Start Your Day Right With Super Food Smoothies

by Joanna | Guest Post

The beginning of the day may feel the most rushed, but is also one of the most important times for your body and your health. As you wake up in the morning and continue to push the snooze button for that final five minutes of added sleep you may be sleeping away the most important meal of the day. Instead, you can start your day off right with super food smoothies as a healthy breakfast.

The benefits of a smoothie in the morning include:

• The benefit of having a balanced breakfast to jump start your day. For many people, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Not only does a good breakfast provide needed nutrition for your body, it can actually jump start it by increasing your energy level and increasing your metabolism to encourage it to work more effectively. Ironically, for those trying to lose weight skipping breakfast may be the most damaging thing they are doing. Studies show that having a quality meal at breakfast time can actually help to encourage weight loss. A super food smoothie for breakfast includes essential vitamins and mineral that will not only satisfy hunger but provide the needed elements to encourage your body’s systems to work efficiently.
• Super quick and easy to make. With the needed ingredients on hand you simply need to add them to a blender in the morning and within only a few minutes you’ll have a nutritious smoothie full of essential vitamins and minerals as well as full of flavor.
• In addition to being fast and easy to make, a smoothie is very portable. Simply pour the smoothie into a travel save mug or container and drink it on your way to work. For those who spend the last minutes of the morning sleeping you’ll find that smoothies are a great way to reclaim breakfast.
• Smoothies fill you up. Because super food smoothies have high quality ingredients you will find that beginning your morning with one will make you feel fuller longer. You’ll be providing your body with all of the nutrients it needs to have the energy to make it through the morning.

With the variety of super foods available it is quick and easy to start your day off right with a super food smoothie. Simply keep a supply of these fresh foods available, throw those you want each morning in the blender, and enjoy a quick and simple breakfast at home or on your way out the door. A super food smoothie will help to boost your metabolism, provide needed energy, and encourage a healthy weight. You’ll find that mornings start better with a delicious morning smoothie.

About the Author: For other healthy lifestyle tips, click here for more information.

Secret Recipe to Make Your Kids Eat Those Veggies!

by Joanna | Guest Post

(Guest Post) For some parents it’s a nightmare to get their kids to eat vegetables. When my daughter came along, I realized for the first time just how much of a pain I must have been to my blessed mother with my instant rejection of anything that remotely resembled any form of vegetables. However, my trick of coaxing my daughter to suspend the vendetta against vegetables became much easier when I discovered this recipe.

In fact, she ended up liking it so much that I made it conditional for her to have some vegetables twice a week if she wanted this soup on weekends. The arrangement has been happily working so far with no complaints on either side. I hope you will achieve similar or better success with this dish!

Now, whenever we talk of vegetable soup, the first thing that comes to mind are broccoli soup and tomato soup, but they tend to taste quite insipid to taste buds habituated in having them with a generous dose of butter and cream. A truly healthy easy vegetable soup recipe must try to replace those ingredients with healthier options. That is why at Recipezi.com we have tried to present you with an easy vegetable soup recipe that is filled to the brim with nutritious vegetables that supplies you with that much needed daily dosage of fiber and proteins. Besides they are super tasty and will make you forget your craving for meat in no time!

So without further ado, here is your easy vegetable soup recipe!

Ingredients

2 carrots, chopped
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
3 finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup florets of cauliflower
3 finely chopped green chillies
1/2 cup potatoes diced
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
White oil
2 finely chopped garlic cloves
bits of asafoetida

Procedure

1. Stew the carrots, potato, tomatoes cauliflower and garlic enough to make them a little softened. Set aside.
2. Once it has cooled down, transfer the entire contents to the mixer and blend them till they are smoothened out.
3. Take a medium sized pan and add oil.
4. Once it has warmed up a little, add in mustard and cumin seeds.
5. Once the seeds start to make crackling sounds, add the asafoetida and saute for 8-10 seconds.
6. Now add in everything else. That would include the green chillies, vegetable mixture etc. Add salt to taste and keep stirring.
7. Let the vegetable soup boil for a few minutes.
8. Serve the soup hot with bread or add in a dollop of cashew cream if you want. Keep an eye on the calorie counter though!

Omega 3 Benefits & Best Sources (It’s NOT What You May Think)

by Joanna | Guest Post

Many people believe that fish play an essential role of the human diet. Because of the minerals, proteins, polyunsaturated fats and vitamins that their flesh contains, as well as their content of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, fish are touted to be vital for a person’s growth and healthy living.

But have you ever wondered where does the omega 3 and the other nutrients in the fish come from?

Contrary to what most people believe, fishes do NOT produce these nutrients – they get it from… the ocean plants.

That’s right. One of the primary reasons for the presence of omega-3 fatty acids in fish is because they eat microalgae.

So, why not simply go to the source and eat the plants, just like the fish do.  It’s a much healthier, more eco-friendly and much more compassionate alternative. By eating omega-3 rich foods and taking algal oil, you get the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA directly from the source, without the heavy metals and other environmental toxins present in fish.

What Are The Major Vegan Omega-3 Sources Out There?

First, it’s very important to mention that more importantly than the absolute amount of omega-3 in the diet, it is the ratio of Omega 3 to 6 that really matters. You want to keep the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio at 1:4 or even below. Most people today have a ratio of 1:50 and above, which is very dangerous.

The biggest vegan source for Omega 3 are flax seeds. In fact, they contain so much omega 3 that all you need a small handful of them each day, provided with a good overall diet that doesn’t over-exceed the usage of Oemga-6 oils.

Other sources of omega 3 fatty acids are avocados and chia seeds.

Fish used to be the main source of omega-3 for many cultures around the world. The truth is that fish also contains a lot of heavy metals (most notoriously – mercury) and toxins, which are disastrous for our health.

Any Benefits of Omega 3?

Omega 3 fatty acids are good for the heart. They have been found to aid in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Results of studies suggest that these fatty acids can help protect people against stroke due to plaque build-up and blood clots in the arteries leading to brain. People with heart disease are less likely to have heart attacks if they have sufficient amount of Omega 3 reserves in their blood vessels.

Omega 3 benefits have also been discovered not only for those who have health problems but also for pregnant women and unborn children. Pregnant women getting Omega 3 in their diet can have lower chance of experiencing preeclampsia, preterm labor and reduce risk of developing breast cancer. Effects of Omega 3 to the unborn child include good development of brain and nervous system, better eyesight and better sleeping pattern after birth. Researchers have shown that 70 percent of a new born baby is composed of Omega 3 fatty acids particularly, DHA and EPA. Thus, including these fatty acids in the mother’s diet is beneficial to aid in healthy child development.

Omega 3 is an essential component of children’s brain as well. Deficiency of this nutrient may lead to mental certain disorders like schizophrenia. People characterized with such disorder have difficulty in distinguishing the real and unreal experiences. Moreover, Omega 3 can help children to cope with learning demands. It is beneficial for children who could not focus in a certain object or situation. It is also found to help prevent bipolar disorders and even depression. The mechanism for the Omega 3 benefits to mental health is due to its effect in helping maintain the level of dopamine and serotonin that believed to be associated with the occurrence of these brain disorders.

It has been presented here that Omega 3 fatty acid is recommended not only to those who have serious health issues, but any person of any age or any gender, from pregnant women to the unborn, and from children to adult will all benefit from these fatty acids, and in fact MUST include them in our diet, as they are necessary for a proper functioning of our body.

Did You Know?

Another important nutrient for the brain and nerve cells is vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 is produced by bacteria, and is not readily available on a plant based diet. Since plant-based, rich sources of vitamin B-12 are not readily available, supplementing your diet with this nutrient is recommended.