Pomegranate-Sweet Potato Salad!

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Νοέ 4, 2015, 9:52πμ PST

Sweet potato is a dicotyledonous species belonging to the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. It is a perennial crop which serves as one of the major sources of food, animal feed and industrial raw materials. It has a significant contribution as energy supplement and phytochemical source of nutrition. It is widely cultivated in the tropics, subtropics and even in some temperate zones of the developing world.
Contribution of sweet potato towards health is acknowledged due to high nutrient content and its anti-carcinogenic and cardiovascular disease preventing properties. Almost all cultivars of sweet potato are excellent source of vitamin C, B2, B6 and E, as well as dietary fibre, potassium, copper, manganese and iron, and are low in fat and cholesterol.
Sweet potato is the seventh most important crop in terms of global production. In developing countries, it ranks third in value of production and fifth in caloric contribution to the human diet. Based on the variability in flesh colour, white-fleshed to cream-fleshed sweet potato is widespread in the Pacific, whereas the yellow- to orange-fleshed sweet potato is predominantly found in the United States. (1)

Ingredients 

For Roasted Sweet potatoes
• ½ medium sweet potato
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Sweet smoked paprika
• Black pepper
• Salt

For Salad
 • 1 cup of lettuce
• 30 g Feta cheese
• ½ cup of pomegranate

For salad dressing
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Preparation 

 Preheat oven to 180oC.
1. Cut the ½ medium potato into thin strips. Drizzle the oil, salt, sweet smoked paprika and black pepper over the potatoes. Mix all the ingredients together and transfer the potatoes to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
 2. Cook for about 25-30 minutes and keep an eye on them because, you may have to turn them once or twice. When your fries are ready, take them out of the oven! Let them cool and after that transfer them into your salad bowl, which contains all the other ingredients. Drizzle with your dressing sauce and Bon appétit !

Nutrition facts: 332 kcal, 9g of proteins, 16 g of fats and 35 g carbohydrates.

 This plate is an excellent source of Vitamin A, C, K and Folic acid. Also, it contains calcium, iron, sodium and a great proportion of dietary fibers, which are beneficial to your digestive system!

*Tip of the day 

Combine your sweet potatoes with a bit of fat/ lean protein, for instance olive oil, avocado, yogurt, meat or fish, so to balance out the effect on blood glucose levels.

 Bibliography 

1. Comparative analysis of phytochemicals and nutrient availability in two contrasting cultivars of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.). Shubhendu Shekhara, b, Divya Mishraa, Alak Kumar Buragohainb, Subhra Chakrabortya, Niranjan Chakrabortya,. s.l. : Food Chemistry, 15 April 2015, Vol. 173. Pages 957–965.

Arbutus unedo-Strawberry Tree

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Νοέ 3, 2015, 9:12πμ PST

Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.; Ericaceae family) is an evergreen shrub, a native Mediterranean species that is also cultivated in other regions of Eastern Europe . Its fruits are spherical, about 2 cm in diameter, dark red, and tasty only when fully ripe in autumn. A. unedo berries are rarely eaten as fresh fruits, but have some importance in local agricultural communities where they are used for the production of alcoholic beverages, jams, jellies and marmalades . 
The fruits are also used in folk medicine as antiseptics, diuretics and laxatives, while the leaves have long been employed as an astringent, diuretic, urinary anti-septic agent and, more recently, in the therapy of hypertension and diabetes . Together with its traditional applications, the wide range of antioxidants in strawberry tree fruit, such as phenolic compounds (e.g. anthocyanins, gallic acid derivatives and tannins ), vitamin C, vitamin E and carotenoids , suggest a potentially high value as a “health promoting food”. (1)
As it is noted in another study, its carbohydrate-rich fruits have a high fructose content and provide 400 kcal per 100 g of dry weight. Total antioxidant activity of strawberry tree fruits was found to be one of the highest of 28 fruits analysed by García-Alonso et al. (2004). The preventive effect of these compounds in chronic health disorders, such as cancer and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, supports the promotion of their consumption as a healthy food.

Nevertheless, their short optimum period of consumption has probably hampered their commercialization as a fresh product, as well as this species’ cultivation by large-scale agriculturalists. Strawberry tree fruits only reach a really pleasant flavour if consumed slightly overripe, when their high tannin content decreases and sugar content increases. Therefore, they spoil easily and are delicate to transport. 

However, the fruits could be easily preserved by freezing or other processing techniques, extending fruit availability beyond harvest time. Although, it is stressed the fact that these fruits at an advanced stage of maturity are popularly said to cause signs of drunkenness, probably due to their high fermentable sugar content, but they haven’t found any scientific reference to their ethanol content. New potential uses of strawberry tree fruits in the food industry have recently been studied. Alarcão-E-Silva et al. (2001) suggested their possible application as fruit pieces in yoghurt, pie and pastry filling or cereal products. This last category could include energy bars or breakfast cereals. Ganhão et al. (2010) found that the addition of fruit extracts as a functional ingredient in processed meat products prevented protein oxidation. Strawberry tree fruits could also be used as a food colorant, considering their content of β-carotene and anthocyanins. (2)

 Bibliography 

1. Antioxidant Properties and Neuroprotective Capacity of Strawberry Tree Fruit (Arbutus unedo). Sofia Fortalezas, 1 Lucélia Tavares,1 Rui Pimpão,1 Meenu Tyagi,1 Vera Pontes,1 Paula M. Alves,2 Gordon McDougall,3 Derek Stewart,3 Ricardo B. Ferreira,1,4 and Cláudia N. Santos1,*. s.l. : Nutrients, 2010. 

