Category: Blog

Kids favourite and mine too. These quick to make pancakes can impress your kids instantly. They are also perfect for a weekend breakfast when you have enough time on hand to enjoy every bite of it. They serve you spot on with taste, flavor and nutrition.

Ingredients

11/2 cup Blanched almond flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. flax seed powder
¾ cup plant based milk (soy milk, almond milk)
1 cup blueberries
Oil for cooking (olive oil, vegetable oil or coconut oil)
Pinch of salt

Directions

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Now add the plant based milk and vanilla extract and mix. Now add half of the blueberries and mix gently. Store half of the blue berries to add to the top of the pancakes.

Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil, coconut or olive oil and place over medium heat. Drop ¼ cup of batter on to the skillet. Watch for bubbles that appear on top of the pancakes and the edges start to loosen up and brown from the sides. Now add few blueberries on the top and press them slightly with a spatula. Flip the other side and let it cook on low heat.

I mostly cook pancakes on high heat and later lower the heat so the pancakes do not burn.

Wipe the skillet and repeat with the rest of the batter.

My family enjoys this recipe with so many toppings: more fresh fruits, maple syrup, nut butters. They are all so delicious and wholesome.

Optional toppings: I haven’t tried with coconut milk but I think it should work. Use coconut milk from the can. It can stay fresh in the fridge for 1 week easily.

Fill your plate with whole, plant based foods to give your body the fiber it needs to lead healthy lifestyle.

Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle is intimidating or even boring for you if you have been a meat eater all your life.  And I feel that the way people eat is a very personal thing. We have diverse culture and traditions. Our food choices are mostly influenced based on what we have grown up eating throughout our childhood and adolescence, right? So if there is just about one thing that you can start including in your diet today, what could it be? As a Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle Expert, my recommendation is FIBER.

Small changes will not bore out your meals. It’s good to make tiny shifts rather than turn the wheel at once out of desperation and end up giving all half way. When you eat a lot of meat, chicken etc., you end up going pretty low on your fiber intake. Meat has 0 fibers. Ideally, 40 grams of fiber is what we should have in our diet daily.

Seems a lot right?  While most of us get only 10 to 15 grams of fiber a day. So we can at least aim to get half of the recommended amount.  So bring in some side salad with lots of greens and vegetables that will at least enrich your plate with a good amount of fiber.  There are two kinds of fibers namely soluble and insoluble fibers.

I like to remember fibers using daily life representation, soluble fibers are like paper towels and insoluble fibers are like water hose. As self-explanatory as it sounds, one soaks up the cholesterol in your digestive tract, the other washes away the toxins and cleans your digestive tract. Soluble fiber slows down how quickly foods are digested, meaning most people feel full longer after fiber-rich meals. Insoluble fiber physically fills up space in the stomach and intestines, furthering the sensation of being full. 

Having a clean gut or as we call the digestive tract is so beneficial for us. Multiple researches have shown that our gut is the residing place for more than 3 million bacterias.

Our gut health is the road to longevity, straight head.  Ask me why? Well, it’s because a fiber rich lifestyle will reduce inflammations in the body which will prevent many chronic diseases that crop up inside our body due to a weak immune system. Our immune system which is tightly linked with our gut health needs to be nurtured well. So fuelling our body with more fiber rich diet is where the secret to a healthy long life lies.  Added bonus, fiber also leads to sustainable weight loss.

My latest read “The Gut Health MD”, Will Bulsiewiczis is such an amazing book that explains so well the connection between the gut health and longevity. A must read if you are someone like me and likes to dig deeper into nutrition.

We all strive to have a balanced diet and one most important component to include on your plate is fiber. There are many ways to include fiber in your diet. We all are aware fiber is present in most fruits and vegetables.  Also, there are most whole grains, unprocessed plant based foods that is rich in fiber. Whole grains like brown rice, buckwheat, oats, barley, millet, rye, whole wheat can be substituted for processed white flour.

Did you know 90 grams which is about 3 ounces of whole grains a day can reduce risk of bowel cancer by almost 20%? All you have to do is simply swap your breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner to whole foods options wherever possible. More than 300 varieties of beans and lentils exist and are the cheapest and most easily absorbed plant fiber so use them amply.

6 Simple ways to increase more fiber in your daily diet

• Consuming whole fruits and vegetables rather than juices.
• Adding beans and lentils to your salad.
• Eating unsalted nuts, seeds, or dried fruits as snacks, or sprinkling them over cereals, salads, or yogurt.
• Picking brown rice above the white variety.
• Consuming fruits and vegetables with their skins or peels intact when possible.(organic)
• Making dips or spreads out of chickpeas, beans, peas, lentils, and other pulses.

