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Fruit Healthy

Is fruit healthy? Or can you do without?

Eat two pieces of fruit a day is the slogan … but is that necessary? Several studies, on the other hand, indicate that fructose is perhaps the most underrated thickener. That is why in some diets the eating of fruit is also limited. So? Two pieces of fruit per day or not? I am trying to answer that question here.

Is fruit healthy?

Let’s answer that question first … I will not turn around the hot knit … fruit can be very healthy! Fruit is mainly known for the large amount of vitamins, dietary fiber and antioxidants in fruit. And it is indeed true that it is good for our body. But that is of course not the only thing in fruit. For example, an orange and an apple contain more than 23 grams of sugars (fructose) and that is less good for us. But this is just the ‘short-the-bend’ reasoning … technically you could say that you better eat vegetables, because then you have the vitamins, the fibers and the antioxidants, but not the sugars. But fruit, on the other hand, is tastier and easier to carry on the road.
So is fruit healthy ? I searched online for research results and the good news is that with normal quantities of fresh fruit, fruit is indeed healthy for you. Now I can imagine that you think “why the hell are you writing this article? Didn’t we all know this? ”… That’s right. But more and more diets prescribe a limited sugar intake and even fruit is then excluded, or limited to a minimum. And then the question arises … can you live without fruit if it is that healthy?

Can you go without fruit?

The answer is “yes.” Every person can stay healthy his entire life without having eaten a single piece of fruit in his life. In fact, it is only since we have cooled transportation and heated greenhouses that it is possible to eat fruit at all outside the harvest season.
You can get enough vitamins, dietary fiber and antioxidants from vegetables and nuts. So if your diet prescribes not to eat fruit, you don’t have to worry that your body will give up after a few months. However, you must ensure that you eat enough greetings, meat and nuts … and you do not make any concessions there.

Then why would you exclude fruit at all?

As described earlier, fruit is simply healthy. And if you eat fresh fruit, it is almost impossible to “overeat” with fruit. Yet there are reasons to ignore fruit (for a large part). For example if you eat low carbohydrate. Low carbohydrate diets are aimed at bringing your body into a state of ketosis . This means that your body mainly draws energy from fats due to a lack of glucose (sugars / carbohydrates). This significantly increases your fat burning. A diet based on ketosis leads to unimaginable results when it comes to fat loss and weight control. In such a case, it is no disaster if you no longer eat fruit.

Just for the fruit lovers … why is fruit so good for us?

Fruit is full of fiber, water, vitamins and antioxidants and has a high chewing resistance. Due to the high chewing resistance and the slow digestion of the fruit, the fructose enters very metered in the liver. As a result, with a normal diet (low in carbohydrates) there will be little or no insulin peak. Our body can deal well with fructose that comes from fresh fruit, because the fructose is released in doses. Fructose in foods other than fruit do not have these benefits !! Fructose candies or added fructose is not healthy.

Conclusion

Fruit is healthy and in a non-carbohydrate diet it is certainly advisable to eat some fruit every day … if only because it is so delicious! But you can also do fine without fruit if your diet requires it.
Categories
Breakfast Fruit Healthy Low Carb Recipes Smoothie Vegetarian Video

Pre-cut vegetables or cut yourself?

If you know my recipes then you know that I am someone of quick and easy.
Spending hours in the kitchen is really not my thing, I prefer to cook with as few pans and actions as possible.
That is also one of the reasons that I often opted for pre-cut vegetables. The vegetable mix bags are usually well varied and it saves me a lot of cutting.

Now I have to say that that was not the only reason. I also often have a fight with good kitchen tools. From home I am quite a bit economical and spend a lot of money on knives, for example. The knives in my kitchen drawer have been around for years and I don’t notice that they are becoming more and more blunt.

It is even so that (so far) I do not cut chicken fillet with a knife but with a (specially purchased) scissors into pieces. Because with a knife I always thought it was such a hassle.

Hubby always finds this type of frugality very irritating because he wants good things for the kitchen. Incidentally, not only for the kitchen, this applies to everything in its existence, but that is another story. Now his prayers were answered recently because Cookinglife asked me if I would like to review the Arcos knives.

Arcos knife reviewArcos knife review
A whole new world opens up for me! What a difference between my 20-year-old meat cleaver and the new one from Arcos! I now glide through the meat and don’t have to put any pressure on it at all. Perhaps quite normal for other people but I am enjoying my kitchen! Also the tomatoes (which I used to cut with a serrated knife for the stiff skin) I can now simply cut into cubes.

On the photo you can see the Arcos  knife  that I used to cut all vegetables.

