7 Best Healthy Foods To Eat In 2018

If you want to improve your well-being in 2018, then begin to buy healthy foods at the supermarket. Many people want to lose weight and prevent illness, and by consuming a nutritious diet, it is possible to do both of these things. Make sure to shop for these healthy foods this year. 

Food 1: Quinoa

Quinoa is a protein-rich seed that is boiled in the same way as brown rice. Not only does this seed provide a lot of protein and fiber, but also, it is gluten free, making it a safe food choice for many individuals. Today, you can find this food in the rice section of a store. 

Food 2: Fermented Vegetables and Fruits

Several types of fermented vegetables are high in probiotics. If you want to improve the condition of your digestive tract, then it is essential to consume more good bacteria. In addition to eating pickles, you can consume sauerkraut, watermelon rinds or cauliflower. 

Food 3: Kale

Instead of eating spinach in 2018, you will want to have kale. This dark leafy green vegetable is high in several vitamins, including A, B6 and C. By consuming kale, you are ingesting calcium and iron. You can use raw kale in salads and on sandwiches, but it is also possible to boil kale, or you can make baked kale chips. 

Food 4: Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is becoming more popular because it has a denser and richer texture. You can find plain Greek yogurt that is lower in calories so that you can add your own fresh fruit to avoid consuming too much sugar. 

Food 5: Artichokes

Artichokes are an edible thistle that has a dark green color, and you must snip the edges of this vegetable’s leaves before steaming it in a pan with a small amount of water. The traditional way to eat an artichoke is by peeling off its leaves to dip into melted butter, and you must pull a leaf through your teeth to remove the tender flesh. 

Food 6: Edible Flowers

Some varieties of flowers are edible, and these foods can provide several nutrients. You can decorate baked goods with edible flowers, or you can add these foods to salads. Some of the most popular edible flowers are daisies, lilacs and tulips. 

Food 7: Mushrooms

You can find packaged or loose mushrooms at your local grocery store, but make sure to choose different varieties to use in casseroles, soups or as pizza toppings. There are also recipes for fried or stuffed mushrooms that use cheese, seasonings or batter. 

3 Best Vegetarian Lasagna Recipes

Most of us know that receiving the proper nutrients on a daily basis will ensure overall great health. However, consuming the right foods isn't always easy. These three simple vegetarian lasagna recipes feature creative ways to incorporate key nutrients into your diet. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #1

Ingredients 

1 diced onion 
About 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups cottage cheese
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red or green bell pepper 
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 1/2 cups marinara pasta sauce
1 egg
1 sliced zucchini or squash
2 tablespoon parsley 
2 tablespoon basil
1/2 Parmesan cheese 
2 sliced mushrooms 

Instructions 

After preheating your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, completely cover a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

Use the oil to sauté the mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, garlic, and zucchini in a large skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in the marinara sauce when the veggies are finished cooking. This process should take about five minutes. 

Combine the egg, cottage cheese, parsley, basil, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and 1 1/4 cup mozzarella in a medium bowl. 

Grab the prepared baking dish and spread about a quarter of the veggie-marinara sauce at the bottom. The next layer should be 3 no-boil lasagna noodles followed by a third of the cottage cheese mixture. Lastly, add another layer of veggie-marinara sauce. Repeat these four layers about three more times. 

Top the lasagna off with the remaining Parmesan cheese and mozzarella and then cover the baking dish with foil that is coated with cooking spray. 

The veggie lasagna should be baked for 40 minutes with the foil. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and then bake for another 10 minutes. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #2 


Ingredients 

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese 

1 pound mashed tofu

3 cups steamed vegetables 

1 jar pasta sauce 

8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles 


Instructions 

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

The layers of this vegetarian lasagna dish are as follows: 

1. A thin layer pasta sauce
2. no-boil noodles
3. A third of soft tofu
4. A third of pasta sauce
5. A third of steamed vegetables 
6. A third of mozzarella 

Repeat these layers twice starting with the no-boil noodles and ending with the mozzarella. Place for over the baking dish and bake for 40 minutes. This delicious entree serves six to eight people. 

Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe #3


Ingredients 
Two minced garlic cloves 
1 chopped yellow onion
1 egg
5 cups marinara sauce
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles 
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vegetable cooking spray 
1 chopped yellow bell pepper 
1 1/2 cup Riscotta cheese 
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 
1 red bell pepper chopped 
4 sliced zucchini 
5 sliced mushrooms 

Instructions 

First, preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the zucchini, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in a pan coated with cooking spray for about 14 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit after the vegetables have browned.

Combine the egg, ricotta, 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. 

Begin the layering process by spreading 1 cup of marinara sauce in the pan. Next, add the no-boil noodles, marinara sauce, 1/3 ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the vegetables mixture. Repeat this layering process twice. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan and mozzarella cheese on top. 

These three vegetable lasagna recipes are great for people who may have trouble receiving the proper intake of veggies on a daily basis. The benefit of these recipes is that you can customize the ingredients to your liking.

The 7 Best Foods to Improve Cholesterol

It is important to reduce your cholesterol levels to prevent cardiovascular disease that affects your blood vessels, arteries and heart. Here are seven foods that dietitians recommend for cholesterol reduction. 

