Including Nuts into your Diet

The Mediterranean Diet incorporates eating small portions of nuts into its lifestyle; it is a good snack on the go or could even be added into a salad or some other kind of meal. Nuts are in fact high in fat but some of these nuts that are found in trees are low in saturated fat. These nuts include walnuts, almonds, hazel nuts and pecans and they do wonders for your body. It is said that too much of anything can be bad, and this applies to nuts, like we have said before when introducing the Mediterranean Diet, nuts in large amounts are not beneficial to the body because they are high in calories. By eating them in moderation you are doing a good thing for your body. Let’s discuss more on why nuts are beneficial for your body and how they can help you maintain a good lifestyle. Also, check out the link below for more information on nuts and how they are beneficial to your health.

Nuts are considered to be the heart healthy snack food because of its ability to lower the LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) in the blood. We know that too much LDL is a bad thing and is a main cause for heart disease so these nuts prove to be very beneficial. Other benefits that nuts have to offer include reducing your chance of developing blood clots and improving the ‘health of the lining of your arteries.’ The Vitamin E, fiber and Omega-3-Fatty Acids found in these nuts also make these nuts healthy for you. Be sure to grab some nuts at your local grocery store and start including them into your diet. Again, check out the website listed below for more in depth data on nuts and its benefits.

Reference: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nuts/HB00085

Recipe of the Week: Arrostite alle Erbe

This new dish of the week features the very nutritious and healthy eggplant. Eggplants are rich in antioxidants and have a great source of dietary fiber and Vitamin B. The Eggplant serves as a great brain food because of its antioxidant properties and its effect on brain cells and helps tremendously with cardiovascular health. To read more about the antioxidant properties and learn more about what the eggplant has to offer your body check out the website listed below.


Reference: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=22


Arrostite alle Erbe (Herbed Roast)
1 lb of fresh eggplant
1 fresh hot red pepper
1 small handful of each of these fresh herbs-thyme,basil,marjoram
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Pinch of salt
Wash eggplant, cut off both ends. Then slice thinly
Prepare a marinade using 1 tblsp olive oil, half of the herbs chopped finely,half of the red pepper cut into small cubes.
Place eggplant in plate and marinate with oil mixture.
Slice garlic clove in half lengthwise, in a separate bowl place remaining olive oil with sliced garlic and remaining chopped herbs, remaining hot pepper chopped into small cubes. Blend, cover bowl with plastic wrap, set aside
Heat electric grill. Grill eggplant on both sides.
Arrange eggplant slices on plate. Remove garlic from olive oil mixture and pour on top of grilled eggplant slices. Salt to taste. Serve eggplant slices on grilled slices of crusty bread.