Chic-Shuk Secrets

All peppers are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, but Red Peppers are simply bursting with them plus considered to be a great source of Vitamin B6. This very nutritious vegetable and the antioxidants it contain help preventing cell damage, cancer, and diseases related to aging. Further more, Red Pepper support the immune function, can reduce inflammation like that found in arthritis and asthma, promotes proper blood clotting and strengthens bones.

With all of these great health benefits and nutrition values, I love cooking this Moroccan-style healthy veggie meal since satisfy as steak and tasteful as a gourmet dish:  With 302 calories, 9 grams of protein,  8 grams of fat and 4 grams of fibre per serving, you cannot go wrong with this MUST TRY RECIPE !!!

Couscous-Stuffed Red Pepper W/Yogurt:

Ingrediants:

85 grams of whole wheat Couscous
2 tbsp Raisins
50 ml hot vegetable stock
1 tsp clear honey
1 large lemon- squeez for juice
2 garlic cloves
small bunch flat-leaf parsley
150 ml tub non-fat natural yogurt
2 tomatoes , roughly chopped
2 red peppers , halved, cores removed
1 tbsp olive oil

How to make:

• Pre-heat oven to 400* degrees.

• Place couscous and raisins in a heatproof bowl. Stir stock, honey and lemon juice, then pour over the couscous. Cover and leave to absorb for 5 mins.

• Place the lemon zest, garlic and parsley in a mini food processor and whizz until everything is well chopped.

• Stir 1 tbsp of this mixture into the yogurt, then set aside. Stir the remaining mixture into the couscous with the tomatoes and some seasoning.

• Spoon the couscous mixture into each pepper half, then sit them in a small roasting tin. Drizzle with oil, then bake for 40 mins until peppers are tender.

• Serve with the yogurt and a simple green salad on the side, and- ENJOY!!! 

Lets face it- There are many myths regarding bad affects or certain risks when it comes to using Birth Control Pills. While there are more then hundred milion women around the world who take birth control pills we should all be aware that as any other pill there are possible sides affect, however- they are very rare. On the other hand, there are many health and beauty benefits that contradict most myths.

These are several Health & Beauty facts regarding the use of Birth Control Pills you might wanna be aware of:

• Birth Control Pills DO NOT make you FAT. Especially with today`s low level hormones pills.

• The overall use of Birth Control Pills significantly reduce the risk of many types of cancers.

• Birth Control Pills help control not only birth but have a great beauty care benefit while controlling ACNE, in all ages. The effect is powerful and recommended by many dermatologists regardless the need of birth control matters.

• Using Birth Control Pills DOES NOT effect or reduce the chances of conceiving furute wise. The other way around- Birth Control Pills can actually protect the uterus.

• As long as you are a non smoker, and your blood pressure is balanced, even if you`re over 35, you should not have any concern taking Birth Control Pills.

• While taking as prescribe, every day at the same time, Birth Control Pills are %99.7 effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy.

• Many recent researches have proven there is no risk in continuously taking more then 21 pills at a cycle while skipping 1 or two periods. More then that- it is recommended for women who normally suffer from heavy bleeding, pain or migraines during their monthly period.

• There is no phisical need “cleaning” your system after a long use of Birth Control Pills, taking a break from its use after certain period of time and is considered as an unnecessary act.   

Eating right, has major Health and Beauty benefits.

One of the most important things you can do to protect yourself from many diseases, illnesses and early aging of the skin is to eat right and keep a healthy diet. It is the best natural powerful defense against cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke. Whether or not you have a family history of those diseases, what you eat and how much you eat can help reduce the risk.

What does Eating Right mean?!
Making healthy, smart choices whenever it comes to foods, on a daily base. Whether you`re eating inside or outside, gourmet food, or fast food- with today`s variety of ingredients and products, there are always better, smarter choices you can make:

• Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits each day!

• Choose whole grains over processed (refined) grains and sugars

• Substitute healthier fats for not-so-healthy fats

• Beware of portion distortion, and help trim down the number of calories you eat.

• Substituting lower calorie and lower fat foods for higher in calories and fats foods to help maintain a healthy diet and weight.

Healthy diets almost always contain fish, which have fewer calories and higher nutrition values than other meat sources. It’s also one of nature’s most versatile foods – can be steamed, baked, fried or poached and even great as raw, in the form of sashimi.
Many health institutes recommend eating up to two portions of fish a week, based on several different studies. Eating fish could lowers the risk of death from heart disease by 36 per cent, thanks to the oils in fish, that appear to reduce stickiness of blood, therefore can prevent it from clotting. Fish also contains selenium which thought to have cancer-fighting properties plus omega-3 fatty acids which are believed to raise levels of the brain chemical- Serotonin, which aids in reducing depression. Omega 3 regulate the body’s inflammation cycle as well, which prevents and relieves painful conditions like arthritis and cystitis.

One of the benefits I like the most, from eating fish, is its ability of reducing signs of age! Some dermatologists say that a fish rich diet acts like a facial smoothing-out age lines.
 

Recommended fish: Salmon, Trout, Sardines and Tuna:

Try some of my favorite healthy recipes, taken from MyRecipes.com:

Baked Salmon With Dill Herb:

 
Tuna with Ginger Cream:

Trout with Brown Butter and Pecans:

Sardine and Potato with Romesco Sauce:

The good, the bad and what is recommended-

There are many myths regarding coffee beans and drinking coffee habits. However, recent Japanese reserches found that having a cup of coffee a few times a week, thanks to the Antioxidants coffee contain, may lower not only the risk of mouth AND throat cancers by up to %50 percent, but link coffee to lowering the risk of breast and ovarian cancers as well! 

Now, since caffeine raises blood pressure, if you enjoy drinking a lot of coffee, you may wanna choose decaf. It has the same healthy benefits as regular coffee.

What can I say, it makes me feel much better now, recommending drinking coffee with my favorite low fat soy based creamer:

Coffee Mate makes drinking coffee more “sophisticated”! It is a great healthy choice for your healthy lifestyle, and there are so many different flavours to choose from so then you never get board with the same old taste! This product works great for someone like my mom, which is lactose intolerant lack enough of an enzyme called lactate, and aren’t able to completely digest the natural sugar found in milk which calls lactose. All COFFEE-MATE coffee whiteners are lactose free, low fat and low calories, with few sugar-free versions available as well, which makes adding only 2 spoons of it to your cup of coffee makes it unnecessary to add any kind of sugar or other sweetener!
I like several flavors coffee-mate offers and it is very much fun finding new flavour on the market shelves every time I shop for groceries! I like the `Irish Cream` the most…