Oatmeal: breakfast for champions

Daily consumption of a bowl of oatmeal can lower blood cholesterol, because of its soluble fibre content.It may reduce the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet. This is because of the beta-glucan in the oats. Rolled oats have long been a staple of many athletes' diets, especially weight trainers; given oatmeal's high content of complex carbohydrates and water-soluble fibre that encourages slow digestion and stabilizes blood-glucose levels. Oatmeal porridge also contains more B vitamins and calories than other kinds of porridges.

A quick and tasty recipe for an instant oatmeal breakfast for champions:

Ingredients (1 serving):

1/3 cup of instant oatmeal (pick a brand with no sodium)

2/3 cups of boiling water

10 raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 peach (fresh or frozen)

Preparation:

In your breakfast bowl, mix the oatmeal with the boiling water and leave for 2 minutes. Mix in the berries and peach. Enjoy!

Healthy meals are quick and easy to prepare so you have no excuse! Give it a try!

Which foods go in the cabinet and which in the fridge?

Here are a few tips you may not know about storing food in the cabinet vs in the fridge which will help you organize it to best preserve it and reap its benefits in both taste and nutrition.

• Do not mix different types of food. Package foods in the fridge appropriately so that you don't leave them open in the fridge where they will touch. Microbes that are not bad for one type of food can contaminate another and spoil it quickly.
• It is not recommended to use chemicals to clean your fridge. You can just use water and some lime/lemon juice or vinegar. The acid will remove odours and will disinfect.
• Do not over-stuff your fridge as you can damage it.
• Do not store products close to the back of the fridge as the circulation of the air happens there and fridge will not cool properly
• Do not store heavy bottles towards the outer side of the fridge not to damage the door

What does not belong in the fridge?

• Tomatoes and cucumbers: low temperatures make them lose a lot of water and aroma so they go bad faster
• Bananas and citrus fruits
• Apples should be stored on their own outside the fridge- they have a strong aroma and transfer it to other products quickly
• Potatoes should be stored in a dry, cool, well-aired cabinet
• Breads
• Do not place hot foods (just cooked or warmed up) in the fridge as they can damage the fridge. Instead, wait for them to cool down and place them in wide shallow containers.
• Dry processed foods and cans (before opening)
• Honey and jams

Some tips for foods that go in the fridge:

• Milk should be closed tightly to ensure no air gets to it
• Eggs should go on the door of the fridge to the indicated place
• Meat products should be placed in the baskets at the very bottom of your fridge as this is the coolest place and is meant for this food
• Fruits and vegetables should be tightly closed in bags and stored in the middle of the fridge
• The top of the fridge should be left for foods that will be consumed quickly
• The door of the fridge is the warmest place and should not store foods like dairy. Milk should actually be placed somewhere in the middle of the fridge along with the rest of the dairy products which include butter.

How To Protect Your Hair In The Summer

Having silk-shiny hair does not only depend on your genetics. Proper hair care is essential! The sunny summer can be very damaging to your strands and make them dry, frizzy, and brittle. Here are some summer hair care tips to help keep your hair healthy and strong.

• Shampoo your hair less often. Try to shampoo no more than twice a week and switch to more moisturizing and gentle shampoos.
• Reduce chemical hair treatments. Avoid coloring, bleaching, relaxers, chemical straighteners, etc as much as you can in the summer. They dry the hair a lot.
• Do not use hot styling tools. Don't use the blow dryer, hot iron, or rollers. Air dry your hair and go for a cut that is easy to manage. All sorts of braids are in style this summer so you can braid your damp hair and even un-braid when dry for natural curls.
• Condition your hair. Use appropriate rinse-out conditioner and leave-in conditioner after washing. Also, deep condition your hair more often using appropriate hair repair products. Apply conditioner to damp hair and wrap in a plastic wrap or a shower cap. Allow a few hours or leave in overnight for extra repair and moisture.
• Treat ends with Jojoba oil. Jojoba oil helps with frizzy hair and protects your ends from drying out. It also prevents static electricity.
• Use SPF protection. Apply leave-in or protective sun care products for your hair and scalp.
• Cover up. Wear a hat which allows for proper air circulation and blood flow.
• Get your ends trimmed regularly. This is very important during summer to prevent your ends from drying out, frizzing, and splitting.
• HYDRATE to keep your hair roots and scalp moisturized from the inside out. Drink a lot of water to keep your skin soft and plump.

Food Cravings between Meals and Healthy Snacks

How do you fight off cravings in between meals and, if you really are hungry, what are some healthy options?

Healthy Snacks

• Apple Slices with Peanut Butter: Spread light no-added-sugar peanut butter on apple slices for protein and fibre. This will fill you up quickly and keep you away from other snacks for a while.
• Oats: Cook half a cup of wholegrain oats with water or skimmed milk and add some honey if you like.
• Nuts: Nuts are high in mono-saturated fat that's good for your heart. Your body will burn energy to digest the protein. Limit your daily intake to a quarter cup of raw, unsalted nuts.
• Berries: Berries are high in water and will help flush out excess water from your system, get rid of belly bloat and are very nutritious as they are also high in vitamin C.
• Veggie omelet: Four egg whites and a yolk whisked with sliced pepper, mushrooms, basil, and tomatoes and cooked in a pan over medium heat. This is a healthy protein snack which boosts your metabolism.
• Dried Fruit: Dried fruit is rich in fibre (but make sure it has no added sugar) and keeps you feeling fuller for longer than most vending-machine snacks.
• Greek/Balkan Style Yogurt: It's high in protein and low in sugar and a study has found that those who eat 3 servings a day have a healthier body weight that those who don't.