Adding 2 servings of greens a day into your diet is very useful. Greens such as spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, chards, turnip greens are all full of fiber. Sauté them, eat them raw, or blend them into a smoothie, pick your favorite way.

Step up your game by enjoying a “meatless Monday” once a week. Or add some of the ideas of swaps I mentioned above to add to your everyday eating routine. This will ensure a positive step towards restoring your gut health and increasing your lifespan.

To summarize, fiber helps us feel fuller on fewer calories and rids our system of excess toxins and hormones. Without adequate fiber, hormones and other chemicals are continuously reabsorbed back into the bloodstream, staying in the body longer than they should and may cause many health issues. Beans, peas, and other legumes increase satiety more than animal-based protein sources, according to research published online in Food & Nutrition Research. Thus, Eating from a plate that is rich in colors and diverse is what a balanced diet looks like.

These falafels will take you not more than 20 minutes to prep and then all it takes is about 45 minutes to bake in the oven so in about an hour you will have a sumptuous protein packed crunchy dinner ready for the whole family.

Best part, make extra of these falafels that you can add to your lunch wrap or salad bowl or as a snack dunked in hummus perfect for your kids’ school during the week.

Ingredients

Method 

• With an oven rack in the middle position, pre heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit 
• Drain all the liquid of the chickpeas from the can and give a rinse and try to damp it with a dry cloth to remove the excess moisture.
• Meanwhile place all the ingredients in a food processor and give a good mix until well combined. Exclude the bulgur at this point.
• Place dry bulgur in a bowl and pout about ½ cup of boiling water over the bulgur just so all the bulgur gets covered with it. And then place a lid and let the bulgur sit for about 20 minutes.
• One the bulgur looks dry and fluffy, add it to the chickpeas mix and stir well to combine with a spoon.
• Add salt to taste. Check if you are able to form a ball out of the mix or not. If it’s too wet then add a bit of more chickpea flour.
• Take a baking tray and spray some vegetable oil on it.
• Using your hand, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafels into small patties about 2 inches wide and ½ inches thick. Place the falafels on the oiled tray.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes carefully flipping the falafels half way through baking. Once golden brown on both sides, they are ready to come out of the oven.

For assembling options:

• Pita bread, tortillas
• Fresh green leaves like arugula, chopped romaine or spring onions.
• Tomatoes , sliced
• Bell pepper sliced
• Cucumber, sliced
• Raw red onion, sliced
• Some healthy sauces of your choice- hummus, guacamole, tahini sauce, cashew sauce

Assemble everything together on pita bread and enjoy a super delicious meal. Great for parties too because everyone can make their own wrap. Kids love making their own wrap too.

Note: They freeze very well but not fried or baked. Make patties and place them on a plate and freeze for an hour or so. Bring them out of the freezer and store them in a zip lock bag or a glass container.

We have lost contact with reality, the simplicity of life- Paulo Coelho

The Pandemic or no Pandemic, human life is engulfed in technology and our ever growing need for a fast automated life is expanding like a balloon. Our traditional culture and roots have gradually started to dissolve in recent decade or so making us victims of social media and isolation. What we see today across the globe and within our local community is a lack of social connection and declining emotional quotient. A robotic life that works clock wise, without a break is considered a norm today.

Undoubtedly, a lot of great achievements have been made by human life in the modern era from health stand point. Over a decade we have seen a massive improvement in medical technologies, from vaccines that entirely eradicate diseases to medical equipment’s that can ease the burden of almost any chronic conditions.

However, like me, have you questioned the core reason for these technological advancements in medicine and health sector? Also why stress management strategies are so talked about in recent years?

Everything works on demand and supply and clearly in the modern era, the burden of chronic diseases is rapidly increasing worldwide and so is the need for better health care system. Diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, dementia, depression and cardiovascular diseases are all very rampant in today’s world. Stress and anxiety is considered normal unless it takes this menacing form of depression and suicidal intention. Have you ever asked yourself, what action steps can you take to improve your health and wellbeing starting today?

Let’s find a new way to look at our health that will change our life for the better in nearly every way. I’ll share with you something that rooted in this groundbreaking research of the healthiest, longest-lived people on earth, the Blue Zones. There are only about 5 places in the world, namely Ikaria in Greece, Okinawa- Japan, Ogliastra Region-Sardinia, Loma Linda- California, Nicoya Peninsula-Costa Rica.