1: Leafy Green Vegetables

Broccoli, kale and spinach contain antioxidants that will reduce the inflammation in your body to help prevent heart disease. The antioxidants in these vegetables will also detoxify your body’s cells. These leafy green vegetables contain numerous vitamins and minerals that will boost your body’s immunity levels. It is possible to consume spinach, kale or broccoli in a variety of ways by using the vegetables raw in a salad or adding the vegetables to cooked recipes.

2: Steel-cut Oats

Rather than having a boxed cereal that contains a lot of sugar and sodium, eat cooked steel-cut oats for breakfast. There are several ways to prepare steel-cut oats quickly for an easier breakfast, but you can also use steel-cut oats in other ways, including adding the grain to baked goods such as muffins, cookies or bread. Steel-cut oats are beneficial for your cardiovascular system because this food contains a lot of fiber that helps to absorb and remove fat from your digestive tract.

3: Fish and Eggs That Contains Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Instead of eating beef, poultry or pork at your meals, switch to fish that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Some of the best types of fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids are:

• Tuna
• Mackerel
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Lake trout

You can also find eggs that have extra omega-3 fatty acids because the hens that produce the eggs consume a diet of flaxseeds.

4: Brightly Colored Berries

Berries with brightly colored coverings or flesh contain antioxidants that will reduce the inflammation throughout your body. Look for these berries in the fresh, frozen or canned fruit areas of a grocery store:

• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Cranberries
• Black currants
• Goji berries

Not only can you eat berries raw, but also, you can add the fruit to smoothies or baked goods.

5: Delicious Avocados

Avocados contain high levels of vitamin C and B6 along with monounsaturated fat. While some types of fat are bad for your cardiovascular system, monounsaturated fat can raise the good cholesterol levels in your bloodstream while reducing the bad cholesterol levels. In addition, an avocado contains a lot of fiber to improve the functions of your intestinal tract to prevent absorption of harmful fats. You can consume an avocado raw after removing its large seed and thick peel, or you can use it in a dip recipe.

6: Pungent Garlic

Garlic is related to leeks, shallots or onions, and consumption of this food can reduce your cholesterol levels. This herb adds flavor to many of your recipes while helping to protect your cardiovascular system. You can add garlic cloves to recipes that contain pasta, fish or vegetables. Garlic is an inexpensive food that is easy to find at a local supermarket, and it is also available in powdered or liquid formats.

7: Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts and Macadamia Nuts

You might think that nuts are bad for you because the food is high in calories, but many types of nuts contain omega-3 fatty acids that will reduce your high-density lipoproteins while increasing your low-density lipoproteins. Some of the best nuts to consume include:

• Macadamia nuts
• Cashews
• Walnuts
• Almonds

Remember that a portion of nuts is small, so learn to count or measure the foods first.

Why BMI Might Not Be the Best Barometer of Health

Your body mass index (BMI) is calculated based on your height and weight. It has been historically used to gauge how healthy a person is because it helps to determine if you are overweight or within the recommended range for your height and gender. For years, doctors and insurance companies have relied on a person's BMI as an indicator of their overall health. The presumption has been that if a person falls in the overweight category for BMI, then they are also unhealthy. New evidence now suggests that this is not always the case and can be a sloppy way of measuring someone's health. In fact, new research shows that more than half of U.S. adults who are technically overweight on the BMI scale are actually quite healthy. 

New studies suggest that we have been improperly equating a BMI score above the normal range as unhealthy based in part on our cultural biases towards overweight people. The research further suggests that it may actually be riskier for overweight people to try to diet in order to get their BMI score to fall within the normal range. There are some diseases, such as osteoporosis, for which being slightly overweight can actually mean that adults have a reduced rate of getting the disease. For other diseases, such as heart disease or stroke, it can be far more dangerous to be overweight. 

Rather than encouraging people to drop the weight at all costs, these new studies suggest that a more holistic view of a person's health is necessary. By fixating on a person's BMI score, a doctor may ignore that a patient is otherwise very healthy. If a doctor recommends that a person lose weight in order to be at a certain range within the BMI scale of normal weight, then that person may diet unnecessarily. This could end up resulting in overexertion and injuries as well as nutritional deficiencies. Proponents of the recent studies on the flaws within a BMI score argue that doctors are giving misguided advice to patients in regards to the need to undertake diet and exercise in order to change a number on the scale. 

Instead of focusing on a patient's weight as simply a number, supporters of the new BMI study suggest that doctors should be teaching patients how to live a healthy lifestyle in general. This means that instead of focusing on cutting calories and controlling portion sizes, adults should be much more concerned with eating the right amount of nutrients for them. Also, while physical activity for adults is important for a variety of reasons, it should not necessarily be prioritized over other healthy choices. For instance, if a patient is pushed to exercise with the sole purpose of losing weight, they may become easily disenchanted with the results and be less likely to live a generally active lifestyle. Instead, patients should be encouraged by their doctors to stay active for the simple sake of enjoying their quality of life. For instance, walking outdoors as a way to enjoy time outside and clear your head of stress can be a much more important goal than simply burning calories.