How to Break Up with the Food you Love

Forgetting something you once loved and adored requires certain steps similar to forgetting a person you thought was the best person in the universe. Some people throw all of the things that remind them of the person, burn or erase all the pictures and the memories, and sever all ties and connections. Similarly, you should stop buying what you keep craving healthy meals and do not let it in your house. If it’s not within your reach, then there is no way you can binge on it. Like resisting the urge to call your ex, resist all urges to go to the convenience store to satisfy your craving. Instead, draw yourself with a big fat belly and a huge puffy face eating your favorite unhealthy food and paste it on your wall.

It takes at least 21 days to break a habit and like any habit or comfort zone, weaning your self away from it can be painful and torturous but once you get past the threshold then you have conquered your weakness and won a victory. Craving for junk food, fried foods, sweets, fats, salty foods, pastries, baked goods and food you know that’s bad for your health and food that makes you gain weight or ill is a form of habit, which is to say it is a programming in your mind that is automatic and done without thinking, an impulse that makes you act irrationally. To break it, you need to reprogram your system, hack your mind until your get a new program that’s healthier and will make you happier in the long run.

Make a list of the foods you can’t resist that is bad for your health. Knowing your weaknesses is the first step to conquering them. Much like getting past a bad relationship, trying to forget your favorite munchies is as difficult as trying to forget someone you used to love. You should decide once and for all that you are going to break up with this food that has given you so much joy and comfort, bliss and ecstasy. Decide once and for all that this food is actually making you worse and is only making you look and feel ugly. You need to change your perception of this food and think of it not as a reward, comfort or pleasure but as lacking in charm, is actually boring and ultimately useless.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Foods Meals to Avoid Birth Defects

A healthy meals and good-quality diet before and during pregnancy can prevent birth defects in babies, particularly neural tube defects, cleft lip, and cleft palate. The right balance of vitamins and minerals and a good variety of whole and high-quality healthy recipes foods daily are needed for a complete nutrition that will promote full and optimal development as the fetus grows in the womb. Increase the intake of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, fiber and high quality sources of protein and cut out processed foods high in sugar and bad fats to nurture a growing fetus.

A wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables are an excellent choice for a pregnant woman and her baby. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors will provide the vitamins and minerals needed for optimal health and growth. Milk, yogurt and dairy are also essential for the expecting mother. These foods that are rich in calcium will promote strong bones and teeth and help the nervous, circulatory, and muscular system run efficiently. 

Good sources of protein like poultry, fish, lean meats and eggs are essential for a fetus’ growth especially during the seconds and the third trimesters. Aside from meats, other good sources of protein are tofu, beans, peanut butter, nuts, and dairy products. Along with protein, carbohydrates are essential to fuel the body with energy and maintain a healthy functioning system. Consuming high quality and complex carbohydrates are better than simple carbohydrates, which has little nutrition and tend to spike up blood sugar levels. Excellent sources of carbohydrates that are also rich in fiber and nutrients include whole grain breads, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, and cereals.       

Pregnant women need to consume more iron-rich foods to increase the production of the protein hemoglobin in the red blood cells, which delivers oxygen to tissues, ensuring there is enough oxygen for her and her child.  Foods rich in iron include lean red meat, fish, and poultry. Iron is also present in nuts, dried fruit, and iron-fortified breakfast cereals.    

To promote a baby’s growth and development, folic acid, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D are particularly beneficial. Folic acid is recommended to help prevent serious abnormalities of the brain, spinal cord and the neural tube. It is found in dark leafy green vegetables, beans, and cereals fortified with folic acid. Vitamin C promotes a healthy immune system and found in citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and grapefruits, tomatoes, green peppers, strawberries, papaya, honeydew, cauliflower, broccoli, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts. Vitamin D helps build healthy teeth and bones and are naturally absorbed from sunlight as well as found in fatty fish like salmon and tuna.    

 Source: www.gourmandia.com

Unique Article: Vegetarian Recipe with Immune Boosting Ingredients

The right diet can strengthen your immunity and keep it that way so you can ward off diseases and infections especially during the cold and flu season. Vegetables, fruits and nuts are naturally high in immune-boosting nutrients and many healthy recipes provide the needed vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants the body needs on a daily basis to remain strong, energetic, and healthy. Maintaining a healthy immune system helps prevent most diseases and also helps you recover easily and quickly in case you get sick or injured.

Bright colored and leafy green vegetables are incredibly powerful in boosting the immune system. They contain complex chemicals that protect the body from disease. About seven servings of fresh vegetables and two servings of fresh fruits a day is adequate for building the immune system. You can make all kinds of vegetarian dishes from easy appetizers to entrees, as well as drinks and easy desserts that will make your immune system stronger.

Soup heals and nourishes and is especially helpful when you are recovering from cold and flu. Vegetable soup is also quite easy to make and eating healthy soup is one of the best ways to get the most nutrients in your body. You can flavor it with aromatic herbs and potent spices like onions, garlic, thyme, rosemary, chili pepper, rosemary, oregano, turmeric, ginger, cumin, and parsley, all of which add immune-boosting power to the dish, not to mention tremendous flavor.

Mushrooms like shiitake, reishi, and maitake have powerful immune benefits and all of these can be used to make a potent vegetarian soup. Fresh mushrooms are best for better flavor and potency. You can make the broth more flavorful and savory with miso paste or tamari, as well as carrots, parsley, onions, astralagus root, kombu, and seaweed. You can also add other vegetables like kale, bok choi, spinach, swiss chard, or beet greens to add even more vitamins and minerals. Other vegetarian soups that boost immunity are lentil soup, tomato soup, carrot and squash soup, red bell pepper soup, Vietnamese vegetarian pho, Japanese miso and tofu soup, and French potage with pistou.

In addition to soup, take at least one bowl of raw vegetarian salad everyday with a light dressing or lemon and olive oil. There are countless of vegetarian salad variations and you can include all kinds of greens, fresh fruits, and nuts. Another great way to increase the strength of your immunity is to drink green and fruit smoothies.

Source:www.gourmandia.com