Simple Tuna Salad Recipe You Can Make Before Work

Not only is this a simple tuna salad Mediterranean style, but it is also an extremely healthy one. No processed ingredients are used and best of all, the top stays firmly on the mayo jar! This recipe will provide enough for several large plate servings where it is the main attraction or for many more where it is part of a larger catering operation such as a buffet. Of course if it is just for yourself then scale back accordingly. This salad is best made before going to work as the flavors really intensify while it is stored.

Photo: Taste.com.au

To make the dressing:

• 4 Tb good olive oil.
•  Juice of 1 whole lemon.
• 1 Tb Dijon mustard. 
• A few finely chopped tarragon or basil leaves, to taste, or 1 ½ tsp dried tarragon or 1 tsp dried basil.
• Fresh ground pepper & Kosher salt to taste.

Then Stir dressing into a salad mix made up of:

• 2 finely shredded medium sized carrots. 
• 24 oz canned tuna, drained and crumbled. 
• ½ bell pepper, chopped. 
• ½ small onion, chopped. 
• ½ c pitted and chopped olives. 
• 2-4 oz crumbled Feta cheese. 

The salad can be eaten immediately after preparing but the combining of all the different flavors is the thing that really makes this dish work. Admittedly it is a little bit more involved than just slapping some mayo and the contents of a tin of tuna into a bowl and stirring in some chopped onion but your taste buds will really thank you for the small amount of extra effort. Serve on a bed of crisp lettuce or with cut tomatoes. 

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

What Makes 'Organic Food' Organic And Clean?

As more and more people wanted to eat food that was free of chemicals and unnatural processes, they began growing their own crops without the use of harmful chemicals. Smaller farmers also began to revolt against factory farming and they returned to old school farming methods. Then those farmers were able to offer us the alternative to industrially grown produce.

This food began to be called organic because the term implies that everything was produced using only living matter, like plants and animals instead of chemicals.

Pretty soon the big guys could see the attraction that was growing in the market place. They began to adopt the labels and slap them onto the same stuff they were already growing. False advertising? Pretending? Just think of all the "green" products you see in the supermarket.

So the term, organic, had to be regulated somewhat. Finally, standards are set now, and farmers have to meet those standards before they can call their food "organic." The standards are exactly what you think they'd be (who knew the government could do something straight-forward?).

Organic farmers are not allowed to use bioengineered genes (GMOs), synthetic pesticides, sewage sludge-based fertilizer, or petroleum-based fertilizers. Organic livestock need to be fed organic feed and they also need to be able to go outdoors and roam in minimum space.

Fortunately, the guidelines prohibit growth hormones, antibiotics, and animal-by-products as well. Of course there are marketing cheats aiming to fool us with false claims so we need to be on our toes. If it says anything but "Organic" or "Certified Naturally Grown" they're probably hiding something.

If you're not familiar, "Certified Naturally Grown" is an alternative to organic which is controlled by a non-profit organization. They're held to the same standards as "Organic" but they're inspected by other farmers instead of the government. It is not the same as a food simply saying it's "natural" so be careful, they like to trick us.

Affects of Pesticides On Your Body

The whole reason we want organic food is to protect our health; non-organic foods can have some serious health implications. Studies have revealed that pesticides show up in our bodies from eating non-organic food, and often at levels several times higher than is "safe."

Many of these chemicals have been linked to serious health issues like birth defects, infertility, and cancer in both adults and children.

Are you pregnant, or planning to be anytime soon?

Pregnant women can be extremely vulnerable to pesticides because they increase the stress on an already over-stressed body. Even worse, the chemicals can even be transmitted from you to your child, whether still in the womb or through breast-feeding later.

Some tests of children have revealed the presence of nerve-damaging chemicals at 4 times what is officially deemed as "safe" levels. Those chemicals are deliberately designed to kill insects by targeting their nervous system.

Frankly, it seems too obvious to me that those same chemicals will damage our nervous systems exactly the same way they kill the insects. Yes, pesticides come in doses much too low to kill us, but even an only slightly unhealthy diet will catch up to you after years of maintaining it. Another part of that same study revealed significantly high amounts of organochlorine pesticides in women. You might ask, "What's so special about that?"

