There is an utmost need to understand what a ‘healthy diet’ means primarily. As long as we do not know what it is, all the food recipes we see and try to include in our diet would be more ritualistic and such a diet fails to become a routine. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends certain guidelines regarding healthy diet; what it should and should not contain.

As per WHO guidelines, one should achieve an ‘energy balance’ to lead a healthy life. Considering our body as a machine, the total energy intake (food) should be balanced with the energy we spend in doing regular activities like walking, bathing, working and also bodily activities like cell production, blood circulation, respiration, excretion and so on.

1. Majorly for this reason, the quality and quantity of food we consume matters a lot. We should as far as possible avoid fat or shift from saturated fats to unsaturated; because consumption of fat rich food implies more energy intake and inability to spend such vast energy will result in energy imbalance and accumulation of unwanted fat in the body. Same is the case with direct/ normal sugar and sugar based food items.

• Avoid animal fat sources like meat and skin as they contain maximum saturated fat which can’t be digested by the body. Instead go for fish and egg based food recipes.

1. On the other hand consume more of essential amino acids and proteins sources. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of all human beings. Amino acids link up to form peptides and polypeptides. These in turn form the proteins which help in coping for the lost cells in the body.

• Leguminous plants and their products like soya beans, peanuts, clover, peas, beans with corn tortillas can be taken as a part of healthy diet.
• Cereals like wheat, millets and maize are rich in proteins and vitamins. They contain nutrients in optimum desired levels when consumed in whole grain form. When refined, they lack most nutrients and are left with carbohydrates, and to compensate for this they can combined with legumes.

1. Micronutrients are also equally important for humans and regular intake of them can not only avert disorders but can even cure them. Minerals like potassium, calcium, sodium, iron and many more should be taken in the form of food rather than supplementary pills.
2. All vitamins like A, B, C, D, E, K are all required in good amounts for proper functioning of the body parts. Deficiency and overdose cause disorders like scurvy (Vit C), eye disorders like night blindness (Vit A), rickets (Vit D), beri beri (Vit B) and so on. Roughages are also needed for proper functioning of digestive and excretory systems.

• There is no substitute for fruits and vegetables consumed in natural form, because in this way human body has the ability to absorb only the required quantities and reject the excess. Berries too can be included along with them as they too are rich in antioxidants.
• Citrus fruits like orange, lemon and grapes are rich in Vit C. Others like banana, mango, papaya, apple are best sources of all nutrients and roughages. Roots like Carrots, beet, raddish, yams, sweet potato are all best substitutes for healthy diet and ones which can add taste to your food too.

1. Water is considered the best regulatory mechanism for human body. Most illnesses, malfunctioning of body systems like stomach ache, loose motions etc. can be avoided. It also keeps metabolism rates intact and your body more energetic, healthy and cool.

Are u hungry??! Grab some pistachios and enjoy its crunchy delicious taste. Some people may wonder how do these delicious crunchy nuts could also be good and healthy for them. So let’s bring it up people…

It’s called skinny nuts because it has the least amount of fat and calories, the serving of the pistachio will be half a cup with the shells on or quarter a cup with shells off and 1 serving of pistachio has more potassium than a large banana, has more antioxidant than green tea.

Vitamins , minerals and calories.

Pistachios have more than 30  different vitamins and minerals and vital nutrients. Also pistachios are rich in copper , manganese and phosphorus which helps build up your bones healthy and strong. They also contain a noticeable amount of magnesium and potassium which helps regulate heart rate and blood pressure.

Pistachios are also rich in B6 vitamin and other B vitamins so they help you build muscles, boost your energy and fight infection.

In USDA study pistachios were placed in the group of the highest antioxidant capacity when compared to 100 other foods. Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage. And what makes the pistachio green is a compound called lutein which is found to prevent the most common form of blindness in adults over 65. Pistachios are the only nuts to contain this powerful antioxidant.

1 ounce of pistachios serving about 28.3 grams with 49 kernels have 160 calories.

Pistachios and cholesterol.

There is a study published by the American journal of clinical nutrition has found that pistachios can be a heart healthy food because it can lower your LDL and raise your HDL cholesterol.

We all need fat in our diets , it adds flavor and helps us feel full for longer but you have to choose the good fat (unsaturated) not the bad fat ( saturated) , pistachio makes a great snack because they contain almost 90 % unsaturated fat. So you can improve your heart health and lower your LDL (bad cholesterol) and raise your HDL (good cholesterol) by replacing saturated fat with mono or polyunsaturated fat.