Yesterday a pasta dish made with a lot of vegetables. I now also had to take good care of my carving because with such a sharp knife an accident is also in a small corner. Mindful cutting say🙂

Because the cutting work is no longer in my way, I want to highlight the benefits of cutting your vegetables yourself instead of pre-cut vegetables.

First the price!

Take a look at a bag of pre-cut vegetables and weigh the same items separately. You will see that you get much more vegetables for your hard-earned money if you cut it yourself.

Secondly the freshness!

Fruit and vegetables are nowadays packaged so well that with the new techniques you can no longer see how fresh it is. The vegetable can sometimes be 6 days old without you noticing it. Taking into account that the nutrients are lost as soon as you cut and reduce per hour, this is certainly something you can take into consideration.

Thirdly your own choice!

Okay, the bags are well varied, but my experience is that they often contain stuffing, for example a lot of cabbage which is nice and cheap and not a lot of bell pepper. If you choose yourself, then of course take the vegetables that you like best, that look nice and fresh and of which you can, if you have something left, possibly keep something uncut.

Three reasons for me to use fewer pre-cut vegetables and to cut everything nice and fresh.

And now the recipe for enthusiasts:

Pasta with vegetables and tuna

 

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic
1 onionpre-cut vegetables
1 (point) bell pepper
1 zucchini
5 tomatoes
handful of fresh basil
2 cans of tuna
250 grams of spelled pasta
2 tablespoons capers
200 ml (vegetable) cream
grated (goat) cheese
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Squeeze the garlic and cut the vegetables into small pieces.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions, drain and sprinkle with some olive oil.
Stir fry all vegetables in the order of the ingredients list.
Add the tuna, capers and cream and heat well together.
Mix the vegetables with the pasta and season with a lot of pepper and some olive oil.
Serve the pasta with some grated goat cheese.

Categories
Breakfast Fruit Low Carb Recipes Smoothie Vegetarian

Why Brazil nuts are good for your health

The Brazil nut is a real superfood. You often find the nut in nut mixes, but you can also buy them separately. Brazil nuts are often underestimated, but are very healthy and bring many health benefits!

Where does the Brazil nut come from?
The Brazil nut grows on a tree called Bertholletia excelsa. The tree is mainly found in tropical rain forests and mainly along the banks of the Amazon. The tree needs a lot of water, because it can grow up to 50 meters high and the trunk up to 2 meters thick! It takes 10 to 25 years for fruit to reach the tree.

Once that has happened, the fruits must mature for another 14 months. Every year 40 fruits grow on the tree. The fruit has the shape of a cone and weighs approximately 2 kilos. A fruit can easily contain 20 seeds, we know these seeds as Brazil nuts. There are even Brazil nut trees that are more than 500 years old.

The benefits at a glance
The Brazil nut contains many minerals such as magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium and zinc.
Brazil nuts also contain important antioxidants: proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
The oil from the nut is good for your skin, which is why the oil is now used in shampoo and conditioner.
Rich in vitamins B1, B6 and vitamin E.
The nut contains the important amino acids methionine, cysteine, arginine, glutamic acid and glutamine.
Menopausal women often have selenium deficiency and this has an effect on the thyroid gland. Fortunately the Brazil nut is rich in selenium!
The nut contains fatty acids such as oleic, linoleic and palmitoleic acids that promote the health of people with cardiovascular disease.
The Brazil nut is a good substitute for oily fish , because the nut contains many healthy fats.
Rich in selenium
Brazil nuts is more than rich in selenium. 100 grams of Brazil nuts is already 3500% of the recommended daily allowance! Selenium has many advantages:

Releases energy in cells.
limits the damage of the muscles during exercise.
Selenium is good for your immune system.
Selenium works twice as strong in combination with vitamin E.
Provides strong bones and teeth.
Has the property that it has a positive effect on fighting cancer.
Brazil nuts healthyHow much per day?
100 grams of Brazil nuts is already 3500% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). If you eat two Brazil nuts a day , this is enough to maintain your selenium and to benefit from the health effects. If you eat too many Brazil nuts in a short period, it is possible to get selenium poisoning. The symptoms are stomach pain, fatigue, itching, skin rash and white and / or brittle nails.

Categories
Fruit Healthy Vegetarian

‘Tomatoes improve sperm quality’

Tomatoes have a positive effect on the quality of sperm. According to research published by the Cleveland Clinic. According to American researchers, the substance causes lycopene, the substance that causes a tomato to be red, that the amount of sperm increases by about seventy percent. The quality of the sperm also increases.

