Why I Hike and Why You Should Come With Me!

It's green, breezy,
sometimes tough but always amazing
- Kfar Qatra

It's been a year and two months since I started hiking. Last April 2012, I joined a group that hiked every single Sunday, all year round, in the Chouf of Lebanon (sometimes Maten), and I have been hooked since then. Many of my friends and family get frustrated given that Sundays are mine especially that I try not to skip hiking days (maybe for a marathon or if I'm getting married). Of course, I first went to increase my physical activity, but actually hiking is more than 'more exercise' to me. It's a day off, a day of fresh clean air, all nature, no stress, no computers, no phones, no etiquette, no cars, no pollution, no noise. Just stress-free people in to enjoy a free, fun day.

Why hiking outdoors is now essential in my life

• First and foremost, I detach from my everyday life. As fun as it is, being stuck in traffic for at least 2 hours a day can become a bit tiresome. Not to mention the extensive computer/phone usage and work pressure. So going outdoors, where you can actually breathe fresh air and see the sun, clouds, sky, trees and flowers - where you can actually run, jump, more like play, is very different than exercising indoors, in a gym or at home.
• I increases an automatic 4 fun hours of my physical activity, with an average burning rate of 320 calories per one hour of cross-country hiking. Of course, the trail changes every time, which makes things 'interesting'. You'll never get bored, lots of people to socialize with and lots of plants and tees to learn about (and taste) - 4 hours feel like entertainment and pass like a charmer!
• It improves my cardio-pulmonary health from my blood circulation to my breathing and sweating capacity. More oxygen and nutrients are reaching my cells and more toxins are being cleared out, one of the many perks of physical activity!
• I have lost 17 kilograms of weight (around 38 pounds) so now I'm no longer overweight, my percentage body fat is within healthy ranges and I increased my muscle mass! Of course, my diet was as important as my exercise for these 2 work hand in hand. You can't hike or exercise in general and lose weight, unless you fix the quality as well as the quantity of your food intake! Healthy habits go with a healthy overall lifestyle.
• It improved my mental health, relieves my stress and I have excellent sleep quality, like a baby! I don't make these things up, I feel them and yea of course, science has my back!
• I get lots of my vitamin D needed! However, during scortching summer days, we try to avoid the sun as much as possible, walking by rivers, in the shades of trees.
• Hiking, or exercise in general, has lots of health benefits. It decreases your risk of blood pressure and diabetes type 2. It also puts lots of [good] pressure on your bones, increasing your bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Of course, I did not measure that, but it's a well known fact for weight-bearing exercises.
• And to be honest, I became a lighter, happier and more positive person since I started hiking. Hiking gave me a chance to experience getting lost in the woods, getting my shoes jammed between rocks, having to swim through a river to get to the other side of the valley and having to trust people I meet for the first time. All which improved my well being and outlook to life! These may seem simple and easy, but they actually reflect how I now deal with obstacles in my every day life - it's all just huge hike! 

It is quite important to walk, hike, jog, run, swim, bicycle, row, jump ropes [you name the cardio exercise you love, so find one] at least 3 hours per week, so I actually hike for 4 to 5 hours on Sundays, but I also go for strength exercises weekdays such as lunges, squats, sit-ups, push-ups... These help me gain control over the range of my motion as well as increase my muscle mass - all which are great to become a better hiker!

So come on a journey with me and discover my last year of hiking - Mrusti reserve

How it all began. My 2nd hiking trip
back in April 2012, Barouk el Chouf still had lots of snow

And this is the Chouf Reserve during Spring, I'm the one in pink!

Batloun during May - Mona letting her heart out!

We are always colorful!
After hiking, we sit, eat and talk - Deir El Qamar

Jahliye River, one of the most amazing places I have been introduced to in Chouf!
And it's just near my hometown, Deir Dourit, who knew!

Freeing your mind always helps!
Moi near Mazraat El Chouf

Najwa crossing the river.
She made it the whole way without giving up those flowers she picked!

I learned to cross the river too! I gotta mention that the water is always icy, so we never cross rivers during fall/winter seasons

And you know, whether it's rainy or sunny, we never skip a hike!
Chouf during fall is breath taking!

