Saiprojects: February 2016

Superfoods build bones, prevent chronic diseases, improve your eyesight, and even keep your mind sharp. But did you know new evidence suggests these foods can also help you get and stay slim. source-health.com

I'll be looking at a few Superfoods that can help boost weight loss and staying healthy.

-Avocados- Avocados are incredibly healthy and loaded with important nutrients such as fibre & proteins; they are also a very good source of nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients per 1-oz. serving. It also contains Oleic acid which may trigger your body to actually quiet hunger. Eating a quarter of an Avocado at a time helps you burn that belly fat.

-Black Beans- A cup of Black beans is packed with 15grams of protein and doesn't contain fats and oil found in other protein sources such as red meat. This is a really good source to help you stay slim and lose weight when consumed in moderation.

- Salmon- I love Salmon especially when I make it with some steamed veggies. It is a really good source of protein that can help you feel full without adding any fat. Salmon is a leaner choice than consuming red meat and helps boost weight loss.

-Brown Rice- Now as an African, this is probably not really my best friend lol. I say this as I cannot imagine eating brown rice but as the saying goes "you are what you eat", so therefore I need to look after me and what goes in my body.
Brown rice is a very healthy Fibre packed alternative to White rice. A half cup serving contains 1.7 grams of Resistant Starch that helps boost metabolism and burns fat. Plus it is also low density meaning it is heavy and filling but low in calories. I will be buying some Brown rice on my next shopping trip.

-Wine- Now this is my best one, when I saw this online I thought OK this can't be true but hey ho keep reading.
Resveratrol is a famed antioxidant found in grape skin & contained in wine; helps stops fat storage. Studies show that moderate wine drinkers have narrower waists and less belly fat than liquor drinkers. Downing a glass can boost your calorie burn for a good 90 minutes. (source-health.com)

Green tea- Drinking green tea definately can help you shed some pounds. The antioxidants contained in green tea will help boost fat & calorie burn.

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Happy Sunday Foodies, I hope you've had a great weekend so far? The weekend seems to go by so quickly, do you ever feel like there isn't enough hours in a day? If you do, then we're in the same boat.

OK so moving on, I saw the below online & thought to share with my readers! If you're one of those Lazy buggers who just can't sit waiting around for food to get done on the cooker, then take a look through this collection of microwave-friendly cheats I found online. Trust me they save you a hell lot of time.

- Poach an Egg- Make the perfect poached eggs in 50 seconds with this microwave method. Start by pouring boiling water from the kettle into a microwave-safe bowl until 3/4 of the way full. At this point, it’s a good idea to add a dash of white vinegar – this will keep the egg white together. Crack the egg into the bowl and lightly pierce the yolk with a toothpick (this will stop it exploding). Cover the bowl with cling film and microwave on full power for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and very gently turn the egg (for even cooking). Cover with cling film again and cook on full power for a further 20 seconds. Remember the egg will continue to cook in the hot water so remove it quickly!

image source-food.com

-Soften Ice-Cream- If you ever have the urgency to dig in to a tub of ice cream but hate waiting for it to soften? Pop the tub in the microwave and zap on high power in 10 second bursts, checking it each time until soft. It should take around 30 seconds per litre. Scoop into bowls – or if you can’t wait, grab a spoon and eat it straight from the tub. lol...This is probably one of my most favourite things to do in the microwave as it makes life very easy for me.

source-wisegeek

Soak Beans- OK I actually didn't know you could do this. This sounds amazing and I cannot wait to try. I find soaking beans overnight to soften very very annoying and tasking. If you're an impatient Foodie like me, then its worth giving this a try.
To soak dried beans, place the beans in a microwave-safe bowl, add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda and cover with water until they’re totally submerged. Microwave on high power for 10 minutes, and then allow to rest for 30-40 minutes and hopefully should be very soft.

-Bring Crystallised Honey Back to Life- I have started using honey in my tea as I'm cutting down on sugar. I opened my food cupboard the other day and found my honey that had been sitting there for almost a year. I didn't know hoe to bring it back to life. Now this explains it all :-)
Remove the lid of your glass jar and any metal. Microwave on medium power for 50 seconds and stir in a teaspoon of lemon juice. Be careful as it will be really hot.

source-buzzaboutbees.net

Get more squeeze out of Lemon, Orange & Lime- Zap a whole lemon or lime on high power for 20-30 seconds to make it super juicy and easy to squeeze.

