Tag: food blog

#Relaxation #food list

Which foods are able to act as natural relaxants and anti-depressants is a question I’m often asked by clients. 

CALIFORNIA WALNUT COMMISSION MEDITERRANEAN DIET
Mediterranean Diet probably is one of the best combinations of ingredients with anti-depressants properties. 
To begin with, an overall balanced diet is always helpful. By that I mean a clean wholefood diet with the minimum possible amount of processed food intake. Macronutrient modulation varies and depends on factors such as your:

– activity level

– overall fitness level

– body composition

– body related goals

– lifestyle

Probably the best healthy ratio is:

– up to 20% healthy fats

– 30-40% lean protein

– 40-50% carbohydrates.

We’ll talk about an ideal macronutrients’ modulation ratio in another article in more detail.

Returning to the main topic, the following is a (non-exhaustive) list of foods with calming and relaxing properties:

1) Almost all fruits and berries: They are full of natural sugar and antioxidants. Fructose is the quickest carb (source of energy) after refined sugar, and your body will automatically feel happier and more relaxed with more sugar in the bloodstream. However, do keep in mind that if you aim to become leaner you will have to pursue a diet with a low fructose content.

2) Oily fish. Fish oil is well-known nutrient that increases the brain’s metabolism. By combining fish oil with nootropics you can easily achieve a state of calm and have a clearer mind. Book aconsultation to get a list of over-the- counter nootropics.

3) Herbal tea. A blend of mint, chamomile, artichoke and lavender is one of the best relaxation options.

4) Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cacao are four spices that were historically used as natural mood lifters and relaxants. Adding a sprinkle of cinnamon in your coffee can help, or even simply inhaling their scent.

5) Chicken hearts and liver are perfect sources of essential amino acids, vitamin B, choline, inositol and Iron. This combination of nutrients is one of the most effective ‘cocktails’ for boosting the central nervous system.

6) Despite the negative publicity and misconceptions surrounding the consumption of egg yolks, the high concentration of cholesterol in them is designed by nature as a perfect source of nutrients. Rich in lecithin, vitamin B, amino acids, choline, inositol, vitamins A and E, phosphatidil serine and many more beneficial substances, egg yolks alone could provide your body with almost everything it needs. However, do not exceed the healthy allowance. Have 1-3 whole eggs a day, adding some separated egg whites if you need to increase your protein intake.

7) Now anyone with a sweet tooth can celebrate – Dark Chocolate!! Yes, having a piece or two of dark chocolate each day will definitely help your body to boost its ‘positive vibe’ hormones.

8) Have a glass of wine. Yes, and YES again!!! But only one, and make sure it’s a high quality wine. First of all, it’s an additional 75 kcal of quick energy that your body will be grateful for. Secondly, high quality wine contains a high concentration of bio-flavonoids and antioxidants.

Taken in a moderate quantities, wine can also act as a minor natural relaxant.

And remember; even if you eat healthily all the time and are a fitness fanatic, allowing your body a little bit of what you really love is always beneficial. By keeping your diet 95% clean, let’s say, you will have even better results than confining yourself to a strict regimen of traditional lean and mean boiled chicken breast, and rice and broccoli.

Enjoy your diet. 

Enjoy your life.

 

Tatiana Dmitrieva 

Chocolate Matcha Coconut Cupcakes

My friends are coming over for a cup of tea today, so I decided to put my apron on and bake cupcakes! Today I’ll be making chocolate flavoured cupcakes with green matcha & coconut icing. Like many of my recipes, this one is created for people who are intolerant to dairy and gluten, but nonetheless the cupcakes still taste amazing.matcha-green-tea-cupcakes-chocolate-frosting_511218

Yield: – 12-15 cupcakes, prep time – 30 min, baking time – 30 minutes, total time – 1 hour

Macros:

Total calories per portion:  about 260 kcal

Protein – about 5g

Carbs – about  15g

Fat – about  20g

Ingredients:

Cupcakes

  • 200ml almond milk
  • 3 scoops of vanilla protein (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp stevia
  • 80ml cup rice bran oil (you can use peanut or almond butter if you prefer but the dough will be drier) 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 240g gluten-free flour
  • 3 Tbsp Cocoa powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp Apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecan nuts

Icing

  • 200 ml unrefined (virgin) coconut oil
  • 1 ½ Tbsp stevia
  • 6 Tbsp coconut milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 5 Tbsp green tea matcha powder
  • 3 Tbsp organic sugar-free chocolate chips (to sprinkle)

Cooking directions3c6d8d80-b8a5-0133-8287-06e18a8a4ae5

Cupcakes

  • Preheat your oven to 180C. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
  • Add dry ingredients to the bowl (flour, protein, baking powder, cacao, stevia, salt) and mix well.
  • Pour milk, vanilla extract, bran oil into dry mixture and whisk until well combined. If the batter looks too dry, try adding a little bit more milk.
  • Pour apple vinegar or lemon juice onto baking soda (the two will burst into bubbles – these will give extra rise to the bake). Immediately stir into the batter. Add walnuts and mix for 20 seconds.
  • Fill each paper cup to 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20-25 min or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

Icing

  • While your cupcakes are in the oven, you can start on cream.
  • Whisk the coconut oil until it gets fluffy  
  • Add in stevia, matcha tea powder, vanilla extract and coconut milk and mix together until nice and smooth
  • Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the cream onto cupcakes, sprinkle on top with chocolate chips

Enjoy!

