Health and Fitness For All

Cucumber, 96% water

Cucumbers are made up of 96% water, that’s the highest water content of any food.
They’re also low in calories, and a source of vitamins and fibre.
😀Add cucumber to your salads
😀Snack on cucumber vegetable sticks with hummus
😀Blend cucumber with mint and lime to make a refreshing drink

Watermelon, 91% water

It’s no surprise that watermelon, a thirst-quenching summer favorite, is made up of 91% water.
Watermelons are also low in calories and sugar, and a source of Vitamin A, which helps to keep your eyes, skin and immune system in good working order.
Cut a watermelon into triangles and top with berries to make watermelon pizza slices, or make colorful fruit kebabs using different varieties of watermelons.

Mushrooms, 92% water

Mushrooms are made up of 92% water. They’re also a good source of Vitamin B2, i.e., riboflavin, which is important for your skin and nervous system.
Vitamin B2 also helps to reduce tiredness and release energy from the food you eat.
😀Fill two large portobello mushrooms with chopped tomatoes and a sprinkling of low-fat cheese. Then cook in the oven to create a delicious pizza alternative with a rich meaty flavour.
😀You can also add chopped mushrooms to bolognese, chillis, soups, stews and casseroles.

Calcium-rich foods to include in your diet:
Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese is an aged Italian wonder named after its area of production ‘Parma’.
Made with unpasteurized cow milk, it works beautifully when grated over pasta dishes, stirred into soups and risottos.
Parmesan cheese is not only a brilliant source of calcium, i.e., 100 grams of parmesan gives about 90% of the daily required intake of calcium, it also offers a good source of protein, fat, vitamins, i.e., A, B6 & 12, and is low in lactose.

Calcium-rich foods for healthy bones and more

Build your bone strength and prevent heart diseases by simply incorporating these calcium-rich foods in your diet.
The most abundantly-available nutrient in our body, calcium also happens to be abundantly critical for maintaining bone strength.
Calcium is also necessary for maintaining healthy communication between the brain and other parts of the body and this essential nutrient positively enables muscle movement and cardiovascular function.
Calcium reduces hypertensive disorders, prevents osteoporosis, and keeps cholesterol in check.
The recommended daily intake of the mineral stands at 1000 mg.
While milk is our most conventional source of calcium, i.e., 125 mg of calcium per 100 ml of milk, there are other food sources that are equally rich in calcium if not more.

Orange

Commonly known for its high vitamin C content, orange is our go-to citrus fruit for salads and juices.
Enriching us with 40 mg of calcium per 100 grams of orange, this low-calorie fruit contributes to clear skin, lower blood pressure, improves cardiovascular health, and the presence of fibre helps with weight management and controlling diabetes.

Foods NOT to cook in an air fryer:
Fresh greens

Fresh greens, like spinach or kale, are something you don't want to put in an air fryer, either.
These greens literally fly and cook unevenly all over the place. If you're looking for the kale chips, stick to the normal oven.

Foods NOT to cook in an air fryer:
Medium rare burgers

Air frying a burger to perfect the medium-rare just won't happen without a great deal of compromise.
This doesn't take long to hit a medium-rare doneness in the air fryer, and the burger's exterior just won't have time to shine. If you want a medium-rare burger, you may want to get your grill taken out.
But you can easily use an air fryer to make a well-done burger.

Foods NOT to cook in an air fryer:
Cheese

You would not want to put cheese in an air fryer. A grilled cheese can be oozing all over your fryer.
In fact, an air fryer isn't a fryer, so there's no instant outer crust you 'd get from deep-frying cheese to say something like a mozzarella stick. You'll be having a sticky mess in your fryer instead.

Foods NOT to cook in an air fryer:
Broccoli

Although brussels sprouts are air-fryer friendly, broccoli is not.
Broccoli get kind of dust-like in an air fryer.
Broccoli florets do not get super crispy and delicious. Rather, they get very dry and dusty and the experience is like chewing on sandpaper.

Foods NOT to cook in an air fryer:
Food with a wet batter

You would want to avoid putting food that has a wet batter, like corndogs or tempura shrimp, in air fryers. Unless they’re pre-fried, you’ll want to avoid putting corndogs in your air fryer since the batter can make a mess.
Wet batter goes everywhere and, without a proper oil bath, the batter won’t set, which means it won’t be the crispy, fried item you hoped it would be.
Not only will the batter drip off the food during cooking and probably burn and stick to the bottom of your air fryer, but also end up chewy and not at all crispy.

Foods NOT to cook in an air fryer:
Large roasts/whole chickens

Beyond the obvious question of how they fit in the air fryer tub, in the air fryer, larger roasts and whole chickens just won't cook evenly.
The portion closest to the source of heat will burn and dry out long before the portion farthest from the source of heat is safe to consume.
Instead, try cooking a whole chicken in the oven.