Griddled tuna steak on a bed of spiced cranberry couscous with mango and avocado salsa

Healthy, low-fat recipe for a training diet

This meal just oozes flavor. It is packed with nutritional value and is equally good either before or after a workout. The salsa contains a wide variety of vitamins and the couscous is a good low-fat, medium G.I. carbohydrate. It goes without saying that fresh tuna is one of the better sources of omega-3 fatty acids — good for your heart and good for your brain.

Method

1. Prepare the salsa: combine all the ingredients, season and refrigerate.

2. Turn on the griddle and leave it to get really hot.

3. Prepare the couscous: add a drop of olive oil and about 150ml stock (check pack for exact amount — an approximate measure is an equal volume of liquid to couscous), stir and leave for 5 minutes. In a separate dish, pour boiling water on the cranberries and leave for a few minutes to soften. Strain and stir into the couscous when it is ready, fluffing it up gently with a fork. Add the spices and season couscous according to taste.

4. When the griddle is smoking hot, season the tuna steaks with salt and black pepper, brush with a little oil and then place on the griddle for about 2 minutes each side, less if they are not very thick. They need to be pink in the middle or they will be tough. Give the steaks a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, season with more salt and pepper and serve on individual plates with the couscous and the salsa.

Ingredients

• 2 fresh tuna steaks

For the salsa:

• 1 mango (not too ripe), cut into small cubes
• 1 avocado (not too ripe), cut into small cubes
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 shallot, very finely chopped
• Bunch of mint, roughly chopped (25g or large handful)
• Bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (25g or large handful)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• Pinch of chilli powder
• ½ tsp coriander seed, crushed in pestle and mortar
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ tbs extra virgin olive oil

For the couscous:

• 125g couscous
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Stock
• Small pack dried cranberries (optional)

Vital Statistics

Serves: 2
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Relatively easy
Good for: Excellent balanced, healthy low-fat meal, good for training but equally good enough for a summer supper party

Calories (kcal): 763.8
Protein (g): 67.2
Carbs (g): 69.7
Fat (g): 25.9
Fiber (g): 12.5

http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/griddled-tuna-steak-on-a-bed-of-spiced-cranberry-couscous-with-mango-and-avocado-salsa/

5 foods for heart health

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It’s always a good idea to incorporate the right foods into your diet to promote a healthy heart.

We all know we should eat more fruit and vegetables and cut down on bad fats, but what can we add to our diet if we want to help our heart?

If you’re on a mission to improve your health you’re hopefully already eating more leafy greens and fruit and less salty, sugary or fatty food. We take a look at five of the most important foods you can add to your diet to help keep your heart healthy.

1. Good Fats

You might think fat is something to avoid when you want to help your heart, but it’s really about eating the right kind of fat. Saturated fat and trans fat can increase the levels of cholesterol in your blood, which can lead to heart disease, so you should look to replace them with mono and polyunsaturated fats.

Cut down animal fats like butter or high-fat cooking fats and switch to extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed or sunflower oil, and margarine. Add other sources of good fats like walnuts, almonds and avocado to your diet. As any fatty food is high in calories, keep your portions small.

2. Whole Grains

You can still enjoy bread, pasta and rice if you’re looking to change your diet to make your heart healthier. The key is to get rid of the low-fibre white grains, like white bread, white rice and white pasta, and replace them with whole grain versions. Whole grains are a good source of B-complex vitamins, which will protect against blood clots and the hardening of the arteries, and can increase the ‘good’ cholesterol in your body. Think a tasty whole grain loaf of bread, a high fibre cereal, oats, or slow cooked brown rice.

Try mashed avocado on whole grain toast for breakfast, salmon and broccoli stir fried with brown rice, or cereal with a portion of chopped almonds on it.

3. Fresh Fish

Including fish in your diet can have great effects if you want to help your heart. Many fish, especially salmon and tuna, are rich with Omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.

The fatty Omega-3 acids do great things for the body, like helping to protect against heart attacks, reducing the risk of blood clots, and lowering your blood pressure.

Try grilling salmon and serving with a green salad and sweet potatoes, or making a tinned-tuna and cucumber sandwich on whole grain bread,

4. Lots of Legumes

If you’re vegetarian, not a fish fan, or want to vary your diet, then you’ll be pleased to know that you can get Omega-3 fatty acids from other sources. Legumes are an excellent way to get these heart helping acids as well as fibre, vitamins, and protein, and it’s easy to incorporate them into your meals.

The best legumes to add for a healthy heart are black beans and kidney beans, while chickpeas, lentils, and peas are also a valuable addition to a diet. If you’re using tinned beans and are worried about bloating, just rinse them in cold water to minimise the risk of gas.

Try throwing some chickpeas into a leafy green salad, adding kidney beans to your fajita filling, or including black beans in a winter stew.

5. Brilliant Berries

A star ingredient in a healthy heart diet is the humble blueberry. These tiny treats pack a punch with dietary fibre, important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as being low in calories and sugar.

Other berries are good for your heart too, with blackberries, strawberries and raspberries all being full of fantastic health benefits. What’s more, whether you’re buying fresh berries in the summer of frozen berries in winter you’ll find that they are tasty and good for you.

