These beautiful green fruits are great for more than just guacamole: they can be added to Mediterranean dishes, snacks, and even desserts.

Native to Central Mexico, avocados grow on trees, and are cultivated throughout the world in tropical and Mediterranean climates. They’re a popular staple of California.

Avocados, due to their rich, creamy interior and high fat content, are often thought to be too high in fat to add to a healthy diet, but they are, in fact, very good for you.

Avocados are indeed high in fat, but most of their calories come from monounsaturated fat: “good” fat. The fat in avocados helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol while raising HDL (good) cholesterol. It calories are a good source of solid energy: grabbing avocado before heading out for the day or doing something intensely physical will help to keep you fueled.

Avocados are also high in potassium — higher than the potassium famous banana by 35%! They’re also rich folate. Both are beneficial for improving heart health; plus, they’re low in sodium and contain vitamin E. Avocados actually help your body absorb important caretenoids, which are beneficial to overall health.

photo by startcooking kathy & amandine

Luckily, it’s easy to gain all of these health benefits using avocado recipes.

• Avocado Tacos:

– throw 2 avocados (pitted and sliced) in 4 corn tortillas with shredded lettuce, diced onion, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese and your favorite salsa.

• Avocado Papaya Salad:

– mix 2 chopped avocados, 1 peeled sliced red grapefruit, 1 chopped papaya, and 1 torn head of lettuce; add a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mango also works in place of papaya.

• Chocolate Avocado Mousse:

– surprise avocado sneaks into this decadent dessert; warm 3 tbsp almond milk in a saucepan with 2 tsp corn starch until it thickens, blend 3 oz dark chocolate and 1 tbsp cocoa powder in a blender while pouring the almond milk in, then, when it’s completely melted, 1 ripe diced add avocados, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp agave nectar and chill 30 mins.

Avocados’ texture makes them a healthy alternative to mayonnaise. A quick and easy snack or breakfast for a boost of long-lasting energy is mashed or sliced avocado with salt, pepper, and optional olive oil on toast.

The only thing you shouldn’t do to an avocado is cook it; warming avocado slightly is fine, but they don’t hold up well to cooking temps. Otherwise, experiment with healthy avocado recipes!

For those undertaking the HCG diet, juicing is valuable in the first and last stages.

Optimizing your health with juice is easy, once you know where to start.

Following healthy recipes is a great way to do so, and there are a lot of fantastic recipes out there — so many, in fact, that it can be hard to choose! The best juicing recipes you can drink for healthy living depend simply on wholesome, nutritious ingredients.

Using fresh, organic ingredients where possible is the healthiest route, and using whole fruit and vegetables ensures that your body gets the full, intended nutrition of each item.

Avoid recipes that involve added sugar or overly processed or additive-heavy protein or flavor packs (some of them are great, but make sure you’re only getting the best ingredients).

The most basic, advantageous recipes are plain and simple: fruit and veggies!

Recipes that combine both, but are mostly vegetable (about 75%), will be the healthiest, full of the most nutrients. Fruit-only juice is tasty, but higher in sugar and lower in nutrients. Mix it up.

Three of the best juicing recipes are also the most simple.

photo by Matthias Rhomberg

Apple Cucumber Anything Juice

• 1 med. apple
• 1 med. cucumber
• 1-2 c of whatever fruits and veggies you have lying around!

Orange Carrot Juice

• 8 large carrots
• 2 large oranges, peeled

Beet Juice with a Twist

• 2 beets (include the greens if you like; they’re packed with nutrition!)
• 2 carrots
• 1 apple, cored
• 1 inch-long piece of fresh ginger

When you find combinations that you like, your imagination is really the limit.

Drinking fresh juice can give you energy, increase your metabolic rate, enhance your immune system to help you prevent and fight off illness, fill you with cancer-fighting phyonutrients, aid weight loss, fight aging and depression, and is a cost-effective way of helping your health — so why not drink up? The only side effects to drinking lots of juice are added health and a cleanse to the system.

Tip: drink up your fresh score from your juicing recipes immediately after you make it; the enzymes and nutrients will be still be alive, meaning healthier for you!

No worries; it can be an intimidating vegetable (actually, it’s technically a fruit — a berry, by botanical standards!) for those who aren’t used to cooking with it, but it’s perfectly safe and tasty.

Eggplant can be used for a variety of recipes to suit different tastes. Salted, stewed (as in French Ratatouille), deep-fried, roasted, grilled, stuffed; eggplant is used widely in Indian food as well, of course, being native to the country.

