Alithini Nutrition

05/25/2023

I have been tirelessly working on some new recipes to keep things interesting and delicious and I had a craving for a nice warm bagel. But since my daughter and I were both home with strep throat, going to pick some up wasn’t an option.

I took a look in the fridge and decided to experiment a little… and am I ever glad I did.

Flour, Greek yogurt, baking powder, salt, and a bit of honey was all it took. These bagels were the easiest to make: no yeast, no oil, no problem! Just brushed them with a bit of egg white, topped them with sesame seeds, baked for 20 minutes in the oven and these little bites of happiness helped cheered us up in a hurry. Roll them to be as big or as small as you want!

No doubt they will be a staple in our home for quite a while.

05/09/2023

If you’re someone who enjoys protein bars, here are a few things you should know about them… especially if you are trying to lose weight.

Not all bars are created equal, so their effectiveness depends on your goals. Learn more about what to look for in a healthy protein bar.

Protein bars have become increasingly popular in recent years as a portable and convenient way to have a meal on-the-go and, in our overly busy world, we turn

04/13/2023

I’m thrilled to announce that I will be writing a series of articles for Passion Vista Magazine!

Over the next few months, I’ll be providing some valuable information about nutrition and healthy living that are easy to incorporate into your life.

Here is the first article… a brief introduction to volume eating, it’s benefits, and how easy it is to adopt this way of eating.

Managing Your Weight with Volume Eating

03/18/2023

At least once a week I like to be vegetarian for the day. It forces me to get creative with recipes and find ways to ensure I get my daily requirement of protein, plus it makes me choose veggies I might not eat on a regular basis.

One of my favourite plant-based sources of protein are the cruciferous veggies like broccoli and cauliflower. In cauliflower, you get an excellent amount of heart-healthy fibre, antioxidants, 2g of protein per 1 cup, and it’s super low in calories. It’s a perfect option when you like to do volume eating without busting the calorie bank.

So I decided to try my hand at garlic, honey and soy cauliflower “wings” and they came out amazing! Next time they will be crispier because they’ll be baked at a higher temp, but one day, in the very near future, when I have more counter space, that air fryer I‘be been dreaming of will be worth its weight in GOLD and these wings will be spectacular.

The breading was simple, with all-purpose flour, a bunch of seasonings, and whisk in some almond milk, then coat each bite-sized piece of cauliflower completely, shaking off the excess.

When they’re done baking, just toss them in the honey-garlic-soya sauce mixture until coated and bake for another 5 minutes. They were super tasty and simple to make. Low in calories, high in fibre, but most of all, filling!

01/30/2023

Growing up, I used to watch my great-grandmother cook traditional meals and desserts for the family. Measuring spoons existed, but were almost never used.

“It has to look like this,” she would say after having thrown a handful or something into the mixing bowl.

That was how I started my recipes for the cookbook. I had no idea what measurements to use for what I was making, so I winged it.

This weekend, I channeled my inner great-grandmother and made a deconstructed cabbage roll. I don’t remember what she used to make them, so I used minced veal, uncooked rice, chopped up cabbage, diced tomatoes, garlic, onions, and spices. I could almost feel her next to me when I made it. I decided to chop the cabbage instead of roll the meat in the cabbage leaf because it was faster and easier to do it my way.

The outcome was delicious and it brought me right back to my childhood. What’s your favourite that makes you time-travel to your youth?

01/15/2023

Today’s cold weather made me want some comfort food. Anything chocolate is typically a winner, but today I was feeling more salty than sweet so I tried my hand at mozzarella sticks.

The breading was easy: 2 tablespoons of flour mixed with half a cup of bread crumbs, some onion powder, a teaspoon of oregano, and I splashed a few drops of Frank’s Red Hot sauce in the egg wash to give it some kick. Those of you who follow this page know that I am not typically a “deep fry” kind of chef, so I opted to brush the mozzarella sticks with oil and bake it in the oven.