A project led by team of researchers and experts who were funded by National Geographic made some identification of the world’s most extraordinary cultures whose health and longevity and happiness are outsized. The reason being, all of these places nurture different aspects of holistic living.

People in blue zones didn’t have to embark on a special program to transform their lives. Luckily for them, they live in places where moving naturally all day, eating healthy and connecting with neighbors is the norm. Surprisingly these Blue Zones places are scattered in various parts of the world and yet there was a lot of commonalities amongst them.

So if it’s that simple why can’t we make these changes and live a long and healthier life. That is the catch here that it’s too SIMPLE hence it is not convincing enough to help people believe the magic hidden within these daily simple rituals. But, if you find more about these people living in the blue zone areas of the world you will understand the beauty of healthful, consistent habits that has the power to improve the quality of our lives.

8 Blue Zone secrets that are worth applying in order to live a holistic life:

• Getting regular, moderate exercise which could simply be any form of “NEAT” – you can choose to go for a 30 min walk, do gardening, home chores, yoga. All of these low impact movements in your day are effective enough to keep you physically fit and active. It may also help with stress management.

• Spending time with likeminded people- It’s important to surround yourself around people with similar interest and values. Meet friends and families on a regular basis and attend social gatherings that can generate a sense of happiness and fulfillment.

• Eat in moderation– consuming more of whole grains, vegetables and fruits and keeping meat as the least portion on your plate is the key dietary habit associated by centenarians of blue zones. A meat centric diet like Suya chicken or meat loaded pepper soup are all delicacies of Nigerian cuisines but keep in mind to eat less of meats due to its high caloric value and high cholesterol raising properties. Balance is the key and even starting with a simple strategy of “meatless Mondays” can be a good start.

• Eat an early, light dinner– many fad diets have come and gone , but the fact that holds true and is backed by many researches concludes that, we should eat a big healthy breakfast, a medium size lunch and a light dinner to help ease digestion process of our body.

• Put more plants on your plate– consuming more whole plants in the form of salads, local and seasonal fresh fruits and green leafy vegetables that are rich in phytochemicals, anti-oxidants and are loaded with cancer fighting properties are the cheapest way to a glowing skin. Also choose a grain in its whole form and least processed because the more processed or milled they are, the least nutrient value they will have. Always go for whole grains of wheat, rye, millet, oats, corn etc. Avoid packaged food as much as possible. They are loaded with hidden sodium, sugar, lots of artificial food additives and synthetic substances that cause an overload of toxic and unhealthy load on our bodily organs. 

• Snack on healthy fats– nutrient dense nuts like peanuts, cashews, tiger nuts, walnuts, pistachio, are all rich sources of healthy fats. Apart from that including avocado, chia seeds, ground flax seeds and hemp seeds have some amazing benefits and helps balance Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acid balance in the body and helps enhance our brain health and other neural health. Add a tablespoon of these seeds to your salad toppings, to your stew, on in your oatmeals, smoothies. Since they are calorie dense, don’t over eat them.

• Find your purpose– the blue zone population have a clear sense of purpose every day when they wake up, like growing vegetables for the whole community, and focusing on helping others. This brings a sense of worthiness and inner satisfaction. So if you get a chance engage in voluntary work in your community to help the under privileged and local community.

• Lastly, drink plenty of water– water is one of the best hydrating drink ever. It nourishes our cells, tissues and muscles and has 0 calorie. Drinking at least six daily glasses of water had a substantial reduction in the risk of a fatal heart attack — 60 to 70 percent — compared to those who drank considerably less.

Although we are living a fast paced life, and have time crunch, inculcating habits to eat healthy home cooked meals is transformational to our health. A daily practice of eating whole foods is crucial to a healthy body. It nourishes us at more than just physical levels and mental level. Of course once in a while indulgence is welcome!!

These are wholesome, minimally sweet muffins. It can be used for breakfast, brunch or as an afternoon snack. Healthy and yet tasty. They are wonderful for a quick breakfast option.

Ingredients

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl add all the dry ingredients like whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients except the blueberries.
• Now pour the wet mix to the dry mix. And mix it all well until well combined. Batter will look thick which is normal.
• Lastly mix the blueberries leaving some aside for the decoration. Scoop and fill your muffin liner ¾ with the batter. Top some extra blueberries on the top.
• Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until brown and tooth pick come out clean.
• Remove from oven, allow cooling and done.