Pistachios actually can lower the absorption of dietary cholesterol from food thanks for something called phytosterol in pistachios.

Pistachios are wonderful!!

Pistachios are really wonderful as snacks and they are really high in fiber , 1 serving of pistachio can give you 3 grams of fiber so you can snack on these ,  you can put them in your salads or toss them in your greens , you can even put them on your ice cream it would be so delicious and the good thing about snacking on pistachios is that they make you feel full for longer time and increases the length of getting hungry again , well I think that is a bonus!!! And that happens due to its significant amount of protein, fiber and healthy fats.

I hope you enjoyed food for this week .. keep checking my blog and keep updated.

Have a great weekend everybody.

Walnuts

• Helps protect against heart disease
• Lowers cholesterol levels
• Good Source of omega-3 fats

Today I am going to post about walnuts , it’s a delicious way to add extra nutrition to your meal , as we all know it is a rich source of omega-3 which helps fight inflammation and also rich in monounsaturated fats those fats are very good for our heart.

Walnuts provides lots of nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, zinc, copper, vitamin B9, B6, E, A.

Walnuts also contribute substantial amounts of dietary fiber which makes them useful in case of constipation

A very new research was done on walnuts and came up by this unique information, walnuts contains a compound called ellagic acid which is considered an antioxidant , it appears to block the metabolic pathway that may lead to cancer , the same compound can prevent the cancer cells from duplicating and can detoxify cancer-causing chemicals , so that’s all very exciting news. Walnuts also contain other antioxidants such as selenium and vitamin E.

Image source:whfoods.org

Shopping for walnuts

When you are shopping for walnuts, keep in mind that they are very sensitive to air and humidity so once you’ve opened the walnuts bag store them in an air tight container and preferably in the refrigerator, personally I keep them in a glass jar with a really tight lid they last longer, it protects them and keeps them from going rancid.

Try to avoid roasted walnuts or any roasted nuts because commercial roasting exposes nuts for very high temperature what that does is that it basically ruins the oils and makes them more harmful to us so maybe you are eating walnuts for cancer prevention and if you are eating roasted walnuts it could be actually harmful more than good for you so what you can do is buy them raw it is very delicious that way but if you prefer them roasted you can simply roast them by yourself at home it is very simple , first preheat your oven to 160 degree no higher then spread the walnuts just a single layer on a cookie sheet put them in the oven for about 15 to 20 minutes and you’ve made your own roasted walnuts at home and you have protected the oils that are very healthy for us.

Walnuts makes a great snack!

Walnuts make a great snack as is but you can add them to your salads they are great in salads, you can add them to your rice or to yogurt and if you are still using croutons on  your salads consider switching them out with walnuts because croutons are empty calories and most people wants them on their salads for their crunchiness and you can get that from the walnuts, you can also get the healthy nutrients from them that are good for our heart and protect us from cancer.

Walnuts are so healthy grab some and enjoy a healthy delicious crunchy snack!!

Fall is coming, temperature is dropping and flu is about to start again. Recently H1N1 is on our minds now… so I will be writing today about what to do to boost your immune system to reduce the chance of being ill.

There are lots of things that might impact your immune system for example if you are under stress that can depress your immune system, so you have to practice stress management, physical activity can help release some stress hormones, so if you are under a lot of stress try to include some physical activity to help build up your immune system.

Vitamin C

The next thing is your nutrition, try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables they tend to have lots of vitamins and minerals and the vitamins are generally have a lots of antioxidants that helps build up your immune system. Try to include fruits that have lots of vitamin C such as guava, strawberries, cantaloupe, kiwi and oranges. Also a lot of vegetables have a lot of vitamin C such as bell pepper, broccoli and potatoes.

Yogurt

Another important aspect is probiotics that will be found in yogurt primarily, those probiotics are very important in building your immune system because it affects the good healthy bacteria that is in your digestive tract, so if your immune system is under stress you will need more from these healthy bacteria in your digestive tract so that will be a good time to increase your intake of yogurt. Recently they have came up by new type of cheese that contain those probiotic so this will be another option for those people that aren’t a big fan for yogurt or you can have it as probiotic pills.

Mushrooms

Beta-glucan found in mushroom was found to lower bad cholesterol LDL, to boost immunity, and regulate blood sugar. So try to toss more mushrooms in your salads, soups, pastas and pizza.

Seafood

Seafood is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and selenium, a potent antioxidant. A study was made on healthy men were given a high-selenium diet, they showed a better immune response in improving white blood cells. So include a variety of seafood choices into your diet.