What isn’t widely advertised about this odd-looking purple fruit, however, is its health benefits — eggplant recipes are as nutritious as they are diverse.

photo by avlxyz

Eggplant is a good source of potassium, fiber, manganese, vitamin C, K, and B6, niacin, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, pantothenic acid and folic acid — just several of eighty different nutrients it contains!

Eating eggplant while on the HCG diet is healthy in moderation.

Some of its health-boosting qualities are thanks to its richly colored, dark, edible skin (no peeling needed), which are a main source of antioxidants and phytonutrients, which help to block the formation of cancer-causing free radicals.

Because of this quality, eggplant may play a role in heart health, too; it has cholesterol-lowering properties, helping the blood flow more healthily through the blood vessels.

Because it contains the antioxidant nasunin, it also plays a role in removing excess iron from the body, which can aid in the prevention of joint disease such as rheumatoid arthritis.

It’s also the nasunin that can particularly aid health-conscious post-menopausal women: after menopause, women’s bodies can accumulate too much iron, which eggplant can “chelate”, which means — again — lessening free radicals. Its folate content also makes it healthy for women.

Eggplant is also low in sugar and saturated fat, making it a good choice for those on the HCG diet, especially in phase 3. Try these easy recipes:

• Homemade Babaganoush: roast eggplant and puree it, then add garlic, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. Dip vegetables or pita, or use in sandwiches.

• Baked Eggplant Salad: bake eggplant, cut into cubes, and toss with grilled sweet bell peppers, onions, lentils, and balsamic vinaigrette.

• Grilled Eggplant: grill eggplant on the BBQ with peppers, zucchini and olive oil and add red wine vinegar, fresh oregano, and crumbled feta cheese.

Enjoy eggplant recipes that pack a nutritional punch!

“Tilapia” is what hundreds of species of similar cichlid “tiliipaine cicchlid tribe” fish that swim in fresh, tropical waters. For years, they’ve been a major part of fishing in Africa and Levant; in recent times, their popularity has increased thanks to their nutritional value.

For starters, Tilapia have a very low mercury content. With mercury health concerns on the rise, many people turn to tilapia for an alternative; it also comes with many other benefits, such as being low calorie, low in saturated fat content compared to many fish, low sodium, and low in carbohydrates.

Tilapia is high in protein and contains phosphorus, niacin, selenium, vitamin B12 and potassium.

It’s important to know what kind of tilapia you’re buying, however; commercially farmed tilapia are higher in saturated fat and may pose health risks.

photo by mallydally

Healthy, delicious tilapia can be enjoyed in a variety of tilapia recipes, such as:

Baked Tilapia with Dill

• 4 tilapia fillets (4 oz. each)

• 1 lemon, sliced thinly
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ c mayonnaise
•  ½ c sour cream
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Season tilapia with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Arrange lemon slices over top and bake tilapia in a lightly greased 9×13 pan in a preheated oven at 350 F for 15-20 min. Mix the remaining ingredients together and serve as a sauce with the tilapia.

Tilapia is a healthy, nutritional option for people who have chosen to undertake the HCG diet. Because of its high protein, low calorie properties, tilapia, when cooked under the HCG guidelines, makes a great meal idea. It’s especially ideal because of its phosphorus, niacin, and B12, which — according to Dr. Simeons, the founder of the HCG protocol — are quickly taken up by the body and burn excess fat.

HCG Caribbean Tilapia & Asparagus

• 100g tilapia
• Caribbean spice (such as a lemon pepper blend for grilling)
• A dozen asparagus
• Salt to taste

Rub spice into tilapia and grill on the BBQ for 5-10 minutes (approx. 350 F). Do the same to the asparagus, dampening it slightly to the seasoning sticks. Add salt to taste. Enjoy these simple but delicious tilapia recipes!

Technically not quite a grain or cereal, the tiny, pale quinoa “grains” are edible seeds. Quinoa is truly unique in the food world, which is why its been gaining popularity in Western culture; nutritionally, quinoa has incredible value. It has a high protein content (12-18%) and is a good source of lysine, dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin and iron, as well as phytonutrients, antioxidants and more.

What makes quinoa particularly special, however, is how the body absorbs it. Quinoa has a balanced set of 9 amino acids, the body’s building blocks. That means it’s a complete protein; one 3.5oz serving contains 14g of protein! It’s gluten-free, easy to digest, and being low on the glycemic index, it doesn’t cause blood sugar to spike.

Quinoa is easy to prepare, although looks can be deceiving if you’re not used to the odd-looking seeds that turn translucent when you cook them. First, rinse the quinoa under running water — if it turns soapy, that’s okay. Simply rinse until it disappears. A delicious alternative to rice, quinoa is cooked the same way: two cups of water per one cup quinoa, simmered for about 15 minutes.

