Insight of the Day 10/15/13 - Quote by Tom Clancy

"Fix your eyes forward on what you can do, not back on what you cannot change."

Tom Clancy
1947-2013, Author

Southwestern Cod Sautee; - Healthy Food Tip and Recipe

healthy food tip and recipe

Today's Recipe If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
This is a great meal-in-one dish that can be prepared in just 25 minutes using our Healthy Sauté method of cooking, which uses no heated oils. Enjoy!
Southwestern Cod Sauté
Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes, Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, cut in half and sliced medium thick
• 6 medium cloves garlic, pressed
• 1-2 tsp minced jalapeno pepper*, seeds removed
• 1 TBS chicken broth
• 2 cups diced zucchini into 1/2-inch cubes)
• 1 lb cod filets, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 3 TBS fresh lemon juice
• 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 TBS chopped fresh oregano
• 1 ripe but firm medium avocado, diced into 1-inch pieces
• salt and black pepper to taste
• *if you like your food less spicy, consider using less jalapeno pepper

Directions:

1. Cut onion and press garlic and let sit for at least 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties:.
2. Prepare all other ingredients before starting the sauté.
3. Heat 1 TBS broth in a 10-12 inch stainless steel skillet. Healthy Sauté onion in broth over medium heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic, zucchini, jalapeno, and cod and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Add rest of ingredients, except avocado, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add avocado, season with salt, pepper and serve.

Serves 4 Serving Suggestion: Serve with

• Rice

Printer Friendly Version of Southwestern Cod Sauté
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Southwestern Cod Sauté
Healthy Food Tip

Which seeds and nuts help digestion?

It would not be correct to say that seeds and nuts "help digestion." Seeds and nuts are very high in fat, and fat is the most difficult to digest of all macronutrients. When thinking about seeds and nuts, it's important to make a distinction between "regularity" of bowel movements and ease of digestion (the process of breaking a food down into its nutritional components).
With respect to digestion, keeping food portions small to moderate in size, and consuming foods in a relaxed and enjoyable way (with plenty of time for chewing) are essential factors in supporting our nourishment. In the case of nuts and seeds, oil roasted versions would be more difficult to digest than dry roasted or raw versions due to the added fat content.
One of the key dietary constituents for staying "regular" is dietary fiber, a nutrient in which most nuts and seeds are fairly concentrated. On an ounce-for-ounce basis, the very small seeds, like flaxseeds or chia seeds, contain more fiber than the larger seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds. However, all of these seeds would be considered rich sources of dietary fiber. Flaxseeds, for example, can contain up to 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon. Nuts fall into the same general category as seeds. However, because they are larger, they will contain less fiber on an ounce-for-ounce basis. (On a weight basis, it takes about 1-1/2 to 2 times as many almonds to provide us with the same amount of fiber as flaxseeds) -- 1/4 cup contains 4.37 grams. All nuts and seeds, however, would be considered beneficial for bowel regularity, provided that they are well-chewed and eaten in small to moderate amounts.
When consuming seeds, it's important to think about size and chewing. If you are unable to grind the seeds up with your teeth when you are chewing them, it's possible for the seeds to make it all the way through your digestive tract fairly intact, and you will see them looking much the same when they come out as when they went in. Under these circumstances, you are not getting optimal benefits from the seeds you consumed. Larger seeds, like pumpkin and sunflower seeds, are usually easier to chew and can be digested more completely for this reason. Some people like to grind seeds up in a coffee grinder and create a seed butter (or seed paste). Others like to combine small seeds together with nuts in the grinder and grind up both together. These ground nut/seed butters can be used in the same way as peanut butter. They should be kept in the refrigerator, however, and should be used within a day or two.
For more information on this topic see:

• Dietary fiber
• Where does the digestion of food occur?
• Flaxseeds
• Sesame seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Walnuts

Insight for the Day October 14, 2013 - Funny Monday - Quote by Voltaire

"Every man is guilty of all the good he did not do."

Voltaire
1694-1778, Writer and Philosopher

Click here to see a funny video on guilt.

