Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Eating Healthy-Part 2

Before you read this please refer back to Part 1 to understand more of this series if you already havent read it from the start. However, if you have then please continue on reading and i hope you learn something new and helpful and i hope you enjoy! :D


4. Drink lots of water
Water is very good for your body. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, but it also keeps our skin hydrated and its helps avoid causing tiredness, low energy and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.


5.Try different types of protein
Protein gives us the energy to get up and go—and keep going. A lack of protein in our diet can slow growth, reduce muscle mass, lower immunity, and weaken the heart and respiratory system. Protein is particularly important for children, whose bodies are growing and changing daily. Whether or not you are a vegetarian, trying different protein sources—such as beans, nuts, seeds, peas, tofu and soy products— it will open up new options for healthy mealtimes.
  • Beans:  Black beans, navy beans, garbanzos, and lentils are good options.
  • Nuts: Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and pecans are great choices.
  • Soy products: Try tofu, soy milk, tempeh, and veggie burgers for a change.
  • Avoid salted or sugary nuts and refried beans.
Downsize your portions of protein. Try to move away from protein being the center of your meal. Focus on equal servings of protein, whole grains, and vegetables.

Focus on quality sources of protein, like fresh fish, chicken or turkey, tofu, eggs, beans or nuts. When you are having meat, chicken, or turkey, buy meat that is free of hormones and antibiotics.


6. The brighter the better...
The brighter, deeper colored fruits and vegetables contain higher concentrations of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants—and different colors provide different benefits.

Fruits and vegetables are the foundation of a healthy diet—they are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber.
Fruits and vegetables should be part of every meal and your first choice for a snack—aim for a minimum of five portions each day. The antioxidants and other nutrients in fruits and vegetables help protect against certain types of cancer and other diseases.

Some great vegetable choices are:
  • Greens: Greens are packed with calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins A, C, E and K, and they help strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. Be adventurous with your greens and branch out beyond bright and dark green lettuce—kale, mustard greens, broccoli, Chinese cabbage are just a few of the options.
  • Sweet vegetables: Naturally sweet vegetables add healthy sweetness to your meals and reduce your cravings for other sweets. Some examples of sweet vegetables are corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes or yams, winter squash, and onions.
  • Fruit: A wide variety of fruit is also vital to a healthy diet. Fruit provides fiber, vitamins and antioxidants. Berries are cancer-fighting, apples provide fiber, oranges and mangos offer vitamin C, and so on.

7. Add calcium for strong bones
Calcium is one of the key nutrients that your body needs in order to stay strong and healthy. It is an essential building block for lifelong bone health in both men and women, among many other important functions.

Good sources of calcium include:
  • Dairy: Dairy products are rich in calcium in a form that is easily digested and absorbed by the body. Sources include milk, yogurt, and cheese.
  • Vegetables and greens: Many vegetables, especially leafy green ones, are rich sources of calcium. Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, summer squash, green beans, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms.
  • Beans: For another rich source of calcium, try black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans.

8. Don't skip breakfast!!!!!
A healthy breakfast can jumpstart your metabolism, and eating small, healthy meals throughout the day (rather than the standard three large meals) keeps your energy up and your metabolism going. It really helps because if at the start of the day you choose a healthier food option than that means that when lunch time comes around you wont feel as hungry and you'll eat less and less throughout the day! Also, avoid having snacks before going to bed because that is very bad for you.

Here is a table to help you pick out a healthy breakfast to keep you set for your day ahead:




Quick Tips:

  1. Take time to chew your food and enjoy mealtimes. Chew your food slowly, savoring every bite. We tend to rush though our meals, forgetting to actually taste the flavors and feel the textures of what is in our mouths. Reconnect with the joy of eating.
  2. Avoid: Refined foods such as breads, pastas, and breakfast cereals that are not whole grain.
  3. Avoid: sugary drinks, one 12-oz soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, more than the daily recommended limit! Try sparkling water with lemon or a splash of fruit juice.
  4. Eat naturally sweet food. Such as fruit, peppers, or natural peanut butter to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Thank you all so much for reading! I hope this helped and that you enjoyed it.


