Category: Health

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Healthy Salad Recipes

Salads are one of the healthiest and most versatile meals you can throw together in just a few minutes! Swapping out ingredients and toppings create numerous recipes and options to try. However, not all of these options are healthy, especially when adding salad dressings that are high in calories or fat. Depending on what combinations and ingredients you put in, salads can be an excellent source of nutrients. Here are some healthy salad recipes to take into consideration:

Plant-Protein-Powered Salad

Plant-Protein-Powered Salads are special because they contain grains. Grains may not the first thing that one thinks of when considering plant-based protein, but as a food group, it still has terrific health benefits. Whole grains can be rich in protein, especially grains such as amaranth and quinoa with 9 grams and 8 grams of protein per cooked cup respectively. Combined with common ingredients such as veggies and leafy greens, this salad can be a go-to for a source of protein.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

Cucumbers are surprisingly healthy in their own right, as they provide many health benefits including hydration, nutrients, and they may even lower blood sugar and aid in weight loss. When added to a salad, cucumber helps to create a healthy recipe for either a snack or a side dish. Creamy Cucumber Dill Salads can be complemented by creamy cashew sour cream and dill to provide a balanced and great tasting dish one can incorporate into their diet.

Autumn Fruit Chia Salad

With autumn in full swing, what better time to try an Autumn Fruit Chia Salad than right now? This salad is a great way to fulfill your daily recommended fruit intake as it contains mixed fruit of all varieties. Apples, pears. grapes, clementines, and cranberries are combined with chia seeds to create an excellent tasting salad. Depending on what season you are in, you can customize and swap out certain fruits to create a dish to your liking.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Healthy Low-Fat & High in Protein Foods

Protein is something that we all need when it comes to maintaining a healthy diet, especially when paired with regular exercise. However, some high protein foods are accompanied by a high-fat content as well. Foods that have high protein and low-fat are ideal for those on a low-calorie diet. Here are some foods to take into account on your next shopping trip:

White- Fleshed Fish

Fish are an excellent source of protein and nutrients. Specifically, white-fleshed fish is a great source of protein while having the added benefit of being lean, or low fat. This particular food contains around 23 grams of protein per serving, but only around 85-130 calories! Additionally, white fish are generally very low in fat, usually coming in under 3 grams. White fish to consider buying include cod, halibut, flounder, tilapia, and pollock.

Egg Whites

Eggs are generally a staple food for those on a diet to maintain heart health; however egg whites are the better option. Having egg white omelets or egg white muffins are just a few options to choose from when exploring healthy egg-based recipes. An egg white has only 16 calories while also containing only half a gram of fat. It also contains 3 grams of protein, making up about half of the protein found in an egg.

Lean Beef

Lean beef tends to have indicators for being low-fat such as “loin” and “round.” These kinds of meats tend to have less than 10 total grams of fat. Along with having high protein, lean beef includes multiple B vitamins, selenium, and zinc. Lean beef generally includes sirloin, tenderloin, round roast, round steak, flank steak, brisket flat-half, and ground beef (95% lean). If you do choose to integrate red meat into a low-fat diet, always select a lean cut.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Benefits of Bone Broth

There are many food crazes that tout certain foods as super foods. Bone broth is commonly seen as a superfood, but what does that really mean? “Superfood” is a trendy word used to describe a food that has a host of nutritional and health benefits. Bone broth fits into this category due to its dense nutrient profile and anti-inflammatory properties. Bone broth has been seen to help not only joint and gut health, but it also has been used for beauty purposes due to its high level of collagen,  a protein that gives skin its elasticity. Overall, the benefits of bone broth can contribute to helping multiple systems within the body due to the level of vitamins it has. 

Bone broth nutrients

Iron: the high levels of iron in bone broth make it good for contributing to balanced hormones and adequate oxygenation since iron helps red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. 

Vitamin A: The vitamin A in bone broth is good for eye and immune health. 

