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Honey: 21 Amazing Benefits Will Surprise You

July 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Honey is a miracle substance with a laundry list of beneficial uses and properties. For thousands of years, people have used this natural sweetener as an ingredient in food to sweeten things up and also as a means to heal wounds and remedy other common ailments.

With so many different applications, you’ll easily find a way to utilize this miracle substance to better your life!

Continue reading for 21 amazing honey benefits:

1. It may prevent cancer

Found in this wonder ingredient are various antioxidants and flavonoids that can help reduce or prevent the occurrence of many different types of cancer!

A recent study observed its role in making a positive impact on the progression and development of cancer and tumors. Researchers identified phenolic acids and flavonoids present in this ingredient as the primary compounds accounting for its anti-cancer effects.

2. Reduces ulcers and other gastrointestinal conditions

Recent studies found that people treated with honey experienced beneficial effects from bacterial gastroenteritis and ulcers!

3. Increases athletic performance

Honey was consumed by the original Olympic Athletes in order to achieve enhanced performance! Modern science has verified their anecdotal results, finding that its consumption resulted in a heightened ability to maintain glycogen levels in muscles while also improving recovery times!

4. Reduces cough and throat irritation

Honey also helps calm a sore throat or annoying cough. In a recent study, a single dose of honey worked just as well at calming a cough as the common OTC cough medicine dextromethorphan.

It is especially effective when used on children that are kept up at night due to coughing; a spoonful before bed has been shown to stop coughing and keep children asleep throughout the night!

5. Probiotic

There are some types that contain friendly bacteria in large amounts, including 4 species of bifidobacteria and 6 of lactobacilli. This might help explain the many therapeutic honey benefits attributed to the substance.

6. Offers blood sugar regulation

When compared to other sweeteners, this miracle substance has a lower glycemic index. Therefore, eating it won’t cause such a strong insulin response. This is great news for diabetics as it offers up a better alternative to sugar! This lower insulin response is attributed to its different carbohydrate makeup, containing a combination of fructose and glucose.

7. Heals wound

When applied topically to a wound, this substance has proven very effective at promoting wound healing. It can be as effective even as traditional treatments with silver sulfadiazine! These results are typically attributed to the substance’s antibacterial properties in combination with the simple sugars drying out the affected area. This well-researched result serves as a proven method of healing a wound!

8. It is rich in antioxidants

When consumed in its unrefined and raw form, it contains a variety of essential nutrients and antioxidants. These all have many benefits of their own.

Studies looked at different varieties and found that some have a profound impact on antioxidant values in your blood! These antioxidants have been tied to a reduction in strokes, some types of cancer, and heart attacks!

9. Strengthens the immune system

The Manuka variety has been discovered to promote the creation of new immune cells, which is good news come winter!

10. Lowers blood pressure

Some of the antioxidants contained in this wonder ingredient have the ability to lower your blood sugar! Both human and animal studies have concluded that regular consumption results in a slight reduction in blood pressure!

11. Improves cholesterol

It can have a positive impact on your cholesterol levels! Research proves that regular consumption resulted in a marked reduction in “bad” cholesterol while greatly increasing “good” cholesterol!

Cholesterol plays a large role in the fatty buildup in your veins and arteries that can result in strokes and heart attack.

12. Improves heart health

Aside from its positive effects on blood pressure and cholesterol levels, its regular use results in improved blood flow as a result of the dilation of arteries in your heart. This can help to reduce your risk of having blood clots form. It also helps protect your heart from the condition known as oxidative stress!

13. It can lower triglycerides

Through the regular consumption of this wonder substance as an alternative to table sugar, lower blood triglyceride levels were achieved. High levels of blood triglycerides have been linked to heart disease, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes!

14. It promotes burn healing

Its application to a wound or partial-thickness burn results in improved healing times and a marked reduction in pain! It is believed that these results come from the anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties available as well as the substances ability to provide nourishment to the tissues surrounding the infection.

The Manuka variety is considered the best for this application though more affordable options offer similar benefits.

15. It promotes healthy weight management

Studies show that regular consumption of this substance may result in noticeable weight loss! When used instead of sugar, lower blood sugar levels resulted and weight gain either slowed, halted, or reversed!

Another study found that its consumption may result in hormones activating which act as appetite suppressants! In the study, researchers measured the glycemic responses and appetite hormones of participants in order to come to this conclusion.

16. It is a natural energy source

It acts as an easy and immediate form of energy for the body, making it “the perfect running fuel.” Made up of 80% sugar, 18% water, and vitamins, minerals, pollen, and protein, this mix results in a great energy supplement to replenish lost glycogen.

Research on the substance concluded that honey probably serves as the best option for a carbohydrate to eat right before working out. Its performance-enhancing abilities are on par with, if not better than those of glucose, the sugar most commonly found in sports energy drinks.

17. It counteracts pollen allergies

It can act as an antibiotic of sorts against pollen allergies due to it containing bee pollen. Bee pollen can fight off infection, boost your immune system overall, and provide a natural reduction in allergy symptoms.

This is all achieved through a process known as immunotherapy. By consuming honey sourced locally to you, you are taking in small amounts of the pollen responsible for your allergy symptoms. By exposing yourself to the pollen in small amounts, your body builds up a sort of immunity to it, resulting in those susceptible to allergies experiencing reduced symptoms!

18. It is a sleep promoter

The wonder substance is known to promote better sleep in multiple ways. By consuming a small amount right before bed, your liver’s glycogen stores are restored and your brain is prevented from going into crisis mode searching for fuel, which often results in you being awoken from a good night’s sleep!

Also, this regular nightly consumption induces your body to release the hormone melatonin by slightly spiking your insulin levels, which then goes on to stimulate the brain’s release of tryptophan. Through the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, then on to melatonin, these effects are achieved.