Well, organochlorine pesticides can be passed down to your child during pregnancy. If that happens, it causes a disruption in vital brain development - leading to learning disabilities and other neurological problems. None of us want that happening to our children. Processed foods are a danger but not the only one. Contaminated food comes out the farm gate on the way to the factory before processing, so we need to be careful where we get our "clean" foods from.

What Foods Are Best To Eat Organic

Ideally, if it was once alive, whether plant or animal, then we want it to be organic. You've probably heard of organic animals, right? That's because animals aren't spared the treatment we get; farmers feed them the same crap they feed us. They use crops in their feed filled with pesticides, but they also include growth hormones and keep the animals locked up indoors 24/7. It's cheaper.

Organic animals are pesticide and hormone-free so you don't need to worry about putting those harmful chemicals in you or your family's bodies. Organic is expensive, though. We can't always afford to spend extra on the better quality stuff, so are there some guidelines we can use to put our money in the best spot?

Yes, there's a list of the "Deadly 14? foods that should always be bought organic. The Environmental Working Group studied data from 9 years of research and told us the 14 foods which tested the highest for pesticides:

* Apples

* Grapes

* Strawberries

* Peaches

* Spinach

* Celery

* Cherry tomatoes

* Potatoes

* Imported snap peas

* Imported nectarines

* Cucumbers

* Sweet bell peppers

* Hot peppers

Do you like blueberries? A lot of us do, but did you know that if you buy domestically grown blueberries they can have organophosphate insecticides? Organophosphates are a common nerve agent used for chemical weapons. It's used to kill us humans, not just insects.

Even low levels of exposure inhibits brain development, often resulting in not only slower learning and reduced physical coordination for our children, but ADHD too. If you've got a growing family, you may want to think twice about buying non-organic blueberries...or anything else.

These organophosphates aren't unique to blueberries, everything else on that list above can also be sprayed with these deadly chemicals But, I know we don't always have the money to spend extra on organic foods, some of us have a tight budget to keep. That's why I've got another list for you.

This one has the foods that tested the lowest for chemicals:

* Onions

* Pineapple

* Corn

* Avocado

* Asparagus

* Mango

* Kiwi

* Sweet peas

* Cabbage

* Papaya

* Eggplant

* Winter squash

* Bananas

* Cauliflower

* Broccoli

* Melons

You may have noticed that most of them have a skin we peel or cut off before eating. At least, most of us normal people do. The chemicals tend to not make it all the way through the skin into the good part we eat, so we get food less tainted by chemicals. Good ol' nature protecting itself from us.

The other foods, like broccoli, are just unappetizing to pests so they're not sprayed as much. If only they'd leave our other food alone too. Although organic food is not any more nutritional than mass produced foods, it is a great fit for a clean eating diet simply because it is free of chemical pesticides. And let's face it, your body must be better off without additives that are powerful killers of insects, don't you think?

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

5 Tips For Creating Your Own Healthy Recipes

Most people think that all recipes come from Michelin star chefs or are handed down from some distant ancestor. Not only that but if you were to even consider making your own recipe, you would have to go through years of trial and error or training in the woods with some sort of cooking sensei.

What if I told you that with a little bit of planning and some simple diet knowledge, that you can easily create healthy meals for you and your family? Would you believe me? Read on.

Healthy Recipe Tip 1 - Planning is everything!

The thing that separates average and amazing cooking is simply planning. Taking a few minutes each week to plan meals for the following days can make a huge, and I mean HUGE difference.

Healthy Recipe Tip 2 - Steal!

There are literally thousands of recipe books, websites and blogs full of fantastic recipes. Keep all of these recipes in one place and when it comes to shopping for your next week/month, you can pick out the recipes that grab your attention and add their ingredients to your shopping list.

Healthy Recipe Tip 3 - Trim the fat!

Now it's time for you to get creative. Unless the recipes that you have sourced are super healthy, it is now your mission to take out the unhealthy ingredients, and either swap them with a healthy alternative or change the method in which they are cooked i.e. fried ingredients can be grilled etc. Even if they are already super healthy, don't be afraid to swap things you don't like for things you do!

