Posts

Shiitake mushroom: Benefits and tips on how to enhance the absorption of the nutrients

Image
  Even if you never heard of this mushroom is very famous in east Asia and has been used for centuries and here are some reasons why and also  how to improve the absorption of beneficial nutrients Availability  These mushrooms can be found easily in most of the groceries so not just Asian groceries shop Cost The cost of this is very similar to the most common mushrooms, it might be few cents higher depending on the shop but is still affordable for most budgets Taste Flavour is meaty and versatile for many recipes depending on your taste, especially for soups, salads and meat dishes  Nutrition Is low in calories: 34kcal for 100 gr Good amount fibres: over 2gr per 100 gr  Benefits - Reduces unhealthy fat:  The compounds found, especially the b-glucan can reduce plasma lipid fats and slow down the absorption of them - Support the immune system: Thanks to the vitamins and minerals contained they help to keep the immune system healthy and functional - Reduces the levels of fatigue: Thanks t

FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ City Number 46 Tblisi - Georgia

Image
  FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ In this section I will discuss about food purely as enjoyment from an hedonistic point of view.  With specific dishes for each country/city visited personally.  T his page will be  updated regularly  so stay tuned :) And for more content follow me on instagram as well by clicking on this link if you want:  Safkit                 More details and list of all the cities here:  Travelling Dietitian✈ 🇬🇪  Tblisi - Georgia : ☆ Overall Vote: 9/10 ★ Location: Restaurant Meama address: 8 ძმები ზდანევიჩების ქუჩა,  თბილისი ☆ Food: 8/10  ★ There are a lot choices in the menu, mostly classic Georgian dishes, so a good idea to try the local cuisine!  Now considering that Georgia is the wine's birthplace (over 8000 years ago) one dish in particular caught my attention: Pork with white wine sauce (as shown in the picture)  The list of wine available in this location it's impressive, so finding the perfect wine to match with this dish was not difficult, the sauce enhance t

Difference between Diastolic and Systolic blood pressure and how to reduce specifically the Diastolic one and why is it important

Image
Here’s how to understand your diastolic blood pressure number: Normal Between 60 and 80 Stage 1 hypertension 80-89 Stage 2 hypertension 90 or more Hypertensive crisis 120 or more What is defined as TOO LOW: Usually the target is to lower the blood pressure but the side effects is the: Isolated diastolic hypotension This happens when the systolic is normal but the diastolic is low A diastolic level below 60 is usually related to dizziness, feeling tired and low energy Considering all of the above the focus shouldn't be just to lower the blood pressure but to have a balance in the right range, simply not too high and not too low   The Diastolic blood pressure: Is the force exerted when the heart is at rest. It is a common mistake that many Doctors focus more on one number which is the systolic blood pressure that is the highest compared to the diastolic one, but this last one shouldn't be ignored. So here some recommendation on how to keep the balance in the most suitable range W

FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ City Number 39 Marrakech - Morocco

Image
  FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ In this section I will discuss about food purely as enjoyment from an hedonistic point of view.  With specific dishes for each country/city visited personally.  T his page will be  updated regularly  so stay tuned :) And for more content follow me on instagram as well by clicking on this link if you want:  Safkit                 More details and list of all the cities here:  Travelling Dietitian✈ 🇲🇦   Marrakech - Morocco : ☆ Overall Vote: 8/10 ★ Location: Restaurant  Chez Chegruoni Medina Marrakech Morocco  North Africa  ☆ Food: 7/10  ★ Tajine is definitely one of the most famous dish in the Moroccan cuisine, as the name comes from the pot where this speciality is served, quite spectacular to watch when you get this served on your table and the sound of the ingredient still boiling/cooking it's something unique. I chose the one with mince which is slow cooked and a great match with the spices ☆ Vibe: 9/10  ★ There are different restaurants in the city centre t

Functional and Medicinal Mushrooms: Chaga mushroom benefits including boost of energy and substitute of coffee