-Noura/YoungChefQ8





Sunday, June 19, 2011

Eating Healthy-Part 1

Before starting this post i want to say that it is going to be about eating healthy and i am in no way a professional in any way and I’m not stating to be! After A LOT of research and hard work of making this post that many people requested for me to do, I am doing it and a lot of people can just go and research like I did but I made it a little easier for some people to put it together if they are interested. If you don’t want to read it then you don’t have to! You can just exit the page and wait for the next post that you are interested in reading but please don’t leave any negative and hurtful comments! Thank You!

In this modern time I think that there is a lot of pressure for being thin and for me that’s not really the message that deserves to be given for the later generations because I don’t think its about the looks or about how stick thin you are but about how healthy you are!
If you eat healthy and your body is healthy then I don’t think it’s very necessary to be stick thin.
The problem I’ve had is with eating food that is not so healthy. After I became a vegetarian I definitely lost some weight and I actually chose this lifestyle because I wanted to not because I was forced to and I didn’t do it to lose weight but it really did help me with losing some weight.
A vegetarian lifestyle is different than people who choose to eat meat but even with the different food lifestyles. I think it’s sometimes hard to lose weight with both because of some bad choices with food that is unhealthy and the lack of exercise.

   
1. If you can, check the calories on the food your eating
This doesn't mean that you should obsess over everything you eat and if the number is high that you shouldn’t eat it! It just means be responsible with what you eat. You can eat what you like but you are the only person that can stop yourself and you should know when to stop and say enough is really enough!

2. Fatty foods are not always bad for you
Your body needs fat to get energy but again, don’t forget that you are the only one that can stop yourself and if you eat too much, that’s when it really starts to build up the bad fats and getting excess that you really don’t want or need.


3. Exercise

Eating healthy will give you some health benefits, but you won't achieve the full benefits possible unless you exercise. Exercising doesn't have to be hard, and you don't even have to try so hard. Just go for a short 30 minute walk four times a week and it will greatly improve your health. Start out slowly, if you must.
I really like to jump rope and I start with 25 jumps and add 5 each time till I get to 100. Anyway that you can exercise whether it’s swimming or at the gym than do what you like best.




*Part 2 coming soon*





 
-Noura/YoungChefQ8
 

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Quick Update

Hello Everyone,

I'm so sorry it's been so long but I finally finished my exams and my summer has officially started! :D
For the next few posts I think they are mostly going to be recipes. I have some really nice ones coming up!
And i also am going to do episode 4 of 'My Favourite Vegetarian Dishes' series very soon. Thank you all for the amazing suppost and to everyone who continues to read my blog. Also, a big thank you to all my twitter followers! :D

Follow me on twitter for updates: @YoungChefQ8

*I'm really excited that my summer holiday has started:



*If you have any requests for future posts leave me a comment below or contact me.

-Noura/YoungChefQ8


Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Review: Elevation Burger

I finally got the chance to try out Elevation Burger. I had passed by during their soft launch but because it was a soft launch the timings were not set and they were closed at the time of my visit. So i waited until the official opening to try it out.


It was very crowded when i went and the only table available was the one in the corner facing the window but i didn't mind so i placed my order and waited. The waiter got us our order to our table.






