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Eating Spaghetti on a Gluten-Free Diet

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by Noor H. Salem

While discussing the modern and widespread fad of gluten-free and grain-free diets, I’ve shared essential tips you should keep in mind if you choose going this route. We’ve discussed the new craze of gluten and grain-free diets and whether they are indeed health optimizing or just another passing fad.

Whether you decide to eliminate gluten or grains all together from your diet due to experiencing indigestion, your arthritis or joint pain, or simply craving a light entrée for dinner, my delectable zucchini noodle recipe will surely become a family favorite. This recipe is kids-approved and husband-friendly alike. You can add in extra vegetables of your choice- like steamed broccoli, carrots, or even cauliflower. I enjoy swapping the sauce for my homemade tomato sauce, or scrumptious home-based pesto sauce for a change.

It’s crucial to note however, that many gluten-free pastas and spaghettis you may find in the supermarket are indeed free of gluten. Essentially though, they may be full of corn and other genetically engineered ingredients and further unwanted additives. I recall one of my clients complaining to me that after going gluten-free, she began to experience even more digestive pain and discomfort. I asked what food items she excluded and what other items she began eating again. After recognizing the kind of gluten-free pasta she began eating as a replacement, I instantly recognized it was made of genetically engineered corn. I advise you to be cautious of the ingredients, regardless of whether or not the item is gluten-free certified or not.

This unique and mouth-watering spaghetti recipe is not only gluten-free, but high in many essential vitamins and minerals. It is extremely filling, and unlike most commonly eaten spaghetti, due to the bleached pasta, it won’t spike your blood sugar. This is quite similar to my pesto zucchini noodle recipe I share in my book, Sunnah Superfoods. You can make this recipe with the tomato-based sauce or the pesto recipe upon your preference. I enjoy tossing in minced onions, carrots, and fresh spinach for a nutritional boost, without an overpowering taste.

Ingredients/Supplies:

For the noodles:

  • 8-10 small zucchinis
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
  • A spiralizer or vegetable peeler
  • ½ cup fresh parsley, garnish (optional)

For the meat/vegetables topping:

  • 1 pound ground meat (lamb or beef at your preference)

Spices for meat:

  • 1 tablespoon Himalayan Pink Salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
  • 2 cups fresh spinach or kale- chopped
  • 1 red onion- minced
  • 2 large carrots- minced
  • 1 jar (about two cups) of spaghetti sauce

Directions:

  1. Wash and dry your zucchini. Cut off the ends as needed. Use the Spiralizer to make your noodles (follow directions as required).
  2. Cook the noodles with ½ cup water on medium-low heat in a deep skillet. They usually cook in less than 10 minutes; don’t overcook them as they will become mush and break apart.
  3. Transfer the cooked noodles to a serving dish. Drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil.
  4. Meanwhile, place the meat in a pot, top with the spices and cook on medium-high heat. Add the chopped veggies; allow it to simmer until it’s browned and well-cooked.
  5. Pour in the tomato sauce and let it simmer with the meat and vegetables for about 6-7 minutes.
  6. Scoop the mixture over the noodles; slightly toss. Serve immediately for optimum taste.
  7. Enjoy it with a delectable spring salad!

Noor H. Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.

Be Cautious of Your Chocolate Ice Cream

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by Noor H. Salem

Everyone screams for ice cream-but I frankly wish everyone was screaming when they comprehended the ingredient list of their favorite ice cream. I must admit, as a child, I loved ice cream. However with time, as I have come to recognize the container’s block paragraph of multi-syllabus chemicals I could not pronounce, I began to question what it was I was consuming.

Caught off guard by all the marketing slogans on the front of the container claiming: it’s healthy, sugar-free, or fat-free, many overlook ingredients. Perhaps the brand name is apart of a popular weight loss company, which distracts one from reading the ingredients that may not be as healthy as most people have come to truly believe. So, what is the concern with the majority of ice cream products? These products are loaded with genetically engineered ingredients, harmful additives and chemicals not worth the excitement of your cold summer treat.

