Category: Foods to eat

Oats

Oats are a powerhouse when it comes to stabilizing blood sugar levels and enhancing insulin sensitivity! When you consume oats, this soluble fiber forms a gel-like substance in your digestive tract, which slows down the absorption of sugar and carbohydrates. As a result, your blood sugar levels rise more gradually after a meal, preventing spikes and crashes. Incorporating oats into your diet, whether through oatmeal, overnight oats, or other creative recipes, can be a tasty and nutritious way to support your overall metabolic health.

Fall is Apple Season

A classic fall activity is to go apple picking! Not only are apples a classic fall staple but they are also so great for your health! With more than thirty minerals, trace elements, vitamins as well as numerous fibers and secondary plant substances, the apple is an absolute super fruit. Apples not only supply the body with important substances but they also bind released toxins and have lower uric acid. So there is some truth to the saying “an apple a day, keeps the doctor away”! But please use apple varieties like Boskoop or Cox Orange. The new overbred varieties are not half as good for the body as the old ones and can also cause more allergies.

Coconut Flour

In recent years, using different types of flours and specifically coconut flour has become more and more popular. Although we recommend it only from phase 4 onwards, here is some information about this versatile ingredient.

Coconut flour cannot be compared with conventional flours such as those made from wheat because it contains only a few carbohydrates, approx. 15 %, and no gluten. It is characterized by its protein content and high content of insoluble fiber, with one tablespoon of coconut flour containing 5 g of fiber. Coconut flour is often referred to as low-fat, as the fat is largely removed during the production process. It is great for baking where the original flour quantity is simply replaced by coconut flour. You may have to increase the liquids when baking as coconut flour absorbs a lot liquid. This also makes it a great binding agent for sauces or even soups!

The Cholesterol Myth

The past few days our posts have highlighted how “eggcellent” eggs can be for your health! Inevitably when discussing this versatile food, the issue of cholesterol comes up.
Although eggs are rich in cholesterol, they do not – as it was long believed – increase cholesterol levels. However, studies that allegedly prove that the consumption of chicken eggs contributes to increased blood cholesterol levels or even poses a risk of heart attack have long been refuted. The Mayo Clinic notes that,

Although some studies have found a link between eating eggs and heart disease, there may be other reasons for these findings. The foods people typically eat with eggs, such as bacon, sausage and ham, may do more to boost heart disease risk than eggs do. Plus, the way eggs and other foods are cooked — especially if fried in oil or butter — may play more of a role in the increased risk of heart disease than eggs themselves do.

Many current studies have even shown the opposite: the lecithin in the egg yolk tends to lower cholesterol levels. The fact that pharmaceutical companies, doctors, and the margarine industry in general earn a lot of money by “bad mouthing” cholesterol is a possible explanation why the cholesterol myth continues to persist.

More information:

Wonderful Wild Garlic

Worth Knowing:
In the past several years, wild garlic has become increasingly popular again. Not only does this vegetable have a great flavor but it is also has a plethora of preventative properties.

Its long-stemmed young leaves are harvested between March and May and can be used in various culinary treats. As aromatic as garlic, wild garlic has a decisive advantage over its fragrance-intensive relative. Unlike “normal” bulb garlic, wild garlic isn’t quite as pungent and can therefore be consumed without worrying about who you are chatting with afterwards!

The delicate greens of wild garlic also have amazing health benefits. When eaten regularly this plant can:

  • have cleansing and detoxifying effects
  • help restore the balance of healthy gut bacteria and protect against Candida albicans infections
  • ease digestive issues such as diarrhea and constipation
  • improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels
  • support cardiovascular health and protect against arteriosclerosis
  • help with skin and hair problems

Try this delicious and nutritious vegetable in a salsa verde, pasta dish, or soup!

If you are interested in learning more explore the links below!

Food First!