Aside from promoting healthy sleep, melatonin can also boost your immune system and will help in rebuilding damaged tissues during sleep.

By improving your sleep, your risk factor for such conditions as obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke, arthritis, and heart disease go way down!

19. It can heal ulcers

The application of honey-infused bandages has proven an effective treatment for ulcers and wound healing in general. In numerous studies, it was found that this substance is a great natural antibacterial agent with awesome wound-healing properties! When this substance reacts with the other fluids in your body, hydrogen peroxide results, which creates an environment non-conducive to bacterial life!

Due to a much lower level of hydrogen peroxide concentrations at the wound site, when compared to other wound treatments, the chances of cytotoxic damage reduces substantially.

To treat a wound or burn, apply directly to the afflicted area or in bandages changed on a daily or 48-hour frequency. Sometimes, these treatments may remain in place for up to 25 days. Another effective treatment, honey and ghee together has been suggested and used to dress infected wounds in hospitals in Mumbai since 1991!

20. It can cure acne

It is very gentle on your skin. Use it as an excellent, all-natural, and affordable face cleanser in order to fight off signs of acne! To use, take half a teaspoon, rub it between your hands in order to warm it up and then spread it gently over your face. Let stand for 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water. Pat your face dry and enjoy the honey benefits!

Honey is an effective and natural acne remedy.

21. Use it as a hair mask

Utilize it to significantly increase the shine of your hear by way of increasing hydration. By simply mixing 1 teaspoon of raw, unfiltered honey with 5 cups of warm water and then applying said mixture to your hair, you can enjoy this great benefit! After letting the mixture sit for a little while, rinse it out thoroughly and let your hair air dry before styling it.

You really can call honey a wonder substance. With so many amazing uses and healthy honey benefits, choose it as an alternative sweetener to table sugar. With a whole host of research available on its benefits to your health and well-being, and results matching up with claims, you’d make a huge mistake by not taking it up as a part of your daily beauty and cooking routine!

Doctors Explain 10 Reasons Saturated Fat Is Good For You

July 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Saturated fat is not bad.

That mindset can be difficult to swallow after we’ve been told how dangerous saturated fats are. We’re grilled to eat less of this fat or that fat. Then you have some gurus who demonized all types of fat.

Your brain is on information overload as you peruse the food aisles, and you’re ripping your hair out in frustration.

Who do you listen to? Who’s right? Wrong?

Repeat it like a mantra: I will not be afraid to eat saturated fat for health reasons. My body needs it!

What are Saturated Fats?

Instead of a lengthy scientific answer, a fat that remains mostly solid at room temperature is saturated. All dietary fats are fatty acid chains. Even among the fat subgroups, the chain lengths do vary and so do their benefits.

Where Did The Fat is Bad Myth Actually Start?

Around 1958, a study emerged that aimed to find a dietary link to heart disease. Seven countries and their respective diets went under a microscope, but only a hypothesis developed as a result. This is mostly due to the serum cholesterol levels the study uncovered, which were higher in countries that are large amounts of animal fats. (1)

However, animals are only one source of this type of fat. Even plant-based diets that use minimal or no dairy products can exceed recommended daily values, including the Mediterranean Diet.

A secondary myth evolved with the low-fat craze of the 80’s and 90’s. Again, this started from a hypothesis that scientists and medical researchers have long debunked. Eating fat of any kind does not make you fat.

Are Dietary Fats Created Equally?

No, they’re most certainly not. Full fat unsweetened yogurt will be healthier than a vegan donut fried in vegetable oil. Why? Most fried foods still contain unhealthy trans-fat, even if the label says zero. The FDA only requires a company to list it on the label if it exceeds 1 gram.

Trans-fats are not the same as the naturally occurring saturated variety. (2)

Healthy Saturated Fat Choices

• Dark chocolate
• Full-fat dairy, including cheese, yogurt, and real butter
• Eggs
• Coconut oil
• Avocado
• Nuts

How Much Fat Should You Eat?

This is a varied opinion and it will depend more on your chosen lifestyle, your health, and your genetic risk factors. However, we’ll include the standard guidelines for your reference.

According to American dietary guidelines, you should aim for 10% of your daily fat intake to be saturated. This recommendation is still based on debunked science. However, they do say to replace your other fat intake with plant-based monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

Low carb lifestyles and Paleo/primal diets reach for 50-80% total fats. A strict follower will aim to balance their omega fatty acids over the following actual percentages.

The American Heart Association supports no more than 6%.(3)

Keep in mind that fat is one proponent of your diet. If you’re looking to consume more or less saturated fat for health or weight loss, you should also address your entire diet so it remains balanced.

Some People Should Still Limit Saturated Fats

If you have Familial Hypercholesterolemia, you might wish to stay on the lower side of the recommended values. Speak with your doctor if you have or are at risk for this genetic disorder.

Some people store and process fat differently. Science still can’t explain the variables, so if you notice adverse effects or face poor test results, limiting saturated fat might benefit you.

If your current goal is weight loss and you’re not following a low carb plan, you will need to watch your saturated fat intake. This doesn’t mean to avoid it, but it does contain a large number of calories.

Processed Low Fat Foods Aren’t Your Answer

We’re not including foods naturally low in fat because they often contain vital nutrients your body requires. However, a diet heavy in processed low fat foods aren’t nutritiously sound when compared to their full-fat counterparts.

While we should do our best to avoid processed foods high in saturated fat, we often reach for lower fat versions of those same foods thinking they’re healthier. In fat’s place, you will find unhealthy fillers to enhance taste and texture. Sugar is usually the go-to.

