healthy food – Jellybeans in the City

10 Quick Tips to Help Your Family Stay Healthy Through the Holidays

The holidays are a joyful time when friends and family members tend to spend more time together. It can be a great opportunity to boost current relationships and renew old ones. But it can also be a time when you’re exposed to a lot more germs than usual. To avoid the sniffles and other signs of illness, here are 10 quick tips to help your family stay healthy through the holidays.

Don’t Stress It

Stress is one of the primary culprits behind a weakened immune system. No matter what age you are, too much stress can compromise your body’s immune response and leave you vulnerable to illness. For adults, minimizing stress may require saying “no” to added responsibilities you don’t have time to take on near the holidays. But for children, stress may not be so easy to combat.

In children, stress can result from too much noise, too little sleep and changes in daily routines. Since it can be pretty hard to avoid these things around the holidays, you may want to give your child’s immune system some extra support and attention. If you’re looking for immune support for 1 year old or older, skip the harsh over-the-counter cold supplements and opt for a baby-safe immune support formula.

Stay Hydrated & Rested

It’s very common for people to become dehydrated during the colder winter months. If you struggle to remember to drink water throughout the day, try setting a reminder on your phone. Set the reminder or alarm to go off every hour or so and take a drink of water when it does.

Another way you can strengthen your body’s immune system is by getting as much rest as possible. When you do experience less sleep than usual, consider taking an elderberry syrup immune support product to give your immune system a little extra support.

Eat as Healthy as Possible

It’s hard to resist pies, cookies and other treats associated with the holidays. The truth is, it’s probably alright to indulge in these types of treats occasionally. But for the most part, eat as healthy as possible throughout the holidays so you can stay as healthy as possible. Sugar and heavily processed foods can weaken your immune response and make it easier for illnesses to overpower you.

If you need ideas for great-tasting plant based food for kids and healthy family-friendly recipes, there are a lot of great tips online. Many experts agree that it’s easier to get kids to like plant-based foods when you sweeten them with fruit or create fun shapes with them. It can also help to let your kids have a say in what plant-based meals you make for them.

Additional Tips for Staying Healthy

In addition to minimizing stress, eating healthy, and staying hydrated and rested, here are 6 more tips for staying healthy during the holidays:

Wash hands frequently
Stay active every day
Eat mindfully and slowly
Fill up on healthy foods before indulging in sweets
Try meditating
Make time for relaxation and self-care

Image by Wiroj Sidhisoradej on Freepik

Boost your immune system with easy and healthy dishes from La Germania

La Germania dishes nutritious recipes to strengthen you and your family amid cold and flu season

The new year marks a fresh start, but it also means that flu season is upon us. That’s why it’s vital for you and your loved ones to take care of your health. One of the best ways to shield ourselves from diseases and possible health risks is preparing nutritious dishes at home.

To help you boost your immune system amid flu season, La Germania shares three recipes that are easy to make and rich with health benefits. By preparing these dishes at home, you also get to make a lot of savings. Hence, you hit two birds with one stone.

Get fancy with Salmon en Papillote

French cuisine may sound intimidating, but this tender fish is deceptively easy and fast to prepare. Salmon is one of the most nutritious foods in the market, rich in omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins. Omega-3 fatty acids help build and maintain a healthy body, while B vitamins are a good energy source and may help with certain health problems, like migraines and anxiety. Baking this flavourful French dish will be a total breeze with your La Germania oven range.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs salmon, cut into four pieces
One small zucchini, thinly sliced
One head fennel, thinly sliced
One lemon, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried dill
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Parchment paper

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cut parchment into four large ovals 15” by 10” inches. Then, fold each parchment in half.
On half of each parchment, layer on ¼ of the zucchini, ¼ the fennel, one piece of salmon, sprinkle with ¼ tsp salt, ¼ pepper, ¼ tsp dill, lemon slices, drizzle each salmon with one teaspoon olive oil and a few pieces of fennel fronds. Repeat this process with the three remaining salmon filets.
Close the parchment by folding the other half over the prepared salmon and carefully roll the open edges toward the center.
Set pouches on a baking sheet and bake on the center rack for 15 minutes.
Open carefully using a fork and serve.

Snack it up with Baked Garlic Sweet Potatoes

If you’re in the mood for a delicious snack, you can forgo junk food and try this affordable yet delectable option instead. Sweet potato (a.k.a kamote) is a superfood packed with plenty of nutrients like Potassium, beta-carotene and Vitamin C. Potassium regulates one’s heartbeat. In contrast, beta-carotene is good for one’s eyesight. Meanwhile, Vitamin C is necessary for the growth, development, and repair of all body tissues. That’s why you should eat more sweet potatoes this flu season. With a La Germania compact oven in your arsenal, you can bake this mouthwatering dish to your heart’s content.