Healthy Recipe Tip 4 - Be brave!

Now we have a healthy alternative to a recipe that you like, go wild and add any ingredients (healthy ones of course!) that you like and throw them in to the mix. The idea is that you will begin to understand really quickly what works together and what doesn't.

Experimenting with herbs and spices is a great way to start, perhaps add a few spoonful's of chilli in to your next casserole and see how it changes the flavour.

Healthy Recipe Tip 5 - Practice makes perfect!

I know that at the beginning of this article I said that you don't have to suffer years of trial and error to be able to create your recipes. It's true! However, don't expect to get it right all of the time. If you follow the tips above, you will make more winners than failures, all you have to do is stay clear on what you and the people that you will be cooking for like and the sky is the limit!

Good luck!

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Natural Food As The Best Source For Vitamins And Nutrition

The way that the body works is complex, but one thing should be understood when you are seeking to enjoy optimal nutrition - it is best to get all that you need from your food. Though the modern world seems to favor instant remedies and lots of over the counter health solutions, it is not that wise to rely on pills to give you nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

Why not? That is something that you will want to know if you are looking to consume a high vitality diet. The body really loves balance. It has actually mastered it by being able to take foods and use everything in them to nourish the body. In fact, this mastery has gone so far as to make it best to eat certain foods because they contain complementary ingredients that actually help the body to use nutrients in the best ways possible.

As an example, you eat an orange because you know it is full of vitamin C. This is a water soluble vitamin that is not absorbed by the body until it is about to exit the small intestine. The fact that oranges are high in water content means that a lot of the vitamin is going to be absorbed easily in the best way possible by the body. It is amazing and serves as a good lesson in the need to use food sources for nutrition.

The Transports

The ways that vitamins are found are almost endless. They appear in almost every natural food you can list, and they all have different quantities. This is why you do want to consume a range of foods on a regular basis, and why you want to choose only fresh and whole foods as often as you can. These are the only guarantees of getting the highest nutrient counts.

After all, if you eat roots, leaves, fruits, flowers, stems, and nuts for your nutrients and vitamins, they are what could be called "living" food sources. They will degrade quite rapidly after being harvested (as they should), and so food that has been transported over distances and kept in storage will not have the same higher nutritional values.

This does indicate that nutrition and vitamins can usually result best when obtained through the consumption of the freshest foods possible, and this means that seasonal eating is the wisest course of action. While your entire diet may not be available as fresh foods, you can consume frozen and dried foods and mix them with the available bounty.

This ensures that you are getting the materials you need at the highest quality. Now, there is one last way to get vitamins, and that is through exposure to the sun. Vitamin D is actually synthesized (made by) the body when the skin is exposed to direct sun. Just sitting outdoors for 15 to 20 minutes each day will allow you to naturally generate your daily supply of this essential vitamin. Nature does provide what you need, just be sure you eat seasonally and rely on food sources for most of your nutrients.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

The Top 5 Healthy Fat Foods (Eat These Daily)

Did you know that fat is an essential nutrient that your body needs on a daily basis? In fact, without enough (good) fat in your diet, your risk for developing major illness such as heart disease, blood vessel disease and atherosclerosis significantly increases.

But here's the thing, all fats are not created equal. The right fats (also known as essential fats because your body can not produce them on its own), will support your weight loss goals, improve your energy, make you look younger and support healthy cholesterol levels and a healthy, strong heart.

On the other hand, consuming the wrong fats can lead to a slow metabolism, a lack of energy, overall poor health and even worse, heart disease and even cancer.

The 5 foods listed below all contain healthy fats which will boost your health by increasing your HDL (good) cholesterol, decreasing your bad cholesterol and improving your energy, your looks and even your mood.

Healthy Fat Food #1: Salmon (Wild)

Without a doubt, wild caught Salmon is on of the best and highest sources of heart healthy omega 3's. Salmon is loaded with DHA and EPA, which have been shown is studies to have a direct impact on increasing good cholesterol and decreasing bad cholesterol. EPA and DHA have also been shown to improve symptoms of inflammatory disorders such as arthritis and Crohn's disease. In addition to its' excellent omega 3 content, wild salmon is also an excellent source of high quality protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E and Vitamin A.

