About Me

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Hello, dear viewer, and thank you for visiting my blog! I am a dedicated (and certified) Food Coach and Personal Trainer with a very individual attitude to coaching. I search to look beyond people's health issues and modify their lifestyles so that they can live a healthier life, increase vitality and longevity. Recently as a strong believer in natural healing I have published two books on Ayurveda and how to use Ayurveda lifestyle and food at home. Further, I am very much into TCM and the concept of original Chinese Food, especially after my recent stay in China. I am striving to become a Yoga expert through intense training and am practicing some kind of exercise every single day. My second blog http://thrumyeyes-kat.blogspot.com/ is dedicated to my passion to capture the world with my camera and create my own world like that. Everything you will find on these pages about nutrition and exercising is authentic and self-tested. Enjoy and don't forget to send me your comments, which are always welcome in my attempt to meet your expectations even better!

Monday 25 April 2011

Healthfood - The importance of eating grains

Dear readers,

first of all to those of you to whom it applies: HAPPY EASTER!!! 
In our part of the world Easter Sunday and Monday are just like any other working day, but of course we don't expect anything else. Had some Gold Bunnies though... 

Grains! Yes! Over and over I hear people say that they totally avoid carbohydrates in order to loose weight and it always gets me going. Yes, you might loose weight easier and quicker as you obviously burn your salad faster than your wholegrain bun, but that is the point: carbohydrates are the ones that keep you full by balancing your blood sugar level and they do NOT make you fat; it is what you eat with them and your portion size that makes you gain weight. Obviously, please note that our bodies are not made to gorge down the amounts of rice that Asian people consume. Always remember that different ethnic groups have very different metabolisms and thus need very different diets!

If you stop eating grain (I always refer to wholegrain! The essence of the grain is in the husk!) you deprive your body of essential nutrients and fiber. Many fibers even contain loads of good protein, which is especially important in a vegetarian diet. A healthy intake of fiber is vital for a healthy intestine and reduces the risk of bowel cancer. It is the amount and the quality of the cereals, which count!

Try to avoid wheat, many people cannot digest it very well. Pure rye is easy to digest, then there is spelt bread, which tastes fantastic and is easy to digest. 

Apart from these grains nowadays we have the whole lot of variety at your disposal, for example:

-Quinoa (which is a pseudocereal, but still. Rich in protein, magnesium and iron)
-Barley (low in gluten and high in phosphorus, which is important for bones and teeth)
-Millet (gluten-free with similar nutrients as wheat)
There is more out there! 


Use brown rice instead of white one, wholegrain pasta (I know, I know, but with a juicy, low-fat sauce it is delicious) and then there is buckwheat (see my resp. post on this healthy cerial).

You can use all these grains just as you use rice or pasta. Add grains to your salad and use them for your breakfast (e.g. Quinoa porridge).

Following a very easy Quinoa recipe as an example, to which you can add any vegetables you would like:


Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped and other veggies as you like
  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 red onions, chopped

Directions

  1. Bring the quinoa, water, and 1 pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes (it is ready when you can clearly see the white kernel). Once done, drain and set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until the garlic softens and the aroma mellows, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper, and corn; continue cooking until the pepper softens, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper, and cook for 1 minute more, then stir in the cooked quinoa and green onions. Serve hot or cold.

Monday 18 April 2011

Broccoli recipes

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli
(Serves 4)

1. Preheat the oven.

2. On a large cookie sheet, toss together 2 pounds of broccoli cut up into florets with a bit of stem
-2 Tbs olive oil
-1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground)
-1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp. ground)
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper and 
-1/8th tsp hot chili powder. 
Spread into a single layer and pop into the oven for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toss together one pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined, with 
-2 Tbs olive oil
-lemon zest from one lemon
-1/2 tsp salt and 
-1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. 
When the broccoli's been in the oven 10 minutes, add the shrimp to the broccoli and toss carefully.