No, I don’t have an air fryer. Yes, I would love to have one. I bought an oven that says it has a build-in air fryer but I can assure you, it’s useless. So when I finally move and my new kitchen had more counter space, the first thing on my list is an air fryer because everyone who owns one, swears by it.

As you can see, the mozzarella sticks came out looking meh because a few exploded. Tasted great though. But by far my favourite part of this recipe is the homemade marinara sauce I served with it.

Made with a base of canned San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and basil, this tasted fantastic. I always choose the San Marzano tomatoes because they have the best flavour of all the tomatoes and you don’t need to add sugar to balance the acidity.

I prefer my marinara sauce smooth for dipping so I used the hand blender to get rid of the chunks. It’s such a versatile sauce that it can be used as a pizza sauce, or to top some pasta.

So yummy, and hits all the right spots on a cold winter day.

12/31/2022

At this time of the year, I always reflect on the 364 days that passed and I have to say, 2022 brought some pretty major challenges. A few were amazing, some were less than stellar, but with the year coming to a close, I find myself being grateful for all that I have, instead of dwelling on what I don’t.

I am looking forward to wiping the slate clean for 2023, starting fresh, and seeing where the year takes me. I have some big plans that I want to achieve and a lot of work to be done to get there, BUT, like with everything else I do in life, I have a list. And you can believe that I will be systematically crossing each one of them off that list as they get done.

Keep your eyes peeled on this page for more recipes for healthy eating, more healthy lifestyle information, and more ways self-care suggestions. There are going to be a few announcements along the way as well, but I’ll save those for later. 😉

I wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year. Whatever your goals may be, I hope 2023 brings you all that you desire and more.

#ʜᴀᴘᴘʏɴᴇᴡʏᴇᴀʀ2023

11/06/2022

Your body’s gut microbiota, the different microbes and strains of good and bad bacteria that live in your intestines, is responsible for immune function and disease prevention. It is influenced heavily on nutrition, stress levels, medications, and your lifestyle habits (alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, etc…). You need a proper balance of the good and bad bacteria to keep everything running smoothly.

But did you also know that the gut flora influences obesity? In 2012, a scientist named Heinrik Christensen discovered a strain of bacteria called Christensenella minuta (C. minuta), and researchers noticed a causal link between this strain of bacteria and leanness. Meaning, when people are trying to lose fat, this bacterium is more present in the intestines than in obese people.

Recent research (PMID: 33917566) done in 2021 found that C. minuta has an impact on how the body metabolizes food, and, in fact, helps prevent weight gain.

They further noticed that it may also play a role in reducing inflammation, because people who have irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease are missing it.

While this is truly an important discovery, it should be noted that this particular study was done with mice, but human trials are in process and more discoveries will certainly be published in the very near future.

It’s worth mentioning that eating healthy, exercising, and taking care of yourself remain the primary ways to ensure you have a good balance of healthy bacteria in your system and it will help keep you at a healthy weight. But for those who have systemic inflammation and/or are obese, there may be another potential treatment to help you down the line.

The article below is one of many explaining the discovery of this bacteria and it is an interesting read. Of course the supplement industry is exploiting this new information and products are currently in the market to help increase the amount of C. Minuta in the body.

Do they work? Maybe. But it’s always best to start with well-rounded nutrition before jumping into supplements.

LNC Therapeutics, a French biotechnology company specialising in gut microbiome-based drugs, is taking a closer look at a new cluster of bacteria, Christensenella, and its role in regulating the intestinal microbiome in various chronic metabolic diseases

10/22/2022

The last couple of years have seen some pretty incredible price increases in everything from gas to mortgage rates, so it’s no surprise that the price of food has followed suit and has become ridiculous as well.

That often puts restaurant visits and ordering in on the bottom of the list of necessities. So why not find recipes that are healthy, tasty, and give you the best bang for your buck?