Protein

Protein is also an important aspect in building up you immune system for its high zinc content an important mineral that helps increases the production of white blood cells to fight infection and help them to fight more aggressively so try to include lean protein cuts, beans, skinless poultry, fish and nuts and seeds.

Nuts (vitamin E)

Nuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E which is an antioxidant that helps boost your immune system, vitamin E can be found in seeds, and also in vegetable oils, green leafy vegetables, beans and whole grains.
 So the key in building your immune system is to have a variety of different food.

Boost your immune system by trying some physical activity to release your stress, try to include plenty of fruits and vegetables because they contain lots of antioxidants, include lean meats as beans, lean meat cuts, nuts and seeds and do not forget vitamin E rich food.

Sweet potatoes:                                                        

• Aids iron absorption from cereals
• Linked to reduced risk of arthritis
• A good source of vitamins A,C and E

This week I am going to talk about sweet potatoes, it is a very sweet delicious food let’s talk about its nutritious value.

Nutritious value

Well sweet potato is an excellent source of vitamin A (beta-carotene) and a very good source of vitamin C and manganese also a good source of copper, vitamin B6, dietary fibers and iron. 

Now vitamin C and beta-carotene are very powerful antioxidants which have healing properties they work in the body to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals are chemicals that damage cells and cell membranes and they cause some bad health conditions such as atherosclerosis, colon cancer, and diabetic heart disease, that’s why vitamin C and beta-carotene are very helpful for preventing these conditions. And it’s good to know that the deeper orange, the sweet potato and the higher its beta-carotene content.

High blood level of beta-carotene can reduce skin sensitivity to sunlight, that’s not an alternative for sunscreen lotions or sun exposure precautions.

 Beta-carotene appears to double the rate of iron absorption from cereals such as rice, corn and wheat.

It has anti-inflammatory properties also so it has been linked to reduced risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. And that is why sweet potatoes are a better alternative than the starchy white potatoes. Sweet potatoes helps to prevent arthritis unlike white potatoes that angervate the symptoms of arthritis. Recent studies on animals have shown that sweet potatoes may regulate blood sugar level so it is a very good food for diabetic people to include in their diet.

Check the nutritional value of sweet potatoes in the table below.

  Image source: whfoods.com

How to buy your sweet potato?

First thing you have to avoid sweet potatoes in the refrigerated sections because what happen is the moisture from the refrigeration will change the flavor of the sweet potatoes and cause it to sprout so keep in mind when you bring them home do not store them in the refrigerator just store them in a cool dark place and they last for about a week.

How to include sweet potatoes in your diet?

You can chop them, steam them and serve it with feta cheese salad with a dressing from your choice (low-fat dressing) or you can steam them and mash them serve it with some shredded coconut and some nuts it will be an excellent side dish. The best way and my favorite it to bake them just wash them cut them halves, sprinkle a little salt on it and bake them for about 30 minutes are a little more if it was a big one, the combination of the sweetness of the sweet potato and the saltiness of the salt will give a great taste you can add a little olive oil if you like (Beta-carotene is best absorbed when eaten with fat) I like to eat it with its skin so in that case try to buy organic sweet potatoes, you don’t want to eat those pesticides.

So at the end I hope you enjoyed food of this week try to include it in your diet because it is such a nutritious food.

Fitness needs two important things, healthy diet plan and exercise. There are a variety of exercise plans that depends on the person’s lifestyle and preference, when it comes to diet you have to consume fewer calories and the calories you eat should be healthy.

There are several ways to curb or suppress your appetite naturally without taking appetite suppressant or diet pills. First,

Avoid junk food

First of all because it is absolutely high in fat and sugar such as candies, cookies, potato chips, generally after eating this kind of food you will have the tendency to get hungry very quickly, and because these kind of foods are already high in calories if  you eat again very quickly you will have the chance to eat excess amount of food.

High-fiber food is important

The next thing is fiber, high fiber food will give you the feeling of fullness particularly when there is a lot of fluids that make you feel full for a significant period of time.

Lean protein and healthy fats

Another thing to consider is lean protein and healthy fats such as canola oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts and peanut butter, those types of fats tend to make you feel fuller after having the meals that include them. Try to include lean protein sources in your diet things like skinless chicken, fish and lean beef, any kind of protein is very slowly digested and will stick with you longer so you will reduce the risk of getting hungry quickly later.