2. Fruit production of strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.) in two Spanish forests. María Molina1, Manuel Pardo-De-Santayana2, Laura Aceituno1, Ramón Morales3 and Javier Tardío1,*. s.l. : Oxford Journals, 2011.

Flavored hot Cocoa

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Οκτ 14, 2015, 1:21μμ PDT

Studies have shown that pomegranate (Punica granatum) has great medicinal properties. 

In 2015, 60 clinical trials were registered with the National Institutes of Health to examine effects of pomegranate extracts or juice consumption on a variety of human disorders, including: prostate cancer, prostatic hyperplasia, diabetes, lymphoma, rhinovirus infection, common cold, oxidative stress in diabetic hemodialysis, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, infant brain injury, hemodialysis for kidney disease, male infertility, aging, memory, pregnancy complications, osteoporosis and erectile dysfunction.(1) 
Although pomegranate’s extensive therapeutic benefits may be attributed to a number of mechanisms, most researchers have determined its antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, and anti-inflammatory properties. (2)

Ingredients: 
• 1 small banana, peeled and sliced 
• 1 tsp cocoa powder 
• 1/3 tsp cinnamon powder 
• 1/2 pomegranate 
• ½ cup warm water 
Instructions 
Easy and quick blend your ingredients in a blender. When your mixture begins to thicken add ½ cup of warm water. Blend again until it becomes smooth!!! 

Nutrition facts : about 202 kcal, 45 g of carbohydrates, 2g of fats and 2 g of proteins. 
Boost your immune system with energy , antioxidants, dietary fibers and other nutrients such as potassium, manganese, iron, copper, vitamins C and K . 

*Tip of the day 
 While the cold days of autumn start to settle in, try to keep yourself warm by adding banana or hot drinks like cocoa and tea on daily basis. Serve with pomegranate and cinnamon that have great antioxidant capacity and also give awesome flavour!!! 

Bibliography 

1. [Online] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomegranate. 
2. Pomegranate Fruit as a Rich Source of Biologically Active Compounds. Sreeja Sreekumar, Hima Sithul, Parvathy Muraleedharan, Juberiya Mohammed Azeez, and Sreeja Sreeharshan. 2014, BioMed Research International.

One Version of Exception

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Σεπ 18, 2015, 12:16πμ PDT

Tip of the day 
"Nature provides exceptions to every rule."
-Margaret Fuller

Fruit-Cream Cheese Crackers

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Σεπ 9, 2015, 9:51πμ PDT

Ingredients 
 2 Whole grain crackers 
 1 tablespoon light cream cheese 
 Fresh Blackberries 
 A few slices of apple 

Preparation 
 1. Spread the cream cheese on the crackers. 
 2. Place the blackberries with the slices of apple or any fruit combination of your taste on top. 
 3. Enjoy your snack  

Nutritional facts : approximately 130 kcal, 2,8g of protein, 3,3 g of fat (1,8 saturated fat), 19,5 g of Carbohydrates( 1,3g Sugars and 2,8 Fiber), 290 mg of Sodium and 47 mg Calcium . 


Tip of the day 
Try to organise your daily meals in at least 5 meals (3 main ,2 snacks) and consume each at the same time every day.

The Salmon Break!

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Σεπ 1, 2015, 9:10πμ PDT

Ingredients  
• 1 baked salmon fillet with orange juice, paprika, mustard and honey 
• Lettuce 
• 1 small purple Onion, sliced 
• 1 pinch salt and pepper 
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• 1 slice of mixed seed bread 
• greek yogurt 2 % 
• dill 
• lemon juice 

Tip of the day

Enjoy the little things in life and have a great and productive month! 

Healthy Breakfast with Blackberries And Figs

Μια φωτογραφία που δημοσίευσε ο χρήστης Maria Ch4n (@nutriflavours) στις Αύγ 28, 2015, 4:51πμ PDT

Ingredients 

 1 cup 2% fat Greek yogurt 
 3 tbsp rolled oats 
 Fresh Blackberries 
 2 ripe Kadota figs, sliced 
 1 tsp whole wheat tahini 
 1 tsp honey 
 Cinammon 

Preparation 

1. Put your yogurt into a bowl. 
2. Sprinkle on the rolled oats with cinammon.
3. Add tahini. 
4. Add the black raspberries and figs on top. 
5. Drizzle with honey. 
6. Smaklig måltid! Enjoy your meal :)

 Nutritional facts per serving : approximately 330kcal,11g of protein, 7.8 g of fat and 52 g of Carbohydrates. 
This bowl contains high ORAC value antioxidant foods and provides you with a great amount of calcium, fiber, high biological value proteins, good fat (omega-6 fatty acids), anthocyanins (most prominent among the flavonoids ), ellagic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E ,vitamin C and vitamin B6. 

Tip of the day 

Try to add foods like berries and pomegranate in your daily plate because they are sources of high amount of ellagic acid, which is beneficial to our health. Some of its great health benefits are that it helps prevent cancer, kills cancer cells and also has anti-bacterial activity.