We even start our hiking as early as 6.30 am during sunny summer days - Bmohray!

This way we can finish early, before the scorching summer sun,
to chillax with Rodrigue in the greenery

Green green (and clean) wherever we go! Omar and some Roman ruins in Marj Besri

And just this past Sunday, we went to Mrusti where we had berries, we had cherries and walked them off too! And by the way, we always eat whatever is in season so I've had fresh loquats, grapes, cherries, peaches, strawberries, apricots, fava beans, fresh almonds, fresh walnuts, plums, cucumbers, tomatoes, artichoke, just to name a few!

Oh we all hike for free, you can get the food you want to have afterwards during our picnic/talk, we all get some and share a huge and yes, healthy mostly vegetarian, buffet!
Meet the adorable Daad, Ghandi, me, Adrianna and Maan nom-noming good food after a Marj Besri seriously long hike!

So if I ever hear someone saying they don't have the money or time to exercise, or that Lebanon's nature is mediocre, you're on my hiking list!! (I'm sure you'll love it!)

PS: I never take my camera with me, so I have Ghandi Tarabay, Carlos Bou Nafeh, Mona Merhi, Nisrine Dairy, Bassam Zeineddine, Omar Malaeb, Hani Hamdan, Fayrousa Nasr, Nidal Rachid, Iyad Zydan and Mira Breish (not sure if I missed any!) to thank for those amazing, breath-taking, heart-wrenching photos! 

Next Sunday: Shall I Go Cherry-Picking or Biking from Nakoura to Tyr?

I usually go hiking on Sundays! Not only is it considered a good workout for at least 4 hours on a weekend while connecting with the green, sun, birds, flies and butterflies around, but it's also a breath of fresh air from all the work, noise, cars, cities and pollution. It is quite rare that I skip a Sunday hike, unless it's heavily raining during winter, but when summer is here, some events just tingle my interest!

So this coming weekend, the 16th of June, I'm lost. It's basically a day with friends and/or family. Last Saturday was kinda easy: Morning run followed by Souk El Tayeb's market & lunch and then an afternoon swim.

I have visited Souk El Tayeb's Saturday's market few times now as well as their authentic Lebanese restaurant, Tawlet, and I must admit that is full of fresh deliciousness from home-made jams, labne balls immersed in olive oil, Lebanese pantry, pickled olives with almonds, home-made cakes to rose water and organic fresh fruit and vegetables... you name it! And what I admire the most is that all the food has this 'teta-has-been-here' feel in them!

You'll find the freshest organic fruit and vegetables

Some seriously appealing radishes

All kinds of greens from Swiss chard, spinach, scallions, mint, parsley, coriander... I love those!

Of course, delicious red cherries

Home-made cakes - This lady, Nada Saber, has some good brownies!

And my favorite, Coara's whole-wheat wild green pies!

So the point is, Souk El Tayeb is known for its seasonal events that support Lebanese produce from olive oil tasting, tabboule day, apple picking, to figs from Kfour...

And this coming Sunday, it's cherry picking time!

Cherries are one my favorite tarty fruits and they are in season around this time of year in Lebanon! So this upcoming Sunday, 16th of June, I can be hiking, rappelling and cherry picking all while enjoying some Lebanese dabke and having traditional Lebanese food. Best part is that this event includes both eating good food and physical activity in nature. This way I'll have my cake and eat it too!

.................................

On the other hand, though it's the first time I hear about SPACE Outdoor, their biking and swimming trip seems to interest me a lot! My friend forwarded me this poster and I was hooked. Cycling along Naqoura's sky-blue beaches, touring Tyr with its phenomenal culture and then relaxing on warm [clean] sand beaches while enjoying some entertainment games! Looks like a winner trip to me, if only I wasn't lost on which to choose!

So what would you go for??

Healthy Ice Cream - Strawberry, Cashew or Chocolate Flavor?

I'm still munching on healthy snacks this may and this time it was ice cream time.

