Health Nut recipe collection

Very refreshing juice made purely of green fruit and vegetables! Serve with ice for a refreshing drink loaded with vitamin C and antioxidants.

The secret to making the cucumbers crunchy is to salt them first and let the salt draw out excess moisture before use.

A very simple dinner for when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal. Use brown rice noodles instead of the white variety to take advantage of the additional fibre they contain. Add other steamed / fresh vegetables to make the meal more substantial.

Containing a wealth of vitamins C, A, and K, as well as calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and iron, bok choy is a very nutritionally dense vegetable. Vitamin A, for instance, is essential for a properly functioning immune system, while vitamin C is an antioxidant that shields the body from free radicals. Bok choy supplies potassium for healthy muscle and nerve function, and vitamin B6 for carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.

A favourite served at Din Tai Fung gets a healthy make-over. Water spinach, commonly known as kangkong, is rich in fibre, magnesium, vitamins A and C and is very low in calories. Word of caution: do not eat it raw as it may carry parasitic cysts from the waterways that are its natural habitat.

Another Chinese restaurant staple, this time made with whole-wheat flour (you could also use spelt flour). It’s important to cook these in a flat-bottomed frying pan and not a wok. You can make the dough ahead of time and freeze for future use.

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This is a very simple one-bowl meal, perfect for when you don’t have the time to spend cooking after work. You can easily double or triple the recipe and use the leftovers for lunch the next day.

A fresh take on the traditional banana bread utilizing the widely-available persimmon – the national fruit of Japan. Persimmons are rich in vitamins A and C, and contain high amounts of manganese, a co-factor for the enzyme superoxide dismutase, for healthy mucous membranes and skin, as well as a known protectant against lung and mouth cancers. They are also an excellent source of fibre and B-complex vitamins.

This nutrient-packed side dish is perfect alongside any main dish - fish, meat or poultry.

Ginger is a well-known anti-inflammatory that can help manage arthritis pain and help combat oxidative joint damage. To boost the healing properties of this juice, add a small knob of fresh turmeric.

This is a very simple recipe for roast chicken. Serve with roast vegetables and/or salad. If you opt for grains, choose whole grains such as brown rice instead of white, or mix brown and white rice together to increase the fiber content.

The ultimate health-boosting juice. Beets have been shown to effectively lower blood pressure and are a good liver detoxifier. Carrots are packed with beta-carotene and ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory.

This is a classic Japanese dish, first made famous by the chef Nobu Matsuhisa and served in all his Nobu restaurants. Serve with steamed spinach and brown /black rice or quinoa for a simple, but delicious dinner.

In Japan, miso soup is a traditional breakfast food–sipped hot, directly from the bowl. It is incredibly simple to prepare and can be put together in roughly the same amount of time it takes to brew a cup of tea. You can transfer the soup to a wide-neck thermos and take it to work for a nourishing mid-morning break as well. Miso has numerous health benefits, but is especially renowned for its probiotics properties, which help balance intestinal flora. It also contains good amounts of vitamin B12.

Inflammation is a major cause of heart-disease. Together with the oxidation of LDL ('bad' cholesterol) it often leads to the clogged arteries that result in heart failure. Fight inflammation with ginger. Apples contain antioxidants that have been shown to specifically fight the oxidation of LDL.