I’ve come up with an alternative to fries that really tastes amazing and hits all the high notes with flavour. Carrot and cauliflower fritters! Now, before you snub your nose at cauliflower, let me just say that these fritters will have you rethinking your dislike for them! Chop up a head of cauliflower in the food processor, add shredded carrots, a little flour, 2 eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, and some hot sauce and mix it all up. You can either fry them on the stove top in a little bit of oil or air fry those suckers and they are spectacular! I found that they broke apart too easily when baked, but that’s a healthy idea as well if you don’t mind them a bit piece-y.

The flat bread recipe I showed in a previous post doubles also as a delicious pizza crust. And since I had some leftover rotisserie chicken to use as a topping with ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and spinach, that became an easy, healthy dinner that paired well with a side salad.

Both came out amazing and give the feel of a restaurant visit without breaking the bank.

06/19/2022

My weekly food prep was so much fun today because I experimented with a few new ideas and they came out really delicious, which is always nice when you love food and want to make healthy choices.

In the past, I’ve made a loaf of white bread, which is tasty and easy, but it takes time to rise and I don’t always have the patience to wait a day to make it. So today I tried flat bread and I am SO HAPPY. From start to finish, it took an hour to prepare and cook and it didn’t even need the oven. They bake on a dry fry pan and came out soft and delicious. They are so versatile that they can be used for practically anything! Whether you want a sandwich or a pizza or you just need something for a dip, these flat breads are amazing… you’ll want to make them every week!
I used them tonight for a steak sub with grilled veggies and it was perfect. Quick and easy.

If traditional bread is not your thing, substitute regular all-purpose flour for coconut flour (add a bit more liquid) and you have a gluten-free alternative.

Then I tried making a mango salsa that was insanely good! The mango brought a sweetness to the veggies that gave it a fantastic flavour. And when you use in on top of grilled chicken, it was a taste of the southwest while being on the east coast. Totally yummy!

Healthy food at its finest!

06/05/2022

It’s been a crazy few months and I officially ran out of freezer meals, plus I hadn’t made anything new in a while, so the goal was to do a little blitz this weekend and succeeded in killing two birds with one stone.

This weekend’s creations were zucchini boats with minced turkey and the other was lemon chicken. I was a bit disappointed with how the lemon chicken turned out though. It looked pretty but it didn’t taste great, so that recipe will be developed further until I’m happy with it.

The zucchini boats, however, came out awesome so I’ll share those photos without a problem! Minced turkey, red and orange bell peppers, onion, home made spicy tomato burrata sauce mixed in (recipe to follow in another post) and topped with seasoned breadcrumbs. Just the right level of spice and flavour with minimal carbs and low fat. You can easily switch the turkey meat for any other minced meat, or even tempeh or tofu, if that’s your jam.

What are your meals this week? 😊

05/16/2022

This is such a “bucket list” moment for me, I don’t even know where to start.

I am deeply grateful that Passion Vista Magazine named me as one of the top 50 Women Leaders to Look Up To in 2022. It is an honor to be counted among these successful businesswomen worldwide and I consider myself fortunate to be in such great company.

Being recognized for the work that you do is amazing, but the most important role I play is more in the background. When a client says they lost X number of pounds, or that they went to the doctor and were told they can reduce (or they no longer require) their diabetes medication, or even that their clothes fit better, all because they took their health seriously and followed simple guidelines, I swell with happiness. These comments mean everything to me because there is no greater gift than being invited to walk alongside someone on their health journey.

I have to say that working two jobs is a balancing act that has its challenges, but both have a special place in my heart. I am very fortunate on so many fronts.

Lori Bergman Ubgroup Women Leaders to look up to in 2022 May 5, 2022 1:47 pm 31 0 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Google + Email Transforming lives through wholesome Nutrition Lori, along with her older sister, were born and raised in Montreal, Canada, where their parents taught them to be stron...