Power Foods To Get More Done

Power bars are common in these days among people looking for extra energy. The truth is a balanced diet should provide your body with its nutritional needs. Should you feel the need for additional power to get more done, check this list of 10 power packed foods. They’re designed to give you energy and vitality, while being all natural and easy to prepare.

1. Yogurt –Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein.  It’s a great alternative for those who can’t drink milk.  Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help promote a healthy digestive system.

2. Beans – As a general rule, get used to soaking them overnight before cooking. It improves digestion and nutrients abortion.  Beans of all kinds (kidney, navy, lentils, chickpeas, Northern) are high in protein.  If fiber is a problem in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.

3. Allium foods – This class of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks and shallots. Allium vegetables help guard the body against the risk of cancer and many other health issues.  They also help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots.  Eating these power packed vegetables in their natural state especially garlic increases their health benefits.

4. Oatmeal – Oatmeal is coming into popularity as a food that lowers blood cholesterol.  You can make it yourself with rolled oats (try soaking them as well, for an instant breakfast).  Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant.

5. Fruits and vegetables – Fruits and vegetables are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A.  Antioxidants fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the risk of cancer.  However, be cautious not to eat too much fruit because of its sugar content.

6. Nuts and seeds – Nuts are high in fat but those fats are the good kind.  Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios are all providers of good fats and protein.  Eat them right out of the shell with no additives. You can soak overnight in salty water and toast them in the oven for better digestion and taste.

7. Flax seed – It contains omega-3,  omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids.  Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, eaten with cereal or added to pancake mix, among other uses.

8. Peppers – They contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C.  All peppers contain a substance called capsaicin.  Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer risk and heart disease.  Taste great in salads, salsa and all sorts of dishes.

9. Salmon and fatty fish– Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis.  Fatty fish contains good fats that has been proven to improve health.  Salmon is rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.

10. Açai – This berry is rich in antioxidants and increases energy.  You can probably get Açai supplements in your health food store.

Building a better healthier body begins with what you eat.  Try to incorporate some of these super foods into your daily menu. You can get more done and look better while doing it.

photo credit: avlxyz

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10 Minutes Hot-Take Along Breakfast Recipes

Even in warm months or places, people traditionally eat a hot breakfast. However, modern living makes us forget good healthy habits and go for a cold breakfast, that usually is too sweet to be healthy. On those hectic days that you didn’t make time for your first meal, don’t let your family leave without a warm breakfast to eat on the go. Not the healthiest thing but much better than nothing.

Time for preparation: 10 minutes or less

Pancake Roll Ups

Use pre-made pancakes, frozen or refrigerated. After re-heating, spread your favorite ingredients like peanut butter, honey or butter. Roll up and go. You can also use a sausage link or a slice of bacon if you have some already cooked in the fridge or freezer.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Sandwiches

You can use pre-cooked bacon that you’ve saved. While the bacon is heating in a small oven, toast two halves of an English muffin or a round bread. Then place two slices of bacon and a slice of cheese between the muffin halves. Wrap in a paper towel and go. This breakfast sandwich is easy to handle and delicious! You can do the same thing with a sausage patty if you so desire.

A Different Bagel

Instead of just spreading cream cheese or butter on your bagel, top it with a slice of warm ham, pre-made sausage or bacon. You can also scramble some eggs with cheese if you prefer. It makes a warm and tasty on-the-go breakfast.

Egg Roll Ups

Scrambled eggs take only a few minutes to make, like 5 or less, making for a quick and healthy way to start the day because they are packed with protein. Roll scrambled eggs into a flour tortilla or a slice of bread. Add other ingredients on hand for flavor and nutrition, like shredded cheese, chopped onion, chopped green pepper, diced ham, fresh green leaves, crumbled sausage or sliced jalapenos while cooking.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be skipped or cold incorporating the ideas above. With a little planning and imagination, you can start your family off with a hot breakfast that is faster and healthier than going through the drive through.

Note: Need a lunch box for packing a hot breakfast? I love my stainless still bento box, the right size for any of the above recipes.

photo credit: Mikael Miettinen

7 Reasons To Buy Organic Meat

photo credit: Spicy Bear

Consuming organic meat means we’re not ingesting potentially harmful antibiotics, hormones or herbicides and pesticides.  However buying organic is not only good for our health, it’s better for the environment:

#1  Manure

Manure on large industrial farms is nothing more than pollution.  It’s a health risk that runs into our water supply and contaminates the land for miles around. However, smaller farms that produce organic meat use the manure to fertilize soil, the same soil they’re using to grow the grass and food for their animals.

#2  Chemical pollution and contamination

Organic farms do not use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers on the food they feed their animals nor on the land they’re raised on.  This means not only are the animals, and those who subsequently consume them, saved from ingesting these chemicals, but our soil and water supply remain healthier as well.

#3  Diversity

Large industrial farms typically raise one or two species of cow, pig or chicken however smaller organic farms typically raise a variety, which promotes healthier equilibrium for the environment.

#4  Resource Conservation

Industrial farms consume vast amounts of resources to keep their farms running.  They go through thousands of gallons of water each day and the processes to automate the processes consume large amounts of electricity and fuel.  Not to mention the cost of fuel to distribute the grain and feed for the animals.

However, organic farms typically use about 70 percent less energy than industrial farms.  They’re about sustainability and renewable resources, not mass production, and are therefore generally more aware of their environmental impact.

#5  Sustaining Your Local Economy

When you buy local and organically grown meat, you’re generally supporting your local farmers.  These same farmers employ local residents and you contribute to the overall quality of life for your neighbors.

#6  No Antibiotics or Added Hormones

Industrial farms argue that they have to inject their animals with antibiotics to keep them healthy and they have to inject them with hormones to increase meat production.  However, what happens to those antibiotics and hormones?  We consume them and then flush them into our waste treatment facilities where they become part of our water supply and our soil.

photo credit: iLoveButter

#7  Offspring

One great thing about organic farms is that they tend to be smaller.  Smaller farms are more sustainable and thus more profitable.  However this means they cannot house or care for large numbers of animals.  What to do with the babies?  Offspring are often sold to other small farm owners thus spreading the diversity of livestock and helping other small farmers start and grow their businesses.

If you make a conscious decision to buy organic meat you’re not only affecting your family, the farmer who raises the livestock and the folks they employ, you’re also bettering the environment.  However, your influence reaches far beyond that when you talk about your decision to other people.  The end result…a better environment, better farming practices, and better health for everyone.

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