But, stay away from farmed Salmon. Thanks to modern fish farming practices, farmed salmon has nowhere near the amount of omega 3's found in wild caught salmon. Salmon farmers use dangerous antibiotics and chemicals to keep the farmed fish healthy in overcrowded fish pens where disease spreads quickly. Farmed salmon is also fed an unnatural diet of fish meal consisting of GMO soy and animal by-products, which dramatically reduces the omega 3 content of farmed salmon.

Eat wild salmon at least twice a week. Avoid frying it in oil. Instead, bake it in the oven and eat it with a side of fibrous veggies such as broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, green beans or a leafy dark green salad.

Healthy Fat Food #2: Walnuts

Walnuts contain a high amount of ALA, another essential fat that your body can't produce on its own. Walnuts are also a great source of fiber, Vitamin E, protein, Iron, Magnesium and vitamin B6. Eat a small handful of walnuts several times a week for optimal health benefits. Walnuts are great to eat all on their own and are a great appetite suppressant.

I like to snack on a handful of walnuts with a piece of fruit in between meals and at times where I may not have something healthy to eat (such as before going to a restaurant, an event etc... ) to reduce my appetite and eliminate bad food cravings.

Healthy Fat Food #3: Eggs (Organic & Cage Free)

Eggs have gotten a bad rap recently because studies have shown that egg consumption increases your cholesterol levels. That being said, higher cholesterol levels are NOT dangerous if you are healthy and have no heart conditions. You see, Eggs increase your LDL (bad cholesterol), but they also increase your HDL good cholesterol at the same time.

No study has ever shown that high cholesterol levels cause heart disease. But rather, a diet high in sugar, processed foods, omega 6 vegetable oils and trans fats (found in french fries, margarine, canola oil, soybean oil and other cheap oils) are the main culprits in the heart disease epidemic. That's because those foods all lead to inflammation of the artery walls, which is the main trigger for heart disease.

If you are eating a diet made up of mostly whole foods and you are staying away from processed foods, white flour, sugar, vegetable and hydrogenated oils, your health will not deteriorate from eating one, two, or even three whole eggs several times a week.

Eggs are an excellent source of protein and B vitamins, as well as brain and memory boosting Choline. Avoid cooking your eggs in vegetable oil. Instead, boil them or fry them in small amounts of our next healthy fat food...

Healthy Fat Food #4: Olive oil

Olive oil is high in monounsaturated fatty acids which have been shown to reduce inflammation in a similar fashion to the non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs Tylenol and Advil. But unlike drugs, olive oil has no side effects and is derived from nature, not made in some lab by scientists wearing lab coats. Just goes to show you that mother nature has the answers to even the most debilitating diseases and health problems.

All in all, olive oil is an excellent health food, but it is high in calories, so you have to limit your consumption especially if you're trying to lose weight. If you are experiencing slight to moderate joint or muscle pain, start cooking with olive oil and you just may find yourself not needing those over the counter pain medications.

Healthy Fat Food #5: Avocados

Avocados are one of my favorite foods because just like olive oil, avocados are high in health boosting monounsaturated fats. They are also an awesome source of fiber and potassium. In fact, one avocado contains twice the amount of potassium of a banana! Slice up an avocado into your next salad, or make guacamole out of it.

Eat these 5 foods on a daily basis and get ready to reap all of the benefits of a diet high in healthy, natural fats.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Seasonal fruits and veg for your nutrition this month | February

Eating a wide variety of seasonal fruit and vegetables will promote good health and will give your body the right nutrients it needs at this time of the year.

Fruit and vegetables contain no saturated fats, salt or added sugars and are a good source of fibre. Eating enough fruit and vegetables will also help you to maintain a healthy weight, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure and benefit your dental health. It can also help protect you against chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke and may reduce your risk of some types of cancers.

Here is a list of seasonal fruits and veg for February that you can include in your spring lunch and dinner menu, detox drinks, smoothies or eat just raw.