-Microwave Crisps- My daughter loves crisps and I find that most crisps contain alot of fats & oils which isn't really good for her being just 8 months old. Now this method is worth a try at your own risk lol. I will definately give it a try as you don't need oil, all you need to make crisps in your microwave is a potato – and a few bits of equipment; here’s how. Slice your potato as thinly as possible using a mandolin, wash in cold water until the water runs clear and dry the slices completely using kitchen towel. Arrange the potato slices on a kitchen towel-lined microwavable plate, ensuring the slices don’t touch (or you risk them sticking together!) Microwave on full power for two to three minutes, remove from the microwave and turn the potato slices over. Cook again for another 3 minutes. Any remaining under-cooked slices can be returned to the microwave to crisp up a bit more if necessary. Repeat with the remaining potato slices. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

source-foodnetwork

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Yes it's the usual suspect again "Sugar".

As the UK braces itself for a sugar tax on all sugar items, a new research carried out reveals that there is more sugar contained in a Starbucks Frappuccino than a bottle of Coca Cola!
Yes, you read that right. Whilst some of us are daily visitors to these cafe's, when they should be periodic.

Action on Sugar said it analysed 131 hot flavoured drinks, including coffees, mochas, lattes, hot fruit drinks and hot chocolates among other drinks that are widely bought from some of the UK’s best-known coffee shops and fast-food chains.

Calling the findings “shocking”, a spokesman for the charity said that 98 per cent of the drinks tested would receive a red nutritional-value label for high-sugar content.

A third of the hot drinks tested contained the same amount or more sugar than Coca-Cola, which contains nine teaspoons of sugar per can, the spokesman said.

Action on Sugar’s chair, Professor Graham MacGregor, said it was “another example of the scandalous amount of sugar added to our food and drink – no wonder we have the highest rates of obesity in Europe”.

With a total of 25 teaspoons of sugar per serving, the worst offender was Starbucks’ venti grape with chai, orange and cinnamon hot mulled fruit, the campaign group found.

Costa’s massimo eat-in chai latte was found to contain 20 teaspoons of sugar, while Starbucks’ venti white chocolate mocha with whipped cream was found to have 18.

KFC’s mocha and Starbucks’ signature hot chocolate both had 15 teaspoons of sugar per serving, while Caffe Nero’s drink-in caramelatte had 13, the charity said.

A Starbucks spokeswoman said the company had committed earlier this year to reducing added sugar in its indulgent drinks by 25 per cent by the end of 2020. She said it also offered “a wide variety of lighter options” and displayed all nutritional information in-store and online.

Kerry Parkin, head of communications at Costa, said the company had “already taken significant steps to reduce the sugar content of our ranges”. She added: “This April, we will be setting salt and sugar reduction targets for 2020.”

But Action on Sugar researcher Kawther Hashem said coffee-shop chains should “immediately reduce the amount of sugar in these hot drinks, improve their labelling and stop selling the extra-large serving sizes”.

She added: “These drinks should be an occasional treat, not an ‘everyday’ drink. They are laden with an unbelievable amount of sugar and calories and are often accompanied by a high sugar and fat snack.”

(source-theindependent)

The research comes ahead of the Government’s childhood obesity strategy, which is due to be unveiled in the coming weeks. It will reportedly recommend that junk-food adverts should be banned from being screened near “family programmes” such as The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.

A feasibility study is also likely to be launched to establish how a compulsory sugar tax could work if firms did not take adequate measures.

Proposals for a sugar tax of up to 20 per cent and the threat of a levy to pressure companies into reformulating their products to reduce sugar content have been championed by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, among others.

Mr Oliver recently urged the PM to “be bold” in order to “shift Britain” away from an obesity crisis.

Starbucks’ venti Grape with Chai, Orange and Cinnamon Hot Mulled Fruit had 25 teaspoons of sugar per serving, Action on Sugar said.

This was closely followed by their Hot Mulled Fruit – Apple with Chai, Dried Apple and Cinnamon Venti with 22 and Costa Coffee’s massimo eat-in Chai Latte, which the campaign group said contained 20 teaspoons of sugar.