Genetically engineered ingredients, as I constantly advise, are best if avoided from your diet all together. They can deteriorate your health in the long-run and cause health consequences such as heart disease, food intolerance and allergies, digestive disorders and more. Most ice cream products and frozen treats alike contain corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup or some other form of genetically modified sweetener. The majority of the popular brands of ice cream or frozen yogurt also contain an ingredient I personally advise my clients to avoid: carrageenan. Carrageenan is a thickening agent used to make your frozen treat nice and thick, but unfortunately, causes harmful effects to your body- including increasing the risk of cancer. I cannot emphasize the importance of keeping artificial food dyes out of the food you and your family eat. Many frozen treats have artificial coloring, including red 40, red 2, blue lake 1, yellow lake 5. Artificial food colorings have been proven to be destructive to your health and can result in hyperactivity and an inability to focus in young children. It is best to avoid artificial food coloring completely and to be extremely cautious of your labels. Don’t obsess over the calories, or whether the product is a fat-free ice cream. Instead, read your labels and if you see a ton of chemicals you cannot pronounce- put it back in the store freezer. Look for ice cream that only contains the necessary ingredients to make it like milk, cream and a natural sweetener- or try the ice cream recipe below and feel free to adjust it to your preferences.

As an alternative for you and your children to enjoy, I’ve transformed my regular frozen banana ice cream into a chocolate banana ice cream- using carob powder instead of cocoa powder, for a few added health benefits. While the texture of this scrumptious treat is merely the same as the store bought chocolate ice cream, the after-feeling is frankly incomparable. This is dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, additive and preservative free, added sugar-free and most prominently guilt-free recipe. Excitingly, this has only three ingredients, while most store bought ice creams have at least fifteen ingredients.

Ingredients:

4-5 frozen bananas, peeled and pre-sliced

½ cup of milk (organic and grass-fed, or even a natural unsweetened almond milk)

1/3-1/2 cup organic carob powder, or raw cocoa powder

Noor Carob Banana Ice Cream 

Directions:

Place your bananas, carob/cocoa powder, and milk in the food processor and pulse until it’s smooth and creamy. It may be necessary that you stop and scrape down the sides, before pulsing it once again to ensure optimum smoothness.

Transfer to your desired serving bowls. Top the ice cream with your favorite berries, or fruit, nuts like walnuts, pistachios, cashews, or macadamia nuts, and anything else that comes to your mind.

 

Noor Hani Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.

Should You Eat Dairy or Not?

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by Noor H. Salem

Previously, we covered common misconceptions of dairy in the food industry and the best type of dairy products you should purchase for optimum health. While I don’t believe everyone should blindly follow every new diet fad, such as the gluten-free or dairy-free diet, I do have many clients and friends who have found relief from certain symptoms, after I put them on an elimination plan. For that, I’d like to indicate a few essential reminders to keep in mind, if you plan to try a dairy-free diet.

First and foremost, be wary of dairy-free alternatives. There are now numerous companies making cashew milk, soy milk, flax milk, rice milk, and more. We find dairy-free cheese, dairy-free yogurt, and dairy-free ice cream now popular in the market as well. Many snacks and boxed food now have dairy-free labels being stamped on the front, appealing to consumers. My concern is that many of these dairy-free products come with other additives and chemicals, either to thicken them, or to enhance the flavor and texture. Yogurts and such products may contain sugar and other flavor enhancers. Purchasing cow’s milk that is organic and grass-fed, free of any preservatives and additives, is incomparably better than purchasing soy milk, which may be genetically-modified or contain harmful thickening agents and additives.

