Monday, March 3, 2014

Keep your diet alive

                                                          (Not my image, found on Google)


Eating healthy can be a challenge for us sometimes. It’s a challenge because everything that taste oh so good may actually be bad for us; usually when you switch to eating healthier, that leads to cutting out some of the good stuff that makes your food, well, good. That doesn’t have to always be the case. In the long run, all you really need is some salt and pepper to really liven things up a bit and your good to go, for some of us that works, but for the rest of us, we want a little more color then black and white.  If you’re already dieting and feel your diet may be getting a little bland, maybe this list might help you; unless I’m naming things you’re already using then this may be a waste of time. However for everyone else whose finding it hard to make that transition to healthy food for the fear of losing taste, this might help you. Let’s get this list kicked off with number one.

1. Cayenne Pepper- About five years ago, I lost about 85lbs. The weight loss came from eating food like fish, rice, chicken, fruit and vegetables. I’ve always had a love for spicy food and Spanish paprika just was not cutting it. So I ventured out and stumbled across Cayenne pepper. I noticed right when I started using it, it revamped my weight loss. I was a tad shocked. I didn’t know why until I read that Cayenne Pepper helps one lose weight. I should’ve known that because anything that still burns your mouth after you drink a glass of milk is probably doing more on the inside of your body. Why it helps you lose weight? The heat from the Cayenne pepper, a thing called capsaicin is what helps you. Capsaicin is the measure of heat in a pepper and this thing really packs a punch. I’ll put a chart up so you guys can see where it stands against other peppers. It’s a really hot pepper so eat it or sprinkle the powder on your food sparingly. However this pepper will add zest to your food and take inches away from your waist. Give it a shot.

2. Cinnamon- Still a spice but not like Cayenne, this spice is pretty powerful. Cinnamon can help those who suffer from type two diabetes; it helps regulate spikes in blood sugar levels. They sell cinnamon capsules that one can take but one can cook with it or if you’re like me, just sprinkle some on a spoon and dive right in. I wouldn’t suggest it. I tried it and damn near coughed up a lung. Have you ever eaten raw cinnamon by itself?? I thought it was going to be a tad sweet but NOPE. It was like cotton mouth time’s five. However, after the first horrible experiment, I did it again; just made sure I had a cup of water next to me. After a while I said fuck it, I’m going to find something I can cook it with. I sprinkled just a little on my broccoli and it came out SUPERB. Cinnamon also helps with headaches as well, so if you’re out of Advil, try some cinnamon. It might work but everyone is different; however, it’s known to get rid of headaches.

3. Low sodium salt- Iodized salt, found on Mc Donald’s French fries has 590mg of sodium, sea salt found on Wendy’s French fries has 570mg of salt (it’s getting a tad batter) and Morton’s Lite Salt has 290mg. So if you have high blood pressure and are thinking “fuck me, I have to eat this crappy ass food without any salt!?!” The answer is no. My best advice: still use it sparingly, (that pretty much goes for any seasoning) but just because it has less sodium DOES NOT mean you can go crazy and start shaking salt all over the place. If anything you’ll be defeating the purpose of what the low sodium salt is suppose to do: letting one use salt while keeping one's blood pressure in check. 


4. Coconut oil- Oh the sweet taste of Coconut oil when cooking a piece of Salmon that’s sprinkled with a tad bit of cayenne pepper and a little bit of garlic seasoning or Cajun seasoning…I’m hungry. Lol For real, Coconut oil is better than olive oil and vegetable oil. This oil will give any of your foods a tropical taste. So if you’re sick of all your food being from the Mediterranean, take it to the Caribbean. This isn’t a spice but the simple switch of oils can revamp one's recipes and possibly make one season things differently; also one can enjoy the good HDL that comes with it. Like anything, use it sparingly and enjoy the tropical taste while you get a tropical body.

            Well, this concludes my list of things to help keep your diet alive or help you get on the right track. As with anything, PLEASE and I mean PLEASE check with you doctor before you try any of these spices or oil. I know it’s only food but I don’t want someone’s relative cursing me out because their loved one started having heart palpitations after eating 3 spoonfuls of cayenne pepper. It won’t do that but everyone has different reactions, so I can’t stress this enough, check with you doctor. Well I hope you enjoyed my list, once again, this is not my usual style of writing but that’s why it’s called “No Title”, it’s random. Feel free to roam around and see if there’s anything else you like. Thank you for reading and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me in the comments section below. Bye-bye. =)







4 comments:

  1. I love coconut oil and cook with it all the time. I always add cinnamon to smoothies, chili, and oatmeal. Just bought a bottle of cayenne hot sauce today...so good on eggs and potatoes. I am not a fan of super salty food, so salt isn't an issue for me. I just use sea salt because, grain for grain, it's more flavorful than regular table salt and you can get away with using less.

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  2. I think sea salt isn't that bad as long as its used right.....however I know a lot of people will drown their food in sea salt because it's been viewed as a healthier alternative. Does it have more flavor? I agree but if someone has high blood pressure, sparingly is the best way to go. Thank you for commenting! =)

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  3. cinnamon on broccoli - I MUST try that. I'm glad you posted this. I've been learning from a number of places the benefit of cinnamon and multiple recipes to use it. It is not sweet if it's not with sugar or sugar based bakery. I eventually discovered the magical, savory taste I found and love in Greek pastisio (Greek lasagna) was cinnamon mixed in with the beef. Plus, I thought scotch bonnet habenero was the highest you can get. Sheesh, how can it get any hotter? Glad I read this.

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  4. It's not a bad mix but don't go heavy on the cinnamon with the broccoli, just a light dab a sprinkle, mixed with some of your other herbs and the cinnamon will lift everything up; including the taste of the broccoli. As for the Chili, nope. I even think this chart is wrong. There's this one chili called the ghost pepper I may never try...this chili is said to be one of the hottest Chilli's in the world! I have to try a piece of this thing one day...lol Thank you for commenting! =)

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