The problem is you’ve now swapped one disease risk for another, namely obesity and insulin resistance. Both are predominant factors in prediabetes. (4)

10 Reasons You Should Eat More Saturated Fats

1. Increases Your Beneficial HDL Cholesterol

Healthy cholesterol levels require balance. Your body has two types: HDL and LDL. Both are technically proteins. Fats, especially the saturated variety, actually lower your HDL, which reduces your risk for heart disease. (5, 6)

Some fats will raise your LDL, which increases heart disease risks. However, the rise in HDL from saturated fats negates the rise in LDL. (7)

2. Your Cells Need It

Saturated fats assist your body at the cellular level. They build and strengthen the walls of your cell membranes. It’s also responsible for building and strengthening your brain cells.

3. Promotes a Healthy Brain

When you don’t consume enough saturated fats, you run the risk of brain fog. Does it stop there? A few emerging studies highlight the importance of dietary fat on Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Dr. David Perlmutter, who wrote Grain Brain, links lower consumption of fats (including saturated) with higher incidences of mental and brain-based disorders. His lists include dementia, chronic headaches, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s disease.

His link comes from the dietary cholesterol found in these high fat foods, which we also know promotes brain cell health. They also assist with communication between your neurons; many of the listed disorders occur because the brain’s neurons don’t effectively communicate.

4. Might Lower Your Stroke Risk

Consuming dairy, which contains high amounts of saturated fat, in a 25-year study showed a decrease in risk factors for stroke. In the study, participants enjoyed both low fat and full fat dairy. Further study would be beneficial to understand the link. (9)

5. Might Reduce Hunger and Cravings

Most dieters understand the link between protein and fat. This magic combo satiates hunger and reduces cravings.

Fat without protein can do this too. Think of the fat bomb recipes taking the internet by storm. They contain a high amount of fat with the majority being coconut oil based.

6. Could Lower Risks for Type 2 Diabetes

Saturated fatty acids aren’t created equally. They contain carbons in their chain, and chain length might be a vital clue scientists overlook when it comes to saturated fat for health.

Type 2 Diabetes can be managed by following this diet.

A European study with 16,000 participants ate a combination of even and odd chain fatty acids. Those who consumed more odd chains saw a decrease in type 2 diabetes risk. Beef and dairy contain mostly odd length chains.

7. Might Strengthen Your Bones

Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D., claims saturated fats play a vital role in how effectively calcium affects your bones. Despite her connection to the Western Price Foundation, Dr. Enig fully supported using coconut oil to achieve upward of 50% saturated intake.

While the intake might be jaw-dropping, she does have a scientifically sound point. Vitamin D is fat soluble, meaning it requires fat to properly absorb. Unfortunately, most studies rely on synthetic forms of the vitamin instead of testing naturally occurring dietary Vitamin D.

8. It’s How Your Body Regulates Hot and Cold

While stored body fat can be vital to heat/cold regulation, so does the fat we eat on a daily basis. A low-fat or fat free diet might not provide your body with enough of the nutrient to fuel your body’s metabolism. This can leave an obese person feeling cold and essentially lower their core body temperature.

9. It Could Give You Firm, Glowing Skin

Dry flaky skin is a side effect of not consuming enough dietary fat. Your skin is a major organ, but it needs oil like a car. We can slather on creams, but it’s a cosmetic fix. For healthy skin, you have to start within your body with the foods you eat.

10. It’s Vital For Your Immune System

Fat sources contain vital nutrients your immune system requires to function properly. Eating saturated fat for health means you will receive vitamins A, K, E, and D. Like your skin, a healthy immune system begins from within with the foods you eat.

Final Thoughts on Consuming More Saturated Fat

Saturated fats should be part of your diet. The ratios or percentages will depend on your lifestyle, risk factors, and diet. Your goals will matter too because no one can ignore the calorie density of fats.

Saturated fats do offer benefits when they’re in whole or lightly processed foods, such as dairy. They allow your body to absorb the powerful nutrients you need. They assist brain health, can reduce aging, and they lower risks for the chronic and deadly diseases.

Eating saturated fat for health might be difficult at first. You have stigma from years of misguided advice, but it’s time to silence inner and outer critics. Consuming the minimum recommendations is still better than shying away from this type of fat.

How To Apologize With All Your Heart

July 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Whether platonic or romantic, the relationships that we have with others can help us cope with the stress in our lives. However, they can also be the catalyst for most of our stress as well. This is especially true when conflicts arise. That said, the ability to effectively apologize not only resolves stress but also deepens a relationship.

Conversely, the inability to effectively apologize can further strain a precarious relationship. In other words, it can make things far worse. Being apologetic entails much more than saying, “I’m sorry.” It requires making a concerted effort to express your feelings to another individual, which makes the apology more heartfelt.

In this article, we will take a closer look at how to be more sincere when apologizing. We’ll also consider the benefits that come with it.

A Perfect Guide To Apologize With All Your Heart

KNOWING WHEN TO APOLOGIZE

Knowing when to apologize is not always obvious. You may not realize that you did or said something hurtful to another individual. In many cases, the answer lies in self-assessment. If your actions would have upset or bothered you, they would likely have the same effect on the other individual. Sometimes it is best to err on the side of caution; offer an apology even if you only suspect that you did or said something offensive. In doing so, you will assume responsibility for mistakes that you have made. At the very least, you create an opportunity to reaffirm that what you did or said was, in fact, okay.

KNOWING WHEN TO EXPRESS REGRET

Assuming that your behavior does warrant an apology, it is important that you understand how to effectively communicate regret. This negative conscious and emotional response stems from one’s actions or lack of action. Communicating regret ensures that the other person understands how you feel bad, even if your actions weren’t intended to be malicious.