I looked up healthy ice cream recipes and found a one-ingredient ice cream only made from bananas! This was intriguing to try as it was totally healthy and I get to have my snack and fruit serving in the same time, win-win!

So the whole process is easy and it can be mixed up with different flavors, with one base of course - bananas. Therefore, I decided to have mine chocolate flavored, my sis wanted strawberry ice cream and my friend wanted his plain with cashews chops.

Ingredients
For 3 servings, each with a different flavor

• 6 medium bananas
• 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
• 4 tablespoons liquid unsweetened milk (I went for unsweetened rice milk)
• 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 frozen strawberries
• 8 raw unsalted cashews

Instructions

Chop bananas into coins and freeze
those little babies

Banana ice cream base

• Start by chopping all the bananas into small coins and freeze them for few hours (I froze mine for 5 hours).
• When your bananas are frozen, toss the 6 of them into your food processor, add 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract, add 4 tablespoons of rice milk and blend till you get a smooth creamy texture. This should probably take just a few minutes!
  >> Now we have our ice cream base which I divided into 3, given that we each wanted a different flavor.

Cashew chops with plain
banana ice cream

For a plain ice cream with cashew chops

• Slightly grind the cashews into tiny chops.
• Mix them with 1 banana ice cream serving.
  * Any kind of nut/nut butter can be mixed with the banana ice cream: cashew, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, coconut flakes/chops - You name it! 

Strawberry banana flavor

For a strawberry flavored ice cream

• Get 6 fresh strawberries, wash, chop and freeze them for 2-3 hours.
• Once frozen, blend them pretty well with your base banana ice cream and garnish with some fresh strawberries.
  * Any kind of fruit can be tossed in here as well! Raspberry, blackberries, mango, kiwi, lemon, apricots - I mean summer is here and the fruit season is about to bloom.

And my favorite, chocolate!

For a chocolate flavored ice cream

• Mix the plain banana ice cream with 2 teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder and that's it! This was my favorite by the way!
  * You can also mix your base with instant coffee powder or cinnamon as well.

And after preparing your flavored banana ice cream >> Freeze for few hours till solid. All flavors are easy, healthy and icy - perfect for a summer treat!

Making the Best Out of Pomegranates this Season!

It's pomegranate's season in Lebanon now, and it's by far the best fruit of the season! Pomegranates come in both sweet and sour flavors - sour being my favorite. 

Nutrition Facts

To start with, the crown-like structure on the top of the pomegranate before you crack it open is called calyx, the seeds are called arils and the white, rather bitter, outer layer surrounding the arils is called albedo.

Now that you cracked it open, pick your arils, ditch the albedo and you're in for about a 100-calorie treat, with vitamin C, vitamin K, folates and a tiny bit of vitamin A, potassium, copper, manganese and iron!

Health Benefits

• Because of its high content of antioxidants such as phenolic acids, anthocyanins, punicalgins and ellagitannins, its juice has been associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer tumor growth as well as metastasis in breast cancer.
• Studies have been also analyzing pomegranate's hypoglycemic effect, such that it may benefit diabetes type 2 and metabolic syndrome by increasing insulin sensitivity and affecting glucose transporters.
• Pomegranate juice can aid in decreasing LDL's oxidation which further helps in decreasing plaque formation and atherosclerosis overall and aid in better blood pumping to the heart.
• Pomegranates may also help in decreasing blood pressure.
• It's also associated with a decreased risk of total body inflammation.
• Pomegranates possess antibacterial and antiviral characteristics.

Pomegranate sprinkled on Baba Ghannouj 

Quick Eating Tips

• Arils can be eaten as such, yummier with your hands - but beware, they sure stain everything around!
• Added to any salad type, fattouch and tabboule.
• Best part, sprinkled on hummus and baba ghanouj!
• They can be added to yogurt or labne, and fresh mint.
• Mixed with boiled whole rice/oatmeal/whole wheat grains, blossom water and raw nuts (almonds, walnuts and pine nuts being my favorites)
• Added to melted chocolate buttons, nuts fit in there too.
• Mixed with cakes, cookies, granola bars, pies, mhallabiye, apple or banana crumbles, brownies, ice cream and cheesecake toppings.
• Can be squeezed into a juice by blending arils or hand pressing them and then straining the juice.

