Barbara Karafokas - Holistic Nutritionist MSc.
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Yummy Carrot Cake

20/7/2018

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Can be eaten for breakfast on the go, afternoon or evening snack. Again this cake has ginger in it to help curb morning sickness and also high in iron and fiber.
 
1/2 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups carrot pulp (put carrots in food processor)
1/2 cup apple pulp (put apple in food processor)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses or carob syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg or 2 small eggs
1 1/2 cups wholegrain flour or spelt flour or other flour of choice
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg ground 
1/2 tsp ginger ground
1/2 tsp cinnamon ground   
1/2 cup raisins
 
Mix the pulps and oil together, add the honey, molasses, vanilla and eggs and mix together well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the mixture, stir until blended. Add the raisins, pour into an oiled baking pan and bake for half an hour or until cooked through. Please note that this cake is a dense moist cake.
 
Note: You can play around with the spices. I like it quite spicy and hence add more of the spices. J
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Turmeric & Friends Detox Tea Recipe and Benefits

16/7/2018

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This is an amazing mixture made with many ingredients which offer so many health benefits.  It helps to detox and cleanse, is highly anti-inflammatory. Keep on reading to find out about the very many benefits that you will reap by drinking this tea. 

Ingredients:

3 heaped teaspoons turmeric
1 heaped teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 tsp black pepper 
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.  -- add 1 tsp coconut oil to tea

Simmer 10 minutes.  1.5 Lts of 3.5 pints of filtered water
Honey to taste, nut milk optional
 
 Benefits of Turmeric
  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Strong Antioxidant
  • Improved brain function and decreases risk of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s
  • Lower’s risk of heart disease. regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors.
  • Cancer preventative
  • Helps treat rheumatoid arthritis
  • Helps with treating depression
  • Anti-ageing
  • Safe, natural pain relief
  • Cleanses the liver hence aids with detoxing the body.
  • Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn,  stomach pain, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, gallbladder disorders, headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s, water retention, worms, kidney problems.
 
 Benefits of Cloves
 
  • Antioxidant, anti-septic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing), carminative and anti-flatulent properties.
 
Benefits of Cardamom
  • Antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, digestive, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic and tonic.
  • Digestion – Cardamom is related to ginger and can be used in much the same way to counteract digestive problems. Use it to combat nausea, acidity, bloating, gas, heartburn, loss of appetite, constipation, and much more.
  • Detoxify – This spice helps the body eliminate waste through the kidneys.
  • Halitosis – In India they chew cardamom after meals or whenever they need to freshen their breath.
  • Diuretic – Part of the reason cardamom is such a good detoxifier is thanks to the diuretic properties. It helps clean out the urinary tract, bladder, and kidneys, removing waste, salt, excess water, toxins, and combating infections too.
  • Depression – The science behind the antidepressant qualities of cardamom hasn’t been studied yet, but Ayurvedic medicine swears by the tea as a means to fight depression.
  • Oral Health – Apart from helping with bad breath, cardamom is used for mouth ulcers and infections of the mouth and throat.
  • Cold and Flu – This pungent spice may help prevent and relieve cold and flu symptoms. It’s also used for bronchitis and coughs.
  • Cancer – Animal studies are showing promise that cardamom protects against, inhibits growth, and even kills some cancers.
  • Blood Pressure – As a diuretic and fiber rich spice, cardamom significantly lowers blood pressure.
  • Blood Clots – Cardamom prevents dangerous blood clots by preventing platelet aggregation and the sticking to the artery walls.
  • Antioxidant – Many of the vitamins, phytonutrients, and essential oils in cardamom act as antioxidants, cleaning up free radicals and resisting cellular aging.
  • Pathogens – The volatile essential oils in cardamom inhibit the growth of viruses, bacteria, fungus, and mold.
  • Anti-inflammatory – Like ginger and turmeric, its relatives, cardamom has some anti-inflammatory properties that limit pain and swelling, especially in mucus membranes, the mouth, and throat.
  • Hiccups – Cardamom is an anti-spasmodic that can help get rid of hiccups. This also applies to other involuntary muscle spasms, like stomach and intestinal cramps.
  • Aphrodisiac – Traditional medicine lists cardamom as a powerful aphrodisiac that can help with erectile dysfunction and impotence.
 
