Fitness Together - Yukon

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Banana

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:37:00 -0500

Ingredients:

 2 medium ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2" pieces
 1 1/2 cup blueberries
 1/4 cup honey (or agave) or stevia to taste
 1 cup uncooked quick oats
 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
 1/2 tsp baking powder
 3/4 tsp cinnamon
 pinch of salt
 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or any milk you desire)
 1 egg
 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Lightly spray a 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" ceramic baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Arrange the banana slices in a single layer on the bottom of the ceramic dish.Sprinkle half of the blueberries over the bananas, 1/4 tsp of the cinnamon, 1 tbsp of the honey and cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes, until the bananas get soft.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the oats, half of nuts, baking powder, remaining cinnamon, and salt; stir together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining honey, milk, egg, and vanilla extract.
Remove the bananas from the oven, then pour the oat mixture over the bananas and blueberries.
Pour the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute the mixture as evenly as possible over the oats. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries and walnuts over the the top.
Bake the oatmeal for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the oatmeal has set. Serve warm from the oven.

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 6 (calories & carbs will be less if using almond milk & stevia)
Calories: 211.7 • Fat: 5.4 g • Protein: 5.6 g • Carb: 38.1 g • Fiber: 3.8 g • Sugar: 22.8 g
Sodium: 76.9 mg (without salt)

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:09:00 -0500

Ingredients (serves 6)
- 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic
- 16 oz fat free low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank's)
- 6 large lettuce leaves, Bibb or Swiss Chard
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 2 large celery stalks, cut into 2 inch matchsticks
Instructions

In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, celery stalk, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn't enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours.

Remove the chicken from pot, reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks, return to the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and set to on high for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups chicken.

To prepare lettuce cups, place 1/2 cup buffalo chicken in each leaf, top with 1/4 cup shredded carrots, celery and dressing of your choice. Wrap up and start eating!

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 6 • Size: 1/2 cup chicken + veggies; Calories: 147.7 • Fat: 0.1g • Carb: 5.2 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Protein: 24.9 g • Sugar: 1.7 g;Sodium: 879 mg

Zesty Lime Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Tue, 08 May 2012 09:25:00 -0500

Zesty Lime Shrimp & Avocado Salad 4 servings

Ingredients:

1lb. cooked and peeled shrimp deveined, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1 Jalapeno, seeds removed, finely diced
¼ C. chopped red onion
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion
In a large bowl combine chopped shrimp, avocado, tomato, jalapeño. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 3 ½ C.

Nutritional Info: (Each serving 7/8 C.)

Calories: 210.4 • Fat: 9.2 g • Protein: 25.1 g • Carb: 7.8 g • Fiber: 3.6 g • Sugar: 0.6 Sodium without salt: 260.8 mg

Skinny Monkey cookies

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:28:00 -0500

Skinny Monkey Cookies

Ingredients:

3 bananas
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Dash of cinnamon (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then stir in remaining ingredients.
Let batter stand for approximately 20 minutes, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Freezing Directions:

Cool completely, then place cookies in a freezer bag. Seal, label, and freeze.

Nutritional Information:

47 calories; 7.5 g carbs; 1.6 g fat; 1.5 g protein; 1.3 g fiber

All about Preserved Produce

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:07:00 -0500

All About Preserved Produce

You’re tired, you didn’t plan for dinner, and your fridge isn’t stocked with any fresh vegetables. You could open that bag of frozen broccoli…but isn’t that the nutritional equivalent of a cardboard box? Instead, you order a supreme pizza with extra cheese and a side of rationalization. Was that really the best choice?

Canned/frozen vegetables and fruits in context

It might seem hard to believe, but canned/frozen vegetables/fruits are some of your best options from a “nutrients per food dollar” perspective. Even the FDA and IFIC have reported that canned/frozen vegetables/fruits have nearly the same nutrient profiles as fresh. Most people believe that canning or freezing vegetables/fruits depletes their nutrients. But we also need to remember that only 12% of the standard American diet is comprised of whole plant foods. Yikes.

Low vegetable/fruit intake is #6 on the WHO‘s list of 20 risk factors for mortality worldwide. Sufficient consumption of these foods could save up to 2.7 million lives each year.

So let’s get three things straight right off the bat.

Fruits and vegetables are good for you.
Canned or frozen fruits or vegetables are not much worse than fresh.
Considering the big picture of the Western diet, any fruits and vegetables — in any format — are probably an improvement.

Why preserve fruits and vegetables?

Seasons change. So unless you have a home garden capable of supplying 10 servings of fresh vegetables/fruits year round, you may want to introduce yourself to canned/frozen options.

Fresh vegetables/fruits are susceptible to moisture loss and microbial spoilage. Refrigeration can slow this process, but canning/freezing puts a halt on moisture loss, nutrient loss, and growth of micro-organisms.

Preserving nutrients

Harvesting a vegetable/fruit separates it from the source of nutrients.

The longer a food is separated from the soil, the more nutrients are lost. Leaving fresh foods sitting around leads to nutrient losses. Food washing, peeling and cooking can also lead to further nutrient losses.

By the time you pick up a fresh vegetable/fruit at the grocery store, it might have already lost between 15-60% of some vitamins (unless purchased and consumed within 72 hours of harvest). Canned/frozen varieties of the same vegetable/fruit usually have lost no more than 20% of these vitamins.

The nutrient content of preserved plant foods depends on four factors:

Time of harvest
Location
Growing conditions
Cooking method

Freezing is one of the best methods for preserving as many nutrients as possible. When plant foods are frozen, they are often blanched (briefly immersed in boiling water) to suppress the growth of microbes and retain color. Then they’re flash frozen (immediately taken in small batches to freezing).

Blanching can make some nutrients (including phytochemicals) more bioavailable. Some data indicate that certain nutrients are actually higher in frozen vegetables than in fresh or canned. Even in delicate blueberries, the antioxidants aren’t much different between canned, frozen, fresh, and dried.

Vitamins

Regardless of whether a food is canned, frozen or fresh, cooking can leach out nutrients, especially vitamins B1 and C, with vitamin C being the least stable. Don’t overcook foods if you want to maximize nutrient intake. Microwaving and steaming seem to help retain the most nutrients.

Vitamins A, D, and E, along with most carotenoids, are fat-soluble, making them resistant to degradation from blanching and washing. However, they’re still prone to oxidation with the presence of light, heat and oxygen. This can be minimized with canning/freezing (compared to purchasing fresh, storing at home, and then preparing).

Further, we tend to absorb carotenoids better after eating cooked foods rather than raw. So, canned/frozen foods might offer a better source for these nutrients.

Minerals

Minerals are resilient. They’re not destroyed by light, heat, or oxygen. Thus, noticeable mineral losses from canned/frozen foods are rare.

Minerals are removed from foods by leaching into the cooking water (tends to be negligible) and mechanical processing (e.g., the stems of mushrooms are often removed before canning them).

Canned vegetables may have higher levels of calcium and other minerals due to the uptake from hard water during processing. Iron levels can increase and copper levels can decrease when foods are canned in tin-plated steel.

What about BPA in canned food?

Some companies are committed to BPA free can linings (like Eden Organics). Check with the company whose products you buy. More information on BPA in canned foods can be foundhere.

What about nitrates/nitrites?

Sodium nitrates/nitrites are sometimes added to canned meats/fish to prevent spoilage. When combined with amino acids in an acidic environment (i.e., your stomach), they can form into nitrosamines, which have been linked to the development of cancer. Many companies are now using alternative methods of preservation – so check ingredients.

What about sugar, salt and preservatives?

This is an important consideration, especially for canned foods. For instance, many fruits are canned in sugar solutions (look for “syrup”, “juice”, or “sweetened” on the label), while many vegetables (such as tomatoes) are high in sodium. Some canned vegetables are also packed in oil. As always, read labels carefully!

One option is to drain and rinse canned items before eating them. Draining/rinsing canned beans is very effective at reducing salt. One experiment resulted in a 41% reduction in sodium per serving, from 503 mg to 295 mg. And I know this is shocking, but you can also buy low sodium, no-salt added, preservative free, no-sugar-added options.

References

Galgano F, et al. The influence of processing and preservation on the retention of health-promoting compounds in broccoli. J Food Sci 2007;72:S130-S135.

Food labeling: nutrient content claims, definition of term: healthy. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) website. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/98fr/032598c.pdf Published March 1998. Accessed January 25, 2011.

The cold shoulder: why food snobs shouldn’t snub the freezer. Slate Magazine website. Available at http://www.slate.com/id/2102884/ Published June 2004. Accessed January 25, 2011.

IFIC. September 2010. What is a processed food? You might be surprised.http://www.foodinsight.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=wtg018sd8qk%3D&tabid=1398

Andrews, Ryan. 2011

Spring Onion Salmon in Parchment Pouches

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:52:00 -0500

Ingredients: serves 4

1 lb (about 4) salmon filets
1 leek
3 green onions
thumb size piece of ginger, peeled and minced
olive oil
salt

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Tear 4 rectangular sheets of parchment paper, and center a salmon filet in the center of each piece of parchement.
Trim the green stalk off of the leek along with the root tip. Slice the leek length-wise and continue to do so until the leek has been sliced into ribbons.
Do the same with the green onions.
Toss the ribbons into a bowl with the minced ginger, olive oil and salt. Mix with your hands to combine.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil over each filet and sprinkle with salt. Top each filet with a handful of the leek/onion mixture.
Seal up your parchement pouches and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes. (Cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of your salmon filets). Be careful when opening they will be steaming!

Shopping with my Wife

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:23:00 -0500

Shopping with My Wife

wife” with any other word of endearment for your “significant other” that you’d like, but I need to tell you of from my perspective, I did something along the way VERY right. OK, so you see that this is a little bit of a “suck up” but you’re about to understand why in a moment.