Easy Quinoa Recipes

photo By Gudlyf

Tropical Quinoa Salad

• pack a nutritional punch by adding black beans, cubed fresh mango, diced cucumber, shallots, lime juice, salt, pepper and cilantro to cooked quinoa and cooling in the fridge.

Healthy Quinoa Breakfast

• try warm quinoa with raisins, nuts, goji berries, almond milk and/or your favorite natural sweetener for a powerful breakfast.

Quinoa can be adapted to a variety of diets, from vegan to low calorie.

Those on the HCG diet especially find benefit with quinoa because it makes you feel full longer while delivering a full spectrum of nutrients to the body, ideal for low calorie diets. Its properties improve energy metabolism, which can help HCG dieters feel more energized, and it can help prevent gallstones — a possible side effect of the HCG diet.

Because women — especially over 40 — often need significant amounts of iron and protein, quinoa recipes are ideal.

If you feel a bit lost, here are a few tips on what your HCG diet menu should include; important things to note in any HCG diet plan:

• Eating organic: the healthiest, purest food for your body

• Where to shop: health food stores, farmer’s markets, and grocery stores that provide fresh, organic, and/or kosher produce; online grocery delivery is also an option

•  Supplements to take: vary plan to plan, but vitamin B12 is very important to take while on the HCG diet, and can be found at health food stores, drug stores, vitamin shops and grocery stores with a pharmacy

Dr. Simeons Diet Protocol

This is the most traditional HCG diet plan. 500 calories per day. Tea or coffee without sugar, 1 tbsp milk per 24 hours. Lunch and dinner in this plan consists 100 grams of beef, veal, chicken breast, white fish, crab or shrimp; one vegetable from the choice of spinach, asparagus, chard, chicory, beet greens, green salad, celery, fennel, onions, red radishes, cabbage, or cucumbers; one Grissino breadstick or Melba toast; an apple, orange, half a grapefruit, or one handful of grapes.

Kevin Trudeau’s diet plan

This diet plan consists of three phases. The first phase involves a preparation period, during which you will have to get used to drink plenty of liquids (not Coke and sweetened juice, just water and tea will be fine!) and walk (or exercise why not…) for at least one hour a day. HCG diet supplements are highly recommended. However, no fruits are allowed.

During the first three days of the second phase, you can eat everything your heart desires. This will be followed up by 26 to 46 days (depending on the amount of weight you wish to lose) of 500 calories per day meals. Some fruits are allowed: apples, oranges, strawberries, grapefruit. If you survive the second phase, you will be allowed to adjust your menu and calorie intake during the third phase (carefully, though!).

Fast food and high fat meals remain strictly prohibited. Refreshments are allowed, but should be consumed rationally and in small quantities. Moreover, you should avoid mangos, bananas, plantains, as well as dried or canned fruits. The fourth phase of Kevin Trudeau’s HCG diet plan involves the dieter’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle and eating habits. It should last for a lifetime… theoretically…

Dark chocolate? Yes, sir!

As you might have already known, dark chocolate has a lot of beneficial properties you can take advantage of during the HCG diet. As it does not contain all the sugar that milk chocolate is made with, it only contains 20 calories per piece.

Eating dark chocolate also triggers a slower metabolism (due to the low sugar and milk content), and therefore several pieces would be more than enough for you to feel satiated. This is why chocolate diets have become more and more popular during the past few years. Celebrities praise them as well!

And did you know most online HCG sellers even offer free dark chocolate as a bonus for their customers? So stop worrying: even with 500 calories a day, any HCG diet plan will make you feel stuffed!

http://www.hcg411.info/

Probably the best one you’ll find out there. Frequently updated, reliable, humorous… everything you need to know about HCG and other related topics.

http://bloghcg.com/

Angie tells you more about her experience with HCG. It’s hard to find a real person in nowadays’ online world, where anyone can pretend to be whoever he likes! Very tasty recipes as well!

http://timeforhcg.blogspot.com/

Speaking of real people… an amazing life story!

http://hcgliving.blogspot.com/

Tonya talks about her experience with HCG (with pictures!) and suggests amazing recipes!

http://hcgweightlossworld.com/

One of those honest web pages about HCG diets, with honest testimonials, Photoshop-free pictures and a fancy HCG online store.

http://hcgdietjourney.com/hcg-diet-blog/

Find useful HCG tips, advice, recipes and exercise ideas. You can also buy HCG drops legally and with no hassle!

http://hcgdietjourney.blogspot.com/

This blog will tell you more about authentic HCG and how to tell if you were scammed. Get more advice about the diet and how to avoid traps!

