Rowinda Dimech, Author at Registered Dietitians Services

12Sep

Cold Pasta Salad

Are you looking for an easy and delicious cold pasta salad?

Yes.

You’re in the right place – Cold pasta salad with salami and mozzarella cheese

This cold pasta salad is ideal for hot summer days, a packed lunch for work or as a packed school lunch for your child . The only cooking involved is the pasta because everything else is just added. This is what makes this recipe super easy to make. It also keeps super well for 3 days if stored in the fridge.

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients Serves 6

450g pasta
450g cherry tomatoes
250g mozzarella cheese
400g salami
100g olives
1 small onion
Parsley

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons white vinegar
60ml water
1 – 2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons dry oregano and basil
Black pepper

Method

Start cooking pasta according to the package instructions.
In the meantime, start preparing the salad dressing. Mix all the ingredients together.
Cut the cherry tomatoes, olives and mozzarella balls in half. Cut the salami in cubes and chop the onion. Mix together and set aside.
When the pasta is ready remove from the boiling water and mix it with the dressing prepared.
Then add, all the other ingredients and mix.
Let it cool down and put in the fridge for 6 hours. Serve.

Recipes you might like:

Bacon & Avocado Pasta Salad

Quinoa Sweet Potato Salad

Pumpkin, Walnut & Rosemary Pasta

I hope you like this recipe. And please let me know what you think in the comments below. If you would like more recipes like this one I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside.

01Sep

Rowinda DimechDiets, Health, Recipes

Ruby Red Mocktail

Are you looking for a refreshing drink this summer?

Are you looking for a sweet drink which can be enjoyed by all your family?

Here’s the recipe for you – Ruby Red Mocktail!

Mocktail is a non- alcoholic drink, usually made up of fruit juices, soft drinks, herbs and flavorings. This recipe of Ruby Red Mocktail contains mainly 3 ingredients which are cranberry, rosemary and lemonade. It is super easy to make. I decided to give it the name of ‘ruby red’ due to its colour from the cranberry juice.

This recipe offers plenty of micronutrients such as vitamin A, Bs and C, iron, calcium and proanthocyanidins. Proanthocyanidins are a type of anti-oxidants specifically found in cranberries which prevents urinary tract infections. If, you suffer from frequent urinary tract infections I suggest that you include more recipes with cranberries to your diet. In addition, since this recipe is non-alcoholic therefore it is ideal for all your family even if you have young kids. In fact, I would encourage you to try this recipe for your child since it offers a sweet taste but contains much lower sugars and calories than sugary drinks such as soft drinks.

Recipe

Serves 4

Total time 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the rosemary syrup

1L water
800g sugar
150g fresh rosemary
4 whole cloves (optional)

Mocktail

90g rosemary syrup
90g cranberry juice
90g lemonade

Method:

In a saucepan add the water, sugar, rosemary and cloves over medium heat. Simmer for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
Remove the cloves and store in the fridge.
Add the rosemary syrup, cranberry juice and lemonade together and stir. Taste the mixture and adjust according to your palatable taste.
Garnish with rosemary and serve.

Other similar healthy recipes drinks:

Let me know what you think about this recipe in the comments below. If, you would like to receive more free recipes please subscribe to our website. In addition, if you would like more recipes like this one I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside.

30Aug

Rowinda DimechAdult, Recipes

Watermelon Tequila

Would you like a refreshing dessert?

Or maybe a dessert idea for when you host a party at your home?

Watermelon Tequila

Watermelon – one of my favorite summer fruits. You can have it as a healthy snack or dessert. Watermelon is low in sugars and fats. It is rich in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium which helps you boost your immune system for optimum health and wellness. The nutrition information of watermelon per 100g:

	Per 100g
Carbohydrates	8g
Of which sugars	6g
Fibre	0.4g
Proteins	0.6g
Fats	0g

Today, I decided to give this fruit a twist for when you host a home party. In my opinion, I think that this is ideal to serve as a finger food. Or as a dessert at home when you have no guests at all, simply for you and your loved one. I remind you, that if you have young children it is important to put it in a safe place out of their reach. It will look exactly like a normal watermelon slice. So, be careful you don’t want to find your child drunk unexpectedly.

Here is the watermelon tequila recipe I prepared for you!