Protein-Packed Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are buttery and crunchy, and packed with protein. Exactly what you need to treat yourself to after a good workout! You’d have to put them away before you finish them all. These cookies are suitable for freezing.e0a02ef89c439945623d5f448bf35536

Yield: 12-14 cookies, prep time – 5 minutes, cooking time – 10 minutes, total time – 15 minutes

Macros

Total calories per cookie: about 221kcal

Protein – about 12g

Carbs – about 6g

Fat – about 17g

Ingredients

  • 225g organic peanut butter
  • 1 Tbsp Stevia
  • 1 egg, large
  • 2 scoops protein powder (peanut, chocolate or vanilla flavour)
  • 1 ½ Tbsp sugar-free chocolate chips (optional)making-peanut-butter-cookies

Cooking process

  • Preheat oven to 180C and line a baking sheet with baking paper
  • Beat the egg and stevia together
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until your consistency is like cookie dough. If the batter looks runny, add a few more tablespoons of protein powder. You can add chocolate chips, if you desire. Just mix them with the batter.
  • Take 2 tablespoons of dough into your palms and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball and place on a baking sheet. Use a fork to create classic peanut butter cookie criss-cross marks on your cookie.
  • Bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.
  • Leave them to cool for 10-15 minutes until the cookies become harden!

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats

We usually share our recipes for evening deserts, but how about an overnight desert ready to be consumed for breakfast? It still has our favourite oats in the recipe! It’s an overnight oats inspired by a carrot cake. Vegan-Carrot-Cake-Overnight-Oats-sq-8Yield: 2 portions, prep time – 10 minutes, total time – 10 minutes

Macros

Total calories per serving: about 200kcal

Protein – about 10g

Carbs – about 34g

Fat – about 3.4g

Ingredients

  • 80g organic porridge oats
  • ½ cup carrot, finely grated (that’s about 1 big or 1 ½ medium carrots)
  • ½ scoop vanilla protein powder
  • ¼  tsp clove (powder)
  • ¼  tsp cinnamon (powder)
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg (powder)
  • 1 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 Tbsp raisins
  • ½ Tbsp sweetener
  • 1 ½ cup almond milk, unsweetened
  • Flaked almonds, walnuts, berries (to decorate)Oats-and-Carrots

Instructions

  • Finely grate carrots
  • Add carrots to oats, protein powder, spices, chia seeds, sweetener, raisings and mix together
  • Pour in milk to the mixture and stir
  • Place in the fridge overnight.
  • If the oats look a bit too thick for your liking, you can add a splash of almond milk before serving.  Top with almonds, walnuts or raspberries and have a good start to the day!

Enjoy!
*The oats could stay refrigerated for up to 3 days

Sugar and gluten free PUMPKIN Jelly. Little low callorie Vegan treat

This awesome light desert is perfect for any time of the day, completely sugar and gluten free, low in carbs, high in fiber and suitable for vegans. Plus, it’s super easy to make! No cooking required. 

pumpkin jellie

Yield: Serving 4-6 portions, prep time – 5 min, cooking time – 5 min, waiting time – 1 hour, total time – 1.30 min.

Macros:

Total calories per portion:  about 100 kcal

Protein – about 10g

Carbs – about 10g

Fat – about 3g

Ingredients

  • 450g Organic Fat reduced Tofu, drained
  • 495g (2 cups) 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree, canned (you can make it yourself if you prefer). You can also swop it for Apple, Pear or any other fruit puree
  • 1/4 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
  • 2 Tbsp Toffee or Pumpkin pie Flavoured unsweetened syrup
  • 2 tsp Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1/2-1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 portion of gelatin
  • Fat-free yogurt or Cashew butter (optional)
  • 2 scoops of Bannofee pie whey protein (optional if you aim to increase your protein intake)

Directions:

  • Drain tofu
  • Put it between two paper towels to remove liquid completely
  • Prepare pumpkin (apples) if you don’t use canned puree (oven-baked would be a perfect option)
  • Mix gelatin with 3 Tbsp of warm water until dissolved. Do not boil.
  • Put tofu into a high-speed blender
  • Add gelatin and the rest of the ingredients to the blender and puree until completely smooth
  • Pour the liquid into serving bowls and put in the fridge
  • Serve with fat-free yogurt, cashew butter
  • Decorate with nuts and dried apricots (optional)

pumpkin-puree4

Enjoy!

 

Protein banana bread

Yummy, healthy and lean option of your favourite banana bread. I use oat flower and oatmeal to make it even healthier. You can easily fortify this bread with protein powder if you aim to increase your protein intake and swop stevia with other sweaters or fructose. 

