Recipes

Nutrition for the Lungs: Winter Foods

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One of the most important topics I discuss with patients on a weekly basis during the winter months is the importance of seasonal nutrition. During the colder months, I teach patients creative ways to use food and spices to warm the body, stimulate digestion, promote blood circulation, and nourish / protect the lungs.

As stated in the Su Wen: “Qi and Blood like warmth and are averse to cold. When there is cold, they are rough and cannot flow.” In this article, let’s discuss important foods and spices that are easy for patients to add to recipes to not only boost health and vitality overall, but also protect the health of the lungs during the predictable season of such challenges as RSV, flu, COVID, and influenza-like illness that all too often lead to upper respiratory issues.

Apples

Apples are one of my favorite winter foods. Although cooling in nature, this fruit is packed with nutrition for lung and digestive health. Apples enter the lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, and heart channels; and have the flavors of sweet and sour. Tending to tonify qi and nourish yin, apples also clear heat and eliminate toxins.

Baked apples with spices such as clove, nutmeg, cayenne and cinnamon is a phenomenal dish to promote lung and digestive health, as well as warm the body and promote blood circulation.

Onions

Onions are another excellent winter food and can be prepared raw or cooked. In ayurvedic medicine, raw onions tend to be heating and stimulating, while cooked onions tend to be more tonifying and nourishing due to the sweet flavor.

Overall, onions are warming and enter the lung, large intestine, stomach, and liver channels; and have a pungent / sweet flavor. Onions help stimulate the circulation of qi and blood, disperse cold, clear damp, and resolve phlegm.

This food can be easily added to salads and soups, and can also be used to make an extremely effective topical poultice for recalcitrant coughs and cold / flu scenarios with significant cold symptoms coupled with deep-seated coughs.

Garlic

Known as da suan in traditional Chinese medicine, garlic is perhaps the most important food to have in the kitchen during the winter months. With its strong warming and dispersing characteristics, garlic moves qi and blood, warms the body, clears damp, eliminates toxins, disperses wind, and resolves phlegm.

Hot in nature, garlic enters the lung, stomach, spleen, heart, and liver channels. Its flavor can range from sweet to salty to acrid, depending upon the preparation.

A specific remedy for wind cold patterns, garlic is incredibly effective for protecting the lungs and resolving almost any bacterial / viral infection, particularly when eaten raw sprinkled on food. Depending upon the constitution of the patient, garlic can be taken daily with meals or reserved for acute health challenges.

Carrots

With their neutral temperature, carrots are sweet and tonify the qi. They enter the lung, spleen, and liver channels, and have the actions of circulating and tonifying qi, clearing heat, draining dampness, and eliminating toxins.

This vegetable can be eaten raw, but during the winter months it can be gently baked with spices and added to soups as well, making it an incredibly versatile food for deep nourishment during the winter months.

Cabbage

Neutral in temperature, cabbage is sweet / pungent and enters the lung, large intestine, and stomach channels. Its properties include circulating the qi, clearing heat, stopping cough, clearing toxins, and moistening the intestines.

Cabbage comes in many varieties and can be added to salads, soups and other recipes.

Swiss Chard

Cooling in temperature, chard is sweet in flavor and enters the lung, large intestine, stomach, and spleen channels. Chard clears heat and eliminates toxins; and can be steamed or sauteed, as well as minced / chopped and added to soups.

Sweet Potato

One of the most popular holiday foods, sweet potatoes are a wonderful source of nourishment. They have a neutral temperature, enter the large intestine, stomach, spleen, and kidney channels, and deeply nourish qi, blood, and yin, making sweet potatoes a unique and important food.

Adding cinnamon and even a small amount of cayenne to a sweet potato dish helps warm the body and move the blood. Combining carrots, sweet potatoes, and these spices makes a wonderful warming tonic for cultivating deep health.

Walnuts

Known as hu tao ren in TCM, walnuts are warm in temperature and enter the lung, large intestine, small intestine, and kidney channels. A deeply nourishing food, walnuts have a slightly sweet flavor and nourish the qi, warm kidney yang, warm the lungs, moisten dryness, resolve phlegm, and supplement the kidney jing. This wide range of benefits is particularly important during the cold winter months when patients are exposed to the drying effects of interior environmental heating, which can often dry out the lungs and mucus membranes.

Walnuts can easily be added to soups, salads, pasta, or just eaten as a snack.