Make a breakfast smoothie from blueberries, raspberries, banana and low fat yoghurt for a great start to the day, or add blueberries to your oatmeal for a tasty porridge.

http://www.silversurfers.com/health/diet-exercise/5-foods-heart-health/

Griddled tuna steak on a bed of spiced cranberry couscous with mango and avocado salsa

Healthy, low-fat recipe for a training diet

This meal just oozes flavor. It is packed with nutritional value and is equally good either before or after a workout. The salsa contains a wide variety of vitamins and the couscous is a good low-fat, medium G.I. carbohydrate. It goes without saying that fresh tuna is one of the better sources of omega-3 fatty acids — good for your heart and good for your brain.

Method

1. Prepare the salsa: combine all the ingredients, season and refrigerate.

2. Turn on the griddle and leave it to get really hot.

3. Prepare the couscous: add a drop of olive oil and about 150ml stock (check pack for exact amount — an approximate measure is an equal volume of liquid to couscous), stir and leave for 5 minutes. In a separate dish, pour boiling water on the cranberries and leave for a few minutes to soften. Strain and stir into the couscous when it is ready, fluffing it up gently with a fork. Add the spices and season couscous according to taste.

4. When the griddle is smoking hot, season the tuna steaks with salt and black pepper, brush with a little oil and then place on the griddle for about 2 minutes each side, less if they are not very thick. They need to be pink in the middle or they will be tough. Give the steaks a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, season with more salt and pepper and serve on individual plates with the couscous and the salsa.

Ingredients

• 2 fresh tuna steaks

For the salsa:

• 1 mango (not too ripe), cut into small cubes
• 1 avocado (not too ripe), cut into small cubes
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 shallot, very finely chopped
• Bunch of mint, roughly chopped (25g or large handful)
• Bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (25g or large handful)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• Pinch of chilli powder
• ½ tsp coriander seed, crushed in pestle and mortar
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ tbs extra virgin olive oil

For the couscous:

• 125g couscous
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• Stock
• Small pack dried cranberries (optional)

Vital Statistics

Serves: 2
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Relatively easy
Good for: Excellent balanced, healthy low-fat meal, good for training but equally good enough for a summer supper party

Calories (kcal): 763.8
Protein (g): 67.2
Carbs (g): 69.7
Fat (g): 25.9
Fiber (g): 12.5

http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/griddled-tuna-steak-on-a-bed-of-spiced-cranberry-couscous-with-mango-and-avocado-salsa/

Key Benefits Of Performing Yoga For Heart Health

Yoga is an ancient technique that focuses on breathing, meditation, and the body. Practicing yoga instills a deeper awareness of your emotions, mind, and physical well-being, which allows you to be more in tune with your mind, body, and spirit. Those who choose to perform yoga for heart health reasons get the added benefits of improved cardiovascular health along with increased lung capacity, and better respiratory function as a result. It's a great way to naturally decrease inflammation, build muscle, and boost blood circulation.
Four Key Ways Yoga Helps Your Heart
Not only is yoga a good way to stay in shape, it can do much more for you than simply tone your muscles. Here's how it can literally improve the health of your heart.
1. Improves blood pressure.
Long-term blood pressure can potentially damage the walls of blood vessels and weaken the heart, which may cause plaque build-up and possibly narrow and/or block arteries. This condition is the leading cause of stroke and heart attack.
While a lack of exercise and poor diet are key players in contributing to high blood pressure, there's also the element of stress. Yoga practice is a great way to help in treating high blood pressure due to its ability to diminish the body's reaction to ongoing stress.
2. Encourages physical activity.
People who are primarily physically inactive are literally twice as likely to develop heart disease as opposed to those who regularly exercise according to health experts. Yoga enhances flexibility and strength, which greatly improves cardiovascular health.
Studies show that individuals who perform yoga have a much higher tendency to stick to an exercise routine. A recent case study enrolled a group of people who were previously inactive into yoga classes twice a week for a total of 10 weeks and discovered that just by taking the classes the participants increased their likelihood of continuing other physical activities as well.

3. Decreases stress.
When you encounter a certain stressful situation, your brain floods your system with adrenaline in helping you choose to either flee the imminent threat or fight it. This rush of adrenaline causes an increase in your blood pressure and heart rate. While your body's natural response to stress is to protect you, it can also tax your cardiovascular system if you're constantly stressed out. Based on the findings of the Heart and Stroke Foundation, individuals who are more prone to stress suffer a greater risk for heart disease over their less stressed counterparts.
4. Counteracts inflammation.
Inflammation is a result of your body responding to harmful situations or injury as well as stress. However, it's also the culprit of most pathologies, such as heart disease. Therefore, learning to effectively relax by performing yoga may help to diminish stress-related inflammation in the body.
Is Yoga Safe for Everyone?
In general, yoga is safe for virtually anyone. But, there are a few situations where it may pose somewhat of a risk in certain individuals. In such cases, it may be necessary to scale back some of the poses or at least find a temporary alternative.
If you're dealing with any of the following situations or conditions, consult your health care practitioner prior to practicing yoga for heart health.
- Severe osteoporosis
- Balance issues
- Artificial joints
- Some eye conditions, such as glaucoma
- Unregulated high blood pressure
- Severe osteoporosis
You can still practice yoga despite these conditions by taking some key precautions, like eliminating certain stretches or poses. No matter where you are in terms of your general health, it's important to start out gently and slowly at first.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Key-Benefits-Of-Performing-Yoga-For-Heart-Health&id=8782706