Image
 In the next few month we are going to discuss some of the most useful mushrooms which are known to have different benefits and used for centuries in many cultures and you can find them easily online or in your local store Today we are going to discuss:  Chaga Mushroom (Latin name: Inononutus obliquus) Commonly used in cold climates such as Siberia and some part of Asia where it grows easily Benefits - Lowers blood sugar - Very high in fibre and antioxidants (one of the highest concentration)  - Reduces long term inflammation and fights harmful bacteria and fungi  - Good amount of Calcium, Iron and Rubidium - Supporting the immune system  Taste Available as a tea or powder or even pills, the taste range goes from Chinese herbal tea to regular coffee , that's why can be used as a substitute since has similar effects exactly like caffeine or even better The aftertaste reminds of vanilla since it has similar compounds that are exactly the one you can find in the vanilla beans  This on

FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ City number 22 Burano - Italy

Image
  FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ In this section I will discuss about food purely as enjoyment from an hedonistic point of view.  With specific dishes for each country/city visited personally.  T his page will be  updated regularly  so stay tuned :) And for more content follow me on instagram as well by clicking on this link if you want:  Safkit                 More details and list of all the cities here:  Travelling Dietitian✈ 🇮🇹   Burano (Venice) - Italy:   ☆ Overall Vote: 9/10 ★ Location: Restaurant Fritto Misto Burano  (one hour from Venice city Centre) North Italy ☆ Food: 9/10  ★ It's interesting that even the "plate is edible" made by wheat, which is very light in taste but the oil coming from the fritto misto (literally means mixed fried and in this case we are talking about seafood and potatoes) it's giving the specific taste to the plate as well, the result is that the taste is never boring but could be a little bit heavy, I managed to finish all the seafood w

Detailed list of food to help you lower your cholesterol and practical tips

Image
  Sometimes could be confusing to understand what food to choose to lower your cholesterol level so here a detailed list that can help you with plus practical tips for the long term. - Food with added sterols and stanols This plant based compound has the effect of blocking the cholesterol and this will directly lower the levels  Don't think about this chemical as something not natural because is actually contained in some fruits and vegetables but sometimes is just not enough Nowadays there are different brands that offer this in their products like:  yogurt, milk and butter to mention a few, usually it's clearly stated on the package if there is any of this compound added in their products Just make sure to read the labels to make sure that has stanols/sterols  Note: not recommended for pregnant women or if you are taking Ezetimide because this medication works in a similar way - Unsaturated fats Because saturated fats are one of the first thing to reduce on the other hand ch

FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ City number 19 London - The United Kingdom

Image
  FOOD TO EXPLORE ✈ In this section I will discuss about food purely as enjoyment from an hedonistic point of view.  With specific dishes for each country/city visited personally.  T his page will be  updated regularly  so stay tuned :) And for more content follow me on instagram as well by clicking on this link if you want:  Safkit                 More details and list of all the cities here:  Travelling Dietitian✈ 🇬🇧     London - UK: ☆Overall Vote:   7.5/10 ★ Location: Bao Fitzrovia  W1T 2JN London, UK ☆ Food: 9 /10  ★ Inspired by the street food markets in Taiwan  It offers a lot of choices in the menu included different Baos: Like the classic one in the picture with Pork and Peanuts or the fried chicken or Lamb shoulder alternatives, plus the interesting crumbled Daikon one  ☆ Vibe: 6/10  ★ The location is nothing special, to not end up in the downstairs floor is preferable to book a table ahead But keep in mind but the food is what really matters so totally recommend a visit her

Nutritional advice on how to improve triglycerides and practical tips for your lifestyle

Image
  First of all, what are the triglycerides ? - They are the most common fats in our body. - They are not just introduced by fatty food as you can imagine but also from: - Extra calories even if they are from carbohydrates like sugar or alcohol for example (because they will be converted and stored in fat cells). What's the difference with cholesterol? - Cholesterol can be used to build cell and hormones - Triglycerides instead are stored in cells, so they are both lipids but with different functions. Why is important to keep this under control? - To avoid risks of heart diseases is the main reason, especially stroke - To avoid the risk of the metabolic syndrome  The diagnosis: Usually when the levels are above 150 mg/dl they are considered high. It means that improvements are necessary in the lifestyle, so let's discuss them now in this post. "Grocery list" here some of the best ingredients to use in your daily intake to improve the triglycerides: - No added sugar be