Sugar-Free Keto Hot Cocoa Cookies With Marshmallow

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By Brenda Bennett of Sugar-Free Mom

January 5th, 2024

This content originally appeared on Sugar-Free Mom. Republished with permission.

These keto hot chocolate cookies are perfect for the holiday season! These chewy cookies with gooey marshmallows on top can be enjoyed on a keto diet with just 2 g net carbs per cookie!

KETO CHOCOLATE COOKIES RECIPE WITH KETO MARSHMALLOW

When the winter season hits our state, I am all about a warm mugful of hot chocolate! But being on a ketogenic diet, I would rather make myself a delicious treat at home so I can control what goes in it and use a premium array of ingredients!

Thinking about hot chocolate gave me the idea for a hot chocolate cookie with marshmallows, but I didn’t want a crunchy cookie!

I wanted a chewy, chocolate cookie recipe that tastes like you were having a cup of hot chocolate with a luxurious velvety texture and these keto cookies are it! Curbs that sweet tooth for sure!

CARBS IN TRADITIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE MIX

According to the app I use, Cronometer. 1 envelope of a hot chocolate packet prepared with 6 ounces of water has23 grams of total carbs in it and 18.7 grams of sugar!

That would certainly spike ones blood sugar and cause cravings for more!

CARBS IN OUR HOT CHOCOLATE RECIPE

I know you can find sugar free hot chocolate mix at a grocery store today but often the ingredients aren’t the best as they use artificial sweeteners and those are known to spike blood sugar.

I stay away from store bought sugar free items and just make it myself at home which is really simple!

Our keto hot chocolate recipe needs just 4 simple dry ingredients and then you add your favorite milk of choice.

This keto hot chocolate recipe for delicious chocolate goodness has just 5 net carbs using unsweetened almond milk per serving size. The hot chocolate powder can also store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

If you don’t want any carbs or calories, you can try Chocolate Salt by LMNT which is the electrolytes I use and love! Use my link and you’ll get a free sample pack when you purchase! Just 5 calories and the Chocolate Caramel is delicious!

SUGAR-FREE MARSHMALLOWS

I didn’t have time to make a recipe for sugar free marshmallows, so I purchased these mini marshmallows from the Choczero brand on Amazon.

They taste great and melted wonderfully on top of these festive cookies! They stayed nice and gooey on the cookie even the day after being baked!

If you want to make your own recipe, my friend Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food has a great keto recipe for you!

SUGAR-FREE CHOCOLATE CHIPS

I used Lily’s semi-sweet dark chocolate chips that are sugar free made with stevia and erythritol. I just melted about ½ cup and drizzled over the top of each cookie.

If you can’t get that brand or don’t like either low carb sweetener, the Choczero brand has milk chocolate chips made with Monk Fruit.

GoodSam is another brand that has a different sweetener for their chips using Allulose you may like instead.

CAN I CHANGE THE SUGAR SUBSTITUTES?

You can certainly use your favorite sweetener to make these tasty cookies. I think the best results are using a combination of a natural sweetener like stevia, allulose, erythritol or monk fruit, to help alleviate any aftertaste.

Here’s my Ultimate Sweetener Guide & Conversion Chart.

I used a powdered monk fruit sweetener with erythritol as well as chocolate monk fruit sweetener in liquid form which really makes for a rich chocolate flavor and like a mug of hot cocoa.

In fact, I use the liquid chocolate monk fruit in warm unsweetened almond milk because it tastes just like having a cup of hot chocolate without the carbs or added sugar.

CAN I MAKE THESE DAIRY FREE?

Yes, you can make these easy keto chocolate cookies dairy free by swapping the butter with softened room temperature coconut oil.

CAN I USE ALMOND FLOUR INSTEAD?

The best part about using sunflower seed flour to make nut free keto recipes is that it’s the perfect choice to swap with almond flour because you can use the same exact amount.

10 Skinny Cocktails

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Watermelon Mojito: 100 Calories

Watermelon Mojito: 100 Calories

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A whole day of eating right can go down in the swirl of cocktail — with crazy-high calories and weakened willpower. So we’ve put a few drinks on a diet, starting with the Cuban mojito. Instead of using sugar, use a wooden pestle or a big spoon to gently crush cubes of watermelon with fresh mint leaves. Add rum and sparkling water for a sweet mojito with half the usual calories.

