My Relationship With Food

Avocado quick meals are the way to go. I have shared my best of avocado meals on the go. There seems to be not enough time to make a healthy meal and the resort to takeaway food.  Here are quick, easy, cheap meals you can make with avocado and they are delicious and filling.

Avocado and Lemon: it is a great pairing full of freshness and zest and added creamy avocado. Drizzle lemon juice on the avocado and let the citrus freshness burst in your mouth.  It is better in the morning as this will fill you up without feeling heavy. it is my go-to morning meal I would not miss it.

If you are struggling with reducing that tummy try this for a week and see the results for your self. For added fiber and nutrients add some greens and you are good to go.

Avocado and Tuna: Drizzle lemon juice on the avocado, add salt and pepper. Mix tuna with a moderate amount of your favorite mayo and mix it together and top of the Avocado. I am salivating as I am writing this article. That is how yummy this meal is. Full of nutrients and so satisfying. What more could you ask for!

Add a few leaves and you have yourself a nice healthy yummy salad.

Egg and Avocado: This is my favorite meal. If I eat this meal, I will probably eat one more meal for the day. Sometimes I don’t have enough time to eat a lot or snack as I find one good meal filling for a long time. Eggs are so nourishing if eaten well as too much can cause cholesterol build up in the arteries. But if you make eggs a part of a healthy diet they are ok. Avocado is full of good fats that nourish the body for a long time by keeping hunger at a distance.

Hope you get to enjoy these simple meals as much as I do.

Happy Eating.

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About Cholesterol

Often we are told cholesterol is bad for your health but is it really true. I am going to explain to you what I have found out About Cholesterol and how it is related to your overall health. The fact is that 80% of cholesterol is made in the liver while the rest is from dietary sources. Also, the body only makes more cholesterol than it needs if there is inflammation in the body and more cholesterol is required to repair body cells and produce hormones. Here is what you should understand about cholesterol. Certain types of carbohydrates that are broken down into simple sugars are the culprits of inflammation in the body.

Eating good fats like olive oil, avocado, coconut oil can actually promote good cholesterol and keep the levels normal.

What is Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a compound required by the body as a building block for cell membranes and for hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Most of the cholesterol is produced in the liver and the rest from dietary sources. Food sources like eggs, meat, fish, and dairy products.

This may help increase cholesterol production, but not all cholesterol produced by the body is bad. While there is bad cholesterol, good cholesterol is utilized to repair cells and also to make hormones for the body’s maximum function.

Good and Bad Cholesterol

LDL (low-density lipoprotein)

This type of cholesterol is called bad because when the liver makes it in excess, the excess cholesterol is stored in your arteries which can cause problems with blood flow in your body.

HDL (high-density lipoprotein)

This type of cholesterol is called good because when the liver makes it in excess, the excess is returned to the liver so that it does not cause health issues in the arteries.

Cholesterol belongs to the lipid family(fats). The certain type of foods will raise the levels of cholesterol in your body are sugars found from eating excess fruit, foods that break down into sugars like grains, flour products, and potatoes. These foods break down into simple sugars (glucose) which are then converted into fat and cholesterol in the liver. Sweet potato does not do this though it is converted into complex sugars.

Foods that are easily broken into simple sugars like white rice, white potatoes, white pasta can easily raise your blood sugar which then raises your LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol as well. Brown rice and other whole foods have a less detrimental effect on your health. This because the fiber found in these foods takes longer to digest and make you fill fuller for longer. The complex sugars are released much slower into the bloodstream. Another thing is that fiber also binds cholesterol which can then be passed in the stools.

Lowering Cholesterol

It is better to lower your cholesterol naturally than with medication because some medications are known to have side effects. Avoid eating foods that are broken down into simple sugars which in turn can raise your LDL cholesterol. Decreasing your cholesterol levels naturally can be difficult without getting your liver to work better. Also, decreasing the amount of sugar (glucose) levels and burning out the excess glycogen can help lower LDL bad cholesterol.

When the body does not need to use glucose for energy use for our cells, it stores it in the liver and muscles. The stored glucose is made up of many glucose molecules and is called glycogen. When the body needs a quick boost of energy or when the body isn’t getting glucose from food, glycogen is broken down to release glucose into the bloodstream to be used as fuel for the cells.

It is important to understand that high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease all follow the same mechanism of action. These can all be treated similarly. Some simple rules to follow in consultation with your physician are:

• lowering the number of sugars/carbohydrates intake
• get the body to burn out glycogen by lowering your intake of sugars/carbohydrates
• get the body to burn fat/cholesterol for fuel instead of sugar

Intermittent fasting can come in handy to lower your cholesterol naturally. I will write more about this in my next article.