Improve the quantity and quality of your sleep from a nutritional point of view

Image
 We will discuss both general and nutrional advice to improve the quality and the quantity of your sleep including the "deep sleep" to actually feel rested when you wake up Poor sleep is linked to affect your: - Exercise performance - Brain function - Hormones  and leading on the other side to: - Comfort eating  - Stress related snacking  So part of a healthy lifestyle is to make sure to have a good amount of deep sleep, so here some nutritional and general advice to do so Nutritional advice: -Turkey : especially for dinner is a good lean source of protein and most importantly tryptophan, which increases the production of melatonin linked to a better quality of sleep  - Sea bream : this is another good lean protein source rich in tryptophan and also omega 3 - Improve your magnesium intake which improves the relaxation and quality of your sleep, some food high in magnesium are: Nuts, Legumes, Tofu,  Seeds, Fish, Pistachios - Wholemeal carbs : Pasta and rice are common dinner

Nutrition after covid, practical tips and quicker recovery

Image
 Recovering after covid is often a slow process so here some practical tips from a nutritional point of view on how to recover faster and useful advice on how to deal with common side effects after the infection Once again is not about the quantity but the quality of food used, so when thinking about increasing your energetic intake through food is important to prefer good quality protein without increasing eccessevily the carbohydrates and fats that can be contained in the product Some examples of nourishing meals are: - Cottage cheese - Low fat and low sugar nordic style yogurt (high in protein)  - No added sugar baked beans  - Lentil soups/ Dhal  - Stew made with meat or Tofu/quorn as a alternative  - Handful of nuts  - Some other high quality protein includes: lean meat, non-fatty fish and pulses  - Green leafy vegetables  Another side effect is getting tired easily so how to deal with fatigue: - Considering to introduce Vitamin and supplements if you are not taking them already

High Blood pressure: how to prevent or improve from a Dietetic point of view

Image
 Here are some practical tips on how to improve and control better your blood pressure and specific food that can help with that  If you were ever prescribed any blood pressure medication you might have heard from your Doctor that the very first step is to make changes in your lifestyle to even have a chance to avoid these medications Instead if you are lucky enough to not take any blood pressure medication then the best thing is to prevent any risk with simple healthier choices  Food that can help to improve your blood pressure thanks to their content of specific vitamins and minerals: - Pisatchios, Chia seeds, Carrots, Celery, Broccoli, Nectarine, Oranges and Lemons  - Food high in Potassium (like Banana, Pumpkin seeds) - Food with a good amount of Fibre (like Legumes) - Food High in antioxidants (like Berries - Fish high in Omega 3 (like Salmon) - Spices like: Saffron, Lemongrass, Ginseng, Cardamom, Ginger Lifestyle changes to consider:  - Think and Check when buying something: As

Nutrition and Myocarditis

Image
Disclaimer: This is scritcly a Dietetic point of view on how to improve or even better prevent symptoms related to myocarditis in the short and long term This means that anything related to medication has to be discussed with your Doctor obviously  We are going to discuss food to prefer and avoid on a daily basis to have good impact and improvement on your symptoms or to avoid any symptoms to occur if possible  Causes of Myocardtis: The inflammation of the muscular layer of the heart  (myocardium) Can be caused by: - Viruses ( including covid 19 and Herpes ) - Bacteria   - Fungi and Parasites  - Autoimmune diseases   Often the cause cannot be found which makes thing more complicated but the treament including the nutritional side can follow a similar path to recover from this, alongside the correct medication prescribed  Why this is caused and symptoms: The first 3 points in the above list are all going to trigger your immune system and the inflammation caused is your body trying to