Ingredients:

Four medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks
Two tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Five cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Two tablespoons chopped parsley leaves for garnish

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
Place the sweet potatoes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place into oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and crisp, tossing occasionally.
Combine sweet potato with garlic and Parmesan cheese.
Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Recipe from DamnDelicious.net.

There’s nothing like a warm soup to stay healthy this cold and flu season. You can skip the store-bought or instant soup by making this soup dish full of immunity-boosting, anti-inflammatory, and detoxifying ingredients like assorted vegetables and a medley of spices. Following this 30-minute recipe will be easy peasy with your La Germania electric stove.

Ingredients:

One tablespoon olive oil
One yellow onion, diced
Six cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
One teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon paprika
One tablespoon lemon juice
One large sweet potato (about 1/2 lb) diced into ½” cubes
1 15oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup red lentils, uncooked and rinsed
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup kale, destemmed and torn into 1” pieces
Salt to taste

Procedure:

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat for 1 minute.
Add the onion and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and ginger and continue to cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the turmeric and paprika and continue to cook for 1 minute.
Add the lemon juice, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, red lentils, and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
Once the soup begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.
Add kale and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the kale has softened and wilted slightly.
Season with salt to taste.

Photo and Recipe from IHeartVegetables.com.

Built according to the highest European standards in terms of construction and design, La Germania appliances allow you to prepare nutritious dishes in an efficient and easy way. With guaranteed durability and superior quality, they’re a good investment for you to channel your inner chef, and make more immune-boosting food at home.

La Germania products are available online through La Germania’s official e-commerce website www.lagermaniaph.com and e-commerce platforms on Shopee and Lazada. You may follow the trusted kitchen and appliance brand’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts for more information on La Germania and its products.

Recipes and images provided by La Germania in a recent press release.

Gear up for cooking.

Buy Now

Buy Now

Healthy eating myths debunked with Fit Food Manila

As the clock struck down to this New Year, I’m sure many of us resolved to live healthier lives, yes?

Central to healthy living is healthy eating. What we choose to nourish ourselves determine quite a lot of how our wellness efforts shape out.

However, we might find ourselves inundated by a barrage of information about eating right, some of which may not be so helpful in achieving our health goals.

Here’s a sampling:

Myth #1: Say goodbye to meat and dairy.

Going all plant-based may have incredible health benefits such as lowering rates of diabetes and heart disease. However, we can’t discount that animal products are excellent sources of protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc. Cutting meat and dairy out of your diet means that you are limiting your options for getting these nutrients.

Myth #2: Ditch the processed food.

In today’s fast-paced life, not all of us have the time and energy to prepare our food from scratch. Sometimes, we would need to resort to processed food. The trick is in choosing which kinds of processed food to incorporate into our meals. For example, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits provide an easy way for us to get the nutrients we need from these food items even when they’re off season.

Myth #3: Toss off all the fat.

For decades, fat has been vilified as the big bad of food. It has been blamed for everything from widening girths to heart disease. The thing is: we need fat. It provides the feeling of satiation when we eat and it helps out bodies absorb other nutrients such as vitamins A, D and E.

Myth #4: Do away with desserts.

Being a sweet tooth, I shy away from diets that compel me to give up desserts. I would reason that by doing so, I would live longer, but would I want to? (Yes, dessert is my reason for being.)

The trick is in choosing which food items go into the sweets we eat: if we opt for healthier versions of the usual decadent ingredients like substituting milk with soy or almond milk or choosing a lower calorie cream are already significant steps you can take to eat healthy.

Myth #5: Skip meals.

It seems so simple, doesn’t it? To lose weight, you need to eat less. To eat less, simply skip a meal. However, doing so may also mean depriving yourself of key nutrients and energy you need to power through your day. (I know I can get cranky when I skip a meal.)

While you won’t have to divest yourself of tasty and mouthwatering food, doing the nitty-gritty of ingredient selection, food preparation and calorie counting can be both time-consuming and difficult.

Luckily, with food delivery services like Fit Food Manila, you won’t have to hassle yourself with these.

Fit Food Manila is whole team dedicated to helping you with your health goals. Its culinary group is manned by a head chef and several cooks who ensure that the food delivered to you is delicious so you won’t feel deprived. Its in-house dietician and nutritionist, on the other hand, calculate the amount of calories you get from different food groups to help your body get the nourishment it needs.