Healthy Green Fig Jam!

It's figs season now in Lebanon and we all know how moms and tetas rush to turn seasonal fruits into jams. Commonly jams are made with sugar, half-half. However, I found this recipe made 100 % from fruit!

Illustration by Rodrigue Harb - Left Hand Red Nose

It tastes yum, especially with walnuts and tahina! However, keep in mind that since sugar is not actually added to this recipe, its storage and expiry date are definitely different. You can store these fresh fig jam jars in a cool dry place up to one year, if still intact. Now once you open them, you better eat them in couple of days tops and store the jar in the fridge meanwhile. This is why go for smaller cuty-pie jars, you'll practice portion control!

Fight Sugar, Know the Facts

Everyone is fighting sugar this summer, and it's about time!

More campaigns are targeting both parents and children to decrease their intake of sugar, especially those added sugars from sweetened beverages, cokes, candies, chocolate, ice tea, cookies, biscuits, jelly beans, cereals, pastries, doughnuts, croissants, cakes, flavored yogurts, milk shakes, ice creams, cereals, coffee drinks, canned foods, and we both know the list goes on!  Sugar is even found in condiments such as ketchup and salad dressings!

Two of the beautiful, smart campaigns again excess sugar intake are:

Cereal FACTS - Debunking all types of sweetened and unhealthy cereal and cereal products, especially those advertised for children. You can find top and bottom 10 lists of cereals by brands. Their information target both consumers and researchers with reports stating what is most advertised to children and which brands contain the most sugar content so let's hope they're not being lobbied by any side! You can heck their website here.



Photo from: Cerealfacts.org



Soda Free Summer  - Urges people to 'Rethink their drink' by fighting added sugars whether in carbonated beverages or other sweetened juices and drinks! Most people don't realize that they tend to gulp their calories in. In fact, half on the American population over the age of 2 consume sugary drinks everyday! Soda Free Summer explains how much calories and sugar various contain nowadays, how much exercise you need to burn them off, the unhealthy toxic effects of excess sugar intake as well as beneficial school tools. You can check their website, their twitter and their facebook page.

  

So why do we really care about added sugars?

• Sugar increases tooth decay
• Promotes weight gain
• Acidifies your blood, such that your body will need to extract some minerals from your bones to buffer that acidity!
• Increases triglycerides and therefore, increasing the risk of heart diseases and inflammation [Source]
• Decreases your immune system by acting as a substrate for bacteria in your body
• Increases the risk of skin aging, a much less famous crime
• Increases the risk of cognitive impairment 
• Some sugars like HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) have been linked to increased risk of abdominal fat, increased insulin resistance and diabetes type 2, increased metabolic syndrome, fatty liver and increased LDL cholesterol.
• More research is finding association with increased risk of cancer and more cancer! well. For instance, pancreatic cancer's risk increase by 2 times with increased sugar intake!
• People who consume large amounts of added sugars tend to eat less nutritious food, resulting in poor nutrition as well as vitamin/mineral deficiencies.
• Last but not least, very recent research links high sugar (mainly high fructose corn syrup - HFCS) intake to stupidity! High HFCS intake may highly affect the mind's long term ability to learn and remember! 

But why do they even add sugar to food?

Sugar tend to preserve foods, increase fermentation, give pastries and baked goods texture, add a unique flavor to foods [especially that we tend to prefer sweet tastes innately], and yea, because it's addictive so you'll definitely come back for more!

So the whole point out of this article is for you to Cut Down on your Sugar Intake.

1- Know the different names of sugar!Sugar can be simply called sugar/brown sugar, or its gazillion alternative tricky names from dextran, fructose, glucose, lactose, galactose, molasses, invert sugar, sucrose, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, beet sugar, barley malt, maltose, maltodextrin, honey, agave nectar, cane, cane juice crystals, caramel, maple syrup, sorghum syrup, turbinado, treacle, muscovado, panocha - some of which I can't even recognize!

