Food Day 27

Chamomile Tea

How

1. Buy organic chamomile tea bags or flowers.
2. To make chamomile tea, steep a chamomile tea bag or chamomile flowers in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes in a mug covered with a saucer.
3. For stomach ailments, muscle spasms, and help in falling asleep, use about one tablespoon of dried herb per cup of water.
4. For headaches, drink this tea before the headache becomes too severe.
5. You can make your own chamomile tea with other plants like lavender or tulsi to vary the flavor, or drink it alone.
6. Drinking the tea for 30 to 45 minutes before going to bed can treat sleeplessness.
7. You can drink one to four cups daily.
8. Fill your water bottle with tea for maximum portability. You can drink this tea as a replacement for pop and juice.
9. Using chamomile during pregnancy is not recommended, since it is considered to be a substance that may cause abortions.

Health Benefits/Facts

• Promotes sleep. Chamomile tea is a herbal tea and contains no caffeine.
• Soothes migraine headaches. This tea is anti inflammatory and will help with headaches caused by inflammation.
• Possible treatment for stomach and intestinal cramps. One study from England found that drinking chamomile tea raised urine levels of glycine, a compound that calms muscle spasms.
• Good for skin. The tea’s anti inflammatory effects extend to the skin where it helps ease skin irritations such as eczema, acne, and allergies.
• Source of antioxidant which can help prevent cancer and has been shown to causes cancer cell death though further research is needed.

Salmon

Directions

1. Fresh and whole salmon are the cheapest and healthiest form of salmon. Make sure that the store keeps the salmon on ice if not frozen and check for unusual smells.
2. Use a freezer to store the salmon for as long as possible. It is best to consume salmon within 2-3 weeks.
3. Cook the salmon until the inside is no longer translucent red.
4. Cooking methods include broiling, baking, grilling or frying. The best method is broiling because it allows the fish to be cooked just enough so as not to lose too many nutrients.
5. To reduce fat content, remove the skin of the salmon before cooking.
6. Avoid losing nutrients by avoiding stir frying the salmon
7. Low mercury salmon include Southeast Alaskan chum, sockeye, Coho, pink, and Chinook salmon, together with Kodiak Coho, pink, and chum salmon. Alaskan salmon carries the lowest risk in being contaminated,

Benefits

• Anti-inflammatory. The ogega-3-fatty acids in the salmon decrease inflammation and increases circulation. Omega-3 fatty acids are also known for their ability to prevent heart diseases diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Broccoli

Directions

• To conserve the nutritional content fresh broccoli is the best.
• To lower the risk of bacterial and viral infection, broccoli should be cooked.
• We recommend that you steam broccoli for no longer than 7 minutes. The instructions are listed below

Instructions for Steamed Broccoli

1. Fill the bottom of a steamer with water to a level of about 2 inches and bring to a rapid boil
2. While the water is heating up, cut the florets into quarters and cut the stems into ½ inch slices
3. Once the water is boiling, add the leaves and the florets
4. Steam for 2 minutes
5. Add the stems to the leaves and the florets
6. Steam for 5 minutes
7. Plate and serve

Benefits

• Healthy Digestion. The fibre in broccoli helps absorbs toxins put into your intestines by your liver and also acts to help food move through your intestines.
• Anti-cancer. The antioxidants in the broccoli help neutralize the cancer causing oxidants in your body.
• Better metabolism of fats and carbohydrates helped by the vitamin B found in broccoli.
• Lowers the risk of colon-cancer through the chlorophyll present in its cells.

Bonus Tips

How to Build Healthy Habits

Read more

With just 3 days left in the whole 30 regimen, it’s time to spend some time thinking about habit building. As you can probably tell by now, the whole 30 was designed to affect your life long after the 30 days are over. But, changing unhealthy habits into healthy ones is no easy task. That’s why it’s important to start each effort with serious contemplation. By considering all of the possible outcomes before committing to a new lifestyle, you’ll be better equipped to stop cravings in their tracks and follow through on your intentions. With that in mind, we recommend developing extensive pro/con lists of health habits. Having a list like this in your back pocket will make it much easier to take action.

• Pros of Healthy Food Choices

There are a number of reasons to make a switch to healthy eating habits. While some of these might seem obvious, others are more subtle. For example, we all know that eating healthy will lower your risk for health problems and contribute to weight loss efforts. But, many people forget other benefits. People who eat healthy tend to have more energy than those that don’t, simply because they’re putting better fuel into their bodies. Associated with this energy and the ensuing weight loss is a sense of pride. And, making a commitment to eating healthy includes an exploration of new, tasty foods. Finally, if you start eating healthy, there’s a good chance that those around you will take notice and follow suit.

• Cons of Healthy Food Choices
  Of course, it’s not all rosy. Healthy food choices sometimes cost more than cheap ones. In addition to the financial cost, eating healthy means cutting back on restaurant food, so there is a time commitment involved. New recipes, new foods, and new cooking methods need to be learned. What’s more, you may need to give up some of your favorite foods, or at least cut back a bit. And, if you’re gonna eat healthy, your family will be coming along for the ride – we all know how that goes.

Featured photo credit: flickr via flickr.com

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