It’s was my lovely bride’s birthday April 11. I can’t tell you which one, because I really can’t remember. Not that she’s had that many…more like I’ve had too many. I seem to not be able to count past her being 33 years of age. Remember that famous line in Dazed and Confused? “That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.” Every year I separate the age difference by one more. More importantly I need to speak about HER wisdom in shopping. See where I’m going? It’s not that I haven’t gotten her something for her birthday or a card or anything like that…oh nooooooo!

You need to understand that April (that’s my wife’s name) is one of those tiny women that squats what the state of Texas weighs, deadlifts buses full of people, and benches the Hoover dam, while weighing in at a whopping 100 pounds with an “EIGHT pack” which is the envy of everyone that I can embarrass her to show it to. She possesses one of the quickest and sharpest minds I’ve ever had the pleasure of “hitting on.” Remember fellas, when we were “courting” our significant others? Those sweet nothings and promises are NOW called lies. She has her MBA and is at the upper levels of her corporate food chain. So needless to say, when she wants or better yet NEEDS to go shopping, I do the incredibly macho thing…and GO!

Frugal

Part of the reason our relationship works, is because we are similar in our spending practices. Some would call it being frugal; I define it as being “cheap.” We don’t buy a LOT of stuff, but the small amounts of things we purchase do have incredible value and is of quality. The one thing we truly enjoy is our weekly grocery shopping together. It is quite the sight seeing us playing full contact, bumper carts with the shopping buggies. It clears the feint of heart out of our way as we begin our anaerobic sprints up and down the shopping isles.

Here is WHY I consider this an important part of our relationship. She THINKS like I do. She wants things to be brilliantly simple. This was apparent the moment I rifled into the basket an item that was on our shopping list, the SALSA for our Mexican flavored heuvos, in the morning.

Salsa

After completing an 8-foot “jumper” that would have made Kobe proud, April asks, “WHAT did you just put in there?” To which I replied, “Salsa.”

April asked, “Are you sure?” To which I retort, “is there anything I am unsure about, ever?”

April then asks me, “What are the ingredients to a good salsa?” After my normal sarcasm of “SALS and SA,” I rattle off, “Tomatoes, Cilantro, Onion, and bit of vinegar.”

She says, “Ahhh, just the way I like it. Fresh and simple. What is in that jar you just put in the basket?”

I read it off, “Diced Tomatoes in Tomato Juice [calcium Chloride, Citric Acid], Tomatoes, Mangoes, Peach Concentrate, Tomato Paste, Onions, Garlic, Brown Sugar, Dried Red Chilies, Cider Vinegar, Chipotle in Adobo [chipotle Peppers, Tomato, Salt, Paprika, Vinegar and Spices], Orange Juice Concentrate, Cilantro, Salt, Natural Flavors. All Natural.” Natural flavors and ALL NATURAL should send off warning flares of “something isn’t exactly right.”

She then asks me about some of the other items in my basket, to which I began to say what they were based on the title of the packaging, only to be interrupted with about THE smartest thing I’ve ever heard when it comes to nutritional shopping, “What I like to do, big fella (she still knows how to get to me after years of marriage) is keep the ingredients to the title of the package. In other words, your salsa recipe is far exceeded with unnecessary stuff in your store-bought plan. If I want chicken, I want to read the side of the package to find one word on the ingredient, ‘Chicken,’ or as you like to say…Peanut Butter should consist of peanuts and butter.” Touché, back at me.

Simply put, with all the new diets out there today to confuse us, to whatever else becomes popular, make sure what you’re putting in your shopping cart is the exact thing that is on the ingredient list on the side of the package. If the ingredients far out number the actual items in the cart, RETHINK your nutritional plan.

Curried Shrimp

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:02:00 -0500

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon curry powder
1-1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup plain low-fat or Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, optional
1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen pineapple or mango
2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or basil leaves, plus additional for
garnish
1 cup chopped roasted cashews, almonds or peanuts (optional)
2 tablespoons lightly toasted coconut (optional)

Preparation:

Place a skillet over medium heat and when it is hot, add the oil.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook until soft and light golden, about 5 minutes. Add the curry and cook 1 minute.
Sprinkle the shrimp with the salt and pepper and add the shrimp and tomatoes to the skillet. Cook 2 minutes.
Put the yogurt and chicken broth in a small bowl or cup and mix well.
Slowly add the yogurt mixture to the pan, stirring all the while and cook until just heated through, about 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to low and cook for five minutes. Add the pineapple and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.
Serve immediately, on top of cauliflower rice or kelp noodles, garnished with the cilantro, cashews and coconut.

Kale Salad with Lemon Chicken & Quinoa

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:45:00 -0500

Kale Salad with Chicken & Quinoa

Ingredients:

1-2 cups kale, ribbed and stems removed
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1/2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into cubes
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped into thin stripes
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1-2 tablespoons almonds, chopped
salt + pepper to taste
Optional: 1/4 – 1/2 avocado

Preparation:

In large serving bowl, add the kale and olive oil and a little salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes.
For the dressing, whisk together lemon juice, honey and season with salt & pepper. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add quinoa, chicken, basil and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Mix together.
Mix in the quinoa/chicken mixture and tomatoes to the bowl of kale.
Drizzle the lemon and honey dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle with almonds and enjoy!
Makes 1 big salad

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:14:00 -0500

Ingredients

1 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon crushed garlic
½ teaspoon garlic salt
olive oil (optional)
pizza sauce, shredded cheese and choice of your toppings*

Instructions

To "rice" the Cauliflower: Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself. One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be used to make additional pizza crusts immediately, or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, crushed garlic and garlic salt, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9" round. Optional: Brush olive oil over top of mixture to help with browning.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven.

To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

*Note: Toppings need to be precooked since you are only broiling for a few minutes.

Quinoa Mac 'N' Chesse

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:15:00 -0500

Ingredients:

1 C. rinsed whole-grain quinoa
11/2 C. low sodium veggie broth
2 medium leeks
2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp salt
2 large eggs
¼ C. crumbled fat-free feta cheese
¼ C. light garlic & herb cream cheese
1 Tbsp non-fat milk
¼ C. grated parmesan cheese
Cooking spray
4 garlic whole wheat bagel chips, crumbled

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot, combine quinoa and vegetable broth, then cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, roughly chop only the white and light green part of the leeks and discard the leaves. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick sauté for 2 minutes or until soft. Using a paper towel, squeeze excess water from spinach, add to pan, and sauté 3 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in thyme, parsley, pepper, and salt. Set aside. Full resting quinoa with a fork.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and feta together; set aside. Place cream cheese and milk in a small microwavable bowl and heat in the microwave on high for 30 sec., then whisk to combine. Mix in Parmesan, spoon mixture into a zip-top sandwich bag, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Add cooled quinoa to spinach and leek mixture; toss to combine, then stir in egg mixture until combined. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and pile quinoa mixture into dish. Squeeze cream cheese evenly over quinoa. Scatter bagel crumbs on top and mist lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information: (4 1 C. servings) Calories 288, Fat 10g, Carbs 30g, Protein 17g, Fiber 3g, Sodium 746mg

Quinoa Porridge with Blueberries & Pecans

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:39:00 -0500

Nutritionally, quinoa might be considered a super grain--although it is not really a grain, but the seed of a leafy plant that's distantly related to spinach. Quinoa has excellent reserves of Protein, and unlike other grains, is not missing the amino acid lysine, so the protein is more complete (a trait it shares with other "non-true" grains such as buckwheat and amaranth). The World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in quinoa at least equivalent to that in milk. Quinoa offers more iron than other grains and contains high levels of potassium and riboflavin, as well as other B vitamins: B6, niacin, and thiamin. It is also a good source of magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, and has some folate (folic acid).

An ancient grainlike product that has recently been "rediscovered" in this country, quinoa has a light, delicate taste, and can be substituted for almost any other grain.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup milk or unsweetened almond milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 dash cinnamon
1 tablespoon maple syrup or stevia
1/4 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (toasting optional)

Preparations:

Bring the quinoa, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and maple syrup or stevia to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.
Mix in the blueberries remove from heat and top with the pecans.

Nutrition Facts: (one serving w/ stevia and almond milk)

234 Calories, 27 carbs, 12g fat, 6g protein, 4g sugar, 157mg sodium

Peanut Butter-Banana Frozen Yogurt

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:26:00 -0600

Ingredients:

1 ripe banana
1 container Chobani 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
1-2 packets stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon peanut butter

Preparation:

1. Blend all ingredients in a Magic Bullet or blender; transfer to a freezer-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze.

2. Remove from the freezer; dip the bottom of the bowl in hot water so the frozen yogurt can slide right out. Turn the frozen yogurt out onto a cutting board and cut it into big chunks; transfer it back to the blender and pulse a few times to break it up, then process until smooth and creamy.

3. Spoon the frozen yogurt into a bowl and top with whatever your heart desires.

Nutrition Facts:

Servings: 2. Calories: 155; Fat: 4 grams; Carbs: 19 grams; Protein: 11.5 grams

Improve Body Image, Improve your Body

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 22:17:00 -0600

I don't typically just post other people stuff. But I ran across this and thought it was really awesome.

Improve your Body Image. Improve your Body.

We’re bombarded with images of unattainable, unrealistic, and unhealthy beauty. Start with an average model, who has a BMI of 16.5. Add lots of computer software and hours of editing. You end up with a distorted, imaginary, arguably non-human view of what purports to be a “normal” and beautiful body.

For some perspective, at my height of 5’8″ (173 cm), I would have to weigh 107.5 lb to have a BMI of 16.5. Since my normal weight is about 140 lb, I would have to lose all my body fat plus nearly 10 pounds of lean body tissue.

Then of course, I’d be airbrushed into oblivion. (To get an idea what is possible with digital enhancement, take a look at a weight loss session done with Adobe Photoshop software).

But here’s the paradox. Bizarrely, impossibly thin images are all around us. Yet more people are overweight and obese than ever before. Seems odd. You’d think that having more pressure would push people into the direction of losing weight, but the opposite is happening instead. Why?