Photo from: RefreshKansas.org

2- Check what ONE serving is! What manufacturers tend to do is mention how much calories, nutrients, sugars, vitamins, etc. there are per serving. But what consumers tend to think is that a whole package is one serving - and it's almost always NOT.
So let's take a look at the photo on the right. First, check what one serving is, in green. 1 serving is referred to as 'Serving Size'. This serving has 26 g grams of sugar, as shown in pink. Now the actual package has 2.5 servings, not just one, so do the math!

3- Know the linguistics

• Sugar-free: there must be less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving.
• No added sugars/ Without added sugar is used if no sugar was added during processing
• Reduced/less sugar is used when there is at least 25% less than a similar reference food so it doesn't mean it is low in sugar!

Photo from: Thearrowsoftruth.com

4- Know the ingredients' order

So when you check your label, which I'm hoping you will from now on, know that ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. On the right, you can find a coke's label where you can see that the 2nd ingredient is HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup)!

  

Sugar can definitely harm you, just like tobacco and alcohol so it must be regulated! Why isn't it regulated, you ask? Well, because the industry is making huge profits from their 'suga-baby' and taxing it would lead to less profit! In fact, in a report by the USDA (pdf file), taxing sweetened beverages could end up in decreasing total caloric intake and an estimate of 2 kilograms of adult and child weight per year, aiding in decreasing the worldwide epidemic obesity.

And no, don't go saying that sugar will give you the energy you need! Excess sugar intake will definitely increase your blood sugar steeply, only to cause a quick drastic decrease causing hypoglycemia - characterized by fatigue, nervousness, sweating, hunger and trembling! So pledge to start decreasing your intake gradually - you will benefit greatly!

Barcelona is Del-iiii-cious!

Barcelona is an amazing historical city! It is pretty easy to move around it even if you haven't been there before thanks to their touristic buses! There's a lot to see here -from monuments, beaches, parks, ancient churches and all the beloved work of Antoni Gaudi, you cant' but fall in love with the city! 

Better yet, the food is not to be missed! Barcelona is famous for many: Tapas, Paella, Churros, Sangria, and the list goes on and on so I couldn't but have "me" some, right?

Tapas Tapas, yum yum!

Tapas are small snacks given when ordering a drink in a bar, in our case it was given with wine Sangria (as opposed to champagne Sangria). As you can see in the photo, any kind of food -seriously- can be served on a delicious baguette as a form of a snack or appetizer served either with or before your meal/drink! In some restaurants, they are offered for free (so we've heard) but in the resto we visited, we ordered them - you just can't visit Spain without having yourself some good Tapas! With any round of drinks, tapas are usually presented, even if it's just a small tapa. They can be served both hot or cold, depending on the type of food served on your tapa.

My 2 favorites were Tortilla de patatas (potato omellete) made from potatoes and eggs served on a white baguette with onions, spinach and cheese as well as the Gambas al ajillo (shrimps) served cold with some creamy garlic bed, yum!

Seafood paella, all the seafood you can have

Paella is another seriously good meal you have to taste when in Spain, after all it's the Spanish daily dish! There are three widely known types of paella: Valencian paella (paella Valenciana), seafood paella (paella de marisco) and mixed paella (paella mixta), along with other types of course.

Valencian paella consists of white rice, green veggies, meat (could be chicken, duck or rabbit) with snails and beans, while seafood paella has no veggies, beans, meats, snails, but instead some an exquisite bouquet of seafood! As for the paella mixta,it's actually free styler with a combination of meats, veggies, seafood and beans! 

What makes the rice yellowish is the addition of saffron to the dish.Some olive oil could go into this dish as well so yes, peeps, it is super delicious!

Churros with molten chocolate

Churros are the Spanish desserts, their version of doughnuts! These are delicious, although I would have to say: the fact that they are deep fried pastries = unhealthy refined sugars! You can even dip them in hot molten chocolate, like how I tasted mine! We bought ours while walking back from the annual Fiesta de Gracia, but they can also be dipped/eaten on the side with cafe latte! So when in Spain, have a taste of their famous Churros, but in moderation, of course!

Zesty Sangria with freshly cut fruit

Last but least, we had some Sangria!

