A childhood favorite gets a massive revamp.

Pop-tarts may look like fun and games, but their festive colors and playful sprinkles are where the goodness ends. These famous breakfast treats are no way to start the day.

One Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Frosted Strawberry pastry contains 200 calories, 5 grams of fat, 170 milligrams of sodium, 2 grams of protein, and 16 grams of sugar. Its ingredient list includes the likes of wheat flour, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, coloring, preservatives, and a slew of other hard-to-pronounce artificial ingredients.

The most alarming feature of store-bought pop-tarts is their sugar content. With 16 grams of sugar and less than 1 gram of fiber, the famous treat is not fit for breakfast. Its white flour and sugar content only offers something to chew on, not thrive on. And with two pastries per bag, the risk of having more than just one is worrisome, ultimately doubling all the aforementioned statistics. This begs for a recipe that lets you get some pop-tart love, without the handles.

These Strawberry Spelt Pop-Tarts use a simple spelt flour crust and no-added-sugar strawberry preserves. For a sweet and decadent finish, coconut butter is infused with strawberry flavor and slathered on top of the pop-tart. When all is said and done, you’ll be licking your lips and asking for more.

Spelt is a better alternative to white flour because it contains more B-vitamins, protein, and complex carbohydrates. It is also easier to digest. Coconut butter and oil are among the healthiest fats on earth. Most oils change biochemically when cooked at high temperatures, rendering them toxic and acidic in our bodies. Coconut oil has a relatively high burning temperature and is thus a better bet when cooking and baking. Studies have shown that coconut oil and butter both contribute to increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

This recipe should be tweaked to your fruit preferences. Use any flavor preserves you like! Make the dough on a Sunday night and each morning of the following week, roll out a piece of the dough, assemble pieces with preserves, and bake to a crispy finish, all under 15 minutes. It’s deceivingly simple. Now, let’s get poppin’!

Strawberry Spelt Pop-Tarts

Makes 6

Ingredients:

For the crust

• 2 cups spelt flour
• 1/2 cup coconut oil* (semi-hard)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons ice cold almond milk

For the Filling

• 3 tablespoons strawberry preserves

For the Icing

• 1/2 cup coconut butter*
• 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves

*Note: coconut oil and butter are not the same thing. Coconut oil is extracted from coconut meat, while coconut butter contains the meat.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl mix together the spelt flour and sea salt. With a fork, begin to press the coconut oil, which should be soft but not melted, into the flour.

Add the almond milk and knead the dough with your hands until it holds together in a ball.

Form a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator for at least an hour, so that it becomes easier to work with and roll out.

I make one pop tart at a time. Sprinkle spelt flour on the counter surface, take a handful of the dough, and roll it out until it is 1/4-inch thick, using more spelt flour when needed to prevent sticking.

Use a pizza wheel to cut two, 3×4-inch rectangles. Place 1/2 tablespoon of preserves onto one of the rectangles, leaving a half-inch space between the preserves and the edges.

Place the other dough slice on top of the one with preserves. Use the edge of a fork to seal the edges.

Place the sealed pop tart on a baking sheet greased with coconut oil. Brush a layer of coconut oil on the top layer as well. Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned.

While the pop tart bakes, prepare the icing by mixing together the coconut butter and strawberry preserves until evenly combined. Each pop tart will get a hefty teaspoon slathered on top.

Garnish with strawberries and mint and pop ‘em in your mouth! Enjoy!

Aylin Erman currently resides in Istanbul and is creator of plant-based recipe website GlowKitchen.

Photo Credit: Oksay

The post Nutritional Breakdown: Revamping Pop-Tarts appeared first on EcoSalon.

The higher the test score the better, right? Not when it comes to your cholesterol. If yours is climbing over 200, it’s time to take action. But there’s a much more natural solution than popping prescription medicines. Unless you’re in the red zone, a few simple changes in diet can make all the difference. Try these tasty organic treats.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is rich in soluble fiber, which cuts down the amount of cholesterol your intestines absorb. Aim for at least 10 grams each day to reduce your low-density lipoprotein levels.

Salmon

Two servings per week of wild salmon pump your body with enough omega-3 fatty acids to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol and boost your high-density lipoproteins.

Olive Oil

Powerful antioxidants present in olive oil decrease the low-density lipoproteins in your system. Extra-virgin olive oil is most effective.

Almonds

Almonds are a great source of plant sterols, which impede your body’s absorption of cholesterol. (But, don’t overdo it because they’re also crammed with calories.)

Avocados

Unsaturated fats in avocados augment your body’s level of high-density proteins and lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Blueberries

Blueberries contain copious amounts of pterostilbene, a compound that is known to effectively cut cholesterol. Eat all you like!

Pistachios

Pistachios are loaded with selenium, an antioxidant that prevents coronary artery disease.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain a plentiful supply of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help lower cholesterol and maintain the healthy, elastic texture of blood vessels.

Tuna

Like salmon, tuna is full of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce levels of low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides. (Be sure to buy from sustainable sources.)

Apples

An abundant source of both soluble and insoluble fibers, an apple a day really can keep the doctor away by lowering cholesterol, preventing arteries from hardening and protecting your body against heart attacks and strokes.

Brown Rice

Whole brown rice contains oils that reduce your body’s cholesterol level, not to mention its profusion of fiber and magnesium.

Cinnamon

Treat yourself to a teaspoon of cinnamon each day to decrease the amount of low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides in your system.

Grapes

To resist mold, grapes naturally produce flavonoids. This multi-purpose compound also prevents platelet clumping and free radical damage in LDL cholesterol.

Strawberries

Antioxidants present in strawberries cut low-density lipoproteins and keep them from oxidizing, a process that makes this type of cholesterol even more damaging.

Broccoli

Like oatmeal, beans and apples, broccoli is plentiful in soluble fiber, which does wonders for high cholesterol.

Hazelnuts

The monosaturated fats found in hazelnuts reduce LDL cholesterol and protect against coronary artery disease.

Sunflower Seeds

Like almonds, sunflower seeds are a rich source of plant sterols, which block cholesterol.

Whole Grain

Take your pick: whole grain bagels, waffles, bread, muffins, crackers, pancakes, seasoned popcorn (no butter), or cooked whole grains like amaranth and quinoa and more decrease the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease. Ingesting 5 grams or more on a daily basis should do the trick.

Beans

Packed with vegetable protein and soluble fiber, dishes like hummus and bean soup, dip or salad keep high cholesterol at bay.

Garlic (shown at top)

In addition to preventing blood clots and killing fungi and bacteria, the chemical allicin found in garlic can help lower your cholesterol. But, you might want to keep some breath mints on hand.

The bottom line? More plants! Eating lower on the food chain is just as good for you as it is for the planet.

P.S. Don’t forget to make organic, local, seasonal choices when possible.

Source: wikipedia

Images: FotoosVanRobin, thebittenword, avlxyz, YoLaGringo, Saquan Stimpson, Simon Goldenberg, schopie1, zanastardust, pizzodisevo, dyanna, DeusXFlorida, Arria Belli, FotoosVanRobin, noelium, swimparallel, JACoulter, yoppy, Jessica N. Diamond, nixielinks

The post Top 20 Foods to Lower Your Cholesterol appeared first on EcoSalon.