Being a biologist I like to think that biology matters and can explain things more than, say, squishy things like feelings and perceptions. So I might have argued that weight loss was simply energy in (food) versus energy out (movement).

Looks like us geeks might have been a little simplistic.

In this week’s research review, we see that for people struggling with their weight, how they see their body is just as important as — if not more important than — the biology of their body.

Body image: evaluation and investment

We all went through an awkward stage as a teenagers. Heck, you may still be in an awkward stage 30 years later.

Looking in the mirror or fretting over a picture. Is that what I really look like?! The horror! If I could just lose/gain x pounds, lift this, and tuck that, THEN I would be happy. You know the drill.

Body image is how we perceive our physical appearance — good or bad — as well as how important your body perceptions are to you. Body image is separated into two parts (aka attitudinal dimensions):

1. Evaluative body image: How you think and feel you look, as well as how happy you are with your body. This is your cognitive appraisal and associated emotions (aka what you think or feel). It doesn’t necessarily mean this is reality.

2. Body image investment: How important body image is to you and how much body image affects your daily life. Being preoccupied with the way your body looks (body concern) is a hallmark of dysfunctional body image investment. Another part of body image investment is social physique anxiety, which makes you anxious in social settings and during interactions with others because you feel that others are judging your body.

So, you might not like your body much (evaluation) but not really care an awful lot (investment). This might mean you treat your body like an ugly but necessary inconvenience, like having to clean out the cat’s litter box. Gross, but what are ya gonna do, you think.

Or, you might think you look great (evaluation) and find that greatness really, really important as well (investment), which might mean that you spend a lot of time being afraid of losing that hot bod.

Of course, many of us have the worst of both worlds. We don’t like our bodies, and because we’re so invested in body image, our perceived-grotesque physiques make us want to hide under a rock.

Whether evaluation and/or investment, we tend to think of “body image” as something that happens inside our head. But could it affect our actual bodies?

What role does body image play in weight loss?

In this week’s review, I look at whether improving body image may help women lose weight over a year-long behaviour change program.

Carraça EV, Silva MN, Markland D, Vieira PN, Minderico CS, Sardinha LB, Teixeira PJ. Body image change and improved eating self-regulation in a weight management intervention in women. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011 Jul 18;8:75.

Methods

A group of obese women went through a year-long weight loss program that focused on behaviour changes.

You may be thinking, Well aren’t all weight loss programs behaviour changes? Yes, but this one focused on self-regulation of eating (with an approach known as self-determination theory) rather than calorie counting or specific meal plans.

Now, I get that it’s often easier to let other people make decisions for you. However, the advantage of self-regulated eating is that mindful, voluntary and self-directed eating is more sustainable long-term, while fostering independence. You learn the skills you need to eat better… for life… without someone else looking over your shoulder.

Scary at first, but a lot more sustainable and useful. (Trust us. We’ve helped thousands of clients.)

Self-regulation

Several factors guide self-regulation of eating:

confidence that you can do it (eating self-efficacy);
consciously controlled eating that isn’t too rigid (highly flexible cognitive restraint );
less emotional eating; less eating triggered by specific situations; and less eating because of habits (reduced disinhibition including emotional, situational and habitual cues); and
less perceived hunger.

The women also increased their level of physical activity, but as with the eating, there were no specific prescriptions for what to do each day.

Body image sessions

Half the women also went to body image enhancement sessions to improve their body acceptance and satisfaction (evaluative body image) and decrease their over-preoccupation with appearance (investment in body image).

Exercises to improve body acceptance and evaluation included:

looking at a mirror and systematically looking at body parts;
making realistic goals and expectations for their bodies; and
creating a realistic ideal body based on their parents’ weight history and their body type.

Exercises to improve investment in appearance included:

understanding body image;
finding the cause of the disorder (what situations — social and personal — triggered dysfunction?);
keeping a diary to record negative self-talk and the feelings it causes;
helping the women to cope with prejudice;
helping the women let go of the belief they need to look different in order to be happy.

How do you measure body image?

You might be wondering how you measure body image and the different parts that make it up. There are a series of questionnaires and scales to indicate someone’s body image.

For evaluative body image, one of the more interesting and easy scales to use and understand is the figure rating scale (Figure 1). This provides a series of body outlines numbered 1 (very thin) to 9 (very heavy).

Participants pick the number they think fits their actual body size, and then they pick the number that represents their ideal body size. The bigger the difference (self-ideal discrepancy) the more body image issues a participant has.

Keep in mind this is perceived body size, not real body size. People may actually be their ideal body size but not think so. If you think you’re a 9 on the scale but you’re really a 1, you’ve definitely got a problem.

Body image investment is assessed using questionnaires that ask things like:

How often do you feel fat when taking a bath?
How often has your body shape/size kept you from concentrating?
How nervous do you feel about your body in social settings?

Figure 1: Figure Rating Scale. From Bhuiyan et al, 2003.

Results

Improved body image

The body image sessions worked. The women in these sessions improved both evaluative body image and body image investment.

Improved eating self-regulation & weight loss

Improving body image also improved eating self-regulation. With better eating, there was better weight loss.

The body image group lost 7.3% of their body weight, while the control group lost only 1.7% of their body weight.

It makes sense that better eating means more weight loss, but seems odd that a better body image would help weight loss. Wouldn’t you think that people should lose weight first… and then feel better about their bodies?

Not in this case. The group that got care, counselling, and compassion kicked ass. Goes against the drill sergeant/tough love approach, doesn’t it?

Using a mathematical model (partial least squares) the researchers found that changes in body image investment was a little more important for weight loss than body image evaluation. In other words, to lose weight, it’s more important to let go of rigid investment in body size and shape than it is to always feel great about yourself.

(After all, remember our hypothetical people who feel good about their body, but are afraid of losing it? They’re much more likely to rigidly control their eating and exercise, which sets them up for problems like diet rebounds, exercise compulsions, and binge eating later on. Plus, if you’re not as invested in your body image, you realize that small things like day-to-day weight fluctuations aren’t that big a deal.)

Conclusion

You’d think people would be motivated to change if they were unhappy with their body. In fact, the opposite is true: Greater body image dissatisfaction actually hinders weight loss.

You may need a certain amount of dissatisfaction with your current body if you want to change it, but more isn’t better. Pointing out that someone is overweight or obese, or beating up on yourself, doesn’t make you more motivated. Nor does it help you get leaner.

Want to lose weight?

Stop obsessing about your body. If possible, try to get “outside yourself” — into a bigger world full of activities, experiences, social causes, and other things more interesting than whether you can see your abs.
Pursue self-acceptance, self-care and self-compassion… not self-criticism.
Pay more attention to what you eat — eat slowly and mindfully.
Move your body more.

Simple, but not necessarily easy.

Healthy Eating: Tips and Tricks for a Nutrition Transition

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:58:00 -0600

Nutrition Tip 1: Don’t Do It Alone

The most important step to successfully transitioning to healthier eating is to establish a strong network of support in preparation for your journey. Breaking old habits and making healthier lifestyle changes is a difficult task, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. By enlisting support from family, friends and a health and fitness professional, you will get started on the right path to continued nutrition success. A nutrition specialist can help you evaluate your goals and set a plan in motion, one that is smart – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely – to your particular lifestyle.

Nutrition Tip 2: You Bite It, You Write It

The simple act of writing down and keeping track of all food or beverages that enter your mouth will increase awareness of the amount and variety of foods you eat each day. Keeping an Accountability Food Journal is the best tool available to help increase your consciousness regarding the foods you eat. A journal also enables you to analyze the circumstances that contribute to making less healthy food choices. Journaling should be as specific as possible and include the date, time, amount of food, situation and hunger level. Your journal will not only help you keep track of your daily food consumption, but also serve as an insightful follow up tool to share with your nutrition professional. The information in your journal will enable your nutritionist to identify which foods are working for you, as well as which foods and circumstances are barriers that may be getting in the way of attaining your healthy eating goals.

Nutrition Tip 3: Take Baby Steps

Few people are successful with major lifestyle changes when they dive in head first. The best strategy to achieve major goals in life is to break the goal down into small doable steps. For instance, if your goal is to improve your eating habits and you have a problem eating too much high fat, high calorie fast food (and you truly enjoy the food), then it would probably not be realistic to cut it out completely. Instead, you would work with your nutrition consultant to come up with a better plan, one that is doable for you such as cutting back on fast food consumption or even choosing healthier fare at fast food restaurants. Rome was not built in one day and neither should your transition to healthier eating.

Nutrition Tip 4: Focus on the Positive

Some people equate healthy eating with deprivation and eliminating favorite foods from your diet. To keep your nutrition transition from stalling before you take the first step, give yourself the gift of positive thinking and keep your momentum toward healthy eating moving strong. Instead of putting the sole focus on eliminating foods from your day, switch your mindset to a more positive approach…what healthy foods can you add into your day? For example, if you want to cut back on your red meat consumption, perhaps commit to eating a vegetarian dinner on Mondays (Meatless Mondays); or reserve one day a week dedicated to trying different kinds of fish from around the world (Fish Fridays). Have fun with it and make your journey to healthy eating an adventure.

Tip 5: Break it Down

A marathon (26.2 miles) is run one step at a time. Many people fail in making the transition to a healthier lifestyle when they take the all or nothing approach. The key to successfully making this transition is to work with your support team to embrace the opportunities, work through the challenges and learn from your mistakes during each step of the journey. By breaking your nutrition transition plan down into one step, one meal and one day at a time, you will cross that finish line healthier and happier.

Fitness Together

Do some spring cleaning by starting now to make a healthy nutrition transition. Start off on the right foot for your healthy eating journey by contacting your local Fitness Together nutrition professional today. With Fitness Together’s Nutrition Together program, you will receive all the help and support you need including a detailed roadmap to eating healthy, eating light and eating often—in tandem with your exercise routine. Let Fitness Together support you as you take the right steps to “spring” into action!