The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County Trailer

The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County | Truth (in studio)

Detox Your Body With These 8 Leafy Greens

Detox Your Body With These 8 Leafy Greens

http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/detox-your-body-with-these-8-leafy-green-vegetables/

Find here how there 8 leafy greens can help your body detoxify itself, and how you can incorporate them in your diet.

Like our page https://www.facebook.com/HealthyAndNaturalWorld to get daily updates about natural health and nutrition to improve your health.

Romaine & Avocado Salad - Healthy Food Tip and Recipe

healthy food tip and recipe

Today's Recipe If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...
This salad is a good healthy start for any meal. It is a quick-and-easy way to add flavor and nutrition to your meal all year round. Enjoy!
Romaine & Avocado Salad
Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 large head romaine lettuce, outside leaves discarded
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, julienned into 1 inch long pieces
• 1/2 small avocado, cut into chunks
• 2 TBS coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
• Dressing
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Remove outer leaves of lettuce heads and discard. Cut off tops of leaves and discard as they are bitter.
2. Chop remaining inner leaves. Rinse in cold water, and if you have a salad spinner, spin lettuce to dry. If you don't have one, remove as much water as possible in a colander and then dry with paper towels. This will keep the flavor of the salad from getting diluted.
3. Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and toss with salad greens. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts if desired.

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of Romaine & Avocado Salad
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Romaine & Avocado Salad
Healthy Food Tip

The Latest News about Avocados

The avocado is colloquially known as the Alligator Pear, reflecting its shape and the leather-like appearance of its skin. Avocado is derived from the Aztec word "ahuacatl". Avocados are the fruit from Persea americana, a tall evergreen tree that can grow up to 65 feet in height. Avocados vary in weight from 8 ounces to 3 pounds depending upon the variety. There are dozens of varieties of avocadoes. The rich and creamy Haas variety is the most popular type of avocado in the United States, and 95% of all avocados grown in the United States are produced in California, original home of the Haas variety. They are generally available throughout the year, they are the most abundant and at their best during the spring and summer in California and in October in Florida. During the fall and winter months you can find Fuerto, Zutano and Bacon varieties. While avocados are technically fruits, we have categorized them here as vegetables since this is how they are usually considered f rom a culinary perspective.

