Cafe Maurice

Source: iowagirleats.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

In my quest to be healthier, I have been reading up on juicing and its effects on the body. A friend recommended I try it, and I actually like it! I have been drinking carrot apple juice three times a day. And a 200ml yummy drink is composed of 3 apples and 3 carrots already! Can you imagine packing that much nutrients in a drink? (Can you imagine eating 3 carrots in one sitting?)

I want to try this green juice though. It says it is made up of spinach and bananas with milk (and nuts) and it seems like a complete power meal to me already – protein (spinach + nuts + milk), fruit (bananas) and veggies! If I can do this once a day, replacing one meal for the next three weeks, I am sure I can lose weight and maybe even shop at stores I’ve been dying to shop at (maybe I should keep the eddie bauer coupons 2012 I got!).

ngredients:
1 frozen sliced banana
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 cup 0% Vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze (or other kind of milk)
4 cups baby spinach (or more, or less)

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Nutritional stats:
350 calories, 10g fiber, 21g protein

Source: sugarstacks.com via Aggie on Pinterest

This is a great reference! If you are looking into seeing just how much sugar your “treats” contain, just click on the site above. You might just be better off locking whatever you save from buying Starbucks frappucinos in sentry safe (Just like me!). I would still indulge once in a while, but probably not more than twice a month from now on.

Just look at those sugar cubes! IN ONE DRINK!!

There are a variety of diet plans out in the market today. For the most part, loading up on low carb food or cutting down on carbohydrates (rice, bread, starch) seems to be the most popular method in losing weight.

The challenge here is keeping yourself entertained with low carb diet food and be aware which are low carb snacks to fill you in throughout the day.

Here are some tips on how to enjoy while maintaining your diet:
1. Choose different food items.
Remember that there are a lot of low carb items out there and it shouldn’t be hard to vary your items on a frequent basis. In this manner, you will never eat the same thing frequently and can actually enjoy the food that you are consuming with ease.

2. Treat yourself occasionally.
Instead of going cold turkey on your sugar and other sugary items, it might be beneficial to think about enjoying some small treats once in a week or two. In this manner, you will not be depriving your body completely of the things that you like and you will still be maintaining your metabolism rate.

3. Set realistic targets.
When you do decide to follow a low carb meal, make sure that you have a realistic target that you can actually achieve. Many people assume that eating a lot of “healthy” food items will accelerate their weight loss. Portion control and exercise still play a huge part in weight loss.

If variety of low carb foods is a challenge, visit Lindasdietdelites.com. The web site offers a variety of low carb food and snacks for those aiming to be healthy.

Important information about antioxidants and its sources

Have you heard about free radicals? Free radicals are the harmful chemicals that attack our body. Our body can easily be attacked by the 100,000 free radicals created in just a few seconds by the food that we eat like microwaveable foods, our bad vices like drinking alcohol and smoking, lack of sleep, pollution and more. These free radicals are bad for our health as they attack healthy cells and damage tissues which can lead to illness like cancer, heart attacks, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s disease, aging and many more.

So how can we fight free radicals? We can easily combat free radicals by changing our lifestyle and eating food that are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals that protect our body against the free radicals. They can be found in vegetables like cabbage, carrot, broccoli, sweet potato; fruits like strawberry, blueberry, acai berry, orange, apple, mango; nuts such as peanuts, walnuts; meat, sea food and other poultry products.

There are also a lot of vitamin supplements, which are a good source of antioxidants. Here are a few of them:

1. Krill Oil. Krill oil is the oil extracted from krill, a small shrimp like creature which are abundant in the Arctic region. Krill oil is considered to be the best compared to other fish oil as it is rich in Omega 3,6 and 9, fatty acids,  phospholipids and antioxidants. Some of the benefits of krill oil includes:

• Contains antioxidant to help flush the bad chemicals from our body
• Lowers cholesterol
• Improves concentration and optimize brain capabilities
• Anti-aging capability
• Improves immune system and overall health

1. Moringa. Moringa is the green leaf of the Moringa tree, which grows in subtropical areas. This is considered to be the most powerful plant because it contains 46 antioxidants and 90 nutrients which brings a lot of health benefits to our body like:

• Acts as an antioxidant to fight the bad chemicals that attack our body
• Boost immune system
• Improves digestion
• Anti-aging effect
• Aids in weight loss

1. Acai Berry. Acai berry is a fruit that can be found in the Amazon rainforest of South America and is found to be a very powerful antioxidant. Here are some of the benefits of acai berry:

• Improves cardiovascular health
• Acts as an antioxidant
• Improves immune system
• Improves digestion
• Aids in weight loss
• Anti-aging capability

We live in a world where we are constantly exposed to bad chemicals from the pollution, the food that we eat, our stressful life and more. That is why it is important that we take measure to combat these bad chemicals and taking food and supplements rich in antioxidants, can help us achieve a healthy life.

The Health Benefits of Eating Popcorn

It maybe hard to believe that the most popular snack choice for moviegoers can be considered as a super food but it is true – popcorn is a healthy snack for people of all ages!

Research shows that popcorn may not only prevent cancer but it can also help those trying to lose weight. It has been long regarded as junk food but with correct preparation and in moderation, pop corn can give more advantages than risks health-wise.

How? Here are some health benefits of eating popcorn:

Whole Grain
Popcorn is a wholegrain food. Wholegrain goods have been proven to reduce the risk of cancer and heart diseases. It helps to lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol as well.

Full of Fiber
Popcorn contains three times more fiber than sunflower seeds. It also balances blood sugar levels; keeps us fuller for longer periods of time, hence stops us reaching for sweet snacks.

Fiber is an important substance for the body that encourages healthy digestion and regularity of bowel movement. Foods rich in fiber take longer to eat; make you feel full sooner and help you resist eating other diet-busting snacks.

A Healthy Alternative

When it’s not coated in butter, salt or fattening oils, popcorn can be a very healthy replacement for potato chips, salted nuts and other high-calorie snacks that are often full of saturated fat.

Did you know? A 30g serving of popcorn is equivalent to one portion of whole-wheat pasta or a daily 30g portion of brown rice.

Full of Minerals
Popcorn also contains Vitamin B, which is known to boost energy levels.

Has Antioxidants

Popcorn has antioxidant properties known as polyphenols, similar to those found in fruits. These antioxidants remove free radicals in our body. Its iron content, especially the yellow popcorn variety, is particularly interesting because iron deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the entire world. A serving of yellow popcorn has 5% of the RDA for iron, 10% each for magnesium and phosphorus, and only a trace amount of sodium.
Low-Calorie

Unbuttered popcorn only has about 40 calories per cup.

Popcorn is healthiest in its butter-free, air-popped variety.