AFRICAN SWEET POTATO STEW

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:59:00 -0600

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
2 jalapenos (or to taste), seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons minced or powdered ginger
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups water or vegetable broth
2.5 pounds sweet potatoes (~6 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
2 14.5 ounce cans drained chopped tomatoes
2 14.5 ounce cans drained chickpeas
1 pound green beans, fresh or frozen, cut in 2 inch pieces
Â ¼ cup natural peanut butter or almond butter(or more to taste
1 bunch cilantro

Directions

Place chopped onion, chopped jalapenos and all seasonings with 3 cups of water or vegetable broth in crock pot over medium heat [experiment with different seasonings, consider substituting curry]. Then chop Sweet potatoes.

Add sweet potatoes, drained tomatoes, drained chickpeas, and peanut butter and mix well. Cook over medium heat until done, ~4-6 hours on medium to low heat. May be left in crock pot for hours. (On stove top, bring to a boil, then simmer until done). Add additional water as needed.

15 minutes prior to serving, add green beans (thawed or fresh) and half a cup chopped cilantro and mix.

Serve with cilantro as garnish.
Makes 8 , very filling, 1.5 cup servings

Eating on the Go

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 20:50:00 -0600

Eating on the Go

To most people, the key to physique success, no matter what their goals are, lies in an eating plan. Although we all know diet is crucial, few trainees actually create an eating program that supports their hard work in the gym and their physical aesthetic goals. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve seen men and women bring in clip boards and binders with all these prescribed routines and charts and formulas while recording every set, rep, weight, number of steps from the thigh abductor machine to the bicep curl machine. And despite all the time and energy they put into the training, they get home and just eat the first thing they see and then continue the next day eating just whatever. This makes no sense to me.

Now there are others that do plan their diets well. However, life hits them with distractions and scheduling issues that don’t align with their good eating plan. Maybe you wake up late for work one day and don’t have time to pack that lunch. Maybe you forgot to throw your ice packs back in the freezer and they’re still sitting in the cooler that you’d normally take to work with your lunch in. Or perhaps you’re invited out for a lunch date with that person you’ve been attracted to. Let me warn the guys reading this…for some reason, women don’t think it’s romantic to be invited out to the parking lot to share canned tuna, sweet potato, and bottled water.

One trick is to have a few packets of protein powder or a high protein meal replacement packet and a shaker cup stashed in your desk ready to use. Or meal replacement bars are pretty easy to keep in your desk or office or car (depending on the heat outside). Remember that the last thing you want to do is to skip eating all day. This is horrible for the blood sugar, for physique goals, for staying in a good mood, etc.

You're headed out to a business lunch for some wheeling and dealing. It doesn't matter if you're trying to close a big business deal or just taking the cute intern out for a get-to-know-you lunch. Either way it's clear that Tupperware, chicken, and rice aren't going to project the image you're looking for. So you'll probably be headed out to a decent restaurant. Nicer restaurants are full of great opportunities to stick to your meal plan and eat something maybe a little different than you're normally used to eating. The easiest thing to order is a grilled chicken salad with at least a double order of chicken. Or if you’re a guy and afraid ordering a chicken salad is going to run your testosterone having, fight watching, rock climbing with no protective gear manliness then order big strip steak or some kind of fish steak. If your diet calls for low carbs, you can always substitute a salad or broccoli and beans for that baked potato that they're going to melt six pounds of butter all over anyway.

You've brought no food and it's lunchtime. Or maybe you're headed out to lunch with some buddies to the closest place with food. Turns out the closest place with food is a fast-food dive. Believe it or not, you can get a decent meal there, too. It may not fit exactly into your eating specifications, but you have to be flexible. After all, you can't not eat.

An old favorite of mine is to eat three or four hamburgers. Just put all the burgers between one set of buns and toss the rest. Another option is to get a salad and a couple of grilled chicken sandwiches and toss all the buns. Put the chicken on the lettuce and you've got a nice chicken salad! Alternatively, I also like a big bowl of Wendy's chili and their chicken salad. That makes for a decent meal in a pinch.

Now, don't get me wrong, fast food isn't the best option if you're trying to keep those abs looking like etched marble, but what's the alternative? All day long catabolism? I'll take the fast food every time. Just don't do it very often and when you do, eat smart.

Let’s say you decide on a road trip and too far down the road to turn around, you realize you forgot your stash of food. More than likely there's going be some rest stops along the way. Just about every supermarket, gas station, convenience store, and rest stop sells beef jerky and mixed nuts. Pick yourself up a couple of pieces of beef jerky and a small bag of nuts and/or seeds. Yes I know that there’s a lot of sodium in beef jerky. Remember though, we’re not making this a habit. And, no, Slim Jims are not beef jerkey. Get the real stuff.

When ordering foods that have condiments and dressings, keep the mayo off and order the salad dressings on the side.

Many restaurants and even fast food joints will give you a little sheet listing the macronutrient and caloric values. Just be careful of many places' "healthy choice" dishes. Some of these places only keep the fat content in mind when they label something "healthy". Thus a steaming plate of pasta served with white bread is on the healthy side of the menu. This is not healthy as you’re getting really no protein and a quick rise in blood sugar.

Obviously restaurant foods and fast foods aren’t the idea choice. But there are times when we have no choice. And there are times when it’s just nice to go out with friends and family. Just remember to make wise choices along the way.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

Gyro Salad

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:14:00 -0600

GYRO SALAD
Makes about 2 lbs

INGREDIENTS

1 lb ground lamb
1 lb ground turkey (or more lamb)
1 small onion
4 garlic cloves
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
2 Tbs fresh oregano leaves
1 Tbs ground coriander
1/2 Tbs ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Puree the onion, garlic, vinegar, oregano, and spices in a food processor until smooth.
Thoroughly combine the onion puree, ground lamb, and ground turkey, using your hands.
Form it into a flat-ish loaf shape. Cook in a crock pot on low for 5-6 hours. Alternately, you could probably bake it at 325 for 60-90 minutes or until done.
Let it cool thoroughly overnight in the refrigerator.
To serve, cut into slices, brush the slices with olive oil, and broil until crisp. Serve over Greek salad with tzatziki sauce.

Greek Salad with Tzatziki Sauce (cucumber yogurt dressing)

Ingredients: Salad

Mixed Baby Greens
Grape tomatoes, halved
Thinly sliced red onion
Thinly sliced, or diced green bell pepper
Sliced Banana Peppers
Pitted Kalamata Olives, halved
Crumbled feta cheese
Oil and Red Wine vinegar for serving

Tzatziki Sauce

1 7oz. container of plain greek yogurt
Half a cucumber peeled, seeded, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove minced, or a pinch of garlic powder
2 Tbsp of fresh minced dill, or dried dill
Sea Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Combine all salad ingredients and dress with oil and vinegar
Whisk all Tzatziki ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.

Go Outside Your Comfort Zone

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:49:00 -0600

Breaking through these false limits can also lead you to be more consistent about your workout regimen.

“Intensity is by far the most important factor affecting increases in, and maintenance of, cardio fitness,” notes Jeffrey M. Janot, PhD, technical editor of the IDEA Fitness Journal. “Although we do not know the exact level of intensity that provides optimal health and fitness benefits, we know the optimal range and that it is directly related to exercise program adherence. You may not enjoy an exercise program if you get sore or injured because the intensity is too high. On the other hand, you can grow bored with a program if intensity is below the optimal range and you aren’t improving.”

Why push your limits in your workout regimen?

The body is wired to adapt to routine. Once your body gets used to a routine of walking 2 miles a day, for example, you’ll likely see less or slower weight loss than when you first began that routine. Extensive research has shown that to keep seeing results from an exercise routine, it’s essential to continually include intervals of higher stress and demand on the muscles and cardiovascular system.

Many people work out only hard enough to maintain their existing weight and physique. Going outside your comfort zone includes adding some intense workout challenges to build muscle and get stronger, faster, leaner. That doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon or work out 6 hours a day to lose weight or reach your goals. The point is to keep adding new challenges and different ways of pushing past your limits for speed, distance, weight you can heft, etc.

Why don't more people go "outside the lines" with their workouts?

Challenging yourself is uncomfortable by nature. It’s normal to feel a sense of fear or angst when you think about pushing beyond the places where you usually stop, ease up, or take a break. Common fears include whether you can handle an intense “burn” in your muscles and not get injured; or feeling embarrassed about getting out of breath, or even sweating more than you’re used to.

Can a personal trainer help you break through that fear — without yelling at you?

Yes! A great personal trainer should confidently instill in you the belief that you can do this.

“We know they can, even though you might not know it yet,” says Russ Yeager, owner of Fitness Together in Atlanta. “The empowerment our clients gain once they actually do it is awesome. We recently helped a client who at first could barely get through a workout and was very self-conscious. She’s now lost 50 pounds and did a 3.5 mile hike with a straight-up climb at the end!”

You or your personal trainer can determine your optimal cardio exercise intensity range via a number of methods including percent of maximum heart rate, the “talk test,” or rating of perceived exertion (RPE). Whether you’re training for a triathlon, hitting a weight loss plateau or ready to give up on ever having toned upper arms, one-on-one training can help you go where your mind has never let you go before.