The best way to go about communicating regret is by stating what you believe to be a negative action and apologizing. This shows that you accept responsibility and you’re willing to make amends. Beyond that, expressing regret helps to boost the sincerity of your apology, which would otherwise not be felt by the other party.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

Along with expressing regret, taking responsibility for your behaviors can increase the value of an apology. What does taking responsibility mean, exactly? Basically, it is assuming ownership for mistakes that you have made, which may have resulted in the other person feeling hurt in some way. In doing so, you eliminate the element of vagueness often associated with being apologetic. The best way to show that you’re taking responsibility for your action is by acknowledging and stating that what you did was wrong.

RIGHTING YOUR WRONGS

While expressing regret and taking responsibility for your actions is all well and good, these actions wouldn’t be as meaningful if you don’t take steps towards making amends. After all, if your primary goal is to offer a sincere apology, it is a good idea to back up your words with some actions.

For example, if you said things that may have hurt or offended the other person, you can say things rooted in positivity to help offset the negative feelings associated with what you said in the past.

While this is great for intangibles like hurt feelings, it is also great for tangible issues as well. For example, if you’ve broken something that belonged to someone else, consider replacing it and also offering a sincere apology. This same applies to instances where trust may have been broken. You can take steps towards restoring it by acknowledging your wrongdoings. Additionally, try identifying ways to avoid similar problems in the future. This can often be accomplished by setting boundaries.

WHY HEALTHY BOUNDARIES ARE IMPORTANT

Whether we’re discussing relationships with friends, family, co-workers, or even in the context of a romantic relationship, it is important to establish boundaries. In doing so, you can avoid many of the pitfalls that can otherwise ruin a good relationship.

Two of the biggest benefits of setting boundaries are the ability to keep conflicts to a minimum and promoting closeness. Also, it can help keep stress levels from spiraling out of control. Boundary-setting can benefit your relationships with others and also provide individual benefits as well. These primarily come in the form of minimizing the impact that stress has on mental and physical health. All of that aside, let’s take a closer look at how boundary-setting can benefit not only relationships but also an individual:

MINIMIZING CONFLICT

Along with being able to apologize sincerely, keeping conflicts to a minimum is also a good practice. The best way to accomplish this goal is by looking inward. Identifying our own triggers is a great way to keep them from contaminating the relationships we have with others. For example, feelings of resentment and frustration brought on by a bad day at work can easily be transferred to our friends and family. One of the best ways to circumvent these problems is to let the other person know up front that you’re having a bad day. This will likely minimize conflict and possibly prompt compassion from the other individual. This type of boundary-setting can go a long way towards deepening and strengthening the bond of any relationship, romantic or otherwise.

PROMOTING CLOSENESS

Regardless of the context of your relationship with another individual, a genuine connection is critical when it comes to the long-term health of that relationship. Setting boundaries is a great way to minimize miscommunication and misperceptions that can cause the other party to become distant. While this sounds counterproductive, it actually works. Basically, setting healthy boundaries creates opportunities for closeness without the threat of feeling overwhelmed. To further illustrate this point, let’s look at some signs that can indicate the need to set boundaries in your relationship with others.

Signs You Should Establish Boundaries:

Harboring feeling of resentment
Saying yes when you would rather say no
Having a tendency to keep people at arm’s length
Feeling like you do more for others than for yourself
Feeling stress as a result of disappointing others

Identifying areas in your relationships where boundaries are needed is essential not only for the health of the relationship but also for your well-being. Once you have identified and implemented healthy boundaries, it will be easier to gauge your comfort level with others. Also, it will be easier to discern between who is being genuine versus who may be trying to take advantage of you.

SHOULD YOU APOLOGIZE WHEN SOMEONE IS BEING DIFFICULT?

Although a healthy relationship can be good for the soul, an unhealthy one can have the opposite effect. While we cherish the relationships we have with friends and family as well as our significant others, some relationships may feel like they’re not even worth salvaging, especially those where the other person is being difficult. But does this mean they are unworthy of an apology when one is due? No, it actually means you might have to be the bigger person and apologize, especially if the situation or circumstance warrants an apology. That said, here are a few tips that can make dealing with challenging people slightly easier:

Apologizing is a lifeskill…but how do you know when you should NOT apologize?

STAY NEUTRAL

Certain conversational topics are naturally very divisive, especially those rooted in politics or religion. In many cases, these topics can bring out the worst in people and can fan the flames of conflict. To avoid a heated debate, steer clear of these trigger topics entirely.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH

The best way to handle dealing with difficult people is to understand who you’re dealing with. This often means acknowledging their negative traits. In doing so, you can work towards engaging with these individuals. For example, you would never tell your deepest, darkest secrets to someone who enjoys gossiping. Taking a moment to understand the personality of your friends, family, and acquaintances can help you avoid a lot of heartaches.

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP

More often than not, the difficulty in any relationship stems from the ability to see and appreciate the other person’s perspective. Once you understand how another person behaves, you can use this information in finding better ways of managing your relationship. All too often people engage in conversation and activities that end in disagreements or arguments. So, how do you overcome these differences and promote healthier behavior patterns? Simply change how you respond to them. This could mean letting the other person vent their frustrations without you interjecting.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW TO APOLOGIZE

In summation, there are a variety of ways to apologize to your friends and family; however, there are also a variety of ways to avoid having to find yourself in that role in the first place. The relationships that we have with others can be as challenging as they are rewarding. Still, they play a critical role in who we are as individuals.

21 Healthy Vegan Overnight Oats Recipes Under 400 Calories

July 8, 2019 by Power of Positivity

If you are looking to live a healthy lifestyle, then keeping your meals (especially your breakfast) in check is crucial. Having overnight oats recipes on hand will ensure you consume only healthy vitamins and minerals.

For this to work, there is no healthier breakfast than overnight oats. Here are 21 healthy vegan overnight oats recipes under 400 calories.