Serves 6 people

Prep time: 20 minutes

Chill time: 40 mins

Total time: 60 minutes

İngredients

250g white sugar
200 ml water
120 ml tequila
50 ml triple sec
Watermelon
Mint

Method

Add the sugar and water together in a saucepan and boil. Keep stirring the mixture until all the sugar dissolves.
Let the mixture cool a bit and add the tequila and triple sec.
Refrigerate the tequila syrup.
While the tequila syrup is cooling down, cut the watermelon into 12 slices about 2 cm thick.
Pour the syrup on the watermelon and refrigerate for about 40 minutes.
Remove the watermelon from the syrup and place them on a platter.
Garnish with some mint and serve.

Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments below. If, you would like to receive more free recipes please subscribe to our website. In addition, if you would like more recipes like this one I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside.

25Aug

Rowinda DimechDiets, Health, Recipes

Tuna Salad with Sour Cream Sauce

August…the hottest month of the year! Currently, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in Malta, it might become a continuous struggle to cook nutritious meals. And, it is understandable! This heat is leaving everyone exhausted with an attitude of ‘I don’t want to do anything!’ Usually, I love summer as I don’t suffer from heat but this year I have to admit that I want it to pass as quickly as possible. If, you are experiencing the same feelings about summer this year and you don’t feel like cooking I have the perfect recipe prepared for you. This Tuna Salad recipe is perfect for this period of time as it doesn’t involve any cooking. It is quite quick and easy to prepare in fact it takes only 15 minutes.

Nutrition

In addition, this tuna salad is full of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. It is rich in vitamin A, Bs, C and E from the vegetables. It is also rich in omega-3 from the tuna and almonds. Omega-3 rich foods are important in our diet as they lower cholesterol, reduces the risks of heart problems and optimize proper mental function. This recipe is also rich in anti-oxidants such as capsanthin, violaxanthin, lutein, quercetin and luteolin. These are important for proper immune function and to prevent cancerous cell formation in our body by reducing oxidative stress.

Recipe

Serves 4 persons

Preparation time: 15mins

Chill time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Ingredients

150g light sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
80g peas
80g celery
80g green bell peppers
60g onions
60g olives
360g canned tuna
Lettuce leaves
60g toasted almonds

Method

Put the sour cream, lemon juice, peas, celery, pepper, onion and olives in a bowl.
Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes up to 4 hours.
Place some lettuce at the bottom of a plate.
Mix the tuna with the chilled mixture prepared in the first step.
Put the mixture on the lettuce and sprinkle some almonds.

Other similar recipes:

Avocado Salad with Feta Cheese

Quinoa, Sweet Potato Salad

Healthy Drinks suggestions with this recipe:

Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Non-alcoholic Sangria

Alcoholic Pear Harbor Cocktail

I hope you enjoy it and please let me know in the comments below. Also if, you would like to receive more free recipes please subscribe to our website. In addition, if you would like more recipes like this one I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside.

22Aug

Rowinda DimechHealth, Recipes

Healthy Rice Pudding with Oats

Are you simply looking for a healthy dessert idea?

Do you have some extra time on your hands to prepare a delicious dessert?

Or maybe, you want something sweet for breakfast?

Healthy Rice Pudding with Oats

Written by Dilara Kamisli; Updated by Ms Rowinda Dimech

Thumbs up, if yes. This recipe of healthy rice pudding with oats is creamy and has the yummiest golden top. I would say that it is, one of the best gluten-free desserts out there! These type of desserts are popular in all continents around the world but mostly in Asia where rice is abundant. In Turkey, the country where I come from, this type of dessert is known as Sutlac and it is the most popular in the category of milk-based desserts. In this blog, I decided to modify the original recipe in order to be more practical and fast. Therefore, we will use oats instead of rice and flour. This recipe takes a total time of 45 minutes.

Serves: 4-5 persons

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cup of milk
4 tablespoon of ground oats
4 tablespoon of oats
3 tablespoon of honey
10 grams of vanillin
Lemon zest (optional but highly recommended)

Method:

In a saucepan add in milk , oat ,oat flour and vanillin with sugar. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat. You can add lemon zest at this step.
Remove the pan from heat ,add honey and mix .
Pour the hot mixture into individual ovenproof cups.
Place the cups into an oven tray. Fill half of the oven tray with water so that the pudding has that nice silky skin layer on the top. This step will also keep the rice pudding creamy and prevent it from getting dry.
Carefully place the tray on the top shelf of a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius. Bake them uncovered until golden brown. It is even better if you have some burnt bits. Watch their top and remove from the oven when they reach the desired golden color.
Remove from the heat and carefully take the bowls from the tray. Let them completely cool down and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving.

Tip: You can top them with nuts such as hazelnuts or pistachios. Bon Appetit!

If, you would like to receive more free recipes please subscribe to our website. In addition, if you would like more recipes like this one I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside.