If you think that it’s impossible to achieve nutritious yet mouth-watering meals everyday, then check out this five-day meal plan that Fit Food Manila prepared for me which totals to just 1,500 calories per day.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Philly Cheesesteak (420KCal)

Lunch: Grilled Chicken with Peking Duck Sauce on Red Rice (362 KCal)

Dinner: Paella Negra topped with Seafood (429 KCal)

Snacks: Baked Potato Wedges with Grated Cheese (141 KCal) and Caramel Banana (140 KCal)

Day 2:

Breakfast: Chicken Longganisa with Garlic Brown Rice and Sunny Side Up Egg (443 KCal)

Lunch: Hickory BBQ Fish Fillet on Brown Rice (390 KCal)

Dinner: Malaysian Beef Rendang on Brown Rice (484 KCal)

Snacks: Pad Thai (131 KCal) and Popcorn (90 KCal)

Day 3:

Breakfast: Ube Granola and Chia Seed Oats (392 Kcal)

Lunch: Spicy Chili Beef Strips with Red Rice (393 KCal)

Dinner: Boneless Chicken BBQ with Atchara and Peanut Sauce on Red Rice (443 KCal)

Snacks: Pizza Bread (192 KCal) and Grape Jello (80 KCal)

Day 4:

Breakfast: Mexican Chili con Carne Omelet (402 KCal)

Lunch: Pan-Grilled Chicken with Grilled Pineapple Salsa on Brown Rice (367 KCal)

Dinner: Chicken Strips in Oyster Sauce on Brown Rice (401 KCal)

Snacks: Banana Graham (109 KCal) and Carrot Cake (216 KCal)

Day 5:

Breakfast: BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich (392 KCal)

Lunch: Tokyo Spicy Salmon Salad (384 KCal)

Dinner: Grilled Chicken Steak with Mushroom Gravy and Red Rice (419 KCal)

Snacks: Apple and Cheese Quesadillas (140 KCal) and Cookie Squares (182 KCal)

Fit Food Manila meal plans include three meals and two snacks. These are delivered to you the night before so refrigerate within one hour of delivery to ensure the freshness of the ingredients and heat right before consumption to give the best taste and quality.

Available meal plans include:

Fit Food Original (Php420/day). The original meal plan based on calorie counting that helps in losing weight.

Php2,100 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
Php2,500 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
Php2,900 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Food Plus (Php550/day). The meal plan that’s low in carbs but high in fiber but not as high in fat. This is recommended for individuals who want to maximize weight loss while controlling other issues like blood sugar.

Php2,750 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
Php3,050 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
Php3,350 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Food Keto (Php595/day). The Ketogenic meal plan that limits carbs to around 5-10% of the daily source of energy, limits protein to around 15-20% and gets the rest from healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado, eggs, butter, animal fat, and coconut oil, designed to turn the body into a fat-burning machine.

Php2,975 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
Php3,225 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
Php3,725 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Heart (Php600/day). The low sodium and low fat meal plan which will help not just in lowering body weight but also in lowering blood markers like LDL Cholesterol. This meal plan also replaces high fat meat with low fat alternatives.

Php3,000 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
Php3,300 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
Php3,600 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Fit Food Veg (Php470/day). The veg meal plan with no meat, poultry, fish, egg and dairy.

Php2,350 for 5 days at 1200 calories per day
Php2,725 for 5 days at 1500 calories per day
Php3,100 for 5 days at 1800 calories per day

Options for 7-day meal plans are also available.

Select your meal plan at fitfoodmanila.com or call +63 917 7240222.

Fun poke bowl lunch at Poke Shack, Libis

Everyday, we are presented with so many choices for our midday meals that deciding on which resto to have a #happylunch can be mind-blowing.

But what if we’re trying to eat healthy?

Whether we’re watching our weight or trying to ensure we get more essential nutrients into our system, we would really appreciate having multiple and viable options for a healthy meal.

Fortunately, another restaurant offering wholesome and nourishing meal choices has set up shop near my neck of the woods.

Poke Shack is located in the newly built Bridgetowne Business Center complex, giving the workers of nearby offices and the residents of nearby villages a tasty way to enjoy a nourishing meal: in a poke bowl.

Poke (pronounced as POKE-KAY) bowls originate from Hawaii, where pieces of fresh fish are chopped into small pieces, marinated in flavorful sauces and served on top of freshly steamed rice along with chopped fresh vegetables, nuts and other toppings that add flavor and texture to the dish. Sometimes, cooked meat is used as substitute for the raw fish.

Over the years, the poke bowl has adopted various culinary influences, making it a very versatile dish.

Recently, my foodie friends from #WeLoveToEatPH and #SaanSaPH and I visited Poke Shack to sample its some of its wide array of poke bowls which included:

The Shack Standard (Php210 for regular bowl | Php130 for junior bowl). Made with tuna, celery, ebiko (shrimp roe), furikake (dry Japanese seasoning), sesame seed with classic poke sauce.

Juan-der Bowl (Php190 for regular bowl | Php110 for junior bowl). Made with tuna, red egg, red raddish, celery, black sesame seed, spring onion and aioli sauce.

