Soft Pink & Plum Eyes

National Nutrition Month 2014

As we await the long anticipated start of the spring season, we have another reason to be excited about March - its National Nutrition Month 2014! According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, it's a national education campaign that places the spotlight on "making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. "Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right" is this year's theme which highlights how nutrition and taste can be brought together to craft healthy meals.

How do you make healthy meals more enjoyable? Let me hear some of your tip and tricks!

December Challenge: Tutorial

December Challenge

Hey, guys! After getting such a positive feedback from the 200 squat challenge, I've decided to incorporate other lower body exercises to get your best legs and butt. You can add this to your regular routine or use it kick-start your 2014 resolution to a active and healthier lifestyle. Please join me to get a better you. Your biggest critic is you so challenge yourself. You can do it!

Going Bananas!

Hands-down, my favourite dessert is ice cream. There is simply no competition in this category for me. Throwing all cares out the door, I would indulge in this treat at breakfast, lunch, dinner and three snacks in between. But of course, my sense of logic and rationale wins - some of the time - and I'm able to limit my indulgence to every once in a while. Needless to say, the comfort that I get is always at the back of my mind.

Bananas have always been one of my go-to snacks during my day or as part of a healthy breakfast. I never thought of it as a dessert until a friend of mine suggested these potassium-packed fruits. She recommended using frozen bananas to make my own ice-cream. Add a little chocolate syrup and chopped nuts and you've made your own low-calorie banana split!

Recipe:

2 frozen bananas, crushed
2 tbsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp. peanut butter, crunchy

Fresh Starts

Each new day brings the potential for a fresh start. It's something that we welcome and yearn for. It's  the desire to leave mistakes and failures at yesterday's doorstep so that we can move forward without the weight of regret and disappointment. It's no wonder why we make a catalogue of resolutions at the genesis of each new year or for some, at the start of a new month. Having a fresh can really help us to feel rejuvenated and more enthusiastic about our diet and fitness regimen. It can give us a clean slate to move forward  if we haven't been more "naughty than nice". 

I have been looking for a way to detoxify my body for some time now but I have been so turned off by complicated and downright unappealing methods that I've seen over the internet. Besides the fact that some of these ingredient can get costly and are sometimes difficult to find on the island, who really wants to drink cayenne pepper,  maple syrup or apple cider vinegar? I was a very selective eater as a child and even though I find that I've outgrown that, there are just some things that I feel should be used in its conventional methods of usage.  It wasn't too long ago when speaking with one of my co-workers who is an avid health nut (he and wife are manly vegetarians, although they allow themselves a cheat day each week), he told me about a cleanse that he does at the start of each week. He said all I needed was strictly sea salt - absolutely no iodized salt - and water. Similar in effect to an enema, this saline solution is ingested orally and subsequently cleanses the entire GI tract, eliminates gas and balance pH level throughout. And the best part of this flush? It's so uncomplicated and budget-friendly!   

Instructions:

1. When you wake up in the morning, before eating or drinking, add 1tablespoon sea salt to 1 quart of warm or room temperature water. You can use filtered or spring water.
2. You might want to hold your nose, like I did, while you drink the solution because salt water is never easy to swallow. But over time, I've heard that you'll acquire the taste (though it's still a work in progress for me).
3. Drink entire solution within a few minutes for optimal results. After drinking the solution, follow it up with another quart of water within 30 minutes and stay away from food and other drink until two hours have elapsed.
4. Now sit back and watch the flush do its thing. You'll experience bowel movements with one to two hours. after all the waste has been eliminated (when series of bowel movements have stopped), you're free to have some breakfast (finally!)

You'll be feeling very light and free. l would love to hear about your experience with the sea salt flush as well as tips and questions you may have.

My Gray Porridge

As I sat at my desk today with my bowl of breakfast, I couldn’t help but notice a few funny looks as I set my bowl down.  Why? My regular breakfast choice looked quite discoloured. It was slate gray colour with black grains throughout.

One of my co-workers finally came up to me and said, “A wha dat?”  

Blue Cornmeal Porridge with Quinoa Grains

“Blue cornmeal!” I chimed.

His confusion did not subside with my clear response. “Blue cornmeal?” he repeated.

I went on to explain to him, that, yes, blue cornmeal does exist. And, in addition to the commonly known yellow and white varieties, there is also a red variety. Its not a genetically modified food but grows naturally in parts of Mexico and the United States.  I must admit that I wasn’t surprised about the reaction in my office. Its was only last week while browsing through my nearby health food store that I came across this treasure. I followed up with some research and went back to purchase it. Below are a few fun facts about blue cornmeal:

• Blue cornmeal is ground from whole blue corn.
• Grown in northern Mexico and Southwestern United States, particularly in Mew Mexico and Arizona.
• It is an essential part of Hopi (Native American) dishes as well as New Mexican cuisine.
• It’s had a sweeter and nuttier flavour than yellow or white corn.
• According to the New Mexico Agricultural Cooperative Extension Service, blue corn has more of the essential amino acids, which makes it a more complete source of protein than white and yellow varieties.
• In another study featured in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (2007), scientists found that starch in blue corn tortillas were less digestible than that founding white corn tortilla chips. The slower rate of starch digestion to glucose in blue corn samples resulted in a lower predicted glycemic index, making blue corn a healthier choice for people living with diabetes.

Blue cornmeal is just as versatile as its yellow and white counterparts. It csn be used to make cornbread, porridge, corn crusted fish and muffins. I can't wait to try this ingredient for my fried festivals, dumplings and pancakes!

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