Dear Friends of Health Enhance ,

 

I hope that 2008 was a good year for you. Now, that we closed its doors, let us wish it to become a part of our happy memories and please allow me to wish you, from the bottom of my heart, a Great, Happy, Healthy and Successful Journey in 2009!

As usual as (and better late than never!), here I am again with a few Seasonal ( actually, good for ANY season!!) tips and recipes:

For those of us plagued with low blood sugar symptoms ( headache, dizziness, shakes, cold sweat…and of course, moodiness and irritability), there are some measures that we can take to minimize the discomfort. So, here they are, in a nutshell:

Don't Forget to Eat! It is not in your best interests to have a donut in the morning, followed by fasting all day and then a huge dinner at night; this will send your blood sugar levels haywire!

You should eat breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday and avoid long breaks between meals ( this is when blood sugar levels go down ) .

Don't Forget to Snack! Chocolate, sweets, candies, cakes and all those ‘yummies' actually upset your blood sugar, sending it up and down like a moody rollercoaster.

Have something nutritious, that will hold you up for a longer time (veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, yoghurt, cheese, if you can stomach it). Try to snack between meals, if you have a chance. If you have a general tendency to develop low blood sugar levels, you should try to have something to eat or snack on every 3-4 hours.

Try to eat your carbohydrates (such as grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits) along with a protein (meats, fish, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, some grains), as it allows for much steadier blood sugar levels; if you are used to snack later at night it may also be beneficial to have a protein based snack as opposed to a carbohydrate snack (protein based snacks help blood sugar control during night time).

Helpful Foods : foods rich in chromium, such as eggs, brown rice, whole grains; apples, grapes, prunes, beans, asparagus, beets, mushrooms, potatoes, help balance blood sugar levels: foods rich in alpha lipoic acid seem to be able to improve blood sugar control: spinach, broccoli, peas, potatoes, tomatoes.

And so we ate…and snacked…and had some holiday cheer. Nothing wrong with that as long as we still feel up and cheerful. But if we feel sluggish, tired, sleepy, maybe a tad headachy, then we may be experiencing symptoms of liver overload (our livers perform, among others, filtering and detoxification functions; when we are stressed, or we eat too much, not too healthy foods, too many sweets, too many food colorings and preservatives, our livers may become somehow sluggish and let us know about it!). So, here are some tips for helping our livers along:

Warm water in which you squeeze a few drops of lemon or lime juice; have 1-2 glasses throughout the day;

Liver detox salads: one cup of mesclun mix salad ( or spring salads; you can find any of these in your grocery stores; look for the combination of all kinds of leafy greens and leafy reds); one grated carrot; one or two baby beets ( or a few slices); ½ grated zucchini; few slices of onion; few cloves of garlic, if you like the taste and tolerate it; sprinkle with olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper and enjoy!!

Recipe booklet

Yoghurt Cheese

For those of us who like the idea of cream cheese but can not have it, here is a healthier choice:

Use any good quality plain yoghurt. Place it in cheesecloth and let drain in the fridge overnight. In the morning, scoop the yoghurt cheese from the cheesecloth and mix it with your favorites: if you like your “cream cheese” savory, use salt, pepper and the herbs of your choice (I like green onion, parsley and dill). If you like your “cream cheese” on the sweet side, mix it with honey or maple syrup and fresh fruits of your choice. Spread it on whole grain bread or crackers and enjoy! Don't throw away the whey! (what's left after the yoghurt drains). Use it as a base for soups, stews, or even in baking that requires fluids.

Deviled Eggs with a twist (one of my old favorites, but a tad health conscious; I personally like this taste better than the mayonnaise filling).

Boil as many eggs as necessary for your dinner table. Cut them in halves (either longitudinally or vertically, depending on how your decorating inspiration goes!). Remove yolks and place them in a separate bowl. Mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Add a drizzle of olive oil, ¼ teaspoon of your favorite mustard and a few drops of lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, and mix ingredients well. Add as much olive oil, mustard and lemon juice as necessary to achieve a filling/spreadable consistency. Add one or two springs of chopped green onion, some fresh dill and parsley, then fill the egg whites with the mixture. Decorate to your heart content and enjoy!

And, if you are tired and worn out and need a bit of relaxation, here is a nice recipe for oat bath: 

Place a handful of oats in a cheese cloth (or an old piece of stocking); tie it up on the bathtub tap under running water at your favourite temperature. Fill up the bath tub, then soak in for as long as you want! This bath is soothing, calming, and does wonders to your skin!

Thank you for reading!

Have a Happy and Healthy Month!