Simple Margarita: 170 Calories

Simple Margarita: 170 Calories

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Skip the syrupy mixes in crazy colors and you’ll trim hundreds of calories from this Mexican cocktail. Measure out the basics: one shot of tequila, lime juice to taste, and a splash of triple sec. Shake with ice and serve. Staying within the limits of moderate drinking — one for women and up to two drinks per day for men — is another way to watch your calories and your waistline.

Skinny Piña Colada: 229 Calories

Skinny Piña Colada: 229 Calories

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Rum that’s infused with a coconut flavor can cut about 300 calories from a piña colada. What’s out? The sugary, coconut milk mix. Measure one shot of coconut rum. Then add fresh strawberries, a splash of agave syrup, and blend with ice. You get a tall, 12-ounce tropical cocktail for about the same calories as in a handful of pretzel twists.

Shochu Cosmo: 70 Calories

Shochu Cosmo: 70 Calories

4/13

Make a super-slim cosmopolitan by replacing the vodka with shochu, a Japanese spirit with a smooth flavor. A 2-ounce serving has only about 35 calories. Add splashes of diet cranberry juice, fresh lime juice, and orange juice, and then toss in a martini shaker. This cosmo shakes out at half the calories of a traditional cosmopolitan.

Slim Berry Daiquiri: 145 Calories

Slim Berry Daiquiri: 145 Calories

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Simple, unadorned berries can help slim down a strawberry daiquiri. Start with 1 cup of no-sugar-added berries, either fresh or frozen. You get intense berry flavor for just 50 calories, compared with 255 calories in berries frozen with syrup. Add rum, ice, and sweeten the deal with 1 teaspoon of stevia, a sugar substitute. Blend into a slim and delicious frozen concoction.

Slim the Gin and Tonic: 75 Calories

Slim the Gin and Tonic: 75 Calories

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Did you know that tonic water has nearly as many calories as soda? Switch to diet tonic water for a skinny version of this favorite cocktail. Bubbly seltzer water is another option that can shave calories — although it’s really a different drink without the bitter nip of quinine in the tonic water. In that case, punch up the flavor with a squeeze of lime juice or a flavored seltzer.

Better Bellini: 120 Calories

Better Bellini: 120 Calories

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Slim down Italy’s festive Bellini by using just 2 ounces of peach nectar, about half the usual amount. Swirl the syrupy nectar together with 4 ounces of champagne and serve in a pretty, fluted glass. Mimosa lovers can try the same trick to cut the calories: use just half of the usual orange juice.

Asian Flavor Fusion: 90 Calories

Asian Flavor Fusion: 90 Calories

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Flavor-infused alcohols are a tasty way to limit juice mixes, which can be high calorie. Try ginger vodka and lime sparkling water for a fusion of Asian flavors at just 90 calories. Look for flavored seltzer or mineral waters that have no added calories.

Skinny Vodka Iced Tea: 80 Calories

Skinny Vodka Iced Tea: 80 Calories

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The mix of lemonade and sweet iced tea, favored by golfer Arnold Palmer, becomes a popular cocktail when you add a shot of vodka. You can slice off half the calories in this tall, cool drink by using low-calorie lemonade and sweet-tea-flavored vodka. This specialty vodka is lower in calories than traditional types.

Lemongrass Collins: 90 Calories

Lemongrass Collins: 90 Calories

10/13

Enjoy the tart flavor of a Tom Collins without the syrupy mix, sugar, and other sweeteners that bartenders often swirl into your glass. Our skinny version starts with vanilla vodka, instead of gin. Vanilla carries a sweet flavor with very few calories. Add a splash of lime juice and a zero-calorie sparkling water flavored with lemongrass, mint, and vanilla.

Skinny Cocktail Dos

Skinny Cocktail Dos

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  • Choose fresh 100% juice rather than mixes.
  • Use zero-calorie bubblers instead of soft drinks. Try flavored seltzer, sparkling water, or club soda.
  • Fewer ingredients mean fewer calories.
  • Pay attention. Moderation is key for your waistline and health.
Skinny Cocktail Don'ts

Skinny Cocktail Don’ts

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  • Don’t add creamed spirits or liqueurs. They double the calories in a cocktail.
  • Don’t use several shots in one drink. A Long Island iced tea has seven ingredients and 700 calories!
  • Don’t order an after-dinner drink, which is often sweet.
  • Don’t sip a sweet dessert wine, which has about 40 calories more than table wine.
Get the Calories Out of Grenadine

Get the Calories Out of Grenadine

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Do you love rosy red cocktails? If they call for grenadine, it’s a red alert that your diet is about to explode. Grenadine is pomegranate juice and simple syrup. To get the same look and a sweet taste with fewer calories, make your own grenadine. Boil down pomegranate juice and sweeten it with stevia.

