Health is our most valuable wealth. And healthy food is the basis of any healthy life. On this day we want to make a healthy gourmet products overview at Marky's Gourmet Blog.

70 years ago, in 1948, the United Nations decided to attach international significance to that good old saying by initiating the formation of the World Health Organization (or WHO). It was officially established in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 7. The same day 61 countries signed the constitution of WHO, setting the main priorities and goals of its performance.

That’s how April 7 became the World Health Day. Initially, it was mostly aimed to yearly mark the founding of WHO and the organization’s opportunity to call worldwide attention to the importance of protection of global health.

After 70 years the World Health Day has taken on a broader meaning. WHO holds it to shed light on the thorniest issues of modern global health care and encourage world’s powers that be to find solutions for them.

Throughout 2018 WHO is going to consider Universal Health Coverage and call on world’s leaders to take effective measures to advance public health worldwide. UHC implies an equal possibility for all people to access and obtain essential high-quality health services without “giving an arm and a leg” for them.

That’s the theme of the World Health Day 2018: Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere. And it’s perfectly complemented by the slogan: Health for all.

Marky’s is happy to join this year’s observance by providing healthy and delicious, top-quality products to everyone who cares about their lifestyle and diet. We have selected the large variety of always fresh, nutritious delicacies that will help you make your daily and festive menus more healthful and enjoyable.

Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, famously edified: “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”. So, today Marky’s is willing to be a drugstore where you can find the tastiest natural remedies. Welcome!

Cheese: Pamper Yourself and Your Dearests with Gourmet Nutrients

Dieticians and nutritionists eagerly recommend including cheese into our everyday meals, and their arguments in favor of this versatile dairy product are more than convincing.

Jim White, spokesperson for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Registered Dietician, Exercise Physiologist, and founder of Jim White Fitness training studios, reports that cheese is a powerhouse of nutrients like protein, calcium, and phosphorous. Their lack in our organisms may cause serious medical problems. So, cheese is both a delectable and healthful choice.

Besides, a diet rich in cheese is proved to provide a sufficient amount of butyric acid to our bodies. Dieticians claim this acid can fasten metabolism and lower the risk of obesity, thus helping us slim down.

Well, it looks like it’s the right time to boost your menu with one (or more) of these cheesy options.

• Parmesan
  If you still wonder how to define its flavor, use the word “umami”, which implies a combination of sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, and sourness. It’s also known as the “fifth taste”. A Japanese study of 2015 proves that our individual perception of umami is closely linked to our physical condition. Maintenance and stimulation of umami taste function with the help of particular products, and Parmesan cheese is among them, contributes to the improvement of oral and overall health.
• Pecorino Romano
  In 2009 Italian researchers and US doctors published a study that confirmed amazing health benefits of Pecorino Romano made of sheep milk. This cheese contains conjugated linoleic acid (or CLA if you really want to remember this term) which plays an important role in reducing fat, preserving muscle tissue, and even suppressing diabetes.
• Ricotta
  Low in sodium, high in vitamins and healthful minerals, and just delightful, fresh Ricotta is the right choice for literally everything cheesy the culinary world features: from piquant bruschetta and crostini to cheesecakes and mousses.
• Goat cheeses
  They are a perfect choice for gourmets who should stay away from cow milk. Every goat cheese contains fewer calories than other varieties, but is highly rich in proteins. What’s more, goat cheeses appear as ubiquitous as their cow milk cousins.

Fish: Add New, Fragrant Flavors to Your Family Dinners

Oily fish should feature in your menu at least twice a week. The vitally essential nutrients fish contains make it an extremely healthful option in our diet, which no other product can substitute.

For many years numerous observational studies around the United States have proved that eating fish regularly can lower the risks of strokes and heart attacks, which are two of the biggest global killers.

At the same time, some other studies have reported that consuming fish slows down the rate of cognitive decline, especially among older people. The nutrients in fish may increase gray matter in our brain. Gray matter is the brain’s major functional tissue that regulates information processing and storage, memory, and emotions. Consequently, fish can prevent not only deterioration of the brain functions but also depression and the related mental problems.

Which healthful and tasteful choice will you make today?

• Salmon
  Whether it’s baked, grilled, or smoked, salmon will always make an exquisite, nutritious, and healthy dinner. Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, in which this fish is particularly rich, may literally do miracles to our health! These nutrients contribute to the improvement of sleep and daily activity, let alone the stimulation of the brain functions and prevention of heart diseases.
• Tuna
  This fish can become a decent substitution of meat and poultry in your menu. According to several studies, tuna, including its canned variety, contains good cholesterol, which reduces the level of bad cholesterol in arteries and hence improves blood circulation and heart functioning. Besides, canned tuna appears to be a lavish source of essential proteins.   
• Sardines or anchovies
  These small but nutritious fishes are two wonderful options for a quick, piquant lunch or dinner. Due to abundance and high production rate of sardines and anchovies, they are considered as the most sustainable species. And their health benefits make dieticians place them among the top choices for a balanced diet: sardines and anchovies boost immune system, prevent certain types of cancer, contribute to weight loss – and that’s not all.

Caviar: Leave Some Place for This Healthful Company

Surely, it’s a flavorful zest of any friend party and family dinner, a scrumptious culinary decoration of any menu. However, the various nutrients in black caviar also boost your and your guests’ immune system and have a generally positive influence on your overall health.

Beluga caviar, Osetra caviar, Sevruga caviar, and Sterlet caviar are considered the most healthful types. What makes these salted fish eggs so fascinatingly beneficial to our diet and well-being?

• Only 1 gram of caviar a day may keep the doctor away. The American Heart Association confirm that as much as one teaspoon of caviar per day contains a sufficient amount of good acids that support our optimal heart health.
• Immune-boosting vitamins A, C, E, and B12 also add to health benefits of black caviar. They reduce our organisms’ vulnerability to viruses and support our blood health. By the way, that’s the reason why caviar is the right choice for vegans and vegetarians to meet their diet requirements, as they usually don’t get enough of these vitamins, especially of B12.
• If you don’t know what Prozac is, you can skip this paragraph. But for those of you who know that it’s one of the most widely used antidepressants we have some good news! Caviar is as strong as this medicine, but it’s much more healthful and, certainly, more affordable, if you compare the amount of caviar and Prozac you should take every day.

Pasta: Get the Most of Its Culinary Versatility and Health Benefits

Let the words of Keith Ayoob, Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York bring your faith in pasta back. He argues that this product isn’t the matter of “yes or no”, but it’s the matter of “how often and how much”, as pasta itself is rather a “vehicle” for other food. So, its healthfulness depends largely upon which sauce or meat accompanies it.

What’s more, a 2016 study in Italy confirmed health benefits of pasta. Researchers randomly recruited 14,402 participants from the Molise region aged 35 and 8,964 participants from all over the country aged 18 and more.

The results demonstrated that as an integral part of a traditional Mediterranean diet pasta also contributes to reduction of risks of cognitive decline and heart disease. Besides, pasta eaters appear to have smaller waistlines and lower BMIs (body mass indices).

So, opt for low-cal cheeses, fish, and many different vegetables as accompaniments for your favorite pasta. Make it a regular but not everyday meal and enjoy your diet and well-being.

Truffles: Enjoy the Culinary Delight (That You Can Afford)

Although the origin of black and white truffles isn’t a mystery anymore, these mushrooms still stand out from the rest of species, and not only because of their appearance or incredible flavor. Real, natural truffles contain manifold healthy nutrients.

So, next time you’ll wish to add them to pasta, risotto, or just scrambled eggs, make sure you enrich your menu with vitamin D and fiber. Besides, these mushrooms will become a perfect, healthful company for a vegetarian diet, adding more proteins to it. Low in carbs and cholesterol-free, truffles may also help to build a daily diet that reduces the risks of heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer.

Producers of truffles and truffles aficionados recommend eating these mushrooms at the very peak of their ripeness and keeping them in paper or rice towels to prevent them from rotting.

And one more culinary tip: remember that white truffles shouldn’t be cooked – just wipe them clean and slice raw onto a dish. Yet black truffles can be either used raw or cooked lightly within a dish.  

Oils: Pour the Healthy Foundation of Your Everyday Menu

A few tablespoons of oil may play a vitally important role in the deliciousness of a dish. Oil is what subtly combines odors and tastes of all ingredients, highlighting the ones that create an individuality of a dish, and dimming the ones that may shadow its culinary reputation.

At the same time, each oil has its own character, and it has a great impact on what the mentioned combination smells like and tastes like. What’s more, oils may define the overall healthfulness of our daily menus.

So, let’s check out which oils will be the wisest culinary choice of a true gourmet.

• Olive oil
  A study conducted in Spain in 2013 found that the participants at high risk of heart disease who were advised to follow a Mediterranean diet using extra-virgin olive oil reported significant improvement of heart health. The oil was proved to lower the rate of strokes and heart attacks.
• Grapeseed oil
  Gourmets and chefs definitely know more about grapeseed oil than doctors and dieticians. It’s versatile, it possesses a mild flavor, which makes it an irreplaceable condiment for sautéing, roasting, and in salads or appetizers dressings. Plus, this oil believed to have a positive influence on heart health too.
• Avocado oil
  As well as olive oil, avocado oil can withstand high temperatures in cooking so it’s absolutely perfect for grilling or roasting. Besides, it’s very good for your health. Avocado oil contains the nutrients and antioxidants that have benefits for eyes, may prevent arthritis and gum disease, enhance wound healing, and improve skin.

Choose the most effective and delicious medicine in our online gourmet store and stay healthy together with Marky’s.

Take care!