Perfect for breakfast, as pre and post-workout snack.

Could be stored up to 3 days in room temperature but usually it’s not the case.

Enjoy. 

banana bread.jpg

Macros per piece: macros is approximate (depends on the portion size)

Calories: about 90-130 kcal

Protein: about 5 grams (without protein powder), about 15 grams fortified

Carbs: about 10 grams

Fat: about 4 grams

Yield: 1 loaf (about 5-6 pieces); prep time: 15 min; cook time: about 1 hour; total time: 1.30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 cups oat flour + 1 cup whole wheat flower + 1 cup oatmeal
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1-2 scoops whey protein powder (optional). I use bannoffee pie flavour.
  • ½ tsp salt (optional)
  • 8Tbsp coconut oil, plus 1 tsp. for greasing
  • 1 Tbsp. stevia
  • 2 Tbsp. honey (optional)
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 ripe bananas, mashed
  • mixed crushed nuts and dried fruits (optional)
  • 85ml/3fl oz unsweetened almond milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice
  • 1 lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

  2. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and protein powder into a large mixing bowl.

  3. In a separate bowl, combine coconut oil butter, stevia and honey together until light and fluffy.

  4. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, almond milk and vanilla extract to the butter.

  5. Add crushed nuts and dried fruits to the butter.

  6. Grease a loaf tin and pour the cake mixture into the tin.

  7. Transfer to the oven and bake for about an hour.

  8. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Bon appetit 

What protein is the best for your health

There is a wide range of protein powders currently. The protein content, quality and value of ingredients used can vary enormously, as can the digestibility and absorption qualities of the supplement. Different types of protein also serve different needs. The array of products found on shop shelves can be bewildering, so here is a quick review with some guidance on what you should be taking.

Read also How much protein should be eaten, How to keep fit over 30, Diets and exit strategies , Why diets don’t work and what you can do about it

1.) Whey Protein Concentrate (WPC)

WPC is the most common source of protein you can find in shops. The protein content of such products usually varies between 70-80%. Some experts believe that WPC is a good option for non-professional fitness practitioners, and for those who are simply looking to increase their protein intake. As a qualified nutritionist and an expert in fitness and bodybuilding I would consider WPC as a suitable option even for advanced users. It can be mixed with carbohydrates in a post-workout shake to boost recovery, and 80% protein content is usually sufficient for most needs.

Recommendation: take it after weight training or mix it in your morning oats after fasted cardio for quick recovery and a metabolic boost. Ask your nutritional adviser to calculate the optimal intake for your needs.

2.) Whey Protein Isolates (WPI)

At between 90-100%, WPI protein content is higher than WPC. This means that the product itself is cleaner, and is of a higher quality. WPI has great absorption and digestibility due to its chemical form; it enters the bloodstream almost immediately following consumption, which is why it’s perfect for a post-workout shake. You can also use WPI if you are on a ketogenic diet (i.e. a no carbs diet), as it’s an absolutely pure source of protein that won’t impact the production of keton bodies (the primary source of energy when you’re on a zero carbs diet).

Recommendation: Do not follow a ketogenic diet on your own without qualified and experienced nutritionist supervision. It could cause hypoglycemia and other health problems.

3.) Hydrolysate Protein (HP)

Experts consider HP as the highest quality protein because of its chemical properties and absorption qualities. However, pure HP is not often found on shop shelves, but is usually found mixed in with other kinds of protein such as WPC and WPI. Manufacturers mix sources for two principal reasons:

  • To decrease the production price without any significant compromise in terms of quality;
  • To provide your body with proteins with various speeds of digestibility, in order for the body to retain its protein supply for a longer duration.

4.) Casein Protein

Casein is a slow-digesting protein. There is a completely different mode of thinking behind casein supplements than with other types of rapid-absorption protein powders. Depending on one’s metabolism, the body needs up to 5-7 hours to fully digest casein; this is why it is perfect as either a meal replacement or a bedtime snack.

Recommendation: Do not take casein after fitness activities as it will only enter the blood stream a few hours later, leaving your body starved of vital nutrients. You can take casein as a bedtime snack by mixing it with a small amount of water. Due to casein chemical properties such a mix will create a mousse-like texture, and could be taken as a desert.

5.) Soy/Pea/Rise/Hump Protein

All plant-based proteins can be taken to increase protein dietary content. They are suitable for vegans, and can potentially be a great way of fortifying their constitution with essential amino acids. However, keep in mind that all vegetable proteins have an incomplete profile of amino acids. According to Gastellu and his colleagues at the International Sport and Science Association, plant-based proteins should ideally be mixed with other sources such as WPC, WPI or HP (which are also suitable for vegans in the majority of cases) in order to provide the body with all the necessary building-blocks for its recovery and maintenance.

Tatiana Dmitrieva,

(OpenMindPortal, OMCommunications, Fit&Treat founder, ISSA Qualified nutritionist, double European vice bikini-fitness champion)

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