Benefits of Ginger
 
  • Cancer: Several studies have demonstrated ginger's ability to defeat several types of cancer cells, including some of the most aggressive and difficult to treat: lung, ovarian, colon, breast, skin carcinoma, prostate, and pancreatic.
  • Diabetes Prevention: Studies have shown that diabetes may be both prevented and treated, along with the related abilities to lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood fats.
  • Antiobiotic: At least one study that compares the effects of ginger and antibiotics on Staphylococcus aureus and S. pyreus infections shows that ginger extract may be superior. The effects on drug-resistant infections are, as yet, unknown. Ginger has been shown to have an antibacterial effect on respiratory and periodontal infections.
  • Antifungal: Ginger has been found to have antifungal capability, including to drug-resistant forms.
  • Ulcers: Intestinal ulcers can be prevented with ginger. There is a generally recognized acceptance now that the Helico pylori bacterium is associated with ulcers, and at least one study has shown that a derivative of ginger has been shown to inhibit H. pylori. One study has demonstrated that ginger can inhibit existing ulcers, too.
  • Diabetes Complications: Ginger can protect nerves in diabetes and lower blood fat levels.
  • Inflammation: Neurodegenerative diseases may be aided by ginger's ability to inhibit nitrous oxide production and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Its anti-inflammatory ability may be helpful in arthritis, cancer prevention, prostate disease, and general inflammatory processes.
  • Gastric Distress: Ginger's ability to ease gastric distress is superior, and it does more than simply ease pain. It has been found to have an antispasmodic agent, which helps explain some of its beneficial effects on the intestinal tract. As previously stated, it inhibits H. pylori, which helps prevent ulcers. It also protects gastic mucosa.
  • Toxicity: Ginger helps prevent the toxic effects of a wide array of substances, including the pesticide lindane, a cancer drug, the chemical bromobenzene, and the excitotoxin monosodium glutamate (MSG). Lindane was shown to modulate oxidative stress in rats exposed to the pesticide lindane, a neurotoxin, simply by adding it to their diet. The cancer drug doxorubicin damages kidneys, but ginger has been shown to help alleviate the harm. Brombozene is highly toxic, used in chemical reactions, and can rapidly damage the liver and nervous system. Ginger has been shown to alleviate its liver damage. Ginger extract has been shown to protect against MSG nerve damage.
  • Menstrual Pain: A double blind study of young women suffering from menstrual pain compared with mefenamic acid (a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory marketed as Ponstel), ibuprofen, ginger powder in capsules, and placebo was performed. Ginger was found to be as effective as both mefenamic acid and ibuprofen.
  • Radiation: With radiation in the news lately, it's wonderful to learn that ginger has been proven to provide significant benefit against it. One study has demonstrated that it can help prevent vomiting and taste distortion associated with radiation poisoning. Another study administered high doses of ginger extract to mice before their exposure to gamma radiation, and compared them to mice that had received only distilled water before exposure. It reduced the severity of symptoms and mortality. They were protected from gastrointestinal and bone-marrow-related deaths. It's interesting to note that treatment after exposure provided no benefit.
  • Gout, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Knee Osteoarthritis, and Indomethacin: Indomethacin is an anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to treat the pain from inflammation of gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis of the knee. Studies comparing the effect of ginger extract with indomethacin consistently show that ginger is, at a minimum, just as effective, and sometimes even more than indomethacin. Since indomethacin's adverse effects include renal insufficiency in 40% of the people who take it, jaundice in 10%, headaches in 12%, and elevations in liver function tests indicating harm to the liver, plus a host of other nasty problems, it's difficult to imagine any legitimate reason for doctors prescribing the drug when they could simply have their patients take ginger extract.(39,40,41)
  • Nausea and Motion Sickness: Ginger has been well studied for its classic ability to ease nausea in all sorts of situations. It has long been used for motion and sea sickness and during pregnancy.

​Benefits of coconut oil

 
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities.
 