Metabolic Balance – is ideal for the exercise averse, “athletically challenged” or “couch potatoes” among you! The Metabolic Balance plan is designed to achieve metabolic health primarily through nutrition – the food you eat. In fact during the first two weeks, of the program we recommend to keep your exercise to a minimum. After the initial 16 days, you can do some easy exercise – but you don’t have to. Of course it’s important to be active and move regularly – but we encourage easy movement, like walking or swimming, when the time is right.

Having said that, it is not the high level exercise or top performance that helps to achieves your metabolic health goals. With Metabolic Balance health comes from food first and then exercise, which can supply further health benefits.

MB 02-27 - Bauch mit Bluete

 

Baked Beets

Now this is a recipe you should definitely try! Sure you had red beets – how about baked red beets? 

Ingredients for one serving:
1 portion red beets
1 portion cheese (e.g. brie, mozzarella, any semi soft or soft cheese on your plan)
1 TBsp. onions
1 clove of garlic
vegetable stock
fresh ginger

Preparation:
Dice the onions finely and sauté in vegetable stock. Coarsely grate or dice the beetroot. Finely chop the garlic and ginger (quantity to taste) and add to the onions together with the beetroot. Steam briefly and mix well with the onions. Slice the cheese. Set stove to lowest setting or turn it off, spread cheese over the vegetables. Allow cheese to melt – enjoy 😊!

MB 01-27 - RoteBeete

What’s your favorite Okra Recipe?

Do you have okra on your food list? Have you tried it yet? Or are you a bit unsure what to do with it!? Let us help! 

Okra is a plant from the mallow family (so it’s related to hibiscus!) and originally comes from Ethiopia. Okra is actually the edible green seed pods of the plant so technically it could be called a fruit! 100g okra contain only 0.2g of fat and only 20 calories. It’s rich in beta-carotene, vitamin B1, B2 & B3 (niacin), vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and phosphorus. One of Okra’s nutritional highlights is the high-quality gut-friendly mucilages, which are particularly valuable for healing our digestive tracts and supporting a healthy bacterial balance in the small intestine. They taste great in a ratatouille or a stir-fry where okra mixed with tomatoes, zucchini, parsley root, eggplants and carrots. 

Back to you – what do you think about Okra? What’s your favorite Okra recipe?

MB 12-07 - Okra

Happy Halloween

Today it’s time to say “Trick or Treat” again. Have a spooky Halloween night with some creepy fun! To make Halloween a real treat, we recommend these pumpkin fries with blood orange dip.

Ingredients:
1 serving vegetables (pumpkin, avocado)
1 serving blood orange
olive oil
Spices: sea salt, paprika, curry, freshly ground pepper, freshly chopped rosemary, fresh parsley

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F) for the pumpkin fries. Wash pumpkin, cut in half, remove seeds. Quarter the pumpkin and cut into fries shape. 

Season the fries with sea salt, rosemary, paprika and curry powder and mix with a tablespoon of oil. Place the fries on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake on the top shelf for approx. 18 minutes until the fries are lightly browned. 

Blood orange dip:
Wash the blood orange in hot water and dry. Puree the avocado pulp with some freshly grated orange peel and orange juice.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and freshly chopped parsley.

MB 10-31 Halloween-Meal

Sourdough Rye Bread

We are often asked: Why does Metabolic Balance recommend sourdough rather than bread containing yeast? 

MB 10-14 ryebread

The answer lies in the long fermentation process that happens with sourdough preparation. During this fermentation, the grain is properly broken down and the phytic acid effectively pre-digested. This is important as phytic acid is known to bind to the nutrients and minerals in the grain, thereby preventing us from absorbing them. Also reducing the phytic acid makes the bread lighter, healthier and easier to digest. Rye grains need a good long time to progress to it’s quality and be ready for baking. The sourdough method makes sure this happens naturally while boosting friendly bacteria in the dough which improves the shelf life of the rye bread. It also develops a wonderful taste and the delicious smell of fresh sourdough bread!

When yeast is added to bread dough, these natural processes are enormously accelerated, unfortunately to the detriment of the quality of the bread. This method of added yeast to bread baking makes it much harder for us to digest the bread and can cause digestive problems.