Besides the concern of additives and preservatives, these products remain more processed than their natural counterpart. Raw organic whole cheese, organic butter, or full-fat milk- that’s grass-fed– is closest to nature and better for your body. Cheese that’s dairy-free, even if it’s clean of genetically-engineered ingredients, will still consist of more processing. Butter like spreads and sticks are also very popular, but in fact, are of the products I advise my clients to avoid completely. Butter, if organic and grass-fed, however is very healthy. Many holistic doctors are now recommending to clients, and people alike, to put butter back on their plate. Purchasing butter like spreads that are full of soy, genetically engineered oils like canola, or even artificial yellow food dye is extremely unhealthy. These genetically engineered oils are linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, food allergies and other health effects. They are not going to prevent you from weight-loss, but instead have the opposite effect. Organic butter is a natural fat that grants satiety and balances blood sugar, while these alternative spreads mess with your blood sugar spike. Organic butter has one ingredient: butter, while these alternatives come with over a dozen- mostly chemicals you cannot pronounce. For that, it’s best to try sticking with whole foods, regardless of their calories or fat content.

If you have not been diagnosed with a dairy allergy or intolerance, then I highly advise that you keep dairy in your diet. However, I’d highlight that it is best if you stick with organic or grass-fed if possible, to avoid antibiotics and genetically engineered traces. When consuming organic or grass-fed products, you will also be intaking further natural vitamins and minerals not found in alternative products. Most substitutes are enriched with vitamins, often these vitamins are lab-made and not in their natural form. There is no doubt it will breakdown differently in your body.

If you realize that you find relief from removing dairy from your diet, that’s acceptable. Just keep these tips in mind, and be sure to gear towards whole foods as much as possible.

Noor Hani Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.

Getting Your Kids to Love Their Vegetables

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by Noor H. Salem

When we look around, we see most junk food items like cereals and packaged snacks targeting at our young children. Whether it’s through receiving free stickers inside, their favorite cartoon character on the front package, or a toy in the cereal box, there is no doubt this makes it only more challenging for parents to feed their children healthy and nutritious meals. Children end up having sugar-loaded breakfast cereals, with most bursting in harmful food coloring too. When children eat meals from their school lunch, they’ll most likely consume more sugar, processed food, and a meal lacking proper nutrition. Your child may then come home and pick a fight at eating their broccoli, or reaches for cookies before dinner.

What can you do as a parent to deal with picky children who are simply distressed at even the thought of eating something healthy?

First and foremost, get your child educated! I can’t emphasize enough: don’t ever use pressure or force to feed your child a vegetable- it’ll only cause resentment. Instead, teach your child about their body and what effects food has on their mood, energy levels and even their academic achievement. Have your child make a journal, and track their meals, and how their day is- seeing the connection between food, their mood, and energy will open their eyes to making better choices.

Furthermore, allowing your child to take part in writing out the grocery list, or joining you to pick out the fruits and vegetables will cause them to increase their interest in tasting them. Allowing children to interact with preparing a snack, dinner, or simply a smoothie, will cause them to be excited about eating or drinking it. I’ve shared in depth-tips as well as plenty of child-approved recipes in my book, Sunnah Superfoods. Next time you’re whipping up dinner, let your child help wash the salad vegetables, stir the food, or take small steps in assisting you with it. Observe the difference in your child’s interest in eating healthier meals, without feeling like it’s by force or pressure.

Be sure to also read my piece on the fruits and vegetables that you should aim to buy organic and those you can spare the extra bucks and purchase conventional- without any harm to your health.  

Noor Hani Salem is an author, speaker, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, from Michigan. Noor works with clients in better understanding their bodies and healing with natural foods through her wellness practice, Holistic Noortrition. She presents various workshops, school lectures, group coaching classes, and community lectures on the topic of holistic health. Noor recently published her book, SUNNAH SUPERFOODS, a culmination of life-changing recipes and remedies, with a foreword by Dr. Waleed Basyouni. Her book consists of prophetic hadith, modern research, and delicious recipes, and is in the process of being translated into other languages.