Omega-3 fat intake

Omega-3 are essential fats that our body can not make, it primarily exist in seafood and if you are not getting enough omega-3 intake sometimes it may cause you crave on carbohydrates particularly starchy carbs such as pasta or rice or even sweets. So try to include seafood couple of times a week and if you are not, consider supplementing your diet by omega-3 fish oil supplement, other wise include seafood 2-3 times a week.

Eat several small meals each day

Eating several small meals during the day will keep your blood sugar stable and your appetite satiated, maybe it’s going to be difficult at the beginning but it really works it will prevent you from eating unhealthy snacks like potato chips or candies, for example try eating fruits and nuts between your meals. If you have a family dinner try to eat a moderate or half portions.

Exercise

Exercise makes you lose weight and when you exercise your body releases natural endorphins which helps suppress your appetite for a short period of time.

Try make some exercise such as walking for 20-30 minutes on treadmill after dinner that will make you even have a better sleep at night.

Green tea

Some researches have found that the major chemical component of green tea made rats lose 21 % of their appetite and made them consume up to 60 % less food after 7 days of daily injection.

Distract yourself

When we are bored, worried or even alone sometimes we have the urge to eat, it is not real hunger so try to distract yourself by going to the gym or do some house work or anything that may entertain you, try reading a book. Distracting yourself will make you curb your appetite.

We are all different. There are several ways to suppress your appetite, find your ways and stick to them.

Every diet plan has a recommendation for appetite suppression; you have to do what works with you and feel comfortable for you to curb your appetite.

Planning a low calorie diet is easy and simple. The first thing you have to do is to look how do you normally eat and try to identify some foods which are high in calories, high calorie foods mostly tend to be either high in sugar or high in fat. High sugar foods mostly come from soda beverages, soft drinks, smoothies, sports drinks and juices. All those types of beverages tend to have high calories, now let’s say you want to drink a soft drink, the good thing you have to do is to flip over your can and make sure you check how much is the serving size, sometimes the calories written on the can is not for the entire can, maybe it is just for half of the can or less, for example if the calories written were 50 calories for 1 serving that is not necessarily means the whole can contains 50 calories, thus when you drink it you will maybe be taking 100 or 150 for the entire can instead of 50 calories, so again check the serving size it is really important to read the food labels very carefully, focus on the serving size. You can take sugar-free beverages but not frequently because it has artificial sweeteners that may harm your health, you can go for unsweetened tea or barely sweetened or simply water, by that way you will be eliminating a lot of calories from your diet.

The next steps is to watch your actual meals, how they are cooked or prepared, if it’s deep fried there will be a lot of calories that’s because all of the additional fat. If you are eating fatty meats such as bacon and sausage that’s going to have a lot of calories too. So you have to choose food tend to be so lean if you are going to choose meat, and if you are looking for plant sources, it is going to be healthy fats but still they contain high calories, so you have to practice how to control your portion size. For example if you want to eat some nuts you have to limit your intake to 1\4 cup not more, if want to eat avocados which contain very healthy fats you have to split it in half and share it with somebody, eat quarter of 1  small avocado at a day if you are watching your calorie intake.

 When it comes to olives, limit your intake to 3 large olives. When cooking or stir-frying food or vegetables or any item don’t use too much oil, just add a small amount to prevent sticking the food in the pan. One thing I do when I stir-fry my vegetables is to add a little bit of oil about 1 tablespoon to the entire pot and when it starts sticking I just sprinkle few drops of water and stir the food again, do it again and again until your vegetables are done, but do not use  a lot of water that will spoil your stir-frying.

Make sure you choose fat-free or low fat food when it comes to dairy products. Choose skimmed milk or low fat cheese.

If you want to enjoy a sandwich with mayo, why don’t you choose low fat mayo, you are going to save lots of calories by that, spread a little bit on your sandwich or you can substitute it with avocado spread, yes it’s high in calories but at least you will be taking healthy fats but remember to use it in moderation about 1 tablespoon  of avocado into your sandwich.

Another thing you have to know is to see how often do you eat at the end of the day, it is better to eat small frequent meals than eating large big meals that will help you not to feel hungry frequently between meals but you have to practice portion control, even when it comes to healthy fats such as seeds or avocado or olive oil.

One last thing to keep in mind when planning a low-calorie diet is to learn about food calories, it is all over the internet, just search for the food you want to eat to know what actually you are eating or how many calories you are consuming a day, some good sites are nutriotindata or calorieking or caloriecount . Try to search also for healthy recipes over the internet, most of them have nutrition fact list, so it is easier to know how much exactly your meal is going to be. I have written an article before about how to make pizza at home in a healthy way, it is going to cost you 300 calories for the entire pizza. Common pizza restaurants will cost you 350 calories for 1 slice.

