31 health nut recipes

The quintessential Indian-Singaporean meal accompaniment. Unfortunately, all too often it is made using highly processed white flour and margarine. Here, the parathas are made with whole-wheat flour (you could also try using spelt flour) and stuffed with peas and potatoes, for a lighter but more wholesome take on the original. Serve hot with yoghurt and herbs.

Crispy, savory whole-wheat scallion pancakes, a Chinese restaurant favorite, made healthier with whole-wheat flour. Perfect as a side or appetizer, these pancakes are flaky, golden, and packed with green onion flavor. Make the dough ahead and freeze for quick meals.

A simple salad with big health credentials: avocados are an excellent source of good fats, and more recently have been shown to also inhibit inflammation when eaten in combination with foods that typically trigger it. They are also a rich source of potassium (which balances sodium to keep blood pressure levels stable) and vitamin E, an important antioxidant.

Edamame, carrot, and avocado salad tossed in a bright orange-lime and ginger-sesame dressing with black sesame seeds and cilantro. A fresh, protein-rich vegan, gluten-free side.

Naturally very low in fat, prawns also contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and are a good source of protein. The spices used in the curry are powerful anti-virals, anti-bacterials and anti-inflammatories.

Dry your beans well before cooking. To get the traditional ‘blistered’ look of the beans you will need to shallow-fry them for 5-6 minutes and stir constantly to avoid burning.

As we age our bodies' ability to produce digestive enzymes diminishes. Similarly, cooking foods destroys the majority of digestive enzymes found naturally in foods, compromising our ability to absorb nutrients from the foods we consume. This salad contains papaya and pineapple, which are both loaded with powerful digestive enzymes. Kiwi fruit is a very rich source of vitamin C to boost immunity. Adding organic yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt) to the salad is a great way to take in probiotics and further boost the digestion-enhancing properties of this salad.

This smoothie packs a real superfood punch with a combination of wolfberries, hemp seeds, chia seeds, maca and spirulina. Wolfberries, hemp seeds, chia seeds and spirulina are all complete proteins. In addition, chia seeds and hemp seeds are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Maca is a great hormone regulator and has traditionally been used to enhance fertility. Spirulina is one of nature's wonder foods and its GLA content (gamma linolenic acid, an important fatty acid) is second only to mother's milk.

Salted caramel ice-cream and desserts have become standard on many restaurant menus in Singapore – as delicious as they are, they are not always the healthiest and are usually loaded with refined sugar and questionable fats. This very easy dessert will satisfy your sweet tooth, while giving you a boost of antioxidants, and magnesium. And the best part is that it can be ready in under 45 minutes (including freezing time).

Green smoothies are a wonderful easy way of increasing your leafy green intake - if you are new to green smoothies, start slowly and over time add more greens. The pineapple in the smoothie contains powerful digestive enzymes, while the spinach is loaded with iron. Coconut water is a wonderful way to quench your thirst while replenishing electrolytes - did you know that it was used by doctors during World War II to do transfusions when donor plasma was not available?

Wolfberries are some of the most nutritionally dense superfoods on earth and have been used for thousands of years in Chinese and Tibetan medicine. They contain all the essential amino acids, making them complete proteins. They also have very high concentrations of vitamin C and 21 trace minerals necessary for health.

Kedgeree is a traditional British breakfast food originating in India. Made with smoked haddock, a lean white fish high in protein, it is subtly spiced. Consider using unsmoked fish and substituting brown rice for the traditional white basmati.

Considered the national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak is a breakfast staple in Singapore hawker centres, but is also recognised as one of the least healthy breakfast options - no surprise since lemak means 'fatty' and refers to the rich white rice cooked in coconut cream. When served with fried chicken, the dish really does pack a calorific punch. However, with a few tweaks and substitutions it is possible to create a healthier version of the dish to enjoy on weekends at home with family.

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.

Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, an antioxidant that helps prevent heart disease and cancer. They are a good source of vitamin C as well as vitamin E to help protect the body from oxidative damage. Cucumbers provide anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits. Capsicum is a great source of beta-carotene which is an antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A, helping to promote vision and support reproduction, growth as well as a healthy immune system. Olives are antioxidant powerhouses and contain anti-inflammatory compounds, known for their role in preventing coronary artery disease.

The stalk of the broccoli is actually the most nutritious part of the vegetable so make sure to use it in dishes that call for the florets. Chop the stalk into smaller pieces and incorporate into your dish with the rest of the broccoli. 1 serving of broccoli (a large stalk) provides 46% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A and 206% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin C!