Vitamin K: Vitamin K in bone broth helps with wound healing as well as bone health. 

Zinc: Zinc is another nutrient found in bone broth with many health benefits including boosting your immune system and increasing your metabolism function. 

Manganese: Manganese found in bone broth helps many functions in the body such as regulating blood sugar, brain as well as nerve function, calcium absorption, carbohydrate and fat metabolism. 

Selenium: Selenium is an antioxidant found in bone broth that can help reduce oxidative stress in the body. This can potentially reduce the risk of developing cancer since it helps protect cells from damage that this stress can cause.

Asking a physician before making changes to one’s diet is important to make sure that the new addition will be beneficial. 

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Healthy Keto Diet Foods

Despite the stringent guidelines the keto diet entails, it remains one of the most popular specialty diets in the United States. It puts a huge emphasis on high-fat and protein-rich foods paired with low carbs to help your body burn useful fats rather than carbs. When considering foods or recipes to buy, there are certain “building block” foods to keep in mind as you shop for groceries. Here are a few high-fat, low-carb foods to consider when following a keto diet:

Seafood

Seafood is known for having a combination of healthy fats and lower carbs. Being rich in omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients such as protein and selenium, it is a prime example of a keto building block food. What’s also fantastic is the assortment of keto seafood to choose from, such as shrimp, crab, tuna, cod, mussels, salmon and others that you can incorporate into your recipes or diet plan. Play around with recipes from different cuisines, including Mediterranean, Caribbean and East Asian.

Meat and poultry

Foods such as beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb are also great sources of healthy fat and protein for keto diets. Meat makes up a good portion of keto, and like most keto foods, it’s versatile so there are many ways to serve it. It is important, however, to purchase organic and grass-fed meat and poultry. Since you are consuming these foods frequently, you want to sustain your body with the highest quality available.

Dairy

Adding dairy keto foods such as cheese, Greek yogurt, and assortments of cream and butter are also beneficial. Cheeses are amazing as they tend to have high protein and low carbs. In general, dairy foods are a great source of protein, calcium, and even healthy fats!

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Post-Workout Healthy Snacks

Whether it’s going to the gym, taking a walk, or going for a jog, the steps we take after we’re finished exercising is just as important as the workout itself. For example, in addition to stretching before and after a physical exercise, eating healthy foods is a necessary piece to the puzzle in living a healthy lifestyle. Follow along to read the benefits of post-work out eating, healthy snack ideas, and ways to prepare those snacks.

 

Benefits of eating post-workout

When you work out, you not only burn fat and calories, but you also can deplete nutrients and become dehydrated. Making sure to replenish what you lose from working out will help you recover faster and reduce potential soreness afterwards. Eating foods high in water is important to replenish the hydration you sweat when working out. Consuming high-protein foods will help heal the tears in muscles from working out. High electrolyte foods and supplements will  restore these essential minerals lost during exercise. Healthy post-workout snacks you can try include fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and yogurt.

 

Healthy post-workout snacks

Healthy foods high in water content that help increase hydration after working out include watermelon, cucumbers, cantaloupe, strawberries, peaches, oranges, grapefruit, bell peppers and celery. Healthy foods high in protein such as nuts and seeds are great foods to snack on after exercise to aid in repairing and building muscle. In order to avoid sugary electrolyte beverages, consider consuming foods high in electrolytes such as spinach, kale, bananas, raisins and yogurt.

 

Ways to prepare post-workout snacks

You don’t need to cook a full meal after a workout. Try eating post-workout snacks either in their raw form or in a smoothie. Seeds and nuts can be eaten raw, or as a seed/nut butter spread on a carbohydrate-rich base, or added into a smoothie in place of a protein powder. “Ants on a log”, a childhood snack, is a fun, classic way to combine protein, electrolytes and a high-water content all in one simple snack. All that is needed is celery with nut or seed butter spread on top with raisins placed on the buttery spread to make a fun, healthy treat for your post-workout snack.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.