Sangria is a wine punch served everywhere you go in Spain! There are many types of Sangria and lots of ingredients can go in this famous drink: white wine, ginger ale, 7 up, amaretto, etc. But it is usually made of:

• Red wine, although there are some Sangria's made from champagne - the wine version tastes much better!
• A small amount of brandy
• Chopped fruit, like oranges, lemons, apples, cherries, strawberries, grapes, pineapple or - the best part - whatever fresh fruit you feel like!
• With some orange juice or honey, sugar or syrup as a sweetener

Fruitful, colorful Mercat

Either way, when in Spain, have yourself some good time, the beach is amazing, the churches are majestic, the monuments are historical and Gaudi's work is not-to-be missed! Bicycle around the city, enjoy some seriously Del-iii-cious food and make sure to pass by the colorful public market in Barcelona: La Boqueria Mercat!

Skinny Drinks this Summer!

This summer time is full of concerts and partays! Fun summer times I bet, yet with hidden calories especially from drinks and beverages you may be having on daily basis.

Choosing the right drinks can help you reduce your total caloric intake, so WebMD divided drinks into 2 categories: Spoilers and Helpers and thus helping us decide what to drink and what not to when we’re watching our diets!

Soda VS Water

A can of soda can contain up to useless/non-nutritious 150 calories of sugar! You can definitely switch to diet versions of these fizzy drinks, yet research is still lost on whether this switch can actually help weight loss! While replacing soda with water can cut those calories, boost your metabolism and make you feel fuller for longer because of the distention it causes to your stomach!

Fruit VS Vegetable Juices – Well juice can have “healthy” written all over them. However, juice can have as many calories as soda (with more nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants to offer of course). So look for 100 % fruit juices (with extra fibery pulp) and mix them with water! However, with half the calories you get from fruit juices, vegetable juices like tomato for example offers you nutritious vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. At WebMD, they even compared that 1 cup of tomato juice has 41 cals while 1 orange juice cup contains 122 cals! Talk about cutting down your calories by more than half!

 

Smoothies VS Low fat milk– With their fruits: bananas, watermelon and strawberries can “seem” the healthy choice for your cocktail! Yea, well, not really. When you blend your own smoothie at home, whether you add alcohol or not, you can actually control the ingredients; whereas, in pubs and restaurants, smoothies can have enormously huge amount of calories especially that they could be done with honey, ice cream and lots of sugar. Go for skimmed milk when you ask for a smoothie or a cocktail containing milk. You can definitely control the content of your drink while enjoying it too!

Energy drinks VS Black Coffee - Energy drinks are “calorie bombs” like soda. Never mix your energy drinks with liquor like vodka for example, they have seriously opposite effects on your body leading to heart arrhythmia, chest pain and sweating! So when you need a shot of caffeine, coffee is a better choice than soda/energy drinks. Black coffee is calorie free and rich in antioxidants, so yea it is a much better choice than energy – useless- drinks.

Cocktails VS Beer - A shot of hard liquor has fewer calories than wine or wine coolers, but once you mix it with soda or cream, watch out for sky rock calories! A glass of white Russian made with light cream has 715 calories so a less fattening option is to mix rum or vodka with diet soda. As for light beer, well OK, so beer is not really going to help you lose weight per se but it’s always my first choice after diet soda! If you are in the mood for alcohol and you’re out with friends, a beer contains 150 cals while a light beer contains 100 cals so go for beer! 


Check here for more drinks and their caloric content!

References: WebMD

Summery cocktails by the beach photo

Bloody mary drink photo

Orangy cocktail photo 

Delightful Feast for Change

“It is certainly heating up in the city right now” is the first sentence in my new RPN – Restaurants, pubs and nightclubs - Guide to fabulous and great variety of restos in Lebanon, which I got last week in “Feast for Change” dinner on the 13^th of July which was hosted by the Lebanese Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafes, Night Clubs and Pastries in Lebanon.

Fresh veggies for
a delicious tabboule!