http://www.hcg-diet-forums.com/hcg-blog.html

One of the most visited HCG blogs. Although it’s been inactive for quite some time, you can still find interesting facts and advice written in a friendly, concise manner.

http://hcgblog.net/

Here you will find the answers to many of your HCG related questions. Insightful posts and challenging topics.

http://ashotatweightloss.wordpress.com/

A beautiful HCG diet blog; a beautiful story about a beautiful HCG experience.

http://chubbybrains.wordpress.com/

Pretty great blog, quite brainy actually. Where apparently insignificant, quotidian aspects of life blend in with weight loss…

http://www.thehcgweightloss.com/

Stay true to the HCG diet! Fear no more. This is another step-by-step guide for new dieters.

http://hcgrecipes.blogspot.com/ and http://hcgdiet.wordpress.com/

These recipes will simply make your heart melt.

http://merylhcg.blogspot.com/

Meryl isn’t afraid of the truth. Good to read if you’re feeling down. Totally worth it!

http://hcgweightloss-fitness.blogspot.com/

Take a peek into Donna’s ambitious goals; it’s really motivating if you think about it. Short, yet detailed updates about her progress.

http://hcgblogger.com/

A detailed, daily HCG diet journal with recipes and tips. Good job! Do bookmark it!

http://hcgweightlossblog.com/

This is a humorous and entertaining chronicle written by one of the satisfied HCG dieters. Witty and sarcastic… you couldn’t wish for more.

http://amiehcg.blogspot.com/

Click and step into an insightful, real and detailed log of Amie’s HCG diet. A true HCG role model, if that’s fair to say…

http://www.hcgblog.com/

No scams. Just another real and trusted HCG diet blog, one of the few HCG related blogs that don’t aim to trick you into buying ridiculously overpriced stuff.

• Eating less doesn’t always guarantee weight loss. You need to establish a balance between quantity, food type (origin) and timing. Things will only get better for your organism if you get used to eating two or three times a day, at the same hour.

• Breakfast should always be the most consistent meal, as it will help you get through the day without feeling the urge to have too many snacks in between meal hours. This is why most breakfast skippers get into trouble and end up gaining more weight!

• Forget about the beef and fries. Replace beef with lean turkey, chicken or fish. Eat fruits instead of sweets.

Check out the HCG diet food list below if you feel a bit lost and don’t know what to choose from:

Here is an expanded HCG diet food list…

MEAT

Seafood

Most fish and seafood meats are high protein, but low fat; perfect for getting the protein you need without the calories and carbohydrates.

• Flounder: 90 calories
• Tilapia: 94 calories
• Halibut: 110 calories
• Red Snapper: 110 calories
• Cod: 83 calories
• Haddock: 88 calories
• Lemon Sole:116 calories
• Monk Fish: 96 calories
• Whiting: 87 calories
• Shrimp: 110 calories
• Crab: 100 calories
• Lobster: 98 calories

Red Meat & Poultry

Lean red meat and some fowl are also high protein, low fat — as long as it’s grilled or broiled rather than cooking with oil. Cut the fat off and remove poultry from the bone.

• Veal: 110 calories
• Cube steak: 193 calories
• Sirloin top steak: 130 calories
• Top round steak: 130 calories
• Lean ground beef: 137 calories
• Chicken breast: 123 calories
• Turkey breast: 123 calories

EGGS

• 1 egg: 76 calories
• 1 egg white: 17 calories

VEGETABLES

Many vegetables are low in calories and have carbohydrates that are “complex,” which means they won’t turn into fat like sugar. Spinach, for example, is very low fat and low cal an also full of nutrients and vitamins like iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It contains protein and fiber — things that will help you feel full. Vegetables like celery, cabbage, and lettuce are full of “micro-nutrition,” which pack more nutrients in for less calories per serving than other foods.

• Celery: 15 calories
• Spinach: 20 calories
• Tomato: 20 calories
• Cabbage: 24 calories
• Asparagus: 3 calories
• Broccoli: 34 calories
• Cauliflower: 22 calories
• Cucumber: 12 calories
• Red radishes: 12 calories
• Lettuce: 20 calories

FRUIT

At approximately 76 calories per serving, most fruit are higher in calories than vegetables, due mostly to their sugar content. However, they make a healthy addition to the HCG diet food list, incorporated into the daily calorie limit.

• Medium strawberries (about 20): 80 calories
• Large strawberries (about 12): 72 calories
• Small apple: 55 calories
• Medium apple: 72 calories
• Large apple: 110 calories
• Navel orange: 69 calories
• Florida orange: 65 calories
• Pink California grapefruit: 92 calories
• Pink Florida grapefruit: 74 calories

BREAD

Most bread is high in carbohydrates, so very little will be eaten on the HCG diet plan! That’s okay; a few varieties are acceptable.