Good luck and Happy Life

The importance of supplements is occasionally underestimated.  I hear people often ask, are they really necessary? I eat well so why should I bother wasting my money???

Well, I have a different opinion and the purpose of this article is to provide some information on the importance of supplements that you may not be aware of, and why even a good diet can be deficient in all kinds of minerals
People often say,  ‘I eat well, so I am not interested in supplements’. Really?

Then why do you feel tired all the time? Why are you getting muscle aches and pains, why the poor sleep and the period pains, why the headaches ect…?
Here is something I bet you did not know. Plants cannot make minerals. They make some vitamins (as do humans) but they cannot make minerals. So how do they get them? They absorb them from the ground.  That is when the importance of supplements come in.
You can have the world’s best diet and you will still be deficient in all kinds of things if you eat food grown in nutritionally poor soil.
In industry commercial crops are grown in nutritionally deficient soil and fed only 3 minerals. NPK. Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K) as these 3 minerals give the appearance of plants being green and lush.
Contrast that to a nutritional mineral rich food like unrefined sea salt which contains 84 minerals. So where are the other 81 minerals??? They are missing…..

Test it for yourself. Go and buy a tomato from a large supermarket.  Is it nice and ripe, deep red color, juicy and delicious?
No, I did not think so. It is not nice and hardly even tastes like food. That is what happens when you substitute quality for quantity, you produce an inferior product with a poor nutritional status. Supplements are vital in that regards.
Now compare the mediocre supermarket tomato with an organic tomato bought at the Farmers market and picked from the garden yesterday. It’s like a completely different food. That is what happens when you care for the ground, nurture the crops and eat food picked from the garden yesterday, not last week or last year.
People who live on supermarket fruit and veg can expect to be deficient in nutrients for this reason. I digress, but you get my point I hope?
Key Nutrients

• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
• Mg (Magnesium)
• Zn (Zinc)

Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) the active form of vitamin C. This is a highly underrated nutrient and is often deficient in peoples diet, especially in the colder months of the year.
In winter, you will notice that citrus fruits are in season, like oranges and mandarins. This is nature telling us to eat more of these foods at this time of the year.

The Vitamin C is essential for a normal healthy immune system, as well as the formation of collagen (the body’s main type of connective tissue) and the normal function of healthy veins and arteries.

Mostly Vitamin C is burned up quickly in times as stress as it is needed for the synthesis of stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline.

Vitamin C is also crucial for elastin, to keep the skin healthy and allow proper elasticity

Yes! Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, along with all the B vitamins which means the body cannot store much of it, so you need to get it in the diet daily.

Like Magnesium, you will get diarrhoea if you take too much which is what happens when the body tissue becomes saturated and cells cannot absorb any more, so excess is passed in the bowel. Reduce the dose if this happens or consult your doctor.

Food sources of Vitamin C include;
• Green leafy veg like kale, chard etc… as well as herbs like parsley
• All berries
• All citrus
• Capsicum
• Tomatoes
• Pineapple and pawpaw

Magnesium

Clinically, the most obvious mineral that people become deficient in is Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium is an alkaline mineral, meaning the complete opposite to acid. This is an excellent mineral to take because you burn up your magnesium during periods of stress. This occurs because magnesium is needed for the synthesis (to make) the adrenal hormones. The more you stress, the more adrenal hormones you make, and one of these hormones is particularly problematic. I am sure you have heard of it. It is called cortisol.

Cortisol has anti-inflammatory effects by reducing white blood cells, which unfortunately also slows wound healing. B vitamins (think energy) and zinc (think the immune system, skin, and reproduction) are all needed to make these hormones along with magnesium.
But if you suffer from muscle cramps/spasm, problems sleeping, period pain or general muscle soreness it is likely you are deficient in magnesium.
I much prefer a powdered magnesium over tablets, as it is much faster and easier to absorb and metabolize into cells. I usually take 200-300mg once or twice a day depending on how stressed I am. It easily dilutes into water or smoothies etc…
However, like vitamin C if you take too much magnesium for your body you will get loose stools. Consult your doctor your dosage if this happens.

Magnesium is found in the following foods;

• Avocado
• Cacao (raw chocolate)
• Nuts (except peanuts)
• Seeds

Zinc

Think zinc!
Zinc (Zn) is one of my most favourite minerals and is needed in more than 300 metabolic actions in the body.

Zinc is often prescribed for the following reasons;

• Increases fertility in both males and females
• Important for connective tissue and skin health and repair
• Stimulates the immune system and is crucial proper white blood cell function
• An important building block for healthy skin, hair, and nails

Zinc is especially important for males as we store much of our zinc in the prostate gland and men lose about 5mg of zinc during ejaculation.
Taking zinc as a supplement can cause digestive issues if the dose is too large, as zinc is toxic at excessive levels in the body.
This is very rare, however just be aware. While zinc can affect the stomach it is also very important for making hydrochloric acid (stomach acid).
Zinc is needed in different amounts in different people and the body usually requires  40-60mg daily, and the body will need at least this amount or more when fighting off an acute infection be it viral or bacterial.

Zinc is found in the following foods;

• Animal meats
• Ginger
• Black pepper
• Seeds (especially pumpkin seeds)
• Nuts (not peanuts)

Zinc tends to hang out in protein foods and is needed for the absorption of amino acids (the building blocks of protein).
All food sources is not a complete list, just somewhere to get you started. I hope you now have a little bit more information on the importance of supplements.

Wishing you health and happiness!

I grew up eating a lot of avocados they are delicious and creamy, In fact, the avocado was the seasonal butter for us back then. We had no choice but to like Avocado as young kids. Nowadays kids are given too much choice (including my kids) and they don’t always end up making the right nutritious food choices. Avocados are a part of wholesome food group and you can read more here.

 

Avocado is a fat dominant food which means it slows down digestion when ingested, which is a good thing to have because it keeps your blood sugar stable and reduces hunger. Avocado contains monosaturated fatty and polyunsaturated fatty acids which help to promote a healthy blood lipid profile.“Studies have found that people who consume avocados as part of a balanced healthy diet have smaller waist circumference and are less likely to overeat and are more successful in losing weight and maintaining lost weight.”

The antioxidants, amino acids  and essential oils  found in avocados can help

• repair damaged hair,
• moisturize dry skin, and may even
• reduce wrinkles

Avocado Healthy Options

Avocado on Toast by far the best meal to keep you fuller for longer.

Eggs are protein dominant and get digested faster than fats, so it is a good idea to combine them with
avocado (protein, fat) to keep you fuller for longer. Eggs and Avocado are also my favorite. Using boiled eggs increases the nutrition value of this meal to 100%.

Avocado and Tomato

I quite like this recipe of creamed beets, avocado, and tomato. I use coconut cream to mix with the mashed beets. It’s delicious. Lazy days meals. I eat this for dinner sometimes very light yet filling and full of nutrients. Ps if you don’t like beets you can use sour cream or greek yogurt as the spread. Avocados are versatile you can use them with most foods because of fo their creaminess.

If your goal is to lose weight or maintain or gain weight these foods combinations with avocado you can never go wrong. try different options and enjoy the Avocados.

Please leave any comments or suggestions below so we can be healthy together.

Lots of Love

Angee

Wholefoods are an excellent source of nutrients to nourish the whole and fight diseases.

Wholefoods are a combination of :

1. Vegetables
2. Fruits
3. Whole grains
4. Legumes

Eating fresh fruit is a good source of dietary fiber. Eat a wide variety of fruit for maximum health benefits. choosing to buy fruits in season provides better quality and value. Also, adding different colors increases the variety of nutrients to enhance your health. You should eat your fruit in moderation though if you are watching your weight as fruits are high in fructose a natural sugar found in fruits.

Legumes

Legumes are part of a larger whole foods group that consist of dietary fiber and complex carbohydrates, so incorporating this food group in your meals you are increasing your intake of plant-based protein. Eating legumes at least twice a week will add a variety of nutrients to your diet without putting on weight. Use legumes in soups, stir-frys, and salads.They have a low glycemic index which means they make you feel fuller for longer.

Salad

Sala adds a variety of whole food to every meal whether you eat them as they are or add it to be part of a meal.  Adding salads to meals adds freshness and a variety of nutrients through color. What we eat build a foundation of our healthy. eating whole foods such as fresh salads promotes the growth and repair of cell tissue which in return support the immune system to fight disease.

 Vegetables

 

 

 

 

Whole foods are the easiest and less expensive meals to prepare. Like a meal below, boil some chickpeas, sweet potato separately and then add your fresh whole food ingredients, drizzle some lemon juice or find my preservative free salad dressing here. Your delicious meal is good to go. I love food like this so clean, no additives, or flavor enhancers. Whole foods help to curb cravings as they keep you fuller for longer, like black rice good for cold salad or add to soups and stir-fries

Meal Preparation is an important part of how we perceive food before we eat it. So taking time to cut ingredients does not only make food look appetizing but increases the chances eating healthy. Most people find that preparing food from scratch time consuming but I think it is the most rewarding activity for your mental health and well-being.

I hope you are encouraged to eat healthy by reading this article. You can also check out my article on how to look after yourself for maximum healthy living here.