Surf-N-Turf Lettuce Tacos with Guacamole

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:53:00 -0600

Ingredients:

1lb. lean ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1lb of raw shrimp
1 head butter leaf lettuce (try the living gourmet variety it last a long time)
½ medium jicama cut into matchsticks
2 medium carrots peeled and julienned
2 medium tomatoes diced
Guacamole (optional)

Preparation

Brown the ground beef, drain off excess fat and add seasoning packet
Sautee the shrimp, which should only take a few minutes
Prep veggies while meat is browning
Rinse and dry off lettuce leafs and put out toppings and let everyone build their own tacos

Fresh Guacamole

Ingredients:

2 large ripe avocados
Juice of 1-2 fresh limes
Finely chopped fresh cilantro
Garlic powder to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 roma tomatoes seeded and finely diced
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Halve the avocados remove the seed scoop the fruit out of the skin into medium mixing bowl. Add in tomatoes and remaining ingredients to your own personal taste.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:46:00 -0600

Ingredients:

2 onions, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons of butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1/2 ounce of dried mixed wild mushrooms, rinsed and minced (use all dried porcini mushrooms if you have it)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1.5 pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved if small or quartered if large (dried versions are a good cheap option just rehydrate them)
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup organic chicken broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken

thighs

1/4 chopped fresh basil (optional)

Preparation:

Sautee onions and garlic in butter until translucent 3-5 minutes then add oregano, wild mushrooms, and red pepper flakes sautee another 2-3 minutes
Then place these ingredients in the crock pot/slow cooker then stir in the cremini mushrooms, tomato paste, broth, and wine.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into the crock pot
Set the crock pot on low and let cook for 4-6 hours
When ready to eat garnish with chopped fresh basil (optional)

Nutritional Info: Makes 6 serving; Calories 233, Carbs 10g, Fat 11g, Protein 24g, Sugar 4g, Sodium 290mg

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:49:00 -0600

High Fructose Corn Syrup

The lies about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are getting out of control. "It's made from corn," they say. "It's nutritionally the same as sugar." What they should be telling you is HFCS is the enemy of your midsection.

Fact #1: HFCS Isn't the Only Problem Sugar.

Any sugar that contains fructose is especially problematic from a health perspective. Despite its name, HFCS isn't as "high-fructose" as you might think. Depending on the type, it's generally 42 to 55 percent fructose. The former is common to solid foods, and the latter to beverages. Just as the PR jackals claim, it's chemically similar to table sugar, which is 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose.

Although these sugars don't have the extremely high glycemic index of raw glucose, they do cause a combination of hyper-insulinemia and aberrant intracellular metabolism, which in turn creates the double-whammy of lipogenesis (fat creation) and glycation (gummed up body proteins). More on all this later. For now, it's enough to know that fructose-containing sugars are not so good.

Fact #2: The source of the sugar makes all the difference.

Liquid sources lead to higher blood sugar swings than to solid meals, liquids are themselves a consideration. And liquid sources of calories aren’t near as filling as food so we’re likely to over consume on calories since the signal for being full isn’t there. In other words, we’re still likely to eat just as much but now we have the added calories from the liquid source.

And, keep in mind, all calories are not created equal.

Sure, you can find data that HFCS beverages are not different in value than sucrose (or other sugar drinks of equal breakdown) drinks, or even milk, but we really need to consider the type of nutrients in those drinks. If they all similarly create positive energy balance, I think I'll choose nutrient-rich milk.

Straight liquid carbs like high-fructose corn syrup or sucrose solutions are digested and metabolized in a particular way, and they're the number one choice of thirsty Americans. Sports supplement drinks and popular beverages are loaded with them. We've all read labels that say, "contains less than 5 percent juice." This is marketing-speak for "fake."

Fact #3: Metabolic mayhem ensues after HFCS ingestion.

Let me ask you this: where in nature can you find a HFCS plant? Or where could our ancestors quickly consume 100 grams of sugar? Nowhere, that’s where. It’s not natural. I find it amazing we’ve come accustomed to feeling ‘normal’ after drinking a super big gulp from 7-11.

When a human being quickly introduces that much sugar, his body does what it must: turn it into triglycerides (fat). For those of you that have read through some of my blog entries might be wondering if I just made a mis-statement. The thinking tends to be (and is mostly true) that if you don’t over consume calories, they won’t be stored as fat. However, reading through some of Dr. Lowery’s works, he’s seen some disturbing blood work after ingestion of a fat-free, high-fructose meal, in which the subjects' blood values looked like they had just wolfed down some fried chicken. How can this be?

Fructose really turns up the lipogenesis (accumulation of fat very simply put) by bypassing the most important regulatory enzyme in our carbohydrate biochemistry, PFK-1. This supplies our bodies with a bountiful supply of acetyl-CoA and glycerol, the building blocks of fat.

Fact #6: HFCS is fattening, and it's everywhere.

I wouldn’t put fat accumulation and HFCS as a cause-and-effect situation. But the HFCS-obesity relationship is suspicious indeed. HFCS consumption has grown 10-fold in recent decades to a whopping 9% of the U.S. calorie intake. And we all know what's happened to the obesity numbers in that time period. And it seems like HFCS is in everything…granola bars, sports drinks, cereals, and really just a ton of anything that’s been artificially sweetened.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

References:

1. Bray, G., et al. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Apr;79(4):537-43.

2. Buchholz AC, Schoeller DA. Is a calorie a calorie? Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):899S-906S.

3. DellaValle, D., et al. Does the consumption of caloric and non-caloric beverages with a meal affect energy intake? Appetite. 2005 Apr;44(2):187-93

4. Mayes, P. Intermediary metabolism of fructose. Am J Clin Nutr 1993 Nov;58(5 Suppl):754S-765S fructose lipogenic

5. Lowery Ph.D., Lonny

Your Friends and Your Physique

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:38:00 -0600

In the video below, Dr. Nicholas Christakis, a pioneer in the field of health and social networks, talks about the extremely powerful (and virtually hidden) influence that our social network exerts on our actions, attitudes, and – ultimately – who we become.

He even goes so far as to demonstrate that our own body size (as well as our happiness in life) is strongly influenced by our friends. Check it out and get prepared to be blown away:

I mean, I can understand this relationship where if our friends are obese we have a 45% higher chance of being obese ourselves. However, it’s crazy to think that even our friends’ friends – and our friends’ friends’ friends – can impact our likelihood of obesity too.

In addition, it’s really fascinating to me that not only our body size – but our attitudes and actions, even our very own happiness – is part of a collective set of attitudes and actions shared by the people that we know and the people that they know.

If the people you spend the most time with are critical in your own growth and development as a person – as well as your own attitude toward everything from the food you eat, to the exercise you choose, to the hobbies you spend your time on – if you want to improve something about yourself, it’s probably important to consider your social network in the equation.

Because, here’s the good news. If sickness, obesity, and unhappiness are all contagious – so are health, leanness, and happiness. And by including more healthy, lean, and happy people into your social network, your chances of improving the way you look, feel, and perform will skyrocket.

Mini Mexican Pizzas with Creamy Guac-de-Gallo

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:35:00 -0600

Ingredients:

3-4 large whole wheat tortilla’s, or enough to cut out 12 small circles (I prefer low carb/high fiber tortillas)
1 cup lean ground turkey, cooked (OR lean ground beef OR 1 cup Morning Star Meatless Crumbles)
1/2 cup salsa of choice (I used one with corn)
2 tsp dry taco seasoning
1/2 cup low fat refried beans
1/2 cup low fat shredded mexican blend or 2% cheddar cheese
Optional Toppings: sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, low fat

sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, and use an empty can, glass cup, or cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap.
Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. (Note: it doesn’t have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!)
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ground meat, salsa, taco seasoning, and refried beans. Stir until well combined.
Scoop 1/8th cup of meat mixture into each wrap.
Top with shredded cheese, (dividing evenly between each pizza), and olives if desired.
Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Wait for mini Mexican pizzas to cool, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizzas should pop out with ease!

Serve with a side of salsa, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and/or shredded lettuce if desired!

Nutriton facts: Servings: 12 mini Mexican pizzas; Calories: 60 calories each

Creamy Guaca-De-Gallo

Ingredients:

2 avocados, pitted
½ C Greek yogurt
½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
1 tomato seeds removed and diced
¼ C diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ c lime juice
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Spoon avocado flesh out of skins and place in a medium bowl. Using a fork, mash avocados but keep slightly chunky. Add yogurt and mix in.
Grate cucumber and place in a colander . Using your hands, squeeze out liquid and allow it to drain away. (You can also use cheesecloth or a tea towel to squeeze out liquid.)
Add cucumber to avocado and yogurt mixture. Add tomato and rest of ingredients, and stir to thoroughly combine. Serve with baked pita chips or baked tortilla chips.

Nutrition Facts: Servings 12x ¼ C; Calories 68; Fat 5g; protein 2g; carbs 5g; fiber 3g; sodium 138mg

Time for Kitchen Makeover!

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:13:00 -0600

What is a kitchen makeover and why is it important?

Berardi’s First Law:

If a food is in your possession or located in your residence, either you, someone you love, or someone you marginally tolerate will eventually eat it.

In other words, keep only food or drinks that you should actually consume.

If a food and/or drink isn’t conducive to your goals, why would you keep it? If it isn’t helping you reach your goals, you don’t need it.

A kitchen makeover gets rid of the non-nutritious stuff and/or foods that trigger you to engage in poor eating behaviours. Then it replaces the junk with a bounty of health-promoting foods.

A kitchen makeover helps you stay in control and on track. You don’t want to be deciding between ice cream and spinach while standing in front of the fridge at T-minus 15 minutes to dinner time. Food decisions in our kitchen need to be foolproof.

A kitchen makeover helps you plan and structure healthy eating. You’ll appreciate having a safe home base after returning from the “food war-zone,” also known as modern society.

How to do it

Gather all the unhealthy foods from your fridge and pantry. Get a few big garbage bags.

If a certain food has redeeming qualities, then you can take it to a local food bank or soup kitchen. If it’s complete junk, trash it. Get it out of the house.

If you think it’s junk, it is.

Think about this: Would you dig through a dumpster for dinner? No? Why not? Because the food in there isn’t very good for you. It might be expired, rancid, full of bacteria, or at the very least covered in crud. It’s garbage.

So why would you eat foods that have no nutritional value — and which actively take away from your health? How is that different from dumpster diving?

If you are still in doubt, use these guidelines.

Here’s a general idea of what we mean. Do you have any of the following at home?