What's New and Beneficial About Avocados

• Consider adding avocado to salads, and not only on account of taste! Recent research has shown that absorption of two key carotenoid antioxidants - lycopene and beta-carotene - increases significantly when fresh avocado (or avocado oil) is added to an otherwise avocado-free salad. One cup of fresh avocado (150 grams) added to a salad of romaine lettuce, spinach, and carrots increased absorption of carotenoids from this salad between 200-400%. This research result makes perfect sense to us because carotenoids are fat-soluble and would be provided with the fat they need for absorption from the addition of avocado. Avocado oil added to a salad accomplished this same result. Interestingly, both avocado oil and fresh avocado added to salsa increased carotenoid absorption from the salsa as well. That's even more reason for you to try our 15-Minute Halibut with Avocado Salsa, a great-tasting recipe that can help optimize your carotenoid health benefits.
• The method you use to peel an avocado can make a difference to your health. Research has shown that the greatest concentration of carotenoids in avocado occurs in the dark green flesh that lies just beneath the skin. You don't want to slice into that dark green portion any more than necessary when you are peeling an avocado. For this reason, the best method is what the California Avocado Commission has called the "nick and peel" method. In this method, you actually end up peeling the avocado with your hands in the same way that you would peel a banana. The first step in the nick-and-peel method is to cut into the avocado lengthwise, producing two long avocado halves that are still connected in the middle by the seed. Next you take hold of both halves and twist them in opposite directions until they naturally separate. At this point, remove the seed and cut each of the halves lengthwise to produce long quartered sections of the avocado. You can use your thumb and index finger to grip the edge of t he skin on each quarter and peel it off, just as you would do with a banana skin. The final result is a peeled avocado that contains most of that dark green outermost flesh so rich in carotenoid antioxidants!
• We tend to think about carotenoids as most concentrated in bright orange or red vegetables like carrots or tomatoes. While these vegetables are fantastic sources of carotenoids, avocado-despite its dark green skin and largely greenish inner pulp-is now known to contain a spectacular array of carotenoids. Researchers believe that avocado's amazing carotenoid diversity is a key factor in the anti-inflammatory properties of this vegetable. The list of carotenoids found in avocado include well-known carotenoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein, but also many lesser known carotenoids including neochrome, neoxanthin, chrysanthemaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin.
• Avocado has sometimes received a "bad rap" as a vegetable too high in fat. While it is true that avocado is a high-fat food (about 85% of its calories come from fat), the fat contained in avocado is unusual and provides research-based health benefits. The unusual nature of avocado fat is threefold. First are the phytosterols that account for a major portion of avocado fats. These phytosterols include beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol and they are key supporters of our inflammatory system that help keep inflammation under control. The anti-inflammatory benefits of these avocado fats are particularly well-documented with problems involving arthritis. Second are avocado's polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFAs). PFAs are widely present in ocean plants but fairly unique among land plants-making the avocado tree (and its fruit) unusual in this regard. Like the avocado's phytosterols, its PFAs also provide us with anti-inflammatory benefits. Third is the unusually h igh amount of a fatty acid called oleic acid in avocado. Over half of the total fat in avocado is provided in the form of oleic acid - a situation very similar to the fat composition of olives and olive oil. Oleic acid helps our digestive tract form transport molecules for fat that can increase our absorption of fat-soluble nutrients like carotenoids. As a monounsaturated fatty acid, it has also been shown to help lower our risk of heart disease. So don't be fooled by avocado's bad rap as a high-fat food. Like other high-fat plant foods (for example, walnuts and flaxseeds), avocado can provide us with unique health benefits precisely because of its unusual fat composition.

WHFoods Recommendations

When you prepare an avocado, we highly recommend that you use the "nick and peel" method described above. This will allow you to enjoy the greatest concentration of its health-promoting carotenoids.

Health Benefits

Avocados provide numerous health benefits including:

• Anti-inflammatory benefits
• Enhanced absorption of carotenoid antioxidants
• Heart health support
• Blood sugar regulation
• Anti-cancer support

For more details on avocados' health benefits, see this section of our avocados write-up.

Nutritional Profile

Avocados contain an amazing array of phytonutrients. Included are phytosterols (especially beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, and campesterol); carotenoids (beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein, neochrome, neoxanthin, chrysanthemaxanthin, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and violaxanthin); flavonoids (epicatechin and epigallocatechin 3-0-gallate); and polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols. Alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and oleic acid are key fats provided by avocado. Avocados are a good source of bone supportive vitamin K and copper as well as heart-healthydietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate and copper. Avocados are also a good source of potassium: they are higher in potassium than a medium banana.
Although they are fruits, avocados have a high fat content of between 71 to 88% of their total calories - about 20 times the average for other fruits. A typical avocado contains 30 grams of fat, but 20 of these fat grams are health-promoting monounsaturated fats, especially oleic acid.
For more on this nutrient-rich food, including references related to this Latest News, see our write-up on avocados.

Asian Chicken Salad - Healthy Food Tip and Recipe

healthy food tip and recipe
August 15, 2013

Check Out What's New On Our Website

Grapes are not only a low glycemic (GI) food, they have blood sugar benefits which include better blood sugar balance, better insulin regulation, and increased insulin sensitivity. Find out more about Grapes.

Today's Recipe

If you don't know what to serve for dinner tonight ...

Avoid dry chicken breasts by using our Quick Broil cooking method — it's a great way to retain the moisture and flavor of chicken when you want to include it as part of your Healthiest Way of Eating. Enjoy this tasty recipe and the health benefits that come from it's wealth of health-promoting nutrients.