I ordered their veggie burger with:
  • Cheese
  • Lettuce
  • Balsamic Mustard
i actually really enjoyed it! I am actually a fan of veggie burgers and i've always eaten them and i loved their balsamic mustard sauce! It's really tasty with the burger.
Price: 2.050 Kd


My mom got the cheeseburger with:
  • Lettuce
  • Caramelized Onions
  • Elevation Sauce (a tomato based sauce)
  • Pickles
She liked the burger and she also really liked the sauce. My mom never eats raw onion but she really likes it when its caramelized and they didn't dissapoint.
Price: 1.750 Kd


We also ordered two fries:
The regular fresh fries- Price: 0.750 Kd
Fancy fries-(regular fries with cheese) Price: 1.200 Kd

And we ordered 2 fountain drinks:
Diet Coke for me and Sprite for mom-Price of both together: 1.300 Kd


*I just read on their twitter that they are closed now for a short period and im not sure when they are reoppening but follow them on their twitter for updates. (Updated as of 6/6/2011)

*They have now re-opened. (Updated as of 10/6/2011)


Check out their website: http://www.elevationburger.com/
Follow them on twitter: @ElevationKW


They are located at Avenues, Phase 2, First Floor, Next to Napket but on the outside.


Thank You For Reading!

xoxo, Noura/YoungChefQ8

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Review: Cocoa Room's Breakfast

After my exam i passed by cocoa room next to slider station for breakfast.. i can very happily say that it may be the best breakfast I’ve had in a very long time!

The food was delicious, the staff was really friendly and very helpful, the service was a little slow but that is understandable since it just recently opened.

And what really impressed me was that all the food was fresh made, like i ordered a scramble egg burrito and it came wrapped in tortilla bread which is made fresh by the restaurant itself!

Ok, so the food:

I ordered the Scrambled Egg Burrito it's scrambled eggs with cheese and bacon (but i had the bacon removed) wrapped in homemade tortilla bread. SOO GOOD! I very rarely eat eggs and i dont order them anywhere because im always afraid that it might have a bad smell or bad aftertaste but this one is really delicious. The white sauce on the side just makes the whole dish even more perfect (i think its a yoghurt sauce.. not sure though.) The only note i have is that i wish they would put less onions because it is a bit too strong. It also comes with a side of baked beans:

















My mom ordered the Poached Eggs and had it well done because she doesnt like it runny and she loved it. It comes with 2 bread slices and a side of hash browns:















And finally for dessert we had the Cinnamon French Toast and you may or may not know that i love french toast and i have a recipe of it which you can see (here) but this one is just delicious! I posted a picture of this on twitter for a sneak peek for this review. It comes with Maple syrup and a raspberry sauce.. and a scoop of cream cheese on top. You HAVE to try this.. both me and my mom loved it:















For drinks, i ordered fresh orange juice:















And that's the end of my review!

Cocoa room is located next to slider station in Al-Qibla, sea side.
Follow them on twitter: @CocoaRoom_

Thank You For Reading!


xoxo, Noura/YoungChefQ8

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Caribou Coffee's Red Velvet Cupcakes

The BEST red velvet cupcakes i've tried in Kuwait so far are from caribou coffee! They are delicious!!!!
My mom got them for me to try out and they were so good and i went to try to get them again for the past two days and they were not available but when they are im gonna go grab all that they have! ;p


They are so moist and the frosting is just delicious! They have both the regular size and they have minis.





Try them out and i promise you'll thank me! ;p

To find a location near you visit: http://www.cariboucoffee.com/page/1/our-locations.jsp 
(The website also has phone numbers to all locations)



Thank You For Reading!


xoxo, Noura/YoungChefQ8

Friday, June 3, 2011

My Favourite Vegetarian Dishes-Episode #3

Hello Everyone,

One of my favourite cusines is Italian and i love pasta! So last week when i was at 360 and i decided to have dinner at Life With Cacoa. I've always been a fan of their chocolate desserts but i never tried their sandwitches or pasta dishes so i tried their arrabiata pasta and it was GOOD!!! :D

It's the best i've tried so far from anywhere in Kuwait! Will for sure order it again!




I hope you'll give it a try! :D
Price: 3.100 Kd

Follow Them On Twitter: @LifeWithCacao
#25309909


Thank You For Reading!

xoxo, Noura/YoungChefQ8