• Melba toast: 12 calories
• Grissini breadstick: 12 calories

BEVERAGES

Enjoyed without sugar or milk, tea and coffee are fat free and contains a small number of calories. Caffeine also increases your energy level and may suppress the appetite. Other beverages ideal for a HCG diet food list are lemon juice (from one fresh lemon per day) and, of course, water (normal or mineral). Drinks can be sweetened without sugar by using natural sweeteners like stevia or saccharin.

Remember: fish is rich in protein, contains no carbohydrates and is also very low in calories or fat.

Fish fillets are ideal for every diet, as it will help you overcome one of the most important risks of low calorie income: short attention span. As fish is rich in phosphorus, your memory and attention span will be highly improved. Moreover, celery and spinach are known to be low in calories, as well as an important source of nutrients, such as vitamins and iron.

Tea is a highly recommended beverage for dieters; however, avoid using sugar as a sweetener. Remember to always consume fruits and vegetables while they’re fresh!

Have a look at the HCG diet food list whenever you run out of ideas!

Chemically speaking, carbohydrates are complex organic compounds made of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. There are different types of carbohydrates, such as monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polisaccharides. Haven’t heard of them? Well, if these don’t sound familiar, maybe glucose, fructose and lactose do. Isn’t that so?

Glucose, fructose and lactose are two of the most important carbohydrates for the human organism. Glucose and fructose molecules are more similar than you might ever imagine, as they actually differ by one carbonyl group. As it is very easy to deduce, glucose and fructose are abundant in sweet foods (fruits, chocolate etc.), whereas lactose can be found in milk or dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and many others.

Besides the chemical point of view, what are carbohydrates?

In terms of nutrition, carbohydrates are like a fuel to the human organism. Glucose is what makes the brain work. In lack of glucose, our ability to focus becomes impaired, and we eventually lose consciousness if deprivation continues.

Carbohydrates give muscles the energy they need to produce movement.

HCG diets are meant to keep you healthy and not turn you into a vegetable. So here are a few tips you should take into account if you’re not sure what to include in your HCG diet menu:

• Replace white bread with whole grain bread, preferably 100%. Same thing applies to pasta!

• Start your day with a delicious bowl of warm milk and whole grain cereal.

• Forget about buying juice. Purchase fruits, throw them into the juice extractor or food processor and you will have your own natural, not-from-concentrate fruit juice. That way, your drinks will contain twice more fibre (the fruit pulp!), which is very rich in carbohydrates. Although it will cost you more, it’s totally worth it.

• Cut potatoes out your grocery list. Instead, how would you think about more beans, brown rice and wheat berries? Yum!

Now that you’ve found out what are carbohydrates, you shouldn’t waste any more time and start thinking about your daily HCG diet meals!

As you might have already known, HCG injections release Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, a hormone that uses body fat to strengthen the placenta during pregnancy. This is how its weight loss effects are supposed to be explained. However, there are many doctors who reject the effectiveness of HCG in women who are not pregnant, since the hormone would be ignored or somehow “deactivated” by the human body mechanisms. They see the loss of appetite as “placebo” (if you really believe HCG injections will reduce your appetite, you will unconsciously convince yourself you’re not hungry!). According to the “NO” side of the debate, injecting HCG would rather cause unwanted side effects, since these quantities would generate unnatural, forced chemical response from the entire organism.

If you want to go with “YES”, you will find many online testimonials from people who have successfully obtained results (you will have to make sure these online sources are reliable, though). What’s more, you can even find HCG weight loss clinics that offer long term, hormone-based weight loss programs. And it’s fair to say that if HCG based weight loss programs hadn’t been effective, these clinics wouldn’t have survived. So most “patients” were fully satisfied with the results. And the HCG diet has been around for about 30 years…

There are many doctors (such as Dr. Rima Laibow; website: drrima.net) who can support the effectiveness of HCG with evidence based on their own experience (or their own patients’ experience!) with hormone injections. Evidence usually consists of diet journals or reports based on weigh-in charts. Have a look!

Moreover, it appears injections aren’t the only way to go through the HCG diet. If you’re afraid of needles, you can ingest HCG pills or place them sublingually. Doctors have also found arguments against this method as well, since due to its peptidic nature, HCG would be destroyed by the enzymes involved in digestion and therefore it wouldn’t be assimilated. We can’t tell for sure if HCG weight loss is an option for everybody; your organism is unique, and the decision is all yours!