To fight off cravings in between meals:

• Drink water: You may just be dehydrated and not really hungry. A cold glass of water may be all you need.
• Brush your teeth: When you brush your teeth, you send a psychological cue to your brain that you have finished eating. A bonus is that your teeth will be sparkling clean!
• Go for a walk: A short walk around the block for a few minutes of exercise and change of environment can help take your mind off eating.
• Use your cell phone: Cravings last for about 5 minutes so when they kick in, make a call to someone chatty to keep you away from the thought.

Why and how should we drink WATER?

You know that you should be drinking plenty of water every day but how much and how do you get a habit of drinking it when there is coffee, pop, tea, alcohol, and so many other things you are used to?

To determine how much water you need on a daily basis divide your body weight (in pounds) by 2. This equals the number of ounces of water you need daily. A normal glass is approximately 8 ounces. Exercise, higher altitude, heat, low humidity, pregnancy, breast feeding, coffee, tea, pop and alcohol, as well as diarrhea or fever all increase the amount of needed water. Water is best consumed between meals, not while you are eating as it can dilute the digestive juices needed to adequately break down food. Drink additional water during and after any activity that depletes water or if you have been sweating or exercising. Reach for water at the first sign of stress, pain, headache, anxiety or discomfort to assist the body in adapting more quickly and easily.

To get into the habit of drinking water you can:

• Carry a bottle:Always keep a bottle or glass of water at your desk and take the bottle with you when you are out. When you have water within your reach, you will be more likely to drink it regularly.
• Set a reminder: Set your watch or cell phone to beep at the top of each hour, or set a periodic computer reminder, so that you don't forget to drink water.
• Substitute water: If you would normally get a soda, or an alcoholic beverage, get a glass of water instead. Try sparkling water instead of alcohol at social functions. But also don’t forget that bubbles can bloat your stomach.
• Filter: Instead of spending a fortune on bottled water, invest in a filter for your home faucet. It'll make tap water taste like bottled, at a fraction of the price. Cold tap water will not have a smell or unpleasant taste.
• Exercise: Exercising can help make you want to drink water more. It's not necessary to drink sports drinks like Gatorade when you exercise, unless you are doing it for more than an hour. Just drink water. If you're going to exercise, be sure to drink water a couple of hours ahead of time, so that it will get through your system in time, and again, drink during and after exercise as well.
• Track it: It often helps, when forming a new habit, to keep track of it -- it increases awareness and helps you ensure that you're staying on track. Keep a little log (it can be done on an index card or a notebook), which can be as simple as a tick mark for each glass of water you drink.

Here are some great reasons why water should be your favourite drink:

• Water keeps your skin looking great by removing toxins and hydrating it.
• Water is the cheapest drink!
• Water is good for your heart. When are hydrated your blood is thinner and easier to pump and your heart needs to do less work and lasts longer.
• Water has no calories, sugars, artificial flavours and colors.
• Water can give you an energy boost. Your body is made up mostly of water. It loses it throughout the day, so you have to replace it for your body to work efficiently; particularly the heart and digestive tract. As mentioned earlier, water helps your body work better by getting rid of excess waste. The more efficiently your whole body is works, the better you’ll feel and the more energy you’ll have. Maybe enough energy to skip that cup of coffee.

Sun-dried Tomatoes and Spinach Salad (304 calories)

Ingredients (1 serving):

75 to 100 gr Baby Spinach pre-washed and ready to serve 6 cals

6-7 Cherry tomatoes or half of a regular tomato 10 cals

1/3 Regular size cucumber 3 cals

15-16 Dried cranberries 70 cals

1 tbs Roasted sunflower seeds (can be salted too) 80 cals

1-2 tbs Sundried tomatoes 35 cals

2 tbs Sundried Tomato and Oregano dressing 100 cals

Preparation:

In a small or medium salad bowl, place the baby spinach at the bottom. Slice the cherry tomatoes into two pieces and add to the bowl (if you are using regular tomatoes, chop them into small cubes). Chop the cucumber into cubes and add as well. Add the dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and sundried tomatoes. Add the dressing and mix well.

You can also add chopped chicken or turkey breast pieces. You can have it on its own or as a side to a main dish. This serving is enough for a light meal but you may want to increase the quantity of spinach and tomatoes to make a larger salad.

Claudia Schiffer's fasting diet

In just 3 days you can lose 3 to 5 kgs following Claudia Schiffer's diet.

Start the day with a glass of water.
Breakfast – 1 egg, soft-boiled, green tea.
In 3 hours – 150 grams of fat-free cottage cheese, green tea.
In another 3 hours – over 150 grams of fat-free cottage cheese, green tea.
Remainder of the day - drink mineral or drinking water.

You should not use any salt or sugar. The fasting is effective but tough for your body. You shouldn't repeat it more than once every 2 months.

The main ingredient is cottage cheese which is rich in Calcium. Calcium is assimilated by the body in combination with vitamin D, which is actively produced during the summer - when sunlight is stronger.

You can create your own calcium diet consisting of other yogurt-like products and hard cheeses. Don't forget that sugar, salt, boiled and cooked products steal Calcium away.

Vitamins and plants rich on Calcium will increase your metabolism which will help you lose weight.