Obvious junk foods

Chips
Cheezies
Chocolates or candy
Soda/pop/sweetened drinks
Alcohol, especially flavoured/sweetened mixed drinks (although small amounts of red wine may have health benefits)
Instant foods like cake mixes and mashed potatoes
Margarine and other processed fats
Most frozen dinners
Most take-out or restaurant leftovers
Bowls of candy or other snacks sitting around
Flavoured nuts (e.g. beer nuts)

Trick foods

These are foods that seem healthy but aren’t. They’ve gone from something good (whole, unprocessed food) to something that a machine barfed out, something that’s full of sugar and chemicals, and/or something that’s had all its original nutrients stripped out. (No, it’s not “healthy” because it says “fruit”. Check the label.)

Sweetened yogurt and frozen yogurt
Breads and bagels, unless they’re made exclusively with whole grains
Other baked goods
Breakfast cereals
Crackers, even the whole grain ones
Fruit, cereal, and/or granola bars
Regular peanut butter
Fruit juice

A good rule here is to check the labels. Look for forms of sugar such as high fructose corn syrup as well as hydrogenated oil, fractioned oil, and preservatives.

And if a product loudly proclaims its health benefits on its label… it’s probably not that good for you. “Organic” sugar is still sugar. A Fruit Roll-Up isn’t an actual piece of fruit any more than a cardboard box is actually a spaceship… no matter how much you pretend.

Stuff you wouldn’t even think about

This is even more challenging than the so-called “healthier” foods in the “trick food” list, because you don’t think about these things being bad for you… or think about them at all. (How much time do you spend thinking about BBQ sauce, anyway?)

Thus, most of these just pass under our radar. Until we read the labels and discover that they’re sugar and chemical bombs. Or just not “food” at all.

Condiments such as BBQ sauce and other sweetened sauces
Sweetened relishes, mustards, and ketchup
Salad dressings
Bread crumbs, croutons, and other dried bread products
Processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon, and deli meats
Spreads such as Cheez Whiz or sweetened cream cheeses

Another way to figure out what you don’t want

When in doubt ask yourself a few questions:

Does this food come in a bag, box, or plastic package?
Does it have more than a couple of ingredients on the label?
Can you pronounce all of those ingredients?
How far away is this food from what it used to be? (And do you even know what it used to be?)
Is this food perishable? Just about anything good for you goes bad quickly.

Obviously, there are exceptions, but for the most part, the above foods aren’t a good idea to consume on a regular basis. Why would you want to test your willpower with them around?

Help! My kitchen’s empty now!

Now your fridge and pantry might look desolate after getting rid of the unhealthy foods. It’s time to fill them back up with healthy replacements for the garbage you just unloaded.

A corollary of Berardi’s First Law is this:

If you wish to be healthy and lean, you must remove all foods not conducive to those goals from said residence and replace them with a variety of better, healthier choices.

In other words, this law works both ways. If the food’s available to you, you’ll eat it.

If an unhealthy food is in your possession, you’ll eat it. If a healthy food is in your possession, you’ll eat it.

All you have to do is make the available food good stuff, and nature takes care of the rest.

Thus, take the restocking process seriously. It’s just as important as the removal process.

How to restock

Here’s how to quickly restock some nutritious foods (remember not to “over-think” it):

Pick your 3 favourite:

Vegetables
Fruits
Lean proteins
Nuts/seeds
Whole grains (oats, quinoa, wild rice, brown rice, sprouted grain breads, corn, amaranth, etc.)

And remember, when you are restocking healthy foods, don’t be fooled by the front of the package. Those darn labels will call out to you with claims like “low-fat,” “no added sugar,” “fat free,” “organic,” “whole grain,” and so on.

Check out how simple this restocking process can be based on the following sample shopping lists.

3 favourite…	Option 1	Option 2
Vegetables	Kale Celery Yams	Spinach Cucumber Squash
Fruits	Oranges Pears Apples	Strawberries Kiwi Cherries
Lean proteins	Pinto beans Falafel Hummus	Organic, free-range eggs Bean burgers Salmon
Nuts/seeds	Walnuts Cashew butter Hemp seeds	Macadamia nuts Almond butter Flax seeds
Whole grains	Quinoa flakes Oats Brown rice	Millet Sprouted grain bread Buckwheat

Note: Yes – the rest of the family (kids and spouse) can eat these foods too. Why would you feed your family something you wouldn’t eat yourself?

Veggies all ready to go

Remember, those are just examples. You could live well into your 90s and still not exhaust all healthy food options.

Basic Kitchen Checklist

Measuring cups and spoons
Cookware set
Knives
Stainless steel tools and silicon spatula
Indoor grill
Wok
Rice cooker/steamer
Food processor
Tea kettle
Blender
Cutting board
Large bowls
Wooden spoons
Strainer
Vegetable peeler
Graters
Baking sheets
Casserole dishes

Summary and recommendations

Healthy eaters have healthy homes. Healthy people ensure that their environment supports their goals. Changing your surroundings is one of the best ways to start your journey to living better.

Part ways with non-nutritious foods and eliminate anything in your house that doesn’t support your goals.
Re-stock with healthy options.
Use a list for your next grocery store visit. Use our suggestions as a guide.
Also, make sure you have basic kitchen gear to prepare and store your bounty of healthy food.

Follow these steps and you’ll have your kitchen made over in less than 24 hours.

References

Ryan Andrews, June 15th, 2009

Kratt P, et al. The role of availability as a moderator of family fruit and vegetable consumption. Health Educ Behav 2000;27:471-482.

Cullen KW, et al. Availability, accessibility, and preferences for fruit, 100% fruit juice and vegetables influence children’s dietary behavior. Health Educ Behav 2003;30;615-626.

Haerens L, et al. The contribution of psychosocial and home environmental factors in explaining eating behaviors in adolescents. Eur J Clin Nutr 2008;62:51-59.

The 10 Commandments for Losing Weight…and Keeping it Off!

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:53:00 -0600

Success breeds success. What exactly, in terms of lifestyle changes, do people who have been highly successful at both losing weight and keeping it off over the long term do? That’s just what researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Colorado set out to determine when they began their on-going study called the National Weight Control Registry (www.nwcr.ws).

Currently, the registry contains over 5000 successful weight losers. To be eligible to become a member of the registry, one had to have lost over 30 pounds and kept it off for more than one year.

What the study found was that there is no magic to losing weight and keeping it off. The essential equation for success is the age-old motto: eat less calories and burn more through daily exercise and you will lose weight and keep it off! (And be sure to “get back on the horse” when life’s ups and downs get in the way of you maintaining your new healthy lifestyle habits.)

Here are the 10 habits of these successful weight losers:

1. 98 percent of registry participants reported that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight (translation: you must change your eating habits in some way to lose weight—meaning eating fewer calories).

2. Most registry members reporting consuming less high-fat-dense food groups and more low-fat-dense food groups resulting in a lower daily calorie intake and greater weight loss (translation: eat lighter [lower calorie] and healthier [lower “bad” fats, less fried foods and more fruits and vegetables]).

3. 94 percent of registry participants reported increasing their physical activity (translation: daily cardio such as walking or running in addition to frequent strength training sessions).

4. 90 percent reported exercising, on average, about one hour per day (translation: get in some daily cardio such as walking or running in addition to FT strength training sessions-preferably 3 times/week).

5. 78 percent reported eating breakfast daily (translation: eat breakfast…lose weight).

6. 75 percent of registry participants reported weighing themselves at least once a week (translation: weigh yourself weekly at FT with your NT consultant—regardless of what you think the number will read).

7. 62 percent watched TV less than 10 hours/week (translation: limit the tube time unless you have a treadmill in front of the TV).

8. 42% of the sample reported that maintaining their weight loss was less difficult than losing weight (translation: once you lose the weight, be sure to keep up with your new habits—which is the hardest part).

9. Nearly all registry members stated that weight loss led to improvements in their level of energy, physical mobility, general mood, self-confidence, and physical health (translation: losing weight and attaining your health and fitness goals will make you a happier person, so stick with it!).

10. For those who did regain weight, weight regain was due, at least in part, to failure to maintain behavior changes (translation: this is not a diet that you go on and off but a lifestyle …always remember to keep at it and get support to overcome lapses and avoid a full-blown relapse.

Basic Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Frosting

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:23:00 -0600

Basic Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes

Ingredients: (makes 12 cupcakes)

1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar (C&H ½sugar, 1/2stevia)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Chocolate Mousse Frosting (or just chocolate mousse)

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
1/4 cup plus 1 T cocoa powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
sweetner to taste (I used a little stevia, but any dry sweetener will do.)

Preparation:

Open the coconut milk, and leave the can (or transfer to a bowl) uncovered in the fridge overnight. (Don’t shake the can before opening.) It should get very, very thick. (If it doesn’t, you’ve gotten a bad can that won’t work for the recipe. I highly recommend Thai Kitchen, or especially Thai Kitchen Organic.) Once thick, transfer to a bowl (you can opt to leave out the watery bit at the bottom of the can, if you want it even thicker) and whip in your cocoa, vanilla, and sweetener with a fork, or even beaters if you want to be fancy. (For the photos on this page, I didn’t use beaters. But I did pipe the mousse out using an icing tip.) Stored uncovered in the fridge, the mixture gets even thicker.

Nutrition Facts: (1 cupcake no frosting) Cupcakes: Calories 81; Carbs 24g; Fat 1g; Protein 2g; Sugar 13g;

Frosting (12 servings) Calories 63; carbs 3g; Fat 6g; Protein 1g; Sugar 0g; sodium 8g

The Skinny on Fat

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 07:11:00 -0600

FATS

These are also called lipids.
                                                    PRIMARY TWO
                                                   /              \
                                                    /                \
                                                  /                  \
                                     Triglycerides                 Cholesterol

Dietary fat that makes up our daily intake of fat is more correctly called triglycerides.

