate topping above.

If you just didn’t like any of these recipes, you should like this one.

Blend until fine 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup oats, one teaspoon cinnamon, two tablespoons flax seed, allspice and cloves. Than mix in another pot 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup canola or olive oil, two large eggs lightly beaten, one mashed ripe banana and 1 and 1/4 cups grated carrot. After the mix is fine, add the first composition and mix again. Pour into muffin tins and bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Although you may enjoy traditional chocolate cakes, you just have to try these recipes. They are healthy and you keep you thin. And you will see that they are as well tasty.

Healthy Halloween Treats

healthy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:45:32 +0000

Every October 31 we celebrate Halloween. The charm of the holiday makes us wait the whole year to be able to “trick or treat” and wear originally and uncommon Halloween costumes. The story of Halloween tells that in this day the spirits of people who died last year return to earth in search of living bodies to possess them during the next year, which is the only hope they have of life after death. Celts believed that all laws of space and time are suspended on this day, allowing them to interact with the living spirits. The living did not wanted to be possessed, so on the night of October 31, villagers fighting fires in their homes, in order to be becoming cold and so unwanted. They were dressed in all kinds of funny costumes and were participating in noisy parades in their neighborhood, trying to be as destructive as possible to scare away the spirits that came in search for livings.

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Today, the holiday has a total different perception. Kids just love to dress up on Halloween as ghosts, skeleton, wizards or witches, monsters, vampires or other dark creatures and go trick or treat. But what about giving them some healthy Halloween treats? Although you can not give on Halloween fruits because for kids the whole concept of the holiday is about candies, you can try to be creative in cooking some healthy treats without ruining the spirit of the holiday.

However, here are some healthy Halloween treats ideas that you can use. Caramel honey apples, spooky honey popcorn bars, hermits, spicy roasted soybeans or spice pretzels are some treats that will be appreciated by children. Hot apple cider consists of apple juice, a few spices and orange peel, and takes just a few minutes to make. You can also try to bake some special Halloween cookies using the traditional pumpkin, such as pumpkin pie.

Let’s see how we can make some healthy apples. First you have to remove stem and insert a stick into the top of apple. Than melt white chocolate chips or candies and dip apples into melted candy or chocolate until they are completely covered. You can decorate them with chocolate chips. For kids you can make “Monster Apples”, meaning caramel apples with marshmallow eyes, raisin nose, a carrot pieces for mouth and nuts slices for hair. They will surly love that.

Maybe as an adult you don’t love Halloween anymore, but as a kid you surly did. Today, because of the many recipes existent, you can enjoy the holiday whiteout sugar abuse, and so you shouldn’t worry at all about you diet. In the same time you won’t kill the kid’s idea of the holiday as a sugar treat.

Healthy Snack Ideas

healthy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:41:56 +0000

Snacks are one important part of our eating habits and it has been proven that our majority intake of calories comes from the snacks that we have between the meals or when we do not find time to eat and we grab something to crunch . By eating in this manner , we tend to eat almost everything that is at hand and most of the snacks contain a high level of calories and a great amount of fat ; this leads to gaining weight and if you start losing control on your weight you start having health problems .

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If you don’t want or you can not quit at snacks at least , try to prepare them yourself and to find some healthy snacks recipes. For example , a healthy snack recipe can be Avocado Tea Sandwiches . For this you need some slices of avocado , 1 spoon of fat free mayonnaise , a bit of lemon juice , some black pepper , 8 really thin slices wheat bread , 2 ounces sliced salmon , some slices of cucumber . Make a dressing in a large bowl out of mayonnaise , lemon juice and pepper . After spread it on bread , then on top put the slices of cucumber , avocado and salmon . In this kind of way , you can prepare many types of sandwiches which do not mean more than 150 calories .You can try also this kind of sandwich with chicken breast ,tomatoes and some low fat cheese . In this way , you can eat something between meals or it can be a main meal if you do not have the time to make something else or other ingredients to prepare something more complex .

When we refer to sweet snacks , you should keep in mind that is much more healthier to eat fruits than eat all kind of sweets that are available in all stores and rather than drinking soda , it is recommended to replace them with milk or natural juices . One healthy snack idea for something sweet can be Pineapple-Raspberry Parfaits . You need :2 cups of nonfat yogurt , ½ pint fresh raspberries and one and a half cups of frozen or canned pineapple . Take 4 glasses and divide and layer the yogurt and add the fruits . In this way , you can eat something sweet , low in calories , it has only 100 calories per serving , and you eat fat free . You can try different mixtures of fruits with yogurt or milk , you can even froze it for a couple of hours and you will have a natural and delicious ice cream .

We do not have to quit at all eating snacks but we should pay attention at what we eat and figure out that it does not take much time to prepare something ourselves than go to buy them from store . In this way we control our intake of fat , sugar and calories and you can always invent more and more healthy snack ideas .

Healthy Cooking Recipes

healthy — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:38:49 +0000

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These recipes respect some main principles : the meat or potatoes should not be fried , it is advisable to be boiled or grilled ; white meat such as fish and chicken is considered to contain less fat ; we should avoid creamy fat sauces and do not use dressings that we find on the market because most of them are rich in calories ; it is better to use lemon juice or olive oil .

Some examples of healthy cooking recipes are dishes such as : Curried Chicken Pitas . For this plate , you need : 6 spoons of low fat yogurt , a quarter cup of light mayonnaise , 2 cups of boiled chicken breast , 1 diced pear , 1 stalk celery , half cup of dried cranberries , some sliced almonds , 4 pita breads and 2 cups sprouts . First step is to make a dressing out of yogurt , mayonnaise and curry into a bowl . After that you add the chicken , pear , celery , cranberries and almond ; you may also toss to combine . The final step is to fill each pita with ½ cup of chicken salad and with ¼ sprouts .

Another good example of a healthy meal is Green Goddess Salad . It is vey healthy because the majority of the ingredients are vegetables : avocado , fresh herbs such as tarragon and sorrel , green leaf lettuce , cucumber , cherry tomatoes , artichoke hearts and celery . You will also need : ¾ cups of nonfat buttermilk , 2 teaspoons of white-wine vinegar , anchovy pasta , some cooked shrimps . Fist of all , you have to smooth in a blender the following : avocado , buttermilk , herbs, vinegar and anchovy till you get a dressing . Make 4 plates of the lettuce , after add tomatoes , shrimps , cucumber ,artichoke hearts and celery . In the end , you pour the dressing on top .

These two examples show that white meat combined with many vegetables and home made dressing with olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice are more healthier and are also rich in vitamins and pour in calories . They are simple to make , they take little time to be prepared and the best part of them is that you keep the intake of nourishing substances .

With some self discipline and consumption of vegetable ,fruits and aliments with low content of fat , we will enjoy the benefits of a higher quality standard of life and we would be exposed to so many illnesses.