Community Health

🌱 Vegan Plate Recipe: Tofu & Veggie Salad 🌱

Craving a light yet satisfying meal? This Tofu & Veggie Salad is packed with protein and flavor!

Ingredients:

1 block firm tofu, pressed and cubed
4 cups mixed greens (spinach, arugula, kale)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
Sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions:

In a skillet, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add the cubed tofu and cook until golden brown on all sides. Drizzle with soy sauce during the last minute of cooking.
In a large bowl, combine mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion.
In a small bowl, whisk together sesame oil and rice vinegar. Pour over the salad and toss gently.
Top the salad with the cooked tofu and sprinkle sesame seeds for an added crunch.

and well-being

The best time of day to eat sugar (less impact on blood sugar and weight)
We always hear that sugar is bad for your health. However, consuming the right sugars at the right time is not harmful.

Sugar is often demonized. But there are “good sugars” and “bad sugars”. Above all, there are times that are "less worse" than others to eat it... "If you consume sugar at the end of a meal for example, this considerably hinders the assimilation of the nutrients contained in the different If you consume it before the meal, there is no influence on the metabolism but you will have a feeling of satiety and a suppressed appetite. This is just a sensation: sugar, consumed at that time. , has no nutritional benefit" insists Dr. Alain Delabos, nutritionist and founder of Chrononutrition® who we interviewed.

For this specialist “it is not a question of the best time to eat sweet foods but rather a question of not harming the body”. And to do this, you have to look at the evolution of cortisol during the day. “In the body, everything is managed by the cortisol cycle, which we define as the mastermind of nutrition.” We must therefore avoid eating sugar when the cortisol curve is at its highest, therefore in the morning (especially between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.), which otherwise leads to over-secretion of the hormone, which can be harmful to our body and our mood. This is why you should avoid sugary breakfasts. “Sweet breakfasts were invented by manufacturers, but you now understand why consuming sugar when you get up, especially processed sugary products, is harmful to your health, including that of our children” insists the specialist.
(Céline Desrumeaux, 2024).