Cholesterol is termed a steroid molecule. Cholesterol is also the start (precursor) of testosterone, estrogen, and cortisol. One of the consequences in cutting out cholesterol out of our diet is that hormone production can be compromised.

GOOD AND BAD

Dietary fat slows gastric emptying (slows down digestion)
Fat-soluble vitamin absorption may be impaired when fat intake is too low.

FOUR TYPES OF FAT

Transfats
Monounsaturated
Saturated
Polyunsaturated

Transfats:
Semi-solid at room temperature. Produced by bubbling hydrogen through vegetable oil. This was done because a lot of products are produced using vegetable oil. Vegetable oil by itself is not very shelf stable. So companies found a way to make this vegetable oil more shelf stable. However, research has shown that consuming transfats causes a plethora of negatives on health. Keep in mind that transfats are not suitable for human consumption. This fat should be excluded from the diet completely.
Ex: margarine

Monounsaturated:
Liquid at room temperature. Main point about monounsaturated is that they help maintain good cholesterol (HDL) and helps to lower bad cholesterol (LDL).
Ex: olive oil

Saturated:
Solid at room temperature. We get this through animal products. Saturated fats have been wrongly vilified. This is because there is a number of fats that fall under the umbrella of saturated fats. And some of these fats that fall under the family of saturated fats are good for your health. Coconut oil is an example of a saturated fats that has been shown to have positive health benefits.

Polyunsaturated:
You’ll know these fats as w-3 (omega 3) and w-6 (omega 6). These are your essential fatty acids.

TWO TYPES OF POLYUNSATURATED

                      /                              \
                      /                                 \
                     /                                    \
        ALA (alpha-linolenic)(w-3)        LA (linolenic)(w-6)

ALAs are your omega 3 fatty acids. LAs are your omega 6 fatty acids.

We get enough omega 6s in our diet. Sooooo…we’ll move into omega 3s.

BENEFITS OF OMEGA 3

Decreased inflammation in the body
Decreases risk of heart disease
Decreased depression
Can aid with fat loss

ALA is converted into EPA and DHA which is what constitutes fish oil.

Caloric considerations for fat: 1 gram=9 calories

Now I should add that what typically happens is when we go on a 'diet', we're looking to cut calories. Before I continue, remember that diet simply means what you eat. What you eat is your diet. However we've come to think of the word 'diet' in terms of losing fat/losing weight. If we're looking to cut calories, fat is usually the first place to cut. I would actually start with carbs, but we'll save that for later. See fats are calorically dense...meaning each gram of fat contains a lot more calories (more than double) than the macronutrients protein and carbohydrates. So it becomes easier to get in a calorie deficient environment by cutting out fat. However, consuming too less of fat can have negative consequences like the body storing fat (ironic that we'd cut out fat to lose fat only to have the body store fat).

Sure it's wise to cut down on that intake of bacon and sausage. But foods like coconut, avacado, and almonds can absolutely have their place in a fatloss goal setup. And men do not want to cut out all saturated fats. Going nil on saturated fats can mess with hormones like testosterone levels.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

How to form positive habits and a NEW YOU!

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:22:00 -0600

All of us face two choices in life and it usually pertains to what we control and what we don’t. Sometimes in life, we have challenges beyond our control, yet we allow the challenges to influence the things we do have control over. When it comes to regular workouts and healthful eating, many people feel they have barriers, which prevent them from regular workouts. These can be work, schedule, the need for more time with family, long commutes, and even boredom and fatigue. Some can’t be helped at all: personal injuries or illness, caring for elderly patients, feeding the teenagers each evening and there are many more. But barriers should not stop you from implementing positive changes to secure a long and healthy life.

What is a ‘fence sitter’? That is a person who only puts their foot halfway in the water, or half way to a commitment. Well, now’s the first of the year and time to make some positive changes to your lifestyle.

You can surely find 1-2 things that YOU DO CONTROL and attack those. Make them positive habits that you always think about. Then pick two more! Before you know it you are on your way to a new you.

I knew a nurse who said that her challenge was eating cake at work. With 40 fellow staff members, seldom did a week go by without a cake or party celebrating a birthday, wedding anniversary or birth. What did she do? She found a few charities that the staff could get behind and at every party they decided to donate $1 in that person’s name instead of buying and eating cake. At the end of the year they had over $1000 for charity and celebrated an end to eating cake!

It’s hard to change your diet overnight, but you can form one or two new habits every month and change your life. Try eating healthier tips such as these: ½ a sandwich instead of a whole at lunch. Swear off fried foods. No soda. One piece of fruit per day. Cut-back or eliminate the alcoholic drinks.

Maybe you can’t workout every day, but an easy way to start is to find a buddy or co-worker and walk together at lunch. Then make sure you go out every day. If the weather’s bad – look for an indoor mall or other enclosed facility. After you’re in the habit of going 5 days a week, carve out some time each Saturday when you take a walk. Select a time of day (maybe first thing in the morning) when you don’t have conflicts or distractions and you know you can always get it done. Before you know it you’ll be out walking 6 days a week. Then, find that special time for walking on Sunday.

There are indeed things that you can control in life that will make you healthier and ultimately happier. Start with only 1-2 things that you can control and then go to work on them. You’ll soon see your world change!

Roasted Chicken Dal

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:56:00 -0600

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 small onion, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 15-ounce can lentils, rinsed, or 2 cups cooked lentils (see Tip)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
1 2-pound roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat removed from bones and diced (4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, until combined with the onion and intensely aromatic, 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in lentils, tomatoes, chicken and salt and cook, stirring often, until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in yogurt. Serve immediately.

Quick Tip:

To cook lentils: Place in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until just tender, about 20 minutes for green lentils and 30 minutes for brown. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Nutrition Facts: 345 calories; 9 g fat ( 2 g sat , 4 g mono ); 78 mg cholesterol; 30 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 36 g protein; 10 g fiber; 361 mg sodium; 686 mg potassium

11 Dressings You Can Make At Home

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:27:00 -0600

SUN-DRIED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:

. 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
. 1 tablespoon olive oil
. 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

-----------------------------------------------------
BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:

. 1 tablespoon dried basil
. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
. 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
. 1/3 cup water
. 1 tablespoon olive oil
. Pinch black pepper

Directions:

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
Use this vinaigrette on green salads with Asian flavors, or brush it on fish before
grilling.
Ingredients:
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 grapefruit
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

Directions:

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth
----------------------------------------------------------------------

CREAMY DIJON HERB DRESSING
Mustard and garlic lend plenty of flavor to this thick dressing for green salads. I
also like to drizzle it over freshly sliced tomatoes.
Ingredients:

. 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/4 cup water
. 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
. 1 garlic clove, minced
. 1 teaspoon dried thyme
. Pinch black pepper

Directions:

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ROASTED SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE
The slight sweetness of the roasted shallot in the vinaigrette dressing plays well
off the bright-flavored herbs.
Ingredients:

. 3 medium shallot, peeled
. 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/3 cup water
. 1 tablespoon olive oil
. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
. Pinch salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Wrap shallots in foil. Bake at 400°F for 35 minutes; cool for 10 minutes.
Peel and mince.

3. Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

-------------------------------------------------------------------
GINGER VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:

. 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/2 cup water
. 1/4 cup chopped green onions
. 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
. 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
. 1 tablespoon macadamia oil

Directions: Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

APPLE SPINACH SALAD DRESSING
This makeover recipe is ideal for spinach. It's also a great way to dress up chicken
salad or coleslaw.
Ingredients:

. 1 small onion, finely chopped
. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
. 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
. 1/3 cup water
. 1 tablespoons macadamia oil
. 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
. Fresh spinach leaves (small handful)
. Salt and pepper

Directions: Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORANGE POPPY SEED DRESSING
This light, refreshing dressing is perfect over spinach and other types of green
salads.
Ingredients:

. 1/3 cup water
. Juice of 2 fresh oranges
. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
. 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
. 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
. Pinch stevia
. Pinch salt

Directions:

1. Place of the all ingredients (except for poppy seeds) in a blender;
process until smooth
2. Stir in poppy seeds gently with a spoon

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RANCH DRESSING
Ingredients:

. 1/2 cup low-fat milk
. 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
. 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
. 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
. garlic clove, minced
. Pinch salt and pepper

Directions: Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INFERNO DRESSING
Ingredients:

. 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
. 1/3 cup water
. 2 tablespoons hot sauce or chili paste
. 1 teaspoon horseradish
. 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
. Clove garlic
. Pinch red pepper flakes
. Pinch cayenne pepper
. Salt and pepper

Directions: Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VANILLA-PEAR VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:
. 1 pear, halved
. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/2 cup water
. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
. Salt and pepper

Directions: Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

All these will stay good in your fridge for a week.

The Basics of Protein

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:11:00 -0600

The Basics of Protein

Protein comes from the Greek word meaning “the first”. This is meant to signify its primary role in human nutrition. While you can survive for long periods of time without carbs and or fat, a long-term lack of protein can lead to a loss of body tissue (muscle and organ protein) *atrophy* , function, and eventually death.

Dietary proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. There are about 20. Eight of these are considered essential. One of the primary distinctions between protein and carbs/fats is that only protein contains dietary nitrogen. Since humans can’t make nitrogen from the air like plants, we have to obtain it from the diet. And that nitrogen is found in the individual amino acids that make up whole food proteins. Keep in mind that carbs and fat cannot be made into amino acids.

The primary role of protein is structural (= protein is used to build). Many hormones are made of protein (IGF-1 & HGH mainly), your organs, muscles, skin, and hair all contain protein. Keep in mind that there is no true storage form for protein. There is some protein that makes up your muscles and organs. But this isn’t a true storage form like carbs and fats as breaking down body protein is a bad thing. Protien=4 cals/gram Most protein is derived from red meant, chicken, fish, milk, cheese, eggs…basically animal products.

Food into metabolism...