21 Healthy Vegan Overnight Oats Recipes Under 400 Calories

1. Carrot Cake Oatmeal

This overnight oats recipe has only about 265 calories. In a tiny bowl, combine grated carrots, low-fat Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, a slice of apple pie, salt, old fashioned oats, protein powder, and baking stevia.

Use chopped nuts, low-sugar syrup, and cinnamon as toppings. You can have it chilled or microwaved for up to one minute. This meal is the ideal combination of proteins and whole grains to keep you energized throughout your morning.

2. Strawberry Chia Oatmeal

This overnight oats recipe has 339 calories per serving. Almonds add an excellent crunch to this satisfying and sweet breakfast. Also, almond nuts have magnesium to regulate your blood sugar and protein to fill your belly.

Put sliced strawberry, sliced banana, oatmeal, and chia seeds in a bowl. Mix vanilla and milk before pouring it on the oatmeal. Put the food in the fridge overnight and top with almonds and strawberries in the morning.

3. Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Oats

Despite being sweet, this overnight oats recipe is loaded with only 308 calories. Prepare it by mashing the banana in a bowl and mixing it with vanilla extract, chia seeds, pumpkin puree, cocoa powder, and dark chocolate dreams. Then add almond milk, maple syrup, and rolled oats before mixing.

Keep the bowl in the fridge overnight after covering it with a plastic wrap. Divide the meal in the morning and top with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts.

4. Blueberry-Cashew Cream Oats

This creamy overnight oats recipe has around 270 calories. It has chia and flax seeds, which are excellent sources of fiber that fill your stomach and selenium mineral that lowers the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Combine mashed bananas, blueberries, Medjool date, cashew nuts, and dairy-free milk in a food processor. Then put chia seeds, oats, and flaxseeds in a bowl before topping with cream. Store in the fridge overnight.

5. Honey, Thyme, and Lemon Oats

You will find 310 calories in this overnight oats recipe. In a bowl, combine your oats, lemon juice, milk, yogurt, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. Add honey and thyme leaves to the mixture.

Cover the food with a plastic wrap and keep in the fridge overnight. Serve in the morning and top with some honey.

6. Gingerbread Chocolate Oats

This overnight oats recipe consists of 282 calories. It is also rich in fiber and protein. Combine oats, almond milk, chia seeds, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and protein powder in a bowl.

Cover the meal and store in the fridge overnight. Serve and use cacao nobs as toppings.

7. Peanut Butter and Jelly with Oats

A serving of this overnight oats recipe has 319 calories. To make the meal, mix chia seeds and strawberries before microwaving for one minute and mashing them. Now mix oats, chia seeds, vanilla almond milk, plain Greek yogurt, peanut butter, vanilla extract, stevia packets, and some salt in a separate container.

Add the oatmeal mixture and the strawberry chia sauce in alternate layers in five mason jars. Cover the jars and keep in the fridge overnight.

8. Pumpkin Persimmon Oats

This is one of the healthiest overnight oats recipes due to its 267-calorie content. To prepare, combine rolled oats, buckwheat groats, hemp seeds, powdered stevia, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and some salt in a bowl.

Now add pumpkin puree, almond milk, diced persimmon, and blackstrap molasses and mix. Store in the fridge and serve in the morning for a low-fat and fiber-rich breakfast.

9. Pumpkin Pie Oats

This is another one of the top overnight oats recipes due to its 332-calorie content. The pumpkin and oats will assist you in managing your weight. The inclusion of Greek yogurt will improve the protein level to ensure you are fuller for longer.

On the other hand, the cinnamon will boost the flavor and maintain your blood sugar levels. To make the oatmeal, mix milk, vanilla Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a piece of pumpkin pie in a container. Top with granola or cereal and keep in the fridge overnight.

10. Chocolate Chia Oats

This oatmeal has 353 calories, making it one of the best weight-loss overnight oats recipes. Its chia seeds can offer the power you require to take you throughout the day. Its energy comes from an excellent balance of fiber, protein, and fats as well as low carbohydrates.

Combine oats, soy milk, cacao powder, maple syrup, and chia seeds in a bowl. Put into five mason jars and store in the fridge overnight. Serve in the morning and top with fresh fruits.

11. Blueberry Muffin Oats

This oatmeal has 366 calories with plenty of proteins and fiber. Its fresh blueberries assist you in losing weight. Mix oats, yogurt, pudding mix, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk in a container. Stir them until they are properly mixed.

Add toppings of flake cereal and fresh blueberries. Then seal the container and store in the fridge overnight. Serve the oatmeal cold.

12. Fruity Oats and Quinoa

With a 362 calorie content, this oatmeal is low in both sugar and calories while full of flavor. To prepare your oats, mix the almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in a small bowl before microwaving for ten seconds and stirring. Add in the oats, milk, and pumpkin and stir properly until the almond butter is well mashed.

Include some salt, cinnamon, and a piece of pumpkin pie and stir before adding chocolate chips. Put into mason jars, seal them, and keep in the fridge overnight. Serve in the morning and eat cold or hot.

13. Chia, Banana, and Mocha Oats

The oatmeal has only 294 calories with low fats and high-protein content. The use of slightly green bananas ensures you ingest resistant starch that resists digestion and boosts satiety. Since the body has to perform harder to digest it, there will be oxidation of fat and a decrease in abdominal fat.

Put warm espresso, cacao powder, and almond milk into a food processor and combine. Then add spices, sweetener, and more almond milk to the mixture and combine. Mix chia seeds, the cacao mixture, and chia seeds in a jar and add some salt.

Put alternating layers of sliced bananas, cashew nuts, and the chia mixture. Keep in the fridge overnight and serve warmed or chilled.

14. Honey and Figs Oats

This oatmeal is only loaded with 240 calories. To prepare it, combine chia seeds, soy milk, and oats in a sealable container.

