Chef Tonne's shares the Health Benefits of Banana and Potatoes and Makes Them the Ideal Choice for the Military and you too.

Chef Tonne has been serving healthy food to United States Department of Defense for over a decade now. She knows very well what it takes to create food for super heroes who fight for our safety on the line of fire. Military food is not the food for commoners, for it has to be packed with nutrition and all of those healthy things that a military menu demands to see their corps fit and ready. She is also constantly faced with challenge to make the food utterly delicious which are otherwise dull and boring. 

Because of her keen interest in developing tasty and healthy food alternatives, Chef Tonne has been awarded with many projects and contracts to cook food by prestigious government departments such as Department of Justice, United State Air Force, National Guard, Marine Special Forces (MARSOC), US Army Reserve and many more military and first responders. 

Just a week back as I had an opportunity to speak to her over the internet, she told me that bananas and potatoes are extremely important in military. They are almost kind of staple food since it is eaten by the military veterans on a daily basis. Given the health benefits of bananas and potatoes, she has always ensured her menu is never short of it, especially when the menu is for military veterans. Her decade of experience has honed her in breathing life to even the most boring and monotonous food. Banana is a favorite food for many and no one can ever have enough to get bored with this delicious creamy food. To make the things even more interesting, Chef Tonne came up with many recipes for Desserts, Side Dishes, and Snacks that freely uses bananas. This creamy, rich, sweet banana is a good source of vitamins, minerals as well as fiber. Banana is a natural source of potassium that is helpful in maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. A small size banana contains whopping 400-plus mg of potassium. Banana is a fruit that tastes quite sweet when ripe, yet interestingly it ranks quite low in glycemic index (GI) value. By the way GI measures the impact of food on our blood sugar. Banana also contains especial type of pectin that helps digestive system. Potatoes have always been military’s favorite food world over. In fact it has changed the course of many major historical events. But without going much into the role of potato in shaping history, we will see what makes potato military’s favorite food. 

Many would find this surprising, but a cooked potato holds 26 calories and is packed with nutrients. Potato contains complex carbohydrate that helps you keep fuller, longer and thus also helps you reduce binge-eating. Potatoes are also surprisingly rich in immune-boosting Vitamin C. A medium size potato with skin is good enough to provide 27mg Vitamin C. According to a research published by the Institute for Food Research in Norwich, potatoes contain blood-pressure lowering molecules known as kukoamines. 

Hope you guys enjoyed reading this interesting article that gives a glimpse of what goes into making super food for the military and first responders who fight for our freedom. 

Living a Healthy Life style Through Eating Heart Healthy

It is important to eat heart healthy food to lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease such as heart attack, stroke, and other disease. Lifestyle plays an important role in keeping the blood pressure under control. Even if you already have a high blood pressure, making certain healthy changes in your lifestyle and eating habits can bring down your blood pressure levels. 

Eating more of fruit and vegetables

Eating more fruits and vegetables helps in lowering blood pressure to a large extent. Adults should eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables each day. A portion is equivalent to 80 grams or roughly the size of your fist. You should include different varieties of fruits and vegetables in your meal plan. Dried, frozen and tin fruits are also fine as long as you are careful about the sugar, fat and salt contents. 

Eating less salt

Too much salt is a sure recipe to high blood pressure. So make it a point to eat as little as possible. Ironically many high blood pressure patients can avoid blood pressure medicines by cutting down their salt intake. In many cases controlling your salt intake is not in your hands. For example – much of the salt that we eat is not what we add to the food but what comes along with prepared food such as bread, breakfast cereals and ready meals. It is wise to always check the label for salt, sugar and fat content while you are shopping for food. 

Drinking less alcohol 

Drinking too much of alcohol will raise your blood pressure over time. It is recommended that you limit your alcohol intake to 21 units per week. A unit is equivalent to a small glass of wine or a single pub measure of sprite. Maintaining the recommended alcohol limits will help you keep your blood pressure down. 

Stick to healthy weight

Lose weight if you have to. Consult your doctor and know your BMI (Body Mass Index) if you are not sure. Reducing your weight will help you lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of health problem. The best way you can lose your weight in a healthy way is by sticking to low-fat food and maintaining a military discipline for physical activities. But then set for yourself realistic goals that you can follow religiously each day. Even a small change in your eating habit and activity levels that you can keep to for life would take you a long way in maintaining a healthy life with lower blood pressure. In fact losing weight can help you get rid of many health diseases apart from the problem of high blood pressure.  

Exercise regularly

By just being moderately active for 30 minutes a day for five times a week can keep your heart healthy, lower your blood pressure and also keep you in good shape. If you find it difficult to squeeze out even 30 minutes of your time, start with even small amount but remain committed to whatever you decide for yourself.  The activity that you choose for yourself should be such that leaves you feeling warm and slightly out of breath. 

Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

4c gloves of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of unscented organic coconut oil or grape seed oil
1/4 cup of shiraz or pinot noir
3/4 cup of distilled water
1 28 oz can of San Marzano whole tomatoes (chopped in food processor)
1  teaspoons of cracked blacked pepper
1/2 medium onion chopped
3 T of Knorr tomato bouillon
2 t of dried basil

Heat oil under low heat , add garlic, toast until brown.
Stir in onion, cook until transparent , stir in basil and bouillon.
Bring to a rolling boil, add tomatoes
reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes
Serve with quiche, salad and cucumber water......