DIGESTION

Digestion first starts in the stomach with the help of hydrochloric acid. Then the amino acids are metabolized in the liver and then released into the bloodstream. A portion of the ingested protein will escape digestion. Your heart, muscle, hair, skin, etc. is made up of protein. And these tissues are in a constant state of breakdown and repair (called resynthesis). During this breaking down, some amino acids are lost.

This is the basic needing for having to replace amino acids in the diet. If they are not replaced, the gradual loss of protein tissue will result in death. Protein by itself has a digestion time of about 5-6 hours…more if you consume other macronutrients with it.

So just how does one determine if a protein is a good source?

Digestibility: Before a protein can be used in the body, it has to be digested and absorbed into the blood stream for use in the body. Proteins vary in their digestibility, so a protein that is poorly digested will be a poor source.

Quality: This is the measure of how well or poorly a protein is used in the body. The AA (amino acid) profile tends to be the biggest indicator of quality. AAs are the building blocks of protein. There are 18-22 amino acids (give or take two depending on whom you talk to). Each one is found in differing proportions in the different food proteins sources and this will affect how it is used in the body.

BIOLOGICAL VALUE (AVAILABILITY): BV is how available the protein we are consuming is available for our body to use. Let’s say you consume 100 grams of protein. Then 10 grams comes out the other side. We’d say that we only used 90 grams out of the 100. So that protein source would be given a BV rating of 90%. This means that 90% of the amount that we consumed was used. Some proteins have a higher BV rating than others. Animal sources are going to be the highest (90% +) and soy and rice are going to be the lowest (65-75%). So keep in mind that for every gram of protein you consume, you’ll use more of the animal sources than the vegetarian sources. This is why vegetarians often need to consume more protein to ensure that they’re consuming adequate protein.

REQUIREMENTS

The easiest way to ensure you’re getting enough protein is to simply consume 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Nutritional scientists have differing amounts for sedentary individuals vs strength athletes vs long endurance athletes and etc that is usually so many grams per kg of weight. It’s so much easier just to have 1 gram per pound of bodyweight and be done with it.

BCAAs

Branch Chain Amino Acids are leucine, isoleucine, and valine. While the other amino acids are metabolized in the liver, BCAAs are metabolized in the muscle. BCAAs are specific to muscle and are often called muscle food. BCAAs must be obtained from the diet. These three AAs are responsible for the repair, maintaining, and building of muscle tissue.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

3 Ways to Kick the Habit of Skipping Workouts

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 11:50:00 -0600

Trying to get into an exercise habit, but finding you’re more in the habit of making excuses? You can break out of that pattern with these tips from fitness experts on staying motivated and sticking to your fitness routine. Our Fitness Together trainers and studio owners recommend these three strategies to help you stay inspired to work out regularly.

1. Keep your eye on the prize.

You must have a very strong “why” you are doing it. Always connect to that “why,” especially when things get tough or you get busy. If your goal is to get back into your favorite jeans, hang them on the outside of your closet where you’ll see them every morning when you wake up. For an extra nudge, pin up an old photo of yourself wearing them.

Or, if you’re working toward a health goal such as lowering your blood pressure or relieving chronic back pain, mark your improvements on a chart posted on the fridge. Or tape a photo on your bathroom mirror of someone who’s achieved a goal you’re striving toward. Think fit, healthy-looking people your age playing tennis, climbing a mountain, training for a triathlon, running a 5K, or skiing with their kids!

2. Schedule a consistent workout time.

Set a regular time that fits into your daily and weekly schedule, and prioritize it just like you would a meeting with your boss or a top client. Think of it this way: Skipping out on your commitment to take good care of yourself means sooner or later you’ll start feeling depleted and run-down, with nothing left to give to those who count on you. Sticking to your fitness regimen not only helps keep you healthy, but also refills your well of physical and mental energy. So you’re more likely to be there and be “on” in your job, relationships, family and others who matter to you.

3. Use the power of a pro to keep you on track.

You’re much less likely to be a no-show for your workout when someone’s waiting for you at the gym, track, pool, court …. Agree on a time and place to work out with a trainer. When someone’s there, waiting, and holding you accountable to your exercise commitment, it’s a mighty motivator. Scheduling sessions with a personal trainer creates an especially powerful incentive to work out: You’ll feel a natural desire to make your trainer proud, and to respect the time commitment he or she blocked out to work with you. That’s powerful inspiration when you’re mulling whether to pull the sheets back over your head or pull on those gym shoes!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:56:00 -0600

Ingredients:

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast
14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
15 oz can black beans
8 oz frozen corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth
3 scallions, chopped
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt to taste

Preparation:

Combine chicken broth, beans, corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot.
Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours.
Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in.
Adjust salt and seasoning. Serve over rice (be sure to account for extra calories)

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 8 servings; Size: 1 cup • Calories: 190 • Fat: 1.5 g • Fiber: 5.6 g • Carbs: 23.1 g • Protein: 21 g

Complex vs Fundamentals and Fat Loss Part 1

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 19:51:00 -0600

Complexity vs. the Fundamentals Part 1

I’ve seen it more times than I care to admit. And it makes me cringe every time I’m around the situation. An individual decides to lose fat, get in shape, tone up, etc and they go for the gusto—go overbored on supplements, change their dietary habits based on what they read in Cosmo magazine, and get these complicated training sessions out of Flex magazine or Shape. And, even though they start with the best of intentions, they get burned out and quit.

The problem is people want to go all out before they have the basics down. In specific situations, worrying about the details matters (e.g. very lean natural bodybuilders trying to get super lean). But those individuals are not the norm.

I hit up some of this in my Nutrition 101 article. Let’s rehash a bit and throw out some new stuff.

The Fundamentals of Fat Loss

When I set up a very basic diet, there are parameters I follow. There’s a method to my madness and the method in order form most important to least important is as follows:

Create an appropriate caloric deficit/set caloric intake appropriately
Set protein intake
Set dietary fat intake
Everything else depends

Create an Appropriate Caloric Deficit/Set Calories

The ONLY way to force the body to call on stored energy (e.g. body fat) is to create an imbalance between intake (from food) and energy expenditure (we take in less calories than we burn so to speak).

Now, there are many different ways to create this imbalance and I think that also lends itself to confusion. Each of the below can work to some degree and makes it look like it’s not just calories in vs. calories out. But it still is.

For example, a traditional way is to simply reduce total food intake, that is reduce the quantity of food such that less calories are being eaten. Certainly this works because, by definition, eating less means you’re taking in less calories than when you were eating more.

Another is to change the quality of food but this tends to introduce a subtle confound that most people seem to. Some foods are relatively harder to overeat than others. Or, put differently, some food are easier to overeat than others.

If changing the quality of food eaten causes people to eat less, and that causes weight/fat to be lost, it’s easy to confuse the quality of the food with the total caloric expenditure. But it’s not the quality of the food per se that is causing the weight/fat loss or gain; it’s the change in total caloric intake due to the change in food quality. Think of it this way, if you start eating the same amount of green vegetables as you would sitting down at Taco Bell, that would be A LOT of green vegetables. You would get full far faster, you would stay full longer, and you would take in less calories.

Protein tends to be the most filling of all the nutrients and studies show that increasing dietary protein intake tends to cause people to eat less calories. Which is another huge confound; if increasing protein makes folks spontaneously eat less, it looks like it was adding the protein per se that did the magic. But it wasn’t, it was the effect of increasing protein on total energy intake that caused the fat loss. Like I said, a subtle confound that people tend to miss a lot.

Another way of course is to use activity to increase energy expenditure (we exercise more so to speak). The problem for most is that the amount of calories that can be expended by most people in exercise isn’t large enough to counteract all the calories the typical American diet contains. Usually caloric restriction per se or a combination of cutting calories and increasing activity is going to be more realistic.

Setting Calories

One of the most common questions asked is “how many calories should I eat to lose weight/fat/tone up? A value that has been used for absolutely years is 10-12 calories per pound of bodyweight. In general, 10-12 cal/lb tends to be a decent starting point for fat loss diets. Please note that this is only a starting point and will always have to be adjusted based on real-world changes. Some people with high activity levels may need higher calories than that, and folks with lower daily activity levels may need less. For maintenance (not to lose or gain), the number 15 cal/lb is usually used.

Keep in mind that this is for fat loss purposes. We don’t want to say in a caloric deficit indefinitely. And our body is extremely smart. It will start to catch onto and adjust to the lowered caloric intake. This is why refeeds are important. I’ll hit on refeeding in part during my next article when I continue this with part 2.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

References:

Lyle McDonald

Hummus Wraps with Marinated Zucchini

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:30:00 -0600

Hummus:

1 15oz. can Garbanzo Beans

¼ C. Tahini (sesame seed paste)

3 T. Olive Oil

1 T. Lemon Juice

1 T. granulated garlic

Salt to taste

Combine in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth

Marinated Zucchini:

1 julienned zucchini

1 julienned red bell pepper

1 T. orange zest

1 T. lemon juice

1 T fresh chopped dill

3 T. fresh chopped parsley

2 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional kalamata olives

Combine everything in a large mixing bowl and let marinate for at least 30 minutes

Prepare wraps by spreading a Tbsp. of hummus on a clean leaf of chard and fill with marinated zucchini and roll and enjoy.

Where Vitamin Supplements Come From

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:50:00 -0600

Where Vitamin Supplements Come From

It's no secret that we typically don't get enough fruits and vegetables. So we typically start using vitamin supplements to make sure we're getting enough vitamins and minerals. But where do these products actually come from? Are vitamin supplements any more natural than white flour or pharmaceuticals?

Both drugs and vitamin supplements can be artificial or natural. Many vitamin supplements produced today are artificial. However, the world of “natural” isn’t always a good thing though. Poison hemlock, hallucinogenic mushrooms, rhubarb leaves and sprouted kidney beans are all natural – and potentially deadly.

There are six categories of nutrients used in the manufacturing of vitamin supplements:

1. Natural source

These include nutrients from vegetable, animal or mineral sources. But before making it into the supplement bottