Ye Olde Carrot

I eat carrots at least once a day. They are one of the most nutritious veggies, an excellent source of nutrients and they taste great!

Different carrot varieties

The most known nutrient is the beta-carotene, you probably heard of it. But what exactly is beta-carotene? It is what gives carrots their color. It turns into Vitamine A when digested. Among other things, it helps the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells in the body. 
Beta-carotene is used to prevent tons of diseases: heart disease, cataracts, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, epilepsy, headache, heartburn, high blood pressure, and many more. 

Minerals found in carrots are calcium, potassium and magnesium. 

Carrot lowers bad cholesterol! Two and a half medium-sized raw carrots eaten daily willlower blood cholesterol by about 11%. 

Only 3% of the beta-carotene in raw carrots is released during digestion: this can be improved to 39% by cooking them with oil (as carotenoids are fat-soluble). But don't overcook, or it will all be lost. 

Here's an easy and quick recipe which will help you give your kids carrots and other veggies!

Veggie soy chicken breasts

Don't overcook sprouts!!

- 1/2 lb chicken breast (boneless), cut bite size
- 1 carrot, cut in bite size strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into bit size
- 2 cups sprouts, rinsed and ends picked
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup chives, finely cut
- 1 squash

Boil squash cut in pieces, peel it and mash it. You can use mashed squash as a healthy replacement of mashed potatoes! Heat a pan with the olive oil and add bell pepper and chicken breast. Mix and after three minutes add the carrots and chives. When the chicken is cooked, add sprouts and soy sauce.
Serve with mashed squash as side dish.

Enjoy!

Today in alternative medicine: The Alkaline Diet

I always try to avoid going to the pharmacy. I prefer trying different "natural" healthy alternatives that are more focused into preventing the illness instead of treating it. They are not as immediate as a pill, but in my opinion it's better to stay healthy than to be dependent on pills to feel okay. The alkaline diet sounded very interesting to me and I'm giving it a chance.

Almost all foods that we eat, after being digested and metabolized, release either an acid or an alkaline base into blood. We don't just have one pH level. For example, the stomach has a pH ranging from 1.35-3.5. It must be acidic to aid in digestion. However, blood must always be slightly alkaline, with a pH of 7.35 to 7.45. Our diet should reflect this pH level by being slightly alkaline. 

For most people, the typical diet is too acidic, which means the body will attempt to restore equilibrium by depleting certain minerals (such as calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) from organs and bones. This imbalance is thought to make people prone to illness. By following the alkaline diet you could help your body to mantain these minerals and your immune system to focus back into dealing with disease.


According to some alternative practitioners, an acid-producing diet is the cause of a number of chronic diseases. They recommend the alkaline diet if a person has the following symptoms (and other illnesses have been ruled out).
Lack of energy
Excessive mucous production
Nasal congestion
Frequent colds and flu
Anxiety, nervousness, irritability
Cramps
Headache
Though this diet is not scientifically proven to cure any disease, it is definitely a healthy habit and will make you feel better in many ways.


Here's a chart that differentiates between food with acidic and alkaline ash:

If you can choose 80% of your daily food from the alkaline category and only 20% from the acid category, you will be on your way. In addition, you will be eating much healthier in general and you will most likely drop a few pounds.


I leave you a video that explains all this quite clearly:

Good Girl Almond

Almonds can commonly be found in cakes, chocolates or any other sweet recipe. But let me tell you, there are so many other ways of preparing them that its unfair to keep them stucked in the sweet area.

Almonds are rich in monounsaturated fat, which is very healthy despite of containing the word "fat". Let me explain this:

What "saturated" fats are saturated with is hydrogen atoms placed in every available bonding site on the molecule. Unsaturated fats have empty spaces instead, and have none of the adverse effects associated with saturated fats. Due to the lack of hydrogen, the fat chain is generally unstable and will eventually get oxygen in the empty spaces and turn it rancid. Products typically made with unsaturated fat will only last a few days on store shelves.

The reason why unsaturated fat is considered healthier than the other types of fat is due to the nature of the fat molecules once they reach the bloodstream: saturated fats have a natural tendency to bond with each other on contact, which leads to the formation of artery-clogging plaque. Unsaturated fat, however, contains larger molecules that tend to slide past each other in the bloodstream, which results in little to no plaque build-up.

So if 25% of our daily calories must come from from fat, we should always prefer the unsaturated kind.

That explained, what are the health benefits of eating almonds? These are the main ones:

• Lowers bad colesterol and increases good cholesterol.
• Excellent source of Vitamin E (antioxidant, good for skin and hair)
• Contains minerals like manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and selenium
• Source of protein and dietary fibers.

Be careful with quantities! there are 100 calories in 15 almonds.


Now to the fun part: cooking!
Obviously you can add roasted almonds to almost everything to make it delicious: yogurt, cereal, salads, pasta, pancakes, chicken, and soooo on.
But I'm here to show you non-ordinary ways of consuming them.
First of all, toss a bunch of almonds in your food processor and use the pulse function to turn them into flour. Process them a little more for fresh almond butter.
Take this flour and make some Pancakes!

almonds: making your pancakes 10 times more awesome

1 cup almond meal
3 large eggs
1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix it all together until a batter forms. Pour the batter onto a buttered or greased skillet. Cook over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

If you prefer to try almond butter, this Chicken Sandwich is an awesome option

:droooool:

2 thin slices bread, toasted
1 to 2 tablespoons almond butter

3 slices chicken breast

2 slices tomato
2 thin slices red onion
1/4 bunch arugula or lettuce 

4 slices red pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lay slice of toast on a cutting board. Spread with almond butter. Top with 1 onion slice and some lettuce/arugula. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with remaining slice of toast. Cut sandwich in half and serve.

Give Brown Rice a Chance

Being part of the few lucky ones with a vegetarian mother and an omnivore father, I have incorporated, since childhood, a variety of aliments that aren't very usual these days and in this part of the world. One of the most important, versatile and nutritious is brown rice.

Rice with zucchini, seeds and red onions :3

Lately I've learned that brown rice is more healthy than white rice, not only because almost any nutrients are removed in its process (white rice process destroys most of the the vitamin B3,  vitamin B1, vitamin B6, iron, manganese, phosphorus, and ALL of the dietary fiber and the essential fatty acids), but because it helps to maintain a healthy weight, lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of several diseases.
Later I will talk about all these nutrients and why do we need them.


If you never tried brown rice and are interested in doing so, follow these tips for preparing and cooking.


1. Rinse it thoroughly before cooking.
2. Add one part of rice to three parts salted water, let it boil and turn down the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. You have to try it once on a while to check if it's already done. 3. Rinse it again, if you see the remaining water has a milky appearance.


Now you have cooked rice, you have to decide if you want to serve it cold (in salads) or hot, as a side dish, risottos, etc.
Personally, I like to mix it with chopped olives, red bell peppers, sauteed mushrooms and dried tomatoes :)

Rice with asparagus, carrots, bell peppers and eggplants :yum:

If you like it and you want to have a healthier diet, you can try like me, little by little, to replace all your white rice recipes with brown rice. It's not more difficult to cook than white rice, and it can be stored in the freezer for months.