Tag Archives: food

Unconventional Diets that You May Want to Try

If you’re interested in finding a diet that matches your needs and lifestyle, then you’ve probably encountered quite a lot of these diets when you do your research online. You’ve probably heard about vegetarian, vegan, low-carb, WW, intermittent fasting, Atkins, Ketogenic, and Paleo diet.

But there are more diets out there, and you might be interested in finding out more about them:

Dubrow Diet

This is like intermittent fasting, but a bit more challenging. It’s also called the 16:8 diet plan because you basically fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours.  The diet consists of 3 phases, and you also limit your intake of calories, fat, and carbs.

The diet also requires that you go with whole foods, while you avoid packaged and processed foods. You’re also discouraged from eating desserts and refined carbs, and even healthy complex carbs as well.

Raw Vegan Diet

This is like the vegan diet on steroids. You know what a vegan diet is, right? It’s like the vegetarian diet (no meat or fish), and you’re not allowed to consume dairy and eggs, either.

And if that’s not strict enough, there’s the raw vegan version. You still have all the vegan restrictions, but you also can’t eat anything cooked at a temperature higher than 118 degrees F. The belief is that the normal cooking process can burn off all the nutrients you were looking for in the food in the first place.

With this, you still get the same basic health benefits that you get as a regular vegan. It’s just that it’s much harder to follow this additional rule.

Pescatarian Diet

This is a version of the vegetarian diet that allows you to consume fish. That’s great for many vegetarians who find it difficult to get enough protein when limited to just fruits and vegetables. After a while, you might get tired of consuming just nuts for the protein.

This option might even let some vegetarians go without protein supplements, since fish offers plenty of protein. Also, fish reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease.

Flexitarian Diet

This is a flexible version of the vegetarian diet, and it’s a lot less restrictive. You still consume fruits and veggies along with whole grains, seeds, and nuts. But you’re allowed to enjoy a meat dish every now and then.

This is another terrific version of the vegetarian diet for those who can’t abide by the rules all the time. They can break the rules every now and then, and it’s actually allowed. It’s a lot less stressful.

At the same time, the meat also provides you with the nutrients that strict vegetarians find hard to get from mere fruits and vegetables. These include calcium, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12.

This may be a good diet for some people, especially those who flip-flop between a meat and vegetarian diet. Now they can have the best of both worlds. The focus is still on consuming plants, which is why those who follow this plan tend to weigh an average of 15% less than regular meat-eaters. Flexitarians are also less susceptible to heart disease.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

This diet was designed to help prevent or even treat certain serious chronic diseases. These include cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and arthritis. It’s can also work with weight loss, though that’s just an extra benefit.

The focus of the diet is mainly on consuming whole foods, including fruits and veggies. At the same time, the dieters are discouraged from packaged and processed foods, including pastries and French fries.

It’s simple enough to follow the basic tenets of this diet, since there’s no strict calorie or macronutrient count to deal with. This anti-inflammatory diet is all about picking the right quality of food, instead of focusing on the quantity of the food.

Intuitive Eating

This diet actually came out in 1995, and some people still subscribe to it today. There are actually no real hard and fast rules. You’re not counting calories or milligrams of protein, carbs, and fat.

You’re basically allowed to eat what you think is right for you. But you have to be mindful and pay attention to your body. That way, you can recognize when you’re full so you can then stop eating.

When you’re feeling hungry, you have to check—are you really hungry, or are you just bored? Then you check with each bite to see if you have had enough to eat. You’ll need to eat more slowly for this to work.

Final Words

A healthy lifestyle isn’t just about visiting your local Club Fitness gym regularly. Most of it is about going on a proper diet for your needs. If your current diet isn’t working for you, then perhaps these unconventional diets might just do the trick.

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Top 7 Health Benefits of Mushrooms

White foods are usually considered as nutrient-poor. However, mushrooms are an exception. They are rich in many minerals such as potassium, selenium, copper, phosphorus, and iron that are often unavailable in most plant-derived foods.

Here is why you should be including mushrooms in your daily diet:

Mushrooms Help in Keeping You Young

The two antioxidants namely glutathione and ergothioneine are present in super-high concentration in mushrooms. Both these antioxidants work really hard to minimize the effects of physiological stress on your body. As a result you see lesser visible signs of aging such as wrinkles.

