Grace O blog Archives - Page 14 of 37

February 16, 2023

Published by Grace O

Which Oils Are Best and Healthiest To Use?

At the grocery store, there are aisles and aisles full of oils. How do you know which is best to use? Which ones are the healthiest? A variety of oils are popular in different parts of the world and, depending on whether you are sautéing or making a marinade, it is good to know what works best for your meals and is best for your health as well. Here’s the FoodTrients® breakdown for the best, healthiest oil to choose and when. Health Benefits of Oils Oils and dietary fats are essential to the function of all cells and to be […]

February 14, 2023

Published by Grace O

Stay Well with These Super Flu-Fighting Foods

This winter we need to be particularly careful to avoid colds and flu. I am just too busy to get sick, so I pay special attention to what I eat. My father was a doctor in Southeast Asia and he always said that if you are in general good health, get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water and wash your hands frequently, you’re doing a lot to prevent a nasty case of the flu. Now, as we fight a pandemic, we need to wear masks in public to protect ourselves and others. Here are some immune-boosting foods that are […]

February 1, 2023

Published by Grace O

Beauty Foods Help You Look Younger

What foods can you eat to help you look younger and promote healthy smooth skin, strong nails, and shiny hair? Fruits, vegetables, melons, peppers, grains, nuts, mushrooms, and fish containing the FoodTrients anthocyanins, carotenoids, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and vitamins C and E, as well as copper, silica, and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD). Let’s explore these one at a time and see why they’re so good for our complexion, nails, and hair. Anthocyanins improve capillary function. Your capillaries bring blood to your skin and are therefore very important for optimum skin health. You can get anthocyanins in your diet by eating […]

January 30, 2023

Published by Grace O

We’re Just Wild About Saffron

I don’t know about you, but I am wild about saffron. Saffron is a golden red spice from the stigmas of a small purple crocus native to the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and Iran where it was first cultivated during the Bronze Age. Each flower produces just three stigmas (or threads) and must be harvested by hand then dried. It takes 14,000 of the tiny stigmas to yield one ounce of the spice which retails for $500. Saffron has not only been used to flavor and tint foods, but it’s been used to dye fabrics and as a perfume. The flavor […]

January 30, 2023

Published by Grace O

Discover the Many-Splendored Foods of Malta

Do you know where Malta is? Many people probably don’t. You’ve heard of The Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart and there’s a good chance you’ve met a fluffy, white Maltese dog. But one of the best things I discovered in my visit to Malta is the cuisine. Malta consists of a small archipelago of islands in the Mediterranean about 50 miles south of Sicily, approximately 200 miles north of Libya, and 175 miles east of Tunisia. It’s been inhabited for thousands of years by various conquerors passing through including Phoenicians, Carthaginians (both from the eastern Mediterranean), Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, […]

January 30, 2023

Published by Grace O

Want to Detox? Try These Top 10 Cleansing Foods!

I love to cook and entertain, especially during the holidays, but this holiday season challenged us all to celebrate differently with Zoom parties, staying at home, and social distancing. For me, baking is a great way to de-stress, and because I believe in indulging friends and family with delicious food, drink and desserts, this year I made my mother’s recipe for fruitcake and my own recipe for biscotti and had them delivered. After a couple of months of holiday meals and baking up a storm, I am ready to start 2022 with a “clean” slate. That calls for some detoxing. […]

January 30, 2023

Published by Grace O

Presto! It’s Pesto To the Rescue

The versatility of pesto can help us all do our very besto when it comes to adding great flavor and big benefits to dishes. Use your imagination and check out the pesto chart along with two of my out-of-the-box pestos that deliver great taste along with powerful nutrients. You can serve these and any favorite pesto over vegetables; pasta; flatbread … whatever you choose! Nettle Pesto At the height of allergy season, incorporating nettles into your meals can be a soothing practice offering relief. With research supporting the use of nettles for seasonal allergies and hay fever, this plant contains […]

January 3, 2023

Published by Grace O

Entertain with Happy, Healthy, Holiday Dishes

I love to open up my home and invite friends and family over for celebrations. And the holiday season provides irresistible opportunities to throw great parties that people will remember. My first priority is always my guests, and I ensure that they are well fed, entertained, and delighted. Good food is vital to any party. Hungry guests are not happy guests, so I have a wide variety of food available for the duration of the party. During the holidays, a time when people tend to overeat and overindulge, I offer some healthful party fare in addition to seasonal favorites. Give […]

January 3, 2023

Published by Grace O

Home for the Holidays Dessert – Pear Apple Tart Recipe

Family meals and entertaining friends are even better when you add a delicious dessert to the menu. I love serving my Pear and Apple Tart during the holidays. In this dessert, I take the recipe from the classic French dessert tarte tatin–with its quercetin-containing apples–and add pears for their copper content, pecans and cinnamon, which are high in antioxidants. It is worth noting that when used in sufficient amounts, cinnamon also has anti-blood-clotting agent, anti-inflammatory properties and may help stabilize blood sugar levels. Pear and Apple Tart SERVES 6-8 Ingredients 6 Tbs. butter, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup sugar, […]