Benefits of black pepper
  • Aids digestion - Pepper's natural antibiotic properties make it an effective remedy for intestinal diseases caused by bacteria. Pepper causes an increase in the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, improving overall digestion by reducing gas, diarrhea, constipation and colic.
  • Relieves cough and colds - Pepper's antibacterial properties also make it an effective remedy for respiratory conditions including colds, coughs and flu. Pepper's spiciness clears congestion and helps clear up sinusitis.
  • Fights cancer - Research has revealed that pepper exerts a free-radical scavenging activity, and thus may assist in preventing some cancers and slow the growth of cancer cells.
  • Helps weight loss - The outer layer of the peppercorn contains substances that boost fat metabolism. Adding black pepper to foods may help in the treatment of obesity.
  • Helps treat Vitiligo: Research conducted in Great Britain has indicated that the active chemical ingredient in pepper, piperine, is an effective treatment for vitiligo, a skin disease that causes areas of the skin to lose their pigment. Pepper is also believed to decrease susceptibility to skin cancers caused by excess ultraviolet radiation.
  • Improves bioavailability - Eating black pepper promotes the absorption of nutrients to all the tissues of the body, improving overall health.
  • Improves dental health - Pepper helps fight tooth decay and provides relief from toothache.
  • A natural antidepressant - Animal studies showed that treatment with black pepper improved cognitive function and stimulated the central nervous system.
  • A powerful antioxidant - Pepper has a rich natural content of phenols, organic chemicals that have strong antioxidant properties.
  • Reduces Inflammation: - Animal research has revealed that pepper's active ingredient, piperine, has natural anti-inflammatory effects.
 
 
Benefits of cayenne pepper
 
Cayenne pepper has been used for a variety of ailments including heartburn, delirium, tremors, gout, paralysis, fever, dyspepsia, flatulence, sore throat, atonic dyspepsia, hemorrhoids, menorrhagia in women, nausea, tonsillitis, scarlet fever and diphtheria.




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Three Bean Mediterranean Salad

16/7/2018

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Picture
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​Serves:
10 / Prep time: 15 minutes / Total time: 20 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling time)

1 can (15.5 ounce) garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15.5 ounce) cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15.5 ounce) dark red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped cucumber
½ cup diced red onion
5 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, peeled, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

In a large bowl, combine garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, kidney beans, red 
pepper, cucumber, and red onion. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, 
parsley, garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper. Pour dressing over bean 
mixture and gently toss to coat. Add crumbled cheese, toss and refrigerate 2 
hours before serving.

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Super Nutritious Chocolates / Moringa/Spirulina

16/7/2018

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I love making these delicious and nutritious chocolatey bites, as they are loaded with goodness and also very quick and simple to make.  Takes about 10 minutes to make if you have all the ingredients handy !

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil - liquid form
1/2 Cup Cacao powder
1/4 Cup Carob syrup / maple syrup or sweetener of choice
1 tsp Spirulina powder
1/2 tsp Moringa powder
1 cup trail mix (e.g. 2 tbsp shredded coconut, 1 tbsp goji berries, 1 tbsp blackcurrants, 2 tbsp raw nuts, 1 tbsp chia seeds)
2 tbsp crushed almonds to sprinkle on top (optional) --> or any other crunchy nut or seed.
small cup cake papers

On a plastic tray or chopping board, layout about 20 small cup cake papers. Take a teaspoon and mix the add in's. Then put a tsp of the mix in each cup cake paper until it is finished.

In a small pot, add the coconut oil, cacao powder, carob syrup, spirulina, moringa. Gently heat over a very low fire for about 1 minute until it has become a thick syrup. Take 1 tsp of the liquid mixture and pour into each cup cake paper making sure that the liquid covers most of the trail mix. Place in fridge to harden. Store in the fridge as coconut oil softens in warm weather.

Note: Recently a Harvard professor has come out and said that Coconut oil is a poison due to its high saturated fat content. On average women should consume no more than 20g of saturated fat per day and men 30g. One teaspoon of coconut oil has 3.9g... well within our limits if we factor it in our daily limit.


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