Seasonal fruits

Kiwi, oranges, lemons, tangerines, clementines, grapefruits, apples, pears, and dried fruits.

Seasonal vegetables

Beetroot, broccoli, artichoke, cardoon, chicory, carrot, cauliflower, white cabbage, Savoy cabbage, Brussels sprouts, sauerkraut, beet tops, fennel, endive, lettuce, leek, red radicchio, turnip, scorzonera, scorzobianca, spinach, Jerusalem artichoke, valerianella, pumpkin, radishes, kale, sweet potato, potato.

Sprouting For Health

If someone told you that you could produce a food that required no soil or sunshine, can be grown all year round, takes just three or four days to grow, and pound for pound, is one of the most nutritious foods available, would you believe them? On the face of it a reasonable answer would be "no". But there does exist such a food, and it is on the shelf of most supermarkets and you can grow it yourself with little trouble. Of course, I am referring to sprouts.

Seeds from which sprouts grow are potential plants just waiting for the right circumstances in which they can burst forth and realise that potential. When the seed begins to sprout, there is a veritable explosion of nutrients inside the seed. Sprouting of seeds causes a dramatic increase in the amount of vitamins, minerals and protein available, and this increase corresponds to a decrease in the level of carbohydrates and calories. For example, just half a cup of most sprouts will provide as much vitamin C as six glasses of orange juice. Apart from being extremely nutritious, sprouts are very easy to digest because of the fact that the sprouting process converts the starches to simple sugars.

There are significant advantages to sprouts apart from the nutritional ones. They are so easy to grow in a very small space that anyone can do it in the most restricted of areas. They are cheap to grow and provide a harvest within three or four days, so you can have a continual supply on the go all year round. You can supply yourself with wonderful nutrition without the demands of a vegetable or fruit garden. There is no soil to tend, no compost to make and no bugs to repel.

Seeds from most common vegetables can be sprouted and will provide a nutritional bonanza, but tomato and potato seeds are poisonous and should never be eaten. Be very careful though, to only sprout seeds that are packaged for the purpose of consumption, as opposed to planting, because seeds for planting are often treated with toxic chemicals.

Sprouts vary in flavour and a mixture of sprouts can create delicious combinations. The more peppery flavours of mustard and radish sprouts combine well with the more subdued flavours of alfalfa, clover and rye. Lentils, peas and beans are ideal for sprouting, and provide their own distinctive tastes with their nutritional advantages. Seeds from the cabbage family, such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and broccoli are great to sprout, and in fact one ounce of broccoli sprouts will supply as much anti-oxidant as three pounds of the fully grown vegetable.

To grow sprouts, take a quarter of a cupful of seeds and rinse them thoroughly, drain well, and then place them in a bowl and cover with water and leave overnight to soak. In the morning drain the water and place the seeds in a mesh-covered jar which needs to be placed at an angle to allow for drainage. Rinse the seeds morning and night in clear water, drain and put back into the jar. Exceptions to this rule are soybeans and chickpeas, which need to be rinsed between four and six times per day. Sprouting generally is better in a relatively dark space, but the cereal and grain seeds could do with a few hours of light after initially sprouting to allow for the production of chlorophyll.

If you start a new rotation every day or two, you will have a continual supply of sprouts which will provide you and your family with a wonderful culinary and nutritional advantage with minimal work required.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

What Is A Raw Food Diet

The raw food diet is a diet where the foods are consumed in their raw state. Foods are considered to be raw if they have not been exposed to high temperatures above 46 degrees Celsius (or 115 degrees Fahrenheit). This ensures that all enzymes and nutrients are left unchanged and intact so that the body is able to absorb them faster.

In addition, raw foods contain many antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals and eliminate toxins. According to studies, most age related diseases and common ailments are the result of too many toxins in the body. Thus the raw food diet can help to slow down the aging process by preventing diseases.

Variations of the Raw Food Diet

There are several different variations of the raw food diet and they include the Raw Vegan Diet, the Raw Vegetarian Diet and the Raw Omnivorous Diet. All three focus on raw foods, but each diet has slightly different restrictions.