Starbucks’ venti White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream was found to have 18, while KFC’s mocha and Starbucks’ Signature Hot Chocolate both had 15 teaspoons of sugar.

Caffe Nero’s drink-in Caramelatte had 13 as did Costa Coffee’s Mocha Massimo eat-in and Starbucks Chai Latte Tea venti, the charity said.

Costa’s eat-in and eat-out Mocha Cortado and Chocolate Babycino were found to have three teaspoons each.

Starbucks Caramel Macchiatto short and Pumpkin Spice Latte with Whip Short were found to have four, along with Leon’s Hot Chocolate and Costa’s Roasted Hazelnut Latte Primo eat-in.

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When the afternoon slump hits, it can be tempting to reach for the candy jar or swing by the vending machine, but junk food’s quick sugar rush will disappear in minutes, leaving you groggier than ever. Instead, it’s time to feed your 3 p.m. munchies more wisely.

“Snacking is often mindless, autopilot eating,” warns Gregory L. Jantz, PhD, an eating disorder specialist in Edmonds, Washington. “Often, snacks aren't eaten because you’re hungry, but because you are bored or are simply used to munching while you engage in certain activities.” A better way to snack, says Jantz, is to optimize the timing of healthy snacks between your meals. “Smaller meals and intentional small snacks help you regulate your blood sugar throughout the day, avoiding large ‘feast or famine’ swings," he says.
source-everydayhealth.com

The below snacks under 100 calories will help you choose your snacks wisely when hunger strikes.

Hard Boiled Eggs- Boil up a batch of eggs, put them in the fridge, and you’ve got an instant snack that packs 6 grams of protein into just 78 calories. The protein will keep you full and may help prevent overeating later.

One stick of Cheese String- One stick of part-skim string cheese has 80 calories and a whopping 8 grams of protein, plus a dose of calcium without the high saturated fat content of other cheese varieties. String cheese is a convenient, portable snack when you're on the go, and it's perfectly portion-controlled, taking the guesswork out of snack time!

A Handful of Almonds- This is probably one of my favourite snacks. Nuts are chock-full of protein and healthy monounsaturated fats, making them a smart snack choice Plus, a recent January 2015 study in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that consuming almonds in place of carbs (like bread or muffins) reduced cholesterol and belly fat, boosting heart health. So instead of reaching for that bag of pretzels for an energy boost, grab a small handful of almonds (10-15 nuts) to power you through the afternoon.

A Slice of Raisin Bread- For a healthy morning snack that tastes like a decadent breakfast treat, try a piece of raisin bread. At 80 calories a slice, you can go ahead and top this with a tiny dab of light butter spread.

A cup of Cheerios Cereal- This classic children’s snack can work for adults too. In fact, you can enjoy an entire cup of crunchy Cheerios for a healthy snack that’s just 100 calories. To make the whole-grain goodness last, take a cue from kids, and eat them one by one.

A cup of Smoothie- Drinking a glass of smoothie is a great way to quell hunger cravings, satisfy a sweet tooth, and pack in produce. Load up on low-calorie berries and add a touch of honey for sweetness. Use just half of a banana to keep the calorie count under 100 without losing the creamy texture. Amazing right??

3 Cups of Air-Popped Popcorn - At just 30 calories per cup, air-popped popcorn is the perfect food to reach for when the urge to head to the vending machine hits. By using an air popper, you get the fiber boost without excess fats and other additives. Enjoy 3 cups for under 100 calories and “eat it one kernel at a time to make it last longer. This is also one of my favourite snacks.

No fat Greek Yogurt- A single-serving yogurt is a portion-controlled snack that's easy to grab on the go. Choose a fat-free variety to stay at the 100-calorie mark, plus pack in a whopping 17 grams of protein and high-quality carbohydrates that help stabilize blood-sugar levels.

Small cup of Latte with Skimmed Milk-The next time you could use an afternoon energy boost, use snack time as an excuse to get your creamy coffee fix. Be sure to order your latte with skimmed milk, and skip the sugary flavored syrups. “Hot beverages are satiating, and lattes are mostly milk, which is a good source of protein and calcium, a nutrient many people are lacking

2 cups of Strawberries- With just 46 calories per 1-cup serving, you can enjoy 2 cups of strawberries and still have calories to spare. They’re a great, juicy snack whenever in season. And frozen strawberries can be just as healthy the rest of the year