Mushrooms Protect Your Brain

You can reduce your risk of neurological illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s by eating at least five button mushrooms every day. The antioxidants present in them can successfully prevent the symptoms associated with these illnesses. Nevertheless, make it a point to cook them to the best so that their nutritional benefits can be preserved.

Mushrooms Help in Boosting Memory

One other benefit of eating mushrooms is reduction of cognitive decline. Nevertheless, you will have to consume at least two servings of cooked mushrooms every week to keep your memory intact.

Mushrooms Improve Heart Health

The glutamate ribonucleotides in mushrooms add a more umami and savory taste to your foods than salt, without any ramifications for heart disease or blood pressure risks. There is only about 5 mg of sodium in a full cup of mushrooms. Also, they are an excellent alternative to red meat, without adding to your fat, cholesterol or calories.

Mushrooms Help in Strengthening Bones

If you can find UVB-labeled mushrooms at the supermarket near you, make sure you grab a package. Compared to the other varieties these mushrooms are exposed to sunlight at the time of growth and hence are rich in ergosterol. This means you can get your daily Vitamin D requirement fulfilled by consuming only three ounces of UVB-labelled mushrooms.

Mushrooms are Energy Boosters

A lot of B vitamins such as riboflavin, folate, thiamine, niacin, and pantothenic are present in high concentration in mushrooms. These vitamins help in drawing energy from the food that you consume and increase the production of red blood cells that distribute oxygen in your body.

Mushrooms can help in Weight Loss

Consumption of mushrooms in combination with some healthy lifestyle changes can be very beneficial for weight loss. It is effective in reducing belly fat and improving BMI. Being antioxidant-rich, mushrooms also reduce the chances of metabolic disorders.

You can find a variety of mushrooms in the market including reishi mushroom. However, make sure you buy mushrooms that are safe for consumption. Try not to eat mushrooms from the wild. Check the label before purchasing.

Mushrooms can add a great texture and flavor to almost any side dish that you prepare. You can just cut them up and mix or blend them along with the other ingredients while cooking your meal. There are a lot of mushroom recipes that you can find online. Try a few and see what works best for you.

Popular Moroccan Dishes: Food That Can Be Enjoyed by Those Exploring Morocco Travel

Although many will travel abroad or the culture and landmarks, there are others that prefer to plan their travels around some of the delicious food that can be found around the world.

Those exploring Morocco travel will find that the country can offer a wide range of dishes that offer equal measures of subtle spices and combinations of flavours that can’t be found anywhere else.

Of course, those exploring Morocco travel for the first time with the help of exploringmoroccotravel.com may be unsure of where to begin when it comes to trying these new delicacies and may struggle when it comes to making a choice.

Although all Moroccan food is worthy of your time, the following is an outline of some of the North African dishes that should be sampled when visiting Morocco.

Zaalouk  

Moroccan lunch meals will often start with a series of hot and cold salads that contain a series of different vegetables including green peppers and sweet carrots.

Zaalouk is an aubergine-base dish that consists of chilli flakes, cumin, paprika and sugar. Despite the dish being enjoyed as a starter, it is a salad that can also be enjoyed on its own, although flatbread should always be used for the ultimate Moroccan experience

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Prunes

Offering a perfect balance of sweet and sour, lamb tagine with prunes is one of the staple Moroccan dishes that contain a mixture of fragrant spices including ginger and cinnamon.

The meal is prepared using a cone-shaped pot and can also be prepared using beef. Both the food and the way it is prepared is something that should be experienced by those exploring Morocco travel.

B’Stilla

B’Stilla is another example of how Moroccan dishes balance sweet and savoury flavour for a completely original taste sensation.

This special pie is made using thin layers of pastry, pigeon meat, almonds and eggs which are flavoured using saffron and cinnamon.

The dish is often enjoyed as a celebratory meal, those exploring Moroccan travel should ensure that B’Stilla is a dish that is sampled during their stay.

Mint Tea

Often referred to as ‘Moroccan whiskey,’ mint tea is often the drink of choice when enjoying a Moroccan meal.

Moroccan mint tea is made using gunpowder tea, fresh mint, sugar and water and is seen as a sign of friendship in Morocco.

This can be attributed to the fact that Mint Tea is much lighter than coffee, and is a refreshing beverage that is served all day long in Morocco, meaning that there is plenty of opportunity for those exploring Morocco travel to enjoy this delicious beverage that is always prepared with love and care.

Those exploring Moroccan travel will find that the food available is inspired by interactions and exchanges with several other cultures and nations which has helped create some of the most original and delicious dishes available globally.