Keep the chia mixture in the fridge overnight. Serve warmed or chilled and top with chopped nuts, honey, and figs.

15. Vegan Oatmeal

With 369-calorie content, this meal is super healthy. Prepare your oats by mashing bananas in a bowl before mixing with chia seeds and cinnamon. Combine with vanilla, almond milk, and oats.

Seal the food and store in the fridge overnight. Serve in the morning with some extra non-dairy milk.

16. Coconut Cardamom Oats

This oatmeal has a record 214 calories. Make the chia seed jam by mixing maple syrup with blueberries in a pot. Add some salt and heat for ten minutes over medium heat.

Add the chia seeds and cook for another ten minutes until the jam looks thick. Remove from heat and mix with lemon juice before keeping in the fridge. In another container, mix coconut milk, chia seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, maple syrup, and oats.

Put alternate layers of the oats, diced pears, and the chia seed jam in five mason jars. Store in the fridge overnight and serve chilled.

17. Bananas Foster Oats

This oatmeal has 250 calories. To prepare, heat coconut oil in a pan before adding cinnamon, vanilla, and bananas, and sauté the mixture for three minutes. Add maple syrup, stir the mixture, and heat for another minute.

Put oats, ground flaxseeds, banana mixture, and coconut milk in a bowl and mix. Place the oats inside four mason jars and keep in the fridge overnight.

18. Skinny Funfetti Cake Batter Oats

The Skinny Funfetti recipe has 200 calories. Mix almond milk and oats before microwaving for three minutes. Add butter extract to the mixture and combine till smooth.

Eating overnight oats in the morning will satiate you for hours!

Keep in the fridge overnight. Serve chilled or warmed and sprinkled with some rainbow jimmies.

19. Neapolitan Oats

It has 253 calories. Prepare the oatmeal by mixing rolled oats, chia seeds, Greek yogurt, soy milk, honey, and vanilla extract to make vanilla pudding. Repeat the procedure but replace the vanilla extract with cacao powder for chocolate pudding and strawberries for strawberry pudding.

Layer the puddings in containers and keep in the fridge overnight.

20. Coconut Latte Oats

It has 212 calories. Combine rolled oats, brewed coffee, coconut milk, cinnamon, and maple syrup in a bowl. Seal the oats and keep in the fridge overnight.

Serve chilled or warmed and top with cinnamon, shredded toasted coconut, and coconut cream.

21. Sweet Potato Pie Oats

This oatmeal has 343 calories. To make the oatmeal, combine mashed sweet potato, nutmeg, cinnamon, and almond milk in a blender. In a different jar, mix almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract, stevia, and oats.

Store the two mixtures in the fridge overnight. Layer the sweet potato and oats mixture in a container and top with maple syrup and pecans.

Conclusion

These 21 overnight oats recipes will offer you a diet low in saturated fat and carbs but high in proteins and fiber. You will be able to reach your weight loss goals while enjoying a savory breakfast.

Moreover, you will not have to keep snacking at work since you will be fuller for longer.

21 Healthy Vegan Recipes You’ll Love

July 7, 2019 by Power of Positivity

If you are a vegan, you need to ensure that your vegan recipes have sufficient proteins to ensure that you compensate for missing out on the proteins that are found on animal products. For proteins, you can include legumes among other foods. And the great thing is that you will have plenty of nutrients including vitamins and minerals from the vegetable-filed vegan recipes.

21 Healthy Vegan Recipes

If you are looking for healthy vegan recipes, then these 21 healthy vegan recipes will ensure you have a balanced diet. They are not only delicious, but they are filled with nutrients that will enable healthy living.

1. Vegan Buttermilk Pancake Recipe

To prepare this meal, mix flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl. Then add a tablespoon of vinegar and soy milk into the bowl and mix until the mixture is smooth. Place a pan on medium heat and grease with coconut oil.

Then pour the mixture into the pan in medium quantities and turn the pancakes when the bubbles disappear. Top the pancakes with coconut cream, strawberries, and coconut oil.

2. Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict is one of the best vegan recipes for your brunch. You only need to heat a pan with a tablespoon of coconut oil. After it gets hot, add a pinch of pepper and salt as well as tofu.

Cook the tofu until it begins to get brown on the sides. Steam some asparagus and prepare your Hollandaise sauce. Then toast some English muffins before topping them with a vegan meat slice and a tofu egg.

Now serve two muffins and top with chopped chives, cayenne, and Hollandaise sauce.

3. Energy Balls

Energy balls are among the top healthy vegan recipes. Prepare your energy balls by mixing oats, dates, vanilla, salt, agave, and almond butter. Add chocolate chips and walnuts before pulsing to combine further. Then keep the mixture in the fridge for half an hour.

Now make the mixture into small balls before placing them on a baking plate or sheet. Cover them and store in the fridge for up to half an hour and put them in a sealed container for one week.

4. Baked Taquitos with Guacamole and Creamy Salsa

Baked taquitos are one of the tastiest vegan recipes, especially when served with guacamole and creamy salsa. Microwave corn tortillas for ten seconds for softening. Serve a tablespoon of refried beans and nacho cheese at the center of the tortilla.

Roll the tortilla and use a toothpick to secure it. Brush the tops of the tortillas with olive oil before sprinkling with salt. Bake for fifteen minutes and serve with guacamole and creamy salsa.

5. Buffalo Cauliflower Wings and Vegan Ranch Dip

Cauliflowers place these meal on the list of the top healthy vegan recipes. Roast your cauliflower in the oven for 40 minutes. Now combine egg replacer and soy buttermilk in a bowl.

Cover your cauliflower in seasoned flour before dipping in the buttermilk mixture. Then fry them in a pan for four minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce.