Raw Vegan Diet

The raw vegan diet is the strictest of the variations, but it is also the healthiest and the most popular.

The diet mainly consists of raw fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, sprouts, nuts and seeds, as well as many superfoods such as raw cacao, goji berries, protein powders and sea vegetables. The superfoods usually are not available in most grocery stores, but can be purchased in most health food stores or online.

The raw foods are often eaten as they are, or mixed together in salads, smoothies, or are juiced in a juicer. Many western recipes can be mimicked with raw foods, such as ice creams, raw fruit pies, pizzas and many others. Bread, crackers and cookies can be mimicked by using a dehydrator, which is an oven-like appliance that dehydrates the foods at low temperatures over a period of 4 or more hours.

Raw Vegetarian Diet

The raw vegetarian diet is not quite as strict as the vegan, as it allows for the consumption of dairy, eggs and honey. However, there are some vegetarians that only consume eggs, while others will only consume dairy, and still others refuse to eat dairy and eggs, but will use honey as a natural sweetener.

Raw Omnivorous Diet

This diet is the most relaxed diet, as it allows for all animal products provided that they do not contain harmful food additives such as colorants and/or preservatives.

All animal products, whether consumed by the raw vegetarians or raw omnivores are usually obtained from free range and grass-fed animals in order to reduce the risks of ingesting harmful bacteria. In addition, foods from grass-fed animals also contain more nutrients.

Does the Raw Food Diet Eliminate All Cooked Foods?

Many who hear about the raw food diet think that they can no longer enjoy their favorite cooked meals. But this is not so. Dieters can consider themselves to be a raw foodist if they consume at least 75% of their foods in the raw state. This allows for a partially cooked meal every night.

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Vitamins To Aid In Weight Loss

Weight loss is a sensitive issue especially in this ‘beauty-glorified’ world we live in today. However, people often associate weight loss with exercise or with loss weight pills, but do you know that vitamins can help you loss those extra kilos too?

When you think about weight loss, you will tend to consider only about an exercise program to burn your fats away or the tasteless and raw foods that you plan to eat. You might also have considered buying the diet drug that you saw at the pharmacy. However, did it ever come across your mind that vitamins might help in weight loss?

Our body requires vitamins and it can be easily obtained from the foods we eat or dietary supplements. Vitamins are very important and there is absolutely no way a person can sustain his life without the presence of necessary vitamins.

Believe it or not, there are vitamins that aids in weight loss. They are mainly vitamin B2, B3, B5, B6, vitamin B complex and vitamin C. These B vitamins help to convert carbs into glucose, after which they are burned to produce energy for the body. With this in mind, you are encouraged to consume foods, which consist of these highly beneficial vitamins. Each of these vitamins has different functions.

Just to name a few:

Vitamin B2 or also known as Riboflavin is highly required for increased metabolism. You are encouraged to consume more hard cheese, milk and almonds for a healthy intake of Vitamin B2. Next is the B3 vitamin. This vitamin is necessary for normal thyroid hormone production. Leafy green vegetables and eggs are a good source of this vitamin. You can also choose to include wheat bran, meat and salmon. Vitamin B5 is necessary for the production of energy. Good sources of B5 include liver, poultry, nuts and whole grain bread.

It is best that you consult the doctor or your dietitian if you are unsure as to what to include in you meal to ensure sufficient intake of these weight loss vitamins.

Other than natural vitamins that can be found in the food we eat, you can choose to have an extra dose of vitamin through the needles. Vitamin B12 injections are a usual sight at weight loss clinics. The B12 works by boosting your metabolism. As such, this would cause you to digest food faster and burn more calories just by sitting there! With more calories burnt, you will store lesser calories as fat.

At the same time, B12 is energy giving and hence it gives you an energy boost. Most people do not exercise because they are just plain tired after a long day at work. So, with the extra energy, you will feel more energetic and you can afford to exercise more! 

You can also choose to take vitamin pills, but remember, vitamin pills are not energy pills! They do not carry any energetic value so remember not to substitute the necessary intake of carbs, fats or carbohydrates with just vitamin pills!

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