Calcium helps in Making Bones Stronger: Calcium Rich Recipes

Calcium is often regarded as one of the most essential components for a healthy body and living. It is one of the key nutrients to keep the body strong and healthy. It is essential for many different reasons; it also acts as a building block for stronger bones in men and women alike. This is the reason your mom must be doting on you since a tender age to consume more milk. Milk is known to contain high quantities of calcium. A person and his bones benefit a lot from having calcium rich food included in their diet. It limits the foods that deplete your body’s calcium stores, and helps you get your daily dose of magnesium and vitamins D and K—nutrients that help calcium do its job. 

There are many products that are rich in calcium. Dairy products are the top notch products for proper intake of calcium. Dairy products are very rich in calcium and can be easily digested. It provides calcium in such form that it can be easily absorbed by the body. Various dairy products include Milk, Yoghurt and cheese. Other foods high on calcium are vegetables and fruits. The various green vegetables are very high in calcium components. Try turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, kale, romaine lettuce, celery, broccoli, fennel, cabbage, green beans, asparagus, and crimini mushrooms. Another rich source of calcium is the beans. Black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, or baked beans are regarded as rich sources of calcium. Let us discuss couple of calcium rich recipes that won't fail to satisfy your taste buds too.

Broccoli-stuffed Pasta

6 ounces (18-20) jumbo pasta shells

1 16-ounce bag frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 pound low-fat cottage cheese

8 ounces (2 cups) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tablespoon grated onion

½ teaspoon pepper

2 cloves crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 15 ½ ounce jars marinara sauce (or spaghetti sauce)

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain. Combine broccoli, cottage cheese, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion, pepper and garlic.  Fill shells with cheese-broccoli mixture.  Spoon enough marinara sauce into bottom of 9-by-13-inch baking pan to cover the bottom.  Arrange shells in single layer; spoon remaining sauce over shells.  Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella cheese on top.  Cover pan with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes, until heated thoroughly.

Serving: 6

Calories per serving: 437

Calcium per serving: 493 mg

Old-Fashioned Hot Cocoa

5 Tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups water

4 ½ cups whole milk

1 cup instant nonfat dry milk

½ teaspoon mint extract (optional)

Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a 2-quart saucepan.  Add water.  Boil and stir constantly.  Boil and stir for 2 minutes.  Stir in liquid milk and then slowly add dry milk, stirring continuously.  Heat thoroughly but do not boil.  Stir in extract, if desired.  Just before serving, beat with a hand beater until foamy.

Servings: 6, 1 cup each

Calories per serving: 202

Calcium per serving: 365 mg

Give your Tasty Recipes a Healthy Touch of Fiber

      Fiber is a fundamental nutrient required for proper digestion of foods, proper functioning of the digestive tract at large, and for helping fill your tummy. A deficiency of fiber can lead to constipation, hemorrhoids, and high elevation of cholesterol and sugar in the blood. Likewise, an excess of fiber can lead to a bowel obstruction, diarrhea, or even dehydration. The body needs proper amount of fiber to fulfill the body requirements. There are many different types of ingredients which can help in providing the amount of fiber needed for the body. There is nothing more apt on a chilly morning like a steaming bowl of creamy oatmeal. Oats are regarded as one of the best ingredients to get soluble fiber, the kind that can help slide down your cholesterol levels. Start your day with a cup of cooked oatmeal and you bless your body with 4 grams of fiber. Top it with a sliced banana (or better yet, add the banana while you’re cooking the oatmeal — it will help make oatmeal more creamy) for an extra 3 grams. With 10 grams of fiber and just 65 calories each, artichokes are a light but filling option for individual interested in dieting. Try them in Creamy Artichoke Soup; it is a recipe which can be made easy by using frozen artichoke hearts.

      Frozen peas are one of the most fast and easy available options to add vegetables to a meal. Peas are also regarded as one of the vegetables very high in fiber with 9 grams per cup. You can take peas and carrots to a whole new level by including it in a plate of pasta with Peas and Carrots. Whole Wheat Spaghetti is another ingredient high in fiber. Replacing regular white pasta with whole-wheat will give you more than twice as much fiber — 6 grams in a cup. Going for 100 percent whole-wheat pasta or bread is a simple way to start getting more fiber (and whole grains) in your diet. Beans are one of the best sources of fiber out there: 1 cup can bless your dish with 12 to 19 grams of fiber. You can also try mixing black beans into a quesadilla, make a white-bean-and-escarole soup or top a green salad with garbanzo beans. Cooked bulgur wheat contains very high amount of fiber amongst all the whole grains. It can be used in various salad recipes. It offers an extra dose of fiber, if blended with lentils. Popcorn counts as a whole grain and has the fiber to prove it. 3 cups of the crunchy tasty popcorn can provide you with 4 grams of fiber for just 90 calories when air-popped. Popcorn is also easy to make. Just put 3 tablespoons of popcorn seeds in a paper bag, fold over the top a few times to keep it closed and microwave it until you hear the pops becoming less frequent.

      There are many fruits which are high in fiber content. Raspberries and pears are one of them. You must have noticed the little seeds dotting raspberries. These little seeds are responsible for raspberries’ high-fiber content. Just a small cup of this low-calorie, sweet-tart berries can provide you with 8 grams of fiber. These berries can be blended with yogurt for a healthy breakfast, tasty snack or dessert. Pears are not too far behind raspberries. Just one pear provides you with 5 grams of fiber. You can snack on them by just slicing them out or layer them onto an almond butter sandwich or give them a French twist in a Pear desert which is tasty yet healthy. These ingredients can be used in scores of recipes, which would be tasty and yet with a proper touch healthy needs.

       It is very essential for the kids to intake proper amount of fiber for healthy well being. Mothers can use these high fiber ingredients to blend it in tasty recipes for the kids. India Food Network is one of the websites that provide large number of recipes made by using these healthy ingredients. You can find a range of recipes varying from deserts, snacks and much more. With the boom of the internet, finding these healthy recipes has become a cakewalk. So what are you waiting for? Healthy and tasty food is just one click away. Log into India Food Network for more details.