Healthy Food Recipes That Taste Great

Some of the most important decisions that we make are in regards to the food that we eat. There are so many things that can cause ill health these days that it is getting frustrating for many to find recipes for healthy food. There are a lot of options that are available if a person looks around.

The internet is a great resource for finding almost anything that you could want in healthy food. There are the good old favourites that have been made for years and years, to the new things that have just been created by people from around the world. No matter what it may be there is bound to be something out there that will appeal to everyone.

The classic shepherd’s pie is one I found that is delicious. It is quite similar to the original version except it uses extra lean beef. This reduces the amount of fat intake that people will take in without taking a way from the taste of the meal. I have played around with it a lot and have found that mixing the beef with onion soup mix gives it an amazing bit of a kick. Try this one on your family, they will be sure to love it as well.

Another way that you can modify a recipe and keep the fat content to a minimum is to incorporate non fat yogurt into it as opposed to sour cream. Many people do not realize just how fatty sour cream really is. It would scare you to know. The yogurt does not give any odd taste to the food in any way but keeps the fat levels down which is something of huge importance during the times that we are having with high cholesterol and heart disease.

These are just a couple of ideas that I have used myself and have found to work wonderfully. There are many others that are out there if you take some time to browse the internet. It is loaded with recipes for healthy food, as well as with other things that you can do to modify the everyday foods that you eat but make them more healthy for you and your family.

Some of them even let you put in the ingredients that you have handy and will spit out a selection of recipes that you can make using things that you already have in your kitchen. This is a great way to find some new recipes that could prove to be some of the family’s favourites. Being a bit creative in the kitchen can prove to be a lot of fun. Healthy food no longer has to be dull and boring anymore. Look around and you will soon see what I mean!…

Food For Your Brain Health

In order to have the freedom to live out your plans and dreams for the future, you need to stay strong, healthy, and empowered. Critical to this is the health of your brain.

Some areas where you can make changes to optimize your brain are with food and supplements, physical exercise, sleep, our emotional state, brain stimulation, and the importance of living on purpose.

In this article I’m focusing on the major difference food can make on your brain health.

You want to do your best to choose food that is premium fuel for your body. You are what you eat. Many people don’t realize that all of your cells renew themselves every five months. Your diet is an important part of having those cells grow healthfully.

The best diet for the support of the brain is one that is low in calories. Calorie restriction is associated with longevity. Your diet should be high in the Omega 3 fatty acids in fish, fish oil, walnuts, and avocados. Antioxidants are critical for your brain health.

High quality antioxidant foods and vegetables according to the US Department of Agriculture are prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, spinach raspberries, brussel sprouts, plums, broccoli, beets, oranges, red grapes, red bell peppers, cherries and kiwis. All of these very colorful fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants.

It’s best to cook your vegetables as little as possible in as little water as possible to avoid loss of nutrients.

Choose foods that are closest to nature. The less processed food and extra chemicals that you put into your body the better off you are going to be. Choose whole grains and avoid sugars and white flour.

It’s also important to monitor your blood pressure. Your blood feeds your brain nutrients. Your goal is to keep your arteries clear and flowing so that the flow of nutrients to the brain is as good as possible. Reducing your high blood pressure to normal can improve cognitive function and it can slow Alzheimer’s progression substantially. Choose foods that are low in salt to help with this problem.

Diabetes is also a risk factor. The Type II Diabetes the kind associated with being overweight increases the risk of Alzheimer’s. It’s probably by increasing the inflammation or from aging of the arteries, and it’s also because too much of the insulin hormone in the brain can stimulate beta amyloid build up. In fact some people are now calling Alzheimer’s Type III Diabetes.

More important than anything else is plenty of water! Your brain is primarily water. If you are starting to feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated and your brain is not functioning at an optimal level.

If you are not following these guidelines at this time, choose just one area where you can make a change to something healthier. If you continue to make small changes, over time you will find that your brain health and energy are reaching new heights!…

High Cholesterol Levels – Foods to Eat

Good food and adequate exercise are essential for your body’s organs to function efficiently. Essentially, cholesterol is the basic building block of the cell membranes or cell walls within your body. In a healthy body these walls are soft and porous so that nutrients travelling in the blood stream can easily pass into cells which need them. In an unhealthy body nutrients have more difficulty passing through the cell walls to nourish the cell. This is because the cell walls are hardened and less porous.

Eating excessive fat, especially animal fat, hardens your arteries and cell membranes. Eating more vegetables can help maintain the health of your arteries and cell membranes so that cells get the optimum amount of nutrients it needs.

What do oats, beans and peas, onion, garlic, eggplant, the white pith of oranges and grapefruit, yam, tofu, mushrooms and apples have in common?

A. They are foods I don’t like

B. They are foods that mop up bad cholesterol

C. They are low in fat

D. They are very bland foods

E. They are high in dietary fibre

All of the above may be correct depending on your personal preferences and how you cook them. However the most appropriate answers I want to highlight are B and E. Think about the texture of these foods… All of them, except for beans and peas, have a spongy texture. That’s right they act like sponges to absorb all the bad fats from your body. Foods high in dietary fibre take to high cholesterol fats to the body’s waste disposal unit.

Beans, peas and other legumes are high in protein and are also packed with dietary fibre to reduce your cholesterol and (as a bonus) they keep your blood sugar down too. The fibre in legumes acts like a bouncer at a night club. They stop the thugs (bad cholesterol) from getting into your arteries and heart.

Eating yogurt and probiotics benefit your body because these contain good bacteria which fight and kill off the bad bacteria your body has absorbed through eating meat. A good ratio of good bacteria versus bad bacteria helps your body regulate the digestive system and flush out bad cholesterol from the body.

If you must eat dead animals eat white meat rather than red meat. Poultry and seafood are leaner than red meat, however lean cuts of beef and pork are available from most butchers. Seafood also contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which lubricate your joints and help prevent arthritis.

The healthier you are the better you will feel. Eating right will give you less illness and more vitality. Always choose food that is as fresh as possible and tantilize your taste buds with foods of different colours and textures. Each colour also represents a different nutrient group.…