18Aug

Rowinda DimechChildren, Recipes, Uncategorized

Chocolate Apple Lollipop Sticks

Do you have kids and you are running out of snacks ideas this summer?

Do you want a recipe snack idea where your kids can help you out?

I have the perfect recipe for you. Chocolate Apple Lollipop Sticks!

These Chocolate Apple Lollipop Sticks are amazing for your child as a summer snack. They offer a combination of fruit and chocolate. Usually children like chocolate but not so much fruit. Therefore, this is a perfect combination to encourage your child eat a fruit without any fights or tantrums. This recipe is also ideal if your child is a fussy eater. This recipe is quick and easy to follow. In fact, you can encourage your child to help you out for this recipe and therefore spend some quality time cooking together.

Serves 9

Preparation time: 10 mins

Ingredients

3 apples
100g dark chocolate
2 tablespoons caramel sauce
Sprinkles
Lollipop sticks

Method

Cut the apples in round slices around 2 cm thick.
Insert a lollipop stick in each slice.
Melt the chocolate over a pan of boiling water and stir. Pour the melted chocolate into a small bowl.
Dip each slice into the chocolate and leave to dry. Repeat his step for another 3 times or until the apple is fully coated.
Place the apple sticks in a refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
After the layer of chocolate hardens, brush one side of the apple with some caramel sauce.
Sprinkle some sprinkles on top of the caramel.
Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

Tip: ideally these are eaten on the same day that they are made.

If you like this recipe please share with your friends and leave a comment below. In addition, if you would like to receive more free recipes please subscribe to our website. Also, if you would like more recipes like this one I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside.

15Aug

Rowinda DimechAdult, Health

Diet Myths

What are the most popular diet beliefs for weight loss?

Are these beliefs true or just myths?

In this blog we go in detail about some popular diet myths.

Written by Ms Dilara Kamisli; Updated by Ms Rowinda Dimech

As a dietitian I continuously hear diet myths from people all around me – family, friends, colleagues and clients. In my opinion diet myths are dangerous beliefs as they impact your quality of life, especially your psychological and emotional well being. This is why in this blog we are going in detail about some of the most common diet myths.

Myth #1 CONSUMING BREAD MAKES YOU GAIN WEIGHT

The myth that bread cannot be eaten on a regular basis in your diet is a myth! Unfortunately, I believe that this myth has always been preached. We, dietitians, have been hearing a lot of people saying ”I don’t consume bread” based on this believe. Research shows that bread is one of the best carbohydrate resources that needs to be part of our daily food intake. Bread helps you not to get hungry so quickly. This is because bread is a complex carbohydrate. Therefore, one of the most important things about consuming the bread is the portion size of bread you are eating, rather than totally eliminate it from your diet. In addition, if you suffer from diabetes, it would be ideal if you consume wholemeal bread instead of white bread. Wholemeal bread bread will help you control your blood glucose levels and calorie intake since it is rich in dietary fiber.

Myth #2 FAT BURNING MIRACLE FOOD

Flavored water, vinegar, pills, branded smoothies, etc. Unfortunately, people always expect to lose weight (which they gained in a long period of time) fast by consuming these kind of products. Actually, it sounds very tempting: “weight loss in a short period of time” but what about the consequences. What does these miracle foods do to your body? What is the long-term effect? Is it possible that a fast weight can really be lost?

We, healthcare professionals often hear, ‘’I’m drinking lemon water, green tea , herbal teas, etc and I am lost 10 Kg in 2 weeks.’’ To start explaining this think about it this way: if weight loss can be done with any tea, pills or any food product, there would be no such problems with ‘obesity’ in this world. So, now let’s explain it more scientifically. Rapid weight loss will occur due to huge calorie deficit in your diet. This will be much less than the minimum calories/energy your body needs. This will result in muscle loss rather than fat loss. Therefore, it is important to lose weight slowly over time so that it doesn’t alter your metabolism. And as I always emphasize in my blogs, there is no food that will make you gain or lose weight. It all depends on the portion sizes consumed throughout the day.

Myth #3 THİNKİNG THAT YOU WİLL LOSE WEİGHT BY STARVİNG

I don’t eat anything all day long, I eat very little, why can’t I still lose weight? You might think that the less you eat the more weight loss you will achieve. Actually when we skip meals, this leads to a slower metabolism. In fact, when you try to lose weight in this way, muscle loss will occur and hence the slower metabolism, leading to malnutrition. Since a diet like this is not sustainable for a long period of time you will quit the diet. So when this happens and you start having a normal diet again you will end up gaining weight faster due to a slower metabolism.

Myth #4 CONSUMİNG HEALTHY FOODS WİTHOUT LİMİTS (SUPERFOODS)

There is this believe in today’s society that ‘‘I can consume as much as I want if it is healthy’’. There is nothing that can be eaten in an unlimited amount in nutrition and any excess food you eat will be stored as fat in the body. Therefore, it is important to eat a healthy diet by having an adequate and balanced diet.

Myth #5 COMPARISON OF SOMEONE ELSE’S DİET AND POPULAR FAD DİETS

It is of utmost importance that nutrition is individualized. This is because diet varies according to gender, weight, height, age, level of physical activity, hormonal problems, lifestyle and eating habits and medical conditions such as diabetes, Irritable bowel disease, Irritable bowel syndrome and other metabolic syndrome. The only reason you should want to lose weight is to be healthier and improve your quality of life.

İn today’s web one finds a lot of myths about food and diet. The truth is that all type of food contains a certain amount of calories. Calories are used by the body in the same way since all our physiology and metabolic pathways work the same since we are all human beings. Therefore, I would advise that if you would like to lose weight and not sure what to follow as a diet, it is best to leave it in the hands of a dietitian. If, you would to seek professional advise kindly contact us. İn addition, please subscribe to our website for more nutrition information and free recipes.

11Aug

Rowinda DimechChildren, Recipes

Healthy Sorbet

Are you finding it difficult to prepare healthy, delicious snacks for your child during the summer holidays?

Or perhaps, you would like a healthy, low in calorie, delicious snack or dessert for yourself?

Here, is a super easy recipe of a healthy sorbet your you!

This super easy recipe is made up from 3 natural ingredients and it takes only 3 minutes to prepare and serve. This recipe of a healthy sorbet is an ideal snack for children during their summer holidays, especially if your child is a fussy eater, as it offers a sweet taste from natural fruit sugars. This recipe can be prepared using any type of fruit. If, you would like you can even mix different type of fruits according to your taste preference. In fact, I suggest that if your child does not like to eat fruit, you can try this sorbet using frozen strawberries and banana in order to include fruit as part of his daily dietary intake. In addition, this recipe can also be an ideal snack or dessert for adults who wish to cut down on calories, as it only contains 50 Kcal per servings. For this particular blog, I decided to go for frozen strawberries to make this sorbet.

Prep time: 3 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

300g strawberries
1 teaspoon honey
180 ml cold water
Some blueberries (to garnish)

Instructions

Put the frozen strawberries and honey in a blender.
Add half of the water and start the blender. Continue until the mixture is smooth.
Serve the sorbet straight away or freeze.
Garnish with blueberries when serving, if you prefer.

Tip: When left in the freezer defrost for about 20 minutes before trying to scoop.

08Aug

Rowinda DimechAdult, Children

Iron deficiency anemia

Do you feel continuously tired and week?

Have you noticed any changes in your child such as irritability or fussy eating?

We’ll take a look at iron-deficiency anemia and how we can treat it by diet.

What is anemia?

Anemia is a worldwide health problem affecting both developed and developing countries. Anemia can occur at all stages of life. It can present during pregnancy, infancy, toddlers, children, adolescence, adulthood and elderly age. According to the WHO statistics, anemia affects about 42% of children and 40% of pregnant women. There are different types of anemia which are aplastic anemia, megaloblastic anemia, sickle cell anemia, spherocytosis and iron-deficiency anemia. In this blog we are going to focus on iron-deficiency anemia as it’s the one which can be caused by lack of iron in our diet, leading to malnutrition.

Symptoms

There are various symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia. Some individuals may experience a few or a lot of symptoms whereas some may have no symptoms at all. The symptoms of iron-deficiency anemia are:

Fatigue
Weakness
Dizziness
Nausea
Lack of appetite
Pale skin
Poor immune function
Rapid or irregular heartbeat
Shortness of breath
Cold hands and feet

In addition to the above symptoms children may also experience symptoms such as:

Irritability
Fussy eating
Tongue enlargement
Enlarged spleen
Pica

Iron-deficiency anemia is important to be treated as its symptoms can lead to serious health complications. Some of which are interfering with normal daily activities and chores, heart failure and developmental delay in children.

Iron- deficiency anemia and diet

Iron-deficiency anemia can be treated by diet. The below is a list of food and their iron content. The food marked with orange shows that the food is rich in iron. So, if you or your child suffers from iron-deficiency anemia make sure that you include plenty of the listed below in your diet.

	Source of food	Per 100g (mg)
Vegetables and fruit	Spinach	2.0
	Tomato puree	2.0
	Dried apricots	2.5

Gains products	Oatmeal	3.0
	Dry cereal	12.0
	Pasta and egg noodles	1.0

Meat Alternatives	Tofu	5.0
	Soybeans	3.5
	Lentils	2.0
	Beans	1.5 – 3.0
	Pumpkin seeds	2.5 – 7.5
	Peas	0.5 – 1.5
	Sausages, meatballs, fish sticks	1.7 – 3.2
	Canned baked beans	1.5
	Nuts	2.4 – 4.0

		(75g portion)
Meat	Duck	1.8 – 7.4
	Venison	2.5 – 3.8
	Beef	1.4 – 3.3
	Lamb	1.3 – 2.1
	Chicken	0.4 -2.0
	Turkey	0.3 – 0.8
	Liver	4.9

Fish and seafood	Octopus	7.2
	Oysters	3.3 – 9.0
	Shrimp, scallops, crab	2.2
	Canned sardines	1.7 – 2.2
	Canned clams	2.0
	Mackerel, trout, bass	1.4 – 1.7
	Canned tuna in water	1.2

The daily recommendation for iron in adults is 8.7 mg in men and 14.5 mg in women. The daily requirements of iron in children are: 7 mg from 1 to 3 years, 10 mg from 4 to 8 years, 8 mg from 9 to 13 years and 11-15 mg from 14 to 18 years. Here, I added some recipes which are rich in iron:

Conclusion

It is important to include iron in your diet in a balance way. This is because if iron exceeds 20 mg per day it may cause constipation and gastro problems both in adults and children. In certain cases, especially in women with a heavy menstrual period it is difficult to treat iron-deficiency anemia with diet only. Therefore, iron supplements can be prescribed along with a healthy balanced diet.

If, you or your child suffers from iron-deficiency anemia and would like a proper meal plan please do not hesitate to contact us. If, you would like to receive more nutrition information and recipes please subscribe to our website. In addition, if you would like more healthy recipes with low calorific intake I encourage you to order our recipe book. It contains 50 healthy, low calorie recipes all with nutrition information inside. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

04Aug

Rowinda DimechRecipes

Non-Alcoholic Sangria

Would you like a refreshing drink after a hot summer day?

Would you like a healthy, sweet drink to relax at the end of the day?

This is the perfect beverage for you and all your family!

Non-Alcoholic Sangria

This non-alcoholic sangria is perfect to celebrate the end of the day after a hard day at work. It is a nutritious drink full of vitamins and anti-oxidants from its mixed fruits. It contains the anti-oxidant known as proanthocyanidins which helps to prevent urinary tract infections. If, you suffer from frequent urinary tract infection I suggest that you add more recipes with cranberries to your diet. In addition, as the title states, this recipe is non-alcoholic therefore it is ideal for all your family even if you have young kids.

To add on, this non-alcoholic sangria is perfect for your family get-togethers as not everyone enjoys drinking alcohol. In fact, when I organize a family get-together I’d like to be respectful for everyone’s taste and preferences by offering drink and food alternatives that are suitable for everyone. It is quite a quick and easy recipe to follow.

Serves 7- 8

Preparation 10 minutes

Cooking time 0 minutes

Ingredients

Fresh lemon slices
Fresh lime slices
Fresh orange slices
Cranberries
500 ml cranberry juice
500 ml grape juice
250 ml orange juice
125 ml lemon juice
1 L of sparkling water

Method

In a large pitcher (container) add the fresh slices of fruit and cranberries listed above.
Add cranberry juice, grape juice, orange juice and lemon juice together and mix well.
Refrigerate overnight
Add the sparkling water and mix well.
Serve.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Recipe

Other similar healthy recipes drinks:

Nutrition

Recipe

Ingredients

Method

Ingredients:

Method:

Ingredients

Method

Myth #1 CONSUMING BREAD MAKES YOU GAIN WEIGHT

Myth #2 FAT BURNING MIRACLE FOOD

Myth #3 THİNKİNG THAT YOU WİLL LOSE WEİGHT BY STARVİNG

Myth #4 CONSUMİNG HEALTHY FOODS WİTHOUT LİMİTS (SUPERFOODS)

Myth #5 COMPARISON OF SOMEONE ELSE’S DİET AND POPULAR FAD DİETS

Ingredients

Instructions

What is anemia?

Symptoms

Iron- deficiency anemia and diet

Conclusion

Non-Alcoholic Sangria

Ingredients

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