For the research, the scientists studied the data from twelve different studies around the world. All these studies showed that lycopene ensures that the number of sperm cells present increases and that the seed starts to swim a lot faster. According to the research leader, Ashok Agarwal, the studies clearly demonstrated the positive effect of lycopeem on sperm.

Follow-up investigation
Previous studies have also shown that lycopene reduces the risk of prostate disease. The research team immediately started follow-up research and will, among other things, study the effect of taking lycopene supplements in men who are inexplicably infertile. The results of that investigation are expected next year.

Categories
Fruit Healthy Low Carb Smoothie Video

Super energy within one minute with Green Juice

Are you already familiar with “green powder juices”? Normally I choose, depending on my energy level, for a specific nutritional supplement or a combination of several. Sometimes in the form of capsules, such as the Ashwaganda, or in tablets with, for example, Spirulina, but I also sometimes have wheatgrass or powdered algae, not really tasty but for a good cause say….

I had already tried a test bag from the Green Juice, but to really feel the effect Super Foodies allowed me to test a large pot of their Green Juice , good for 1 month of health! So all other food supplements on the side and I am ready!

What is Green Juice?

Green Juice is a superfoods-based green powder that you can easily make into a drink. It consists of 100% organic ingredients including herbs, algae and vegetables.

The unique thing about Green Juice is that it contains a few ingredients that you don’t often find in other supplements, such as the Ashwagandha and Moringa.

Green Juice Super Foodies experienceGreen Juice Super Foodies experience
Ashwagandha and Moringa have long been used in ancient Ayurvedic medicine in India. They have a long list of customs and benefits you could almost choose any kind of ailment and they could probably help with that.

The Green Juice from Super Foodie also contains Matcha, which you often find nowadays as tea, totally hip and healthy.
Matcha has many health benefits, not the least of which is that it can help speed up your metabolism / metabolism without making you feel like you’ve been drinking some strong espresso shots.

Taste of Green Juice

The Green Juice tastes somewhat ” green ” if you understand what I mean. I simply make it as standard with some water in a small glass, stir quickly and clock in. If you want to spice up the taste, you can stir it with some juice or a smoothie. But it is also very good to combine with a yoghurt breakfast where you can add banana and raisins for a slightly sweeter taste.

For those who, just like me, want to know what the stock is like, I have listed some of the ingredients of the Green Juice below:

1. Ashwaganda :

Improves thyroid function, regulates hormone balance in men and women, strengthens the immune system and can help reduce anxiety.

2. Chlorella :

Cleanses the intestines and liver, speeds wound healing, strengthens the immune system and can lower blood pressure and cholesterol

3. Spirulina :

Makes the blood basic, cleanses the intestines and liver, relieves pain and strengthens the immune system

4. Matcha :

Promotes a healthy night’s sleep, increases concentration and strengthens the immune system 5. Lemongrass : has an antifungal effect

6. Kelp :

Promotes healthy thyroid function, strengthens the immune system, relieves pain and prevents arteriosclerosis

7. Moringa :

Works to relieve pain, strengthens the immune system and reduces symptoms in asthma

8. Rosehip :

Provides relief from osteoarthritis, pain and stiffness, can help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and reduces the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

9. Wheatgrass :

Promotes healthy digestion and absorption of nutrients, cleanses the intestines and liver, has an alkalizing and anti-cancer effect and provides relief from anemia, diabetes, cancer, eczema, kidney swelling and colds

10. Rice protein powder :

Promotes muscle recovery and muscle building, provides energy, slows down aging, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and promotes fat burning and weight loss
Read here what else is in it and possibly request the free e-book with more substantive information!

My experience

I really enjoyed it, no more assortment of jars on the counter but just 1 scoop in the morning through my water and ready! The convenience is therefore a big plus and the feeling to start the day right feels good. The taste is easy to do and it gives me the reassuring feeling that on less healthy days I also get enough greens not to relax. For my children, I stir it in a juice to make it a little more attractive😉

I used it a little short to form an opinion in the long term so after the summer I will give an update! I certainly take the pot on holiday to start every day well.

Also have a chance to win a free pot of Green Juice
I can also draw 2 pots from Super Foodies among the followers of Gezondblog. The price is for 2 Super Foodies friends, so can you use some extra energy together with a friend? Let us know below (or on Facebook) why you both want to win such a pot, tag your boyfriend and girlfriend and who knows we might make you happy with some extra energy! We will announce the winner on August 6!