Asian Chicken Salad

Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
• 5 cups Chinese cabbage, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup minced scallion
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 TBS toasted sesame seeds
• Optional: 2 TBS dried hijiki or arame seaweed, soaked in 1 cup warm water and chopped*
• Dressing
• 2 TBS extra olive oil
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 3 TBS honey
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt & white pepper to taste
• *The safety factors regarding sea vegetables, such as hijiki

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler. Place a stainless steel (be sure the handle is also stainless steel) or cast iron skillet in the broiler, about 7 inches from the heat source, to get it very hot. Season chicken with a little salt and pepper.
2. If you are using hijiki or arame place it in a small bowl of hot water to soften for about 10 minutes.
3. While pan is heating, thinly slice cabbage, and shred carrot. Carrot is easily shredded in food processor with shredding blade. Otherwise you can shred it by hand, or slice it thin. Chop cilantro and scallion cabbage and carrot mixture. Add sliced almonds. Squeeze excess water from hijiki, chop if needed, and add to salad.
4. When pan is hot, about 10 minutes, remove from broiler, and place chicken in pan, skin side up, and return to broiler. Cook for about 15 minutes depending on thickness of chicken. This is our Quick Broil cooking method. When done and cool enough to touch, remove skin, and cut into bite-size pieces.
5. Whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss with cabbage mixture and chicken. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. (You can buy sesame seeds that are already toasted.)

Serves 4 Printer Friendly Version of Asian Chicken Salad
In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Asian Chicken Salad

Healthy Food Tip

Can you tell me more about the health benefits of the bromelain enzyme found in pineapple including whether it helps with protein digestion?

Bromelain is a complex mixture of substances that can be extracted from the stems and core fruit portion of pineapples. Among dozens of components known to exist in this crude extract, the best-studied components are a group of protein-digesting enzymes (called cysteine proteinases). Originally, researchers believed that these enzymes provided the key health benefits found in bromelain and that these benefits were primarily limited to aid with digestion in the intestinal tract.
Studies have also shown that bromelain has a wide variety of health benefits and that many of these benefits may not be related to the different proteinase enzymes found in the crude extract. Excessive inflammation, excessive coagulation of the blood and clot formation, and certain types of tumor growth may all be reduced by therapeutic doses of bromelain when taken as a dietary supplement. Studies are not available, however, to show these same potential benefits in relationship to normal intake of pineapple within a typical diet.
Bromelain extracts can be obtained from both the fruit core and the stems of pineapple. Potentially important chemical differences appear to exist between extracts obtained from the stem versus the core fruit. However, the practical relevance of these differences is not presently understood. However, most of the laboratory research on bromelain has been conducted using stem-based extracts.
Although healthcare practitioners have reported improved digestion in their patients with an increase in pineapple as a "fruit of choice" within their patients' diets, I haven't seen published studies that document specific changes in digestion following consumption of the whole fruit. However, I've seen plenty of evidence to consider pineapple as a World's Healthiest Food, and I suspect that the extracts obtained from the core fruit will turn out to have some uniquely health-supportive properties, including possible digestion-related benefits.
Referencees:
Gaspani L, Limiroli E, Ferrario P, et al. In vivo and in vitro effects of bromelain on PGE(2) and SP concentrations in the inflammatory exudate in rats. Pharmacology 2002 May;65(2):83-6.
Hatano K, Kojima M, Tanokura M, et al. Primary structure, sequence-specific 1H-NMR assignments and secondary structure in solution of bromelain inhibitor VI from pineapple stem. Eur J Biochem 1995 Sep;232(2):335-43.
Hatano K, Sawano Y, Tanokura M. Structure-function relationship of bromelain isoinhibitors from pineapple stem. Biol Chem 2002 Jul-2002 Aug;383(7-8):1151-6.

Remember, You're Amazing Oct 12, 2013

It's easy to forget how amazing you are especially when people criticize you. If you're having trouble thinking of five reasons why you're amazing, we can help you out. Use these techniques to jog your memory!

Read more »

I have reached the 50,006 viewers on my blog!!!!

Insight of the Day October 10, 2013 - Quote by Marcus Aurelius

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."

Marcus Aurelius
121-180 AD, Roman Emperor and Philosopher