6. Vegan Chicken Nuggets

Use a bowl to combine wheat gluten, onion powder, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, and salt. Then whisk tahini and broth in a larger bowl. Combine the two mixtures into a smooth dough.

Make the dough into tiny nuggets before cooking with chopped onions and broth in the oven for one hour. This is one of the best vegan recipes.

7. Vegan Nachos

Spread half of your tortilla chips on a serving tray and add refried beans to form dollops. Include minced vegan meat and sprinkle vegan nacho cheese.

Now add another layer of nachos, refried beans, cheese, and meat like before. Then add tomatoes, green onions, and jalapenos.

8. Jackfruit Tacos

Put the maple syrup, chili powder, coconut oil, tamari, and paprika in a big freezer bag and combine well. Add jackfruit to the mixture and let it marinate overnight. Cook onions and garlic with coconut oil in a pan.

Then add chipotle peppers and bouillon and mix in the pan. Include the jackfruit and mix before leaving it to simmer for 20 minutes. Break the jackfruit with a masher and cook for another 15 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

Serve the dish with lime crema sauce and spicy mango sauce. If you are looking for delicious vegan recipes, this is one of them.

9. Pasta Sausage Gnocchi Vegan

Put garlic and onions in a large skillet and heat with olive oil. Put crumbled sausage and cook for one minute. Then add uncooked gnocchi, vegetable broth, and tomatoes before covering and cooking for five minutes.

Remove from the stove and add black pepper and spinach and stir. Season with salt and add vegan cheese before covering for five minutes. You can eat the dish with sliced Italian crusty bread.

10. Vegan Orange Chicken

Put soy curls in a big bowl and add vegan chicken broth and let the soaking take place for ten minutes. Then whisk together orange zest, soy sauce, rice vinegar, spicy-sriracha, orange juice, coconut sugar, hoisin sauce, and grated ginger.

Now dry your soy curls and soak in half of the sauce overnight. Heat the curls with coconut oil until they are crispy. Cook the other half of the soy sauce with cornstarch slurry for two minutes to form a thick mixture.

Add the soy curls and green onions before tossing to coat. Serve with boiled rice for one of the most savory vegan recipes.

11. Vegan Fajitas

Put chopped onions, garlic, coconut oil, and mushrooms in a big skillet and cook until the mushrooms are golden brown. Season well with chili powder, cumin, and salt and add peppers. Cook for the vegetables to soften and season with black pepper and cayenne.

Microwave your tortillas and serve them with mushroom pepper medley, greens, vegan cheese, and some sriracha. To make it one of the top tasty vegan recipes, you can serve with guacamole and salsa.

12. Vegan Ramen

Cook garlic and ginger with sesame oil in a saucepan until fragrant. Add broth and simmer for fifteen minutes. Then cook smoked tofu and mushrooms in peanut oil in a big skillet for fifteen minutes and season with pepper and salt.

Add wakame and soy sauce to the broth and set aside. Boil soba noodles and drain in a bowl before simmering the broth. Serve the broth, tofu, mushrooms, green onions, and sesame seeds in the noodles.

13. Homemade Instant Noodles

Combine cooked ramen noodles, chopped green onions, pickled ginger, fried shitake mushrooms, sliced carrots, peas, soy sauce, sesame seed oil, veggies bouillon cube, and spicy chili in a mason jar. When serving, add boiling water to the noodles and veggies. Wait some minutes and serve.

14. Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich

Use a big mixing bowl to mix mustard, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, mayo, apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and black salt until smoothly combined. Crumble the tofu into tiny pieces and mix with mayo.

Mix well and include more cracked pepper, black salt, celery, parsley, chives, and onions. Serve the tofu mixture on slices of toasted bread before topping with alfalfa sprouts and tomatoes.

15. Vegan Sloppy Joes

Use a large saucepan to heat oil, onion, garlic, and red pepper. Season with pepper and salt and cook for five minutes. Then include lentils, cumin, tomato paste, water, and chili powder and boil over medium heat for thirty minutes.

Now add veggie ground round Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and bbq sauce and heat for ten minutes. Use pepper and salt to season and scoop the lentils onto buttered and toasted bun bottoms before garnishing with your favorite toppings.

16. Vegan Mac and Cheese

For this vegan recipe, use whole-grain macaroni elbows, broccoli, florets, grated russet potato, and cashew. The whole-grain pasta will ensure you have sufficient fiber to prevent constipation.

You can add some vinegar to taste and use avocado oil for healthy fats.

17. Pea and Carrot Soba Noodles

Mix boiled soba noodles, edamame, carrots, and snap peas in a huge serving bowl. Add dressing and mix with salad servers. Then be sure to add the toasted sesame seeds and chopped cilantro before serving.

The vegetables will ensure you have a myriad of vitamins and minerals for a healthy lifestyle.

18. Black Bean, Kale, and Avocado Burrito Bowl

Boil some rice, prepare a kale salad, make the avocado salsa verde, and cook the black beans. Now serve portions of rice, kale salad, and black beans into a small bowl as well as avocado salsa verde. Use chopped cherry tomatoes to garnish your meal.

19. Butternut Squash Linguine with Fried Sage

Prepare the ingredients including fresh sage, butternut, yellow onion, garlic cloves, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, vegetable broth, fettucini, and Pecorino. Now boil the pasta and cook the butternut. Then serve the pasta with fried sage, butternut, Pecorino, and smoked salt.

20. Black Bean & Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Fry black beans and chopped sweet potatoes. Then use vegetables of your choice to lay on toasted and buttered buns before adding the sweet potatoes and black beans.

21. Vegetable Paella

To prepare this green dish, use yellow onions, garlic, paprika, salt, diced tomatoes, brown rice, chickpeas, vegetable broth, saffron threads, artichokes, red peppers, Kalamata olives, black pepper, parsley, and frozen peas.

Love these ideas? Find 30 more fantastic vegan meal ideas!

Final Thoughts on Vegan Food

If you are looking to spice up your vegetable diet, then these 21 vegan recipes will ensure you achieve just that. You need not have a boring diet just because you don’t eat animal products.

The great thing about these healthy vegan recipes is that you can make it once a week and have variations of the same meal during the week.

25 Happiness Quotes To Never Forget

July 7, 2019 by Power of Positivity

Happiness is something that you cannot find outside of yourself. You must look within to find lasting happiness. These happiness quotes will remind you of all the goodness that exists.

25 Happiness Quotes

Writing is an absolutely amazing tool. With it, we can convey thousands of emotions and thoughts in great detail and spread them to the masses.

Throughout the years, many have used writing to express their gratitude and happiness towards the world. There are many happiness quotes out there, which get the job done quite well. Some of the best happiness quotes are simple one-liners, while other happiness quotes can extend to pages!

Whether you’re feeling a bit glum, or just like to read happiness quotes, this list of the best happiness quotes is libel to bring a smile to your face.

What follows are some of the best happiness quotes to have ever been written down. Continue reading for 25 happiness quotes that you won’t soon forget.

25 Happiness Quotes To Never Forget

1 – Chinese Proverb (one of the best happiness quotes)

“If you want happiness for an hour — take a nap;
if you want happiness for a day — go fishing;
and if you want happiness for a year-inherit a fortune;
if you want happiness for a lifetime-help someone else.”

2 – Stacey Charter

“Don’t rely on someone else for your happiness and self-worth. Only you can be responsible for that. If you can’t love and respect yourself – no one else will be able to make that happen. Accept who you are – completely; the good and the bad – and make changes as YOU see fit – not because you think someone else wants you to be different.”

3 – Frederick Keonig

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

4 – Eskimo Proverb

“Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.”

5 – Anthony de Mello

“There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.”

6 – Viktor E. Frankl

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it”

7 – Aldous Huxley

“Actual happiness always looks pretty squalid in comparison with the overcompensations for misery. And, of course, stability isn’t nearly so spectacular as instability. And being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt. Happiness is never grand.”

8 – Elizabeth Gilbert

“Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it. You must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it.”

9 – Dalai Lama (famous happiness quote)

“We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others when pursuing our own happiness.”

10 – Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

11 – Kahlil Gibran

“Happiness is a myth we seek,
If manifested surely irks;
Like river speeding to the plain,
On its arrival slows and murks.
For man is happy only in
His aspiration to the heights;
When he attains his goal, he cools
And longs for other distant flights.”

12 – Douglas Adams

“This planet has – or rather had – a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole, it wasn’t the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.”

13 – Charles Caleb Colton

“Men spend their lives in anticipations, in determining to be vastly happy at some period when they have time. But the present time has one advantage over every other – it is our own. Past opportunities are gone, the future has not come. We may lay in a stock of pleasures, as we would lay in a stock of wine; but if we defer the tasting of them too long, we shall find that both are soured by age.”

14 – Winston Churchill

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”

15 – Albert Ellis

“The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.”

16 – Betty Smith

“I know that’s what people say– you’ll get over it. I’d say it, too. But I know it’s not true. Oh, you’ll be happy again, never fear. But you won’t forget. Every time you fall in love it will be because something in the man reminds you of him.”

17 – Leo Tolstoy

“A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.”

18 – Andy Rooney

“For most of life, nothing wonderful happens. If you don’t enjoy getting up and working and finishing your work and sitting down to a meal with family or friends, then the chances are you’re not going to be very happy. And if someone bases his/her happiness on major events like a great job, huge amounts of money, a flawlessly happy marriage or a trip to Paris, that person isn’t going to be happy much of the time.

If, on the other hand, happiness depends on a good breakfast, flowers in the yard, a drink or a nap, then we are more likely to live with quite a bit of happiness.”

19 – Katja Millay

“People like to say love is unconditional, but it’s not, and even if it was unconditional, it’s still never free. There’s always an expectation attached. They always want something in return. Like they want you to be happy or whatever and that makes you automatically responsible for their happiness because they won’t be happy unless you are … I just don’t want that responsibility.”

20 – Kahlil Gibran

“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see in truth that you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

If happiness seems elusive, read happiness quotes to boost your spirits.

21 – Mark Twain

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

22 – Denis Waitley

“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.”

23 – Buddha

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”

24 – William Phelps

“The belief that youth is the happiest time of life is founded on a fallacy. The happiest person is the person who thinks the most interesting thoughts, and we grow happier as we grow older.”

25 – Alain De Botton

“Our capacity to draw happiness from aesthetic objects or material goods in fact seems critically dependent on our first satisfying a more important range of emotional or psychological needs, among them the need for understanding, for love, expression and respect.”

FINAL THOUGHTS ON BEST HAPPINESS QUOTES

When reading through the literature, you’re bound to come across plenty of happiness quotes that’ll make you feel in better spirits. If you haven’t the time to crack open a good book, this list should have done the trick, bringing to you some of the most powerful happiness quotes we could find!

A Perfect Guide To Apologize With All Your Heart

KNOWING WHEN TO APOLOGIZE

KNOWING WHEN TO EXPRESS REGRET

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

RIGHTING YOUR WRONGS

WHY HEALTHY BOUNDARIES ARE IMPORTANT

MINIMIZING CONFLICT

PROMOTING CLOSENESS

Signs You Should Establish Boundaries:

SHOULD YOU APOLOGIZE WHEN SOMEONE IS BEING DIFFICULT?

STAY NEUTRAL

KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP

FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW TO APOLOGIZE

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