So at the end I have to say that following a low calorie diet is so easy just follow the steps I’ve mentioned then see the great results in losing your extra weight permanently, it is not like the diet scams that make you lose 10 pounds in a very short period of time that you will gain it later so fast after going back to your normal eating patterns because it is mostly water loss not fat loss, following a low calorie healthy diet will make you lose weight slower than those fad diets (3 day diet or 7 days what you can eat and others) but it will certainly make you lose fat not fluids, in addition it keeps your body healthy not making you lose muscles and fluids.

Be active, plan to walk or jog at least 3 to 4 times a week, it is summer time what are you waiting for, why not to enjoy swimming, . Ride your bike, get out there walk or run with your friends or family even your pets, use your roll skates and enjoy, there are million of ways to get and stay active just use your imagination. All of that will help you keep your lost weight away in addition of getting and staying active, fit and healthy.

I hope you found  useful tips in this article that may help you in your daily diet. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and ask through Q&A page.

Image Source: Freedigitalphotos.net

Strawberry

• Has anticancer effects
• Raises body antioxidant level
• Rich source of vitamin C

Today’s health topic is about strawberries, well it’s summer and we have delicious fruit season coming our way, I will talk about one of my favorite which is strawberry. Strawberry come into season in april they last all the way through July so take advantage from them now while they are the most nutrient condensed and the most delicious.

Strawberry health benefits

So today I will be sharing with you the health benefits of strawberries, not we really need a reason to know the health benefits because they are really delicious but you have to know that they are packed full of antioxidants that are very powerful and has anti-inflammatory properties and very highly concentrated of vitamin C plus strawberries are very supportive for joint health, a great food to add if you suffer from arthritis, strawberries are also packed full of vitamin K and magnesium which support our bone health, it also contains potassium, vitamin B2 and B5.

Image source: whfoods.com

Strawberries are a key source of ellagic acid which is a phenolic acid that has a potent anticarcinogenic activity and also acts as an antioxidant. Lots of laboratory studies indicate that ellagic acid can inhibit the growth of tumors.

There has been a study done on animals which they eat strawberry rich diet they’ve found that strawberry actually fight free-radical that decrease brain function so they found that those animals improved their motor skills and their learning capacity, so that is really wonderful!

Strawberries are always a sensual delight and with their low calorie content they are a giult-free indulgence. 1 cup of strawberries contain about 43 calories so if you feel you need something sweet grab some strawberries instead of chocolate or candies, they are sweet by themselves!!

How to pick your strawberries?

Now you have to know how to pick your strawberries from supermarket or grocery stores, first of all you have to choose the ripen strawberries because once they are picked they don’t ripen anymore. Then you have to smell the strawberry it should have a really rich aroma, then next notice the color choose the deep dark red and healthy strawberries have a dark green stem to it.

One thing you have to know about strawberries that they do not last long so you have to eat your strawberries with in 3 days, and if you washed them before you refrigerate them that will actually shorten their life so try possibly to wash them right before eating.

Strawberries are really delicious as is, so you do not need a recipe to include strawberries into your diet, but if you need some healthy ways so you can add some strawberries to your fruit salad or eat strawberries with low fat cheese it is really delicious, you can add some honey on your strawberries and be a little creative and add some nuts to make it even more healthy so you have strawberries, honey and nuts yummy what could be better than that?! or you can bake a strawberry cake, try making strawberry cheese cake using low fat cream cheese into it, it will perfect.

And for a bonus strawberries have a low glycemic index about 40 so consider it if you are following a low-GI diet and certainly you can add it to a healthy balanced diet because it is low in calories as I mentioned previously.

So I hope youo enjoy strawberries while they are in season, and I hope you find good useful tips for you in this article.

Image Source: Freedigitalphotos.net

Pineapple

• May have an anti-inflammatory effects.
• Used as a meat tenderizer.
• Useful source of vitamin C and potassium.

This week I am going to talk about a healthy juicy yellow fruit which has that tasty tropical flavor, it is pineapple.