Salmon Sriracha (Php230 for regular bowl| Php150 for junior bowl). Made with salmon, celery, onion, crispy showa tempura flour mix, ebiko, furikake, sesame seed with sriracha mayo.

Jeju Chicken (Php190 for regular bowl | Php110 for junior bowl). Made with Korean-style chicken, black and white sesame seed, brocolli, cauliflower, leeks with Bonchon sauce.

Chicharrones Zing (Php210 for regular bowl | Php130 for junior bowl). Made with crispy pork liempo, salsa, pineapple, salted egg with chimichurri and sriracha.

Beefy Cheese Machine (Php230 for regular bowl| Php150 for junior bowl). Made with beef, cheese, corn, pickled cucumber, cherry tomato, spring onion with aioli sriracha.

In the mood for something else aside from your poke bowl? Try it with Chicken Skin (Php50) or Crocutes (Php100), potato and cheese croquettes with crab sticks or spam cubes.

Add iced tea or lemonade to your poke bowl for only Php20 or make it a meal with iced tea or lemonade and salad chips for only Php40.

Plus, every Wednesday, get your poke bowl for only Php100!

Thanks to the varied tastes and textures of Poke Shack’s poke bowls, eating healthy has never been easier or more fun!

Thanks to Michael Alegre of Poke Shack and his crew for the warm welcome and the yummy food!

Poke Shack is located at Ground Floor, Tera Tower, Bridgetowne Business Center, Ortigas Avenue Extension corner E. Rodriguez Jr Avenue, Libis, Quezon City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 10am to 10pm, Fridays from 10am to 11pm and Saturdays from 11am to 8pm. For inquiries, call +63 926 0718992 or +63 929 3173857.

No time to visit the store? Have your poke bowl from Poke Shack delivered to you via Food Panda.

Disclosure: Together with my fellow foodies, I was invited to join a foodie meetup held here. Food items mentioned here were served to allow us to sample the fare and were not paid for by the attendees, including myself.

Check out my blog posts on other healthy eats in the metro:

Nomi Cafe, BGC

Jelly G Thai Milk Tea, UP Town Center

Jack’s Lemonade, UP Town Center

UltraKappu, Old Balara

Pantry by Rub Rack, Katipunan

Ca Phe Saigon. Marikina

Wabi Sabi, Tomas Morato

Saigon Corner, Tomas Morato

Book gives tips on how to help kids appreciate healthy food

With all the fast food, microwaveables and sugar-laden fare easily available in malls and grocery stores, kids these days might be missing out on both the nutrients and flavors that healthy food brings. Earlier generations benefited from home-cooked meals and the time devoted by homemakers to acquiring fresh ingredients but today’s busy lifestyle sees families turning more towards food that is more convenient than truly nutritious.

In Taste Buds: The Magic and Fun of Sensible Food, author Nicolette Francey Asselin shares food-based wisdom gathered from her childhood memories and her medical practice. This booklet is the fourth installment in a series of health books released by Getwell.org. Among her notable pieces of advice are:

Avoid using dessert as a reward. This implies that the meal already laid on the table is not the best.

Keep meals simple. Time- and effort-intensive dishes for weekday meals are neither practical nor sustainable given today’s busy lifestyle.

Involve the kids. Getting them to participate in meal preparation – such as chopping vegetables or fetching tools or ingredients – will help them develop an appreciation for the effort that goes into getting a good meal on the table.

Asselin also included a few simple recipes of healthy dishes that she grew up with such as roasted vegetables, ratatouille, a basic vinaigrette for salads and muesli, among others, as well as instructions on how to pickle or ferment foodstuffs at home.

This is a short book and I think she could have expounded more on some sections such as how to balance meat, poultry, seafood and produce in the weekly menu or how to enjoy healthy food outside the home through quick and easy meal preparation strategies.

That said, this book can provide an adequate impetus to start cooking and eating healthier.

Taste Buds: The Magic and Fun of Sensible Food, published by CorpWell Publishing, is available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.

Thanks to NetGalley and CorpWell Publishing for the copy of the ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

This post contains affiliate links.

Want to start cooking fresh and healthy? There’s no need to leave home to shop for ingredients. With Honestbee, just order your groceries online and you’ll get them delivered right at your doorstep at your preferred time. Use this referral link and get Php500 off for a minimum spend of Php2,500. You can download the Honestbee app on iTunes or Google Play.

If you’re in the US and an Amazon Prime member, sign up for a free trial of Amazon Fresh to get your groceries delivered to you.

Love books and reading? Try Kindle Unlimited on Amazon and read from thousands of ebooks available in the Kindle Unlimited catalog. of Get your first month FREE.

No Kindle device? Download the Kindle App ebook reader for FREE to read your favorite books anytime and anywhere.

No time to read? Listen to your favorite books instead while you drive, run, shop, and more. Try Audible for free for 30 days and get two free audiobooks.