Posted By Allied Travel Careers on May 27, 2014 | 0 comments
Nutritionists, dietitians, and even the employee at your local Whole Foods will tell you; “Superfoods” are a big deal. But what exactly is this buzzword everyone has been talking about lately? Well, “Superfoods”, are said to not only curb your mid-day snack cravings or help you maintain a healthy weight with calorie-sparce snacking but they also have been proven to benefit all aspects of your general health. Travel therapists can sometimes lose sight of keeping up with positive eating-habits, but investing in a diet rich in these foods are an easy way to do so.
Reducing risks of cancer, lowering cholesterol, and even causing better moods are some of the perks of Superfoods, according to WebMd. Balancing varieties of these foods can provide nutritional benefits in the easiest way possible and without even needing to take supplements. Also, these foods can easily be found at any grocery store and are great for snacking. Load up on antioxidants throughout long workdays as simply as eating a handful of blueberries. Antioxidants found in blueberries have been linked to cancer prevention and even improvements in brain development.
Which Foods are “Super?”
Super Food Rx’s website lists the following as “Superfoods:”
The Different Types & Benefits
- Fruits and nuts offer are loaded with anti-oxidants and combat free radicals. Free radicals are basically any of the bad environmental factors that can weaken the immune system such as pollution. Additionally, these foods such as coconut oil can regulate metabolism or reverse aging with Goji berry consumption.
- Green foods like wheatgrass and leafy green veggies are beneficial for many things like aiding in digestion, boosting fat burning compounds, and fight off illness.
- Herb Superfoods like nettle can help regulate the bowels and ginseng can combat stress and elevate energy levels.
WebMd quoted nutritionist Elizabeth Somer, author of Food & Mood, Nutritionfor a Healthy Pregnancy, and The Essential Guide to Vitamins and Minerals who said, “50% to 70% of suffering could be eliminated by what people eat and how they move: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension can all be impacted.”
Even sweet potatoes, cocoa. and red wine are considered Superfoods! So treat yourself to that glass of spirits and indulge on some dark chocolate while improving your health. It sounds like a win-win to me.
Allied Travel Careers Favorite Superfood Recipes
- Healthy Mexican Sweet Potato Skins- A healthy revamp of a chain-restaurant favorite, loaded potato skins high in fiber and protein and low in calories. At only 195, this is a treat that can’t be beat! And, this fiesta of flavor is super easy and quick to prepare. Additionally, this snack is great for vegetarians.
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 2-4 INDIVIDUAL chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed (not the whole can!)
- 1 ounce light cream cheese
- ¼ cup light sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)
- ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 6 tablespoons shredded cheese (Pepperjack, Cheddar, Colby Jack… anything will work!)
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.
- While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt and other Mexican seasoning (as much as you want). Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans.
- Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.
- Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.
- Mix the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon, depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro.
- Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds raw salmon1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 4 green onions, sliced
sesame ginger honey glaze
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl or baking dish, combine olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar and whisk well until combined. Add salmon to the dish or place everything in a ziplock bag, then refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the broiler in your oven. (Or preheat your grill, etc if you prefer to use something else.)
Remove salmon with kitchen tongs and place directly on the wire rack. Sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper, then place directly under the broiler. Cook for 10-12 minutes, depending on the salmon’s thickness (our’s was just about an inch thick), until opaque and easily flakable with a fork. You can flip the salmon halfway through cooking if desired.
Remove and serve immediately, with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, green onions and the glaze below.
sesame ginger honey glaze
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour over salmon.
As mentioned earlier blueberries are one of the best superfoods for loading up on antioxidants. Plus, personally, I’m willing to sample any food with the word “pizza” in it. And, not to mention, it has Nutella in it!! This summer, try something new with this contemporary dessert pizza. Ingredients
- 255g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- tsp salt
- 1 x 7.5g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
- 175ml/6fl oz tepid water
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling
- 6 tbsps nutella
- 300g mixed berries
- 100g white chocolate grated
- A few mint sprigs, to serve
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk together the yeast, water and honey and allow to stand for a few minutes until frothy, then stir through the olive oil.
- Make a well in the flour and pour in the wet mix. Using your fingertips, slowly bring the flour in from the sides and continue to mix until a rough dough forms.
- Turn out the dough on to a floured work surface and knead for about five minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little extra flour until it becomes smooth.
- Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel or clingfilm and set aside in a warm spot for about 45 minutes, or until it has doubled in size. Punch the dough down on a lightly floured surface, then knead again for a minute and place back in the bowl to rise for a further 10 minutes.
- Pre-heat a pizza stone on a hot barbecue for about 30 minutes or in the oven at 200oC.
- Divide the dough into three pieces and roll out into rounds as thinly as possible.
- Pop one of the bases on the pizza stone and spread the base with the nutella. Add the mixed berries and sprinkle with the grated white chocolate.
- Cover with a lid and bake the pizza on the barbecue for about eight minutes or until the crust becomes crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough. Decorate with the mint sprigs.
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