7 Low-Carb Breakfast Recipes to Start Your Day

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After a more relaxed summer schedule, it’s time to get back into the routine of things. If you tend to do more meal planning during the school year, here are seven low-carb breakfast recipes to put on your radar.

Blueberry Protein Smoothie Bowl

From Sugar-Free Mom: “What exactly is a smoothie bowl? Basically taking your traditional smoothie in a glass to another level. Instead of sipping it, you enjoy it like soup and add some delicious toppings! It’s taking your smoothie to another level, and it’s a whole lot more satisfying for a meal.”

Bacon Breakfast Enchiladas

From 24-7 Low Carb Diner: “Egg wraps stand in for the standard tortilla. A cream cheese sauce goes over the top instead of a chili based enchilada sauce. No one would stop you from adding some green chiles or jalapenos. They are far easier to make than you would suspect.”

Coconut Porridge

From Low Carb Yum: “A high fiber low-carb coconut porridge that’s easy to make on the stove top or in an electric pressure cooker. It’s a perfect hot keto cereal.”

Vanilla Ricotta Pancakes

From Sugar-Free Mom: “When all you need is just four ingredients to make a quick and easy breakfast, you never have to feel deprived on a sugar-free, low-carb diet. Simple recipes like these are what can keep you feeling satisfied and happy and ready to take on the day ahead!”

Egg Muffins

From Butter Is Not a Carb: “I was determined to make some zero carb egg muffins for breakfast that I can bring with me all week for lunch at work, too. These muffins are extremely easy to put together and have the perfect low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein macro ratio.”

Fat Head Dough Bagels

From Low Carb Yum: “If you haven’t been making your own Fat Head dough because of the almond flour, you need to give this coconut flour version a try. One advantage of coconut flour over almond flour is that you use less. A little bit of coconut flour goes a long way as it seems to expand like a sponge when absorbing the liquid.”

Glazed Donuts

From Caroline’s Keto Kitchen: “If you miss Krispy Kreme, you’re in luck. This morning I made glazed donuts that look just like the real deal, and they are light, fluffy and delicious.”

16 Slow-Cooker Dinners That Are Whole30-Approved

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Ideas that are compliant and ready when you get home.
Beef Chili

If you’ve decided to try out Whole30—a restrictive 30-day diet that eliminates all dairy, grains, soy, legumes, added sugars, and processed foods, and instead focuses on meat, fish, fruits, and veggies—then you’re probably in desperate need of recipes. Thanks to an enormous amount of online support, there’s no shortage of yummy ideas that comply with the rules.

The only catch is that in an effort to creatively work within the Whole30-limitations, many of these dishes tend to be a little complicated or overly involved. That’s fine when you have time, but not so much when you’re hungry after work and need food ASAP to keep from going into full hangry Hulk-mode.

Instead of trying to pull something together when you’re tired from a long day and don’t have the brain power, make one of these 16 Whole30-compliant slow-cooker recipes. Since these ideas were formed with Whole30 restrictions in mind, most of them are pretty meat-heavy, which means that you should expect a lot of tender fall-off-the-bone fare.

Get these recipes ready to go either ahead of time by turning them into frozen meal packs (which you can find out how to do here), or before you leave for work in the morning. When you get home, a dinner you can actually eat will be waiting for you.

Healthiest Foods of All Time (With Recipes)

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These are the foods you should be eating now.

Eating healthy shouldn’t be complicated. To make it simple, TIME has curated a list of the 50 healthiest foods you should be eating now.

We asked registered dietitian Tina Ruggiero, author of the The Truly Healthy Family Cookbook, to break down why each of these foods is a powerhouse. We also pulled in the nutritional information and asked our friends at Cooking Light to hook us up with some creative recipes to make sure eating these on a regular basis is no-excuses easy.

Bon appetit!

http://time.com/3724505/50-healthiest-foods/