Ideas by Millan

Valentine's Chocolates

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and most certainly you are bound to receive, or give, chocolates. If you are receiving chocolates remember that Valentine’s day is once every year and you can indulge on this date. If you are giving chocolates opt for buying dark chocolate if you can, they provide the most health benefits. Dark chocolates that have 70% or more cocoa have the most antioxidants where as milk chocolates are only required to have 10% concentration of pure chocolate liquor.

Pros and Cons of giving chocolates to your Valentine.

Nutritional value Pros:
It contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B11, (B12 in white and milk chocolate, due to the milk powder) C, D, E, and minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. Cocoa’s antioxidant Flavonoids help relax blood pressure. The cocoa butter in chocolate contains oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated fat which may raise good cholesterol.

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Healthy Food

Get over the economic crisis and cook with your kids at home. For a family of three or more, eating at restaurants every week can be very expensive and will end up affecting your yearly budget. Get your kids involved in cooking with you, together you can learn new recipes and will share more time together. If your kids are at or near the age where they will be going to college then sharing time with you in the kitchen will teach them to be more aware of their health. If your kids know that there are healthier choices they can easily prepare, then they will not be limited to frozen TV-dinners once they get to college.

Tuna

8 OF 10 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Eating tuna, salmon, and sardines helps lower your cholesterol levels and help reduce high blood pressure since these have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. It is recommended to eat two portions of fish a week in order to maintain its beneficial effects.

Tip: In order to supplement your portions of fish fatty acids, you can take supplements of omega-3.

Tip2: To change things up you can alternate between cooking in the oven or on the grill.

Source: American Heart Association.

Rice

7 OF 10 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Eat foods low in saturated fats

Include in your diet fruits and vegetables, skinless chicken, beans, lentils and legumes, low-fat or fat-free milk, lean meat and whole grains such as those found in wheat bread and rice.

Source: American Heart Association.

hot dogs

6 OF 10 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Limit your intake of fats and processed foods

Limiting is the key to not over eating products that are not that healthy.

Food intakes to limit are:

• Dairies high in fat, such as whole milk, creams, butter, ice cream, cheeses and its derivatives.
• Egg yolks and bakery products with yolks and saturated fats.
• Processed meats with high fat contents such as hotdogs, bologna, salame and chorizo.
• Greasy meats such as duck, goose, liver and kidneys.
• Solid fats such as shortening, and partially hydrogenated margarine.
• Palm tree and coconut oil, and fried foods.

Tip: A lot of the foods mentioned here have necessary nutrients needed by the body, which is why it is not recommended to avoid them one hundred percent, it is best to limit their use to one or two servings per week.

Source: American Heart Association.

Oven

5 OF 10 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Pay attention to the way you cook

The foods you choose or limit to cook are as important as the way in which you prepare them.
Follow these steps to ensure eating healthy:

• Remove all visible fat from meat and remove the skin from chicken and turkey before cooking.
• Cook foods in the oven or grill.
• When cooking foods in the oven use a rack in order to remove the extra fat.
• Brush oven foods with fruit juice, home marinades or wine.
• Use vegetable spray or olive oil.
• Serve small portions of foods that are high in fats.
• For recipes that ask for eggs use only the whites.
• Use low-fat cheese instead of regular.

Source: American Heart Association.

Olive Oil

4 OF 10 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT

Olive oil can help you reduce your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), since it has very potent antioxidants. You can add it to salads and vegetables. Trade-in your cream based dressing for a vinaigrette made out of olive oil. Do not buy light olive oil, since it has been process and has less antioxidants.

Tip: It is recommended to use 2 teaspoons of olive oil a day.

Source: Food and Drug Administration