4. Roast another 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the broccoli is tender and golden around the edges.
I served it in a big bowl of rice and squeezed some lemon on top. It was a big hit.


Crunchy Broccoli Salad

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
  • 1 large bunch broccoli
  • 1 small red onion
  • 4 strips low-fat bacon
  • cup raisins
  • cup chopped walnuts
Dressing:
  • 1/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons vinegar
  • 1 cup sugar or 1/2 cup sugar substitute
  • cup plain non-fat yogurt
Directions
Chop broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Slice onion thinly. Broil bacon crisply and crumble onto paper towel; let sit 15 minutes. Mix broccoli, onion, bacon, raisins and walnuts in a salad bowl. Combine mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar and vinegar in a shaker container. Pour over broccoli just before serving. Toss and serve.

Enjoy your food!

Health food - Broccoli

Dear readers,
first of all I have to apologize for my long absence. The last two weeks have been incredibly busy with a lot of unpredictable appointments, which left me with no time to sit down in front of the computer and come up with valuable information and recipes as to not bore you with what you already knew. So, here I am and as it frequently happens, my dear husband comes up with the topic and I develop it. What a team-work! 



Yesterday when we were having dinner, he inquired about the benefits of Broccoli. He loves Broccoli (which is a good thing) and I had some answers for him right away. 
My father on the other hand hates Broccoli. He insists it is "an American vegetable". I consider myself mature enough in the meantime to have the right to contradict him. :) As he is on my mailing list, I suppose as soon as he reads where Broccoli originally came from, he will change his mind....


Here we go:

BROCCOLI IS NATIVE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN!!! (Dad? Listening?) 
It was engineered from a cabbage relative by the ancient Etruscans, who were considered to be horticultural geniuses. Can hardly get more historical... The ancient Romans considered Broccoli a uniquely valuable food (that was like 2000 years ago just for the records) and it only became known in the States as of the 1920's (Dad? Still listening?)



Enough with the historical excursion, let me talk about the benefits of this delicious vegetable, which you should consume if possible more than once a week:

Believe it or not, 100g Broccoli contain twice as much Vitamin C as 100g Orange!!! 


It is high in dietary fiber, comes with a rich supply of vitamins and mineralsfolate (folic acid), and potassium, it contains the phytochemical sulforaphane, which helps reduce the risk of cancer. In addition, broccoli contains a good amount of beta-carotene. And, unless you drown it in cheese sauce, broccoli is (like all green vegetables) low in calories and virtually fat free :).

In a separate post I will give some delicious recipes. Meanwhile...enjoy your Broccoli!!! 






Sunday 3 April 2011

Health food - Snacking between meals

Dear audience,

so here we are, all together at the beginning of another hectic week, which often finds us rushing from one place or appointment to the other with our stomachs growling at us as they feel so terribly neglected, but with no time to sit down and have a proper meal.

So what do most of us (including me) do? Stop at the next petrol shed and grab something on the go! Which is not necessarily a bad thing to do, but it all depends on the quality of that "something" you buy.

 
Healthy options are:

  • Nuts and seeds mixtures. They provide you with monosaturated fat, Vitamin E, magnesium and a good deal of fiber. Often they come in healthy combinations with raisins or dried cherries.
  • Cut fruits. Many petrol sheds already provide pre-cut fruits, which you can even eat while continuing your journey through the city. Vitamins, fiber and satisfaction by fructose!
  • Low fat Labneh/Yogurt Drink. To have on the go, to add some fiber combine it with a healthy oat bar (no, the ones with chocolate coating are NOT the healthy ones!)
  • Wholegrain sandwich. Yes, they exist! Usually you find them lying close and still next to the white sandwiches...
  • Dried peas. Great option, provides you with protein and all the good stuff that you find in peas. 

Combine your snack with a big bottle of good quality mineral water or a bottle of sugar free fruit juice and off you go to your next appointment!