Categories
Fruit Healthy Low Carb Recipes Vegetarian Video

Sushi bowl with marinated mushrooms

 

Greenco marinated mushroomsGreenco marinated mushrooms
The Greenco brand comes with various varieties of marinated mushrooms! I already received a package from them with three different types to make a recipe with, one of the benefits of blogging😉

The package really had to come from Korea so I had to be patient but after 2 weeks I had the pots at home, 2 marinated, 1 of which in olive oil and 1 pickled (inlaid).

Because I love sushi and wanted to make a vegetarian sushi bowl, I recorded a video with it.

Ingredients sushi bowl:

250 gr sushi rice Supplies sushi bowlGreenco marinated mushrooms
1 mango
1 avocado
1 cucumber
pot (280 gr) marinated mushrooms in oil
2 spring onions
2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly roasted
Dressing:

2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
juice of half a lime
Optional:

nori leaves or chips
Preparation method:

Cook the sushi rice according to the instructions on the package and let it cool.
Peel the cucumber and cut it into long strings with a peeler or cheese slicer.
Peel the mango and cut it into long, narrow segments.
Cut the spring onions into small rings.
Mix the ingredients for the dressing.
Drain the mushrooms.
Finally, peel the avocado and cut it into long, narrow segments.
Arrange all ingredients nicely in a large bowl and divide the dressing, sesame seeds and the optional nori chips.

Categories
Breakfast Fruit Healthy Low Carb Recipes Smoothie Vegetarian

Grapefruit, why it helps with losing weight!

The grapefruit and lose weight

grapefruit lose weightGrapefruit with sugar, just like in the old days …
Not everyone is a fan of grapefruits, the taste is a combination of bitter and sour and you really have to love that. I remember that in the past we dipped the grapefruit in granulated sugar …

The fruit is a cross between an orange and a grapefruit. Did you know that a grapefruit contains no less than half the daily amount of vitamin C, also a good reason to add the grapefruit to your diet.

Naringenin, an important substance!
The bitter taste of the fruit is caused by the substance Naringenin. The substance belongs to the group Phytonutrients. In addition to the bitter taste, the substance has an even more important function, namely the stimulation of fat burning. Naringenin reacts to fat molecules that will burn faster due to the substance. Your metabolism also speeds up, this causes your body to burn the fat instead of storing it as an energy reserve. That is one of the reasons that grapefruits also help with weight loss.

Benefits of grapefruit

A grapefruit has many advantages, including:

Contains few calories
A grapefruit contains less than 100 calories and is therefore one of the fruits with the least calories! In addition, it also contains a lot of vitamins C and A. These vitamins

ensure that your immune system becomes stronger. Vitamin C combats bacteria and harmful substances and vitamin A ensures that you do not contract infections and inflammations.

Contains many antioxidants

Lycopene can lower the risk of various cancers.

Your blood sugar levels remain balanced
By eating grapefruit regularly you prevent the cells in your body from becoming less sensitive due to insulin. Insulin controls many processes in your body including your blood sugar level. If your cells become less sensitive to insulin, your blood sugar level rises. That is not a healthy consequence and it can even lead to type 2 diabetes.

Smaller chance of kidney stones
Your kidneys filter all waste in your body. It can sometimes happen that the waste forms stones. The citric acid in grapefruits reduces the chance of this happening.

Good for your heart
The grapefruit contains an important mineral for your heart, namely potassium. This mineral ensures that your heart stays healthy. It prevents that you get too high blood pressure or too high cholesterol.

Recipes with Grapefruit
grapefruit lose weightGrapefruit as the start of the day
Now that you know how good grapefruits are for you, you may want to know how to prepare them. I prefer to eat a (red) grapefruit on my sober stomach, sit comfortably and chew up. But if that is too intense for you, I have a few ideas for you here.

Recipe # 1: Smoothie

Ingredients:
100 ml organic carrot juice (or freshly squeezed in a juicer)
1 grapefruit
1 cm ginger
A fruit piece of your choice, for example: a banana, an apple, 100 grams of blueberries

Necessities:
Blender
Cutting
board Cutting knife
Grater

Preparation method:
Peel the grapefruit and cut into pieces.
Peel the ginger and grate the piece above the blender.
Cut the extra piece of fruit into pieces if necessary.
Put all the ingredients in the blender and make sure everything is blended well.
Dilute it with some extra juice or water.
grapefruit lose weightFresh grapefruit drink

Recipe # 2: As a fresh juice

 

Ingredients for 4 glasses (or a large can)

1 grapefruit
1 hand of mint
1 lemon and / or lime
(Source) water and ice cubes

Preparation method:

Scrub the outside of the (preferably organic) citrus fruit well.
Cut them in half and divide them over the glasses or in a nice water jug.
Add the coin and top up with water.
Recipe # 3: Salad