Pineapple health benefits

Most people complain about improper digestion due to over indulgence at weekends. Pineapple helps in digestion so if you know that you’re going to over indulge make sure to eat couple of slices of fresh pineapples right after your meal to avoid this discomfort feeling after eating. Fresh pineapple is famous for containing the plant enzyme bromelain, that acts as digestion aid, bromelain breaks down proteins and most is found in the stem rather than the fruit of the plant. Bromelain is used commercially as a meat tenderizer and there has been much interest in its potential medicinal uses as supplement. Bromelain is only found in fresh raw pineapple you will not going to find it in canned or cooked pineapple, so make sure you eat your pineapple fresh.

Canned pineapple are also delicious but I want to encourage you to look carefully on the label some contain antacid with has aluminum that cause kidney stones, it also inhibit mineral and nutrient absorption from our foods but you do have a natural solution and that solution is fresh pineapple.

Pineapple has anti-inflammatory properties to it so it is a very good food to add it to your diet if you suffer from inflammatory issues like arthritis or sinuses or even sore throats or asthma, also pineapple are very high in vitamin C which is a powerful antioxidant it also contains manganese and vitamin B1 and B6 and it is very low in calories about 76 calories for a full cup so it is excellent for a snack.

Image source: whfoods.com

How to purchase your pineapples?

Well it is very easy, all you have to do is smell the pineapple it should have a sweet aroma it should also be heavy for its size and if you press it with your thumb it should just give slightly, another thing, you don’ want to bring your pineapple at home unripe because once they are picked they do not ripen anymore.

The best way to eat your pineapple is simply raw, you can add this to your salad or to your smoothies, you can make fruit salad with pineapple, mango, kiwi and papaya for example it will be great. And you can add pineapple slices to your grilled fish with lemon, mustard sauce, or make it as a topping for your cooked chicken, you can make this topping by adding cilantro leaves, some lemon juice, little garlic and some small cubed tomatoes and olive oil to pineapple it would be a very tasty dish.

Pineapple has a medium glycemic index which is 59, make sure you add it to your diet.

I hope you enjoyed food of this week. always take care of your health because it is worth it!

Pumpkin seeds

• Helps lower your cholesterol levels.
• Have anti-cancer effect (Laboratory and animals studies indicates that phytosterols in pumpkin seeds can inhibit cancer development in colon,breast and prostate cells).
• Good source of omega-3 fats and zinc ( which is important for immunity and fertility)

This week I am going to talk about pumpkin seeds, those crunchy nutty delicious and nutritious food. After reading this article you are not going to throw your pumpkin seeds away from your halloween pumpkin, it has lots of health benefits. Now pumpkin seeds is a very good source of protein and contain healthy fats which is omega-3 a heart-healthy nutient. It also has beta-carotene.

Zinc is one further nutrient in pumpkin seeds that might impact prostate function, you may suffer from zinc deficiency if you are having common cold frequently or you may have impaired sense of taste and smell. Pumpkin seeds has an effect to lower you blood sugar level too, it also helps to promote prostate health, recent researches have shown that using pumpkin seeds help those who have benign prostate enlargement. Pumpkin seeds are rich in fiber, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and vitamin K also tryptophan ( an essential amino acid formed from proteins it may enhance relaxation and sleep and it has also many others health benefits).

Image source: whfoods.com

Preparing pumpkin seeds at home is very easy!

Now preparing pumpkin seeds at home is very easy, of course you can get them from any store so I encourage you to store them in a sealed bag in the fridge to protect those healthy fats and you can store them up to 6 months, make sure you avoid brown seeds which may be rancid and chew your seeds well. But you can prepare your own pumpkin seeds at home so easily. Just rinse them and dry them off, put them on a pizza pan or flat cookie sheet then preheat the oven to 160 degrees you don’t want to burn them keep it on low temperature to save those healthy fats in them.

Seasoning your pumpkin seeds is very simple you can add sea salt maybe cayenne pepper to make them a little spicy or you can be a little creative and add some soy sauce make a soy sauce mister ( spray) like alive oil mister and mist your pumpkin seeds like that.

Bake them for 15 to 20 minutes max you don’t want to burn them you want to protect the healthy oils there.

How much to eat?

One tablespoon of pumpkin seeds about 1\2 ounce (14 grams) unhulled contain about 60 calories.

Be creative!

Enjoy pumpkin seeds in salads, rice dishes and baking. You can make them a healthy snack, add them to your cereals or to your oat meal plus they are wonderful in greens so when you cook your greens add pumpkin seeds to them. You can be more creative, mash them and add them to your meat loaf or hamburger patties or you can substitute pumpkin seeds for pine nuts in home made pesto sauce, just grind pumpkin seeds with pesto or basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper.

So now you know pumpkin seeds are very tasty very healthy, make them a part of your diet.