Tag Archives: vegetarian

My Current Health Food Obsession: Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk and Coconutmilk Blend

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I typically do most of my shopping at Trader Joe’s, but last week I found myself in a major time crunch and had to settle for a conventional grocery store…and I am glad I did!.  While strolling through the dairy aisle, I noticed an increase in the amount of milk alternatives now available. While I still enjoy conventional cows milk- skim of course,  I decided to change things up and try the unsweetened almondmilk and coconutmilk blend from Almond Breeze. The packaging made it look super delicious and at only 45 calories per 8 ounce serving, the only thing I had to lose was $3.99.  I tried it first in my coffee as a creamer alternative. Yummy! Then, with some high fiber Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. Amazing! Do yourself a favor and try this combo for breakfast.

This is a great product for those with a lactose intolerance, avoiding gluten, soy, or want to shave a few calories here and there. I must point out, there is one gram of saturated fat from the coconut milk, but there are new studies that suggest major health benefits from medium chain fatty acids.

Lower Your Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease by Making This Monday a Meatless One

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There has been a great deal of buzz in the health and nutrition world about a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health linking red meat consumption to an increased risk in cardiovascular and cancer death.  If that wasn’t scary enough, the specifics of the study were astonishing, stating that daily consumption of processed red meat-the equivalent to one hot dog or  3 ounces of sausage-increases these mortality risks by 20%.

In the press release noted that “replacing one serving of total red meat with one serving of a healthy protein source was associated with a lower mortality risk: 7% for fish, 14% for poultry, 19% for nuts, 10% for legumes, 10% for low-fat dairy products, and 14% for whole grains. The researchers estimated that 9.3% of deaths in men and 7.6% in women could have been prevented at the end of the follow-up if all the participants had consumed less than 0.5 servings per day of red meat”

Although the take-home message of this study is to stop eating so much darn red meat, it should also shed some light on the health benefits of incorporating more fish and plant-based protein servings into ones diet.  Overall, this study definitely supports the theory that one small life-style change can make a huge difference in health!  Since there is no time like the present, start the change today and make this Monday dinner meatless. Need some ideas to get you started:

  • Toss some edamame on a bed of lettuce for a salad.
  • Skewer and grill some extra-firm tofu chunks for shish kebobs.
  • Put your crock-pot to use and make some bean chilli.
  • It’s not Friday, but you can still make fish tacos.
  • Lentil soup anyone?
  • Go out and try a new  Indian restaurant or other  vegetarian cuisine.