Ingredients for 4 portions:

200 grams mixed salad
2 grapefruits
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon honey
A handful of walnuts
Pepper and salt

Necessities:

Bowl where the lettuce can go
Bowl for the grapefruit juice
Cutting
board Cutting knife

Preparation method:

Clean the lettuce with water and drain. Once it is almost dry, put the lettuce in a bowl.
Peel the grapefruit over a small bowl. This way you catch all the delicious juice that is released. The juice is in fact the basis for your dressing. Separate the segments and add them to lettuce.
Peel the avocado and cut the avocado into thin slices and add it to the lettuce. You can also cut the slices in half if you prefer.
For the dressing: Combine the collected grapefruit juice with the honey and olive oil. Season the dressing with salt and pepper.
Mix the dressing with the salad.
Sprinkle the lettuce with a handful of walnuts.

Categories
BEVERANGE Easy Recipes Fruit Healthy Low Carb Smoothies

Yummy AVOCADO SALSA

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

3 ripe avocados, diced ½ red onion, chopped 2 tomatoes, diced ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 2 limes, juiced 2 cloves garlic, chopped Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar ½ cup feta cheese Tortilla chips, for serving

PREPARATION

 

  1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and gently mix together. For best flavor, allow
  2. to set 30 minutes. Garnish with additional feta just before serving. Enjoy!
  3. Garnish with additional feta just before serving. Enjoy!

 

 
Categories
Breakfast Fruit Healthy Low Carb Recipes Vegetarian Video

Nut paste versus peanut butter

There is probably no peanut butter in your kitchen cupboard either. Peanut butter is integrated in the fixed spreads so that it is almost unthinkable that someone does not like it. If you have never been to a health food store, then you may not be aware that there are many more types of nut pastes that are very tasty but also very healthy.

Think cashew nut paste , almond paste and mixed types of nut paste , which are now gaining popularity. Not least because they are super healthy. These pastas are all made from pure nuts as opposed to peanut butter, which only consists of peanuts. And peanuts are not covered by the healthy nuts, they are legumes. Another reason why people who follow a Paleo diet do not eat peanut butter, but they do eat nut pastes.

I personally love nut pastes! Delicious in taste, filling and also good for me. The price of a pure nut paste is often higher than that of peanut butter, but it tastes so much purer and healthier that it is worth it to me.
I like to eat it on a spelled cracker or rice cake, preferably with some banana slices, but a snack of pasta on a piece of apple or with a large date is also very tasty.

Nut paste versus peanut butterNut paste with…
For the peanut butter fans I have compared the ingredients of peanut butter and almond paste.

Almond paste is slightly healthier than peanut butter because it contains more vitamins, minerals and fiber. Almond paste is therefore a precursor if you look at the vitamin and mineral content. It contains almost three times as much vitamin E, twice as much iron and seven times as much calcium as peanut butter. Peanut butter also contains vitamins and minerals including vitamin E, calcium and iron, but it does not contain as much as almond butter. Both peanut butter and almond butter contain a healthy dose of potassium, biotin, magnesium and zinc.

Peanut butter and nut paste also contain fibers that give you a full feeling faster, allowing you to maintain a healthy weight. It also helps to lower your cholesterol. Fortunately, all nuts contain fiber. When it comes to fiber content, almond paste comes out better when compared to peanut butter. Two tablespoons of almond paste contains approximately 3.3 grams of fiber, while 2 tablespoons of peanut butter only contains 1.6 grams.

Almond paste contains much less carbohydrates than peanut butter (nuts = proteins, legumes = carbohydrates)

In addition, it is also super healthy to consume nuts or nut pastes. Research studies have shown time and again that people who regularly include nuts or nut pastes in their diet are less likely to have heart disease or type 2 diabetes than people who do not regularly eat nuts. Research also suggests that regular consumption of nuts does not contribute to obesity, despite the fact that nuts are high in calories.

On a strictly nutritional basis, almond paste is healthier than peanut butter, but only slightly. But if you look at the benefits of eating nuts compared to peanuts, a nut paste is definitely a better choice.

If you prefer the taste of peanut butter, choose an organic version. Many ordinary brands of peanut butter are full of junk! Unfortunately, some brands mix their peanut butter with sugar, fructose-corn syrup, salt and hydrogenated vegetable oils. And beware of the low-fat peanut butter that are often the worst.

Do not forget the nuts pasta not properly read the label and choose one that contains no added sugar, partially hydrogenated oils or trans fats or artificial ingredients. The label must contain only one ingredient: “nuts” or “almonds” (and maybe a pinch of salt).