Notes

• This muffin may stick to the liner so it’s best to spray with little oil or best to use silicon liners.
• Frozen blueberries will work too. Any dry fruits like raisins, sultanas and cranberries will work.
• You can freeze these conveniently for up to a month. Wrap them individually and freeze so you bring out as many you want. Let the muffin thaw on the kitchen counter for 30 minutes and enjoy.

My mantra as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach is to advocate quality over quantity. Let’s think of simple swaps and get things into perspective- for example baked potato with herbs and spices or French fries with cheese or mayo –I’d choose the first and white rice over brown rice- I’ll choose the latter. Simple reason is picking low calorie high nutrient dense foods makes all the difference to your health quotient. It’s a sure shot to achieving a healthy lifestyle.  This mantra is not weight centric, its optimum health centric.

Beyond the country you live, the cuisine you eat at home every day, or the place you work, we all can choose and pick right foods and experience its profound effect on our health. Processed foods are very calorie dense and nutrient depleted. So, for example a tablespoon of oil which is 100% saturated fat is about 100 calories as 3 bowls of blueberries and so should we not choose the berries and skip the oil based dressing over a salad especially when the goal is to lose weight. So that careful choices makes all the difference.

I am here to share with you some of my healthy and easy tips how you can eat healthy on a busy fast paced work and home life.

Healthy lifestyle is all about enriching your diet with Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) nutrition. Start being mindful of what you serve on your plate. Here are my 6 basic tips to make your plate worthy of each bite you feed your cells with-

• Decluttering – many times we accumulate so many bric a brac foods like baked chips, healthy cookies which aren’t healthy after all due to their hidden sugar, salt or other harmful ingredients. Avoid unnecessary eating, it’s important to clean your pantry before your next grocery shopping. This also helps in getting rid of unwanted junk and creates space for wholesome options in your cupboard. Our kitchen needs clean sweep too once every few months.

• Shopping – Go with a planned time and a pre-written list that will save you from impromptu and impulsive buying. This also ensures you a clean, whole food planned meals for yourself and your family. 70% of the time, stick to the periphery of the supermarket and the rest 30% can be non-perishable edibles including whole grains, beans, lentils, herbs and spices. If your plate is filled with whole foods that looks colorful and diverse to the eyes then it the right plate for you.

• Batch cooking – following a balanced diet is not difficult. It may seem so in the beginning but with consistent effort and proper planning it’s easier than you may think it is.  And if you are someone who is always in a rush and find that lack of time drives you to shortcuts of packaged foods or take away meals then do batch cooking weekly, specially cook grains like millets, rice, quinoa and your favorites like lentils and store them well in air tight glass containers for later use. Not most ideal, but eating veggies should be prioritized, and if this helps then why not! Store cut up veggies nicely in an air tight sealed containers so you can assemble a curry or a salad in no time. Pre planning meal is equally helpful because it saves time and energy during the buys week.

Never go grocery shopping when hungry!

• Make your own Rainbow – As a Plant Based Nutrition consultant, I realize the importance of eating a balanced diet. Every day I aim to eat a big bowl of salad at least once which is made with a variety of seasonal veggies. The more colors you add, more nutrient dense your meal gets. I know with busy work schedules, we can easily skip the salad chopping and dressing prep. We mostly end up making a one pot meal to get over with elaborate meal hassle when running time tight. But biting into a whole carrot or cucumber if you don’t have the time is easy, right? Adding some leafy greens such as spinach or arugula to your one pot meals like rice dish, pastas, stews and curries is an easy way to incorporate some fiber into your diet. Goal is to keep your fiber intake high every day. This will enable you with a sustainable weight loss.

• Snacking – snacks can make or break your nutrition game. They are sneaky, aren’t they? Keep fresh fruits, nuts, seeds, and dry fruits displayed beautifully on your kitchen counter so when you are hungry and craving for a snack, your eyes will spot them instantly and that will give you a que to pick a healthy option. If in doubt and when you are unsure where these calories are mounting in your diet, start maintaining a food Journal. Most times writing and recording your snacks helps tracking them effectively.

• Hydration – Lastly, hydration it is! Sometimes eating is not even the need of the hour, water is! So living a healthy lifestyle also includes drinking healthy and water is the best. Make this your go to drink. So when next time you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first. Hydration is the key to good health. It helps flush the toxins out of our body, keeps good supply of oxygen to the blood and much more. I make a big jug of flavored water few times a week in order to get some variety into my water – cucumber and mint, sliced lemon, watermelon rinds, berries. And the whole family enjoys it all day.

How about trying to inculcate one of the above healthy tips in your life and let me know if it was useful in saving some of your precious time?