And yes, it is quite true that Lebanon is on the roll! Whether with concerts, parties, diners, pubs, night clubs and pastries.. these have become countless. And one can’t deny that restaurants standards are becoming better and better by the day! More customer care, more online presence and interaction, more food safety concerns, more investment in restaurants interior designing with solid identities and good music and better yet, more delicious variety of cuisines! This hospitality business has been taken to a higher level alright!

So, back to the “Feast of Change”, I must say, it was delicious! To start with, I had the chance to meet fabulous tweeps in addition to enjoying some seriously good food around an exquisite taste of music! 

Smokin' delicious grill station!

The “Feast for Change” was well organized, with different sections for foods with different cuisines and live cooking, desserts and drinks thus making filling up your plate quite easy – not so good for a dietitian I must admit! I started my journey with a delicious taboule from Leila’s and I accompanied it with some smokin’ delicious shrimps and mini burgers from the grilling station! This station was what I loved the most – healthy & delicious with prompt service! I also had myself a refreshing fresh watermelon drink – a drink I really needed especially with the hot, humid temperature in Sursok Palace, which could have used some mist fans by the way!

Sam's plate of sinful desserts

The richest section was the desserts! From Mich’s knefe, mafrouke, Micho’s cotton candy, to Sam’s delicious plate filled with Gou's macarons, marshmallows dipped in melted chocolate from the famous chocolate fountain to a wide icy range of ice creams, the desserts section was sinful!

Last but not least, what matters most after the joy and fun, is the whole point behind this event! It was a "Feast for" - I'm hoping some - "Change" aiming to protecting natural sites and old buildings in Lebanon (APSAD), so I am personally waiting to see how this event can, in fact, help to protect Lebanese old buildings and natural sites!!


Thanks Mohammad & the Syndicate for this pleasant invitation!

Get Yourself Enough Vitamin D

Lack of vitamin D has become quite the issue among the Lebanese community nowadays and I'm hearing lots of concerns of what foods provide you with your daily needs of this vitamin especially that this vitamin is associated with good, strong bone health!

Vitamin D insufficiency can result in thin and brittle bones and thus increasing the risk of rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Together with calcium, vitamin D helps protect from osteoporosis, modulates neuro-muscular function and reduces inflammation.

So where can you provide yourself with enough vitamin D?

Sunlight helps your body to make vitamin D. But because of the skin cancer risk, there are no official "sunlight" recommendations up till now. Therefore, exposing yourself to small amounts of sunlight - 15-20 minutes - could be helpful. Keep in mind that the sun is less likely to provide your daily needs at higher latitudes, in winter, if you're older or dark skinned. So with this scorching sun during summer in Lebanon, it is important to use sunscreen when you're spending the day at the beach! Saying "I'm getting my daily dose of vitamin D" is not actually a wise decision to take!

Fatty fish such as  salmon, trouts, mackarel, tuna, eel and canned tuna & sardines can provide with you with good amounts of vitamin D as well as heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids. 

Fortified milk/yogurt can be fortified with vitamin D >> the key is to read your nutrition facts label. And a good note to keep in mind is that ice creams, labne and cheeses are never fortified with vitamin D! On the other hand, some soy/rice milks can be fortified so yea, keep reading those food labels!

Egg yolks- the yellow part of an egg- is what contains the vitamin D you want. Therefore having boiled eggs can be a part of healthy diet when eaten in moderation, but make sure to adjust your cholesterol intake during your day because the American Heart Association recommends that you consume no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day, and just one egg contains 200 mg!

Vitamin D can also be found in fortified cereals, fortified orange juices and in beef liver. Though I personally don't recommend that you have your vitamin D from beef liver because it's super high in cholesterol - and no you don't need that much of cholesterol in your diet!

Supplements can provide you with your vitamin needs but it shouldn't be your first option, like most doctors in Lebanon advise you to go for! Supplements are surely needed if you have low levels of vitamin D and best thing about them is that you don't have to split your supplement doses. Just don't go buying supplements, consult your doctors ahead of time because vitamin D can be toxic in large amounts.

References: Health.com

Enjoying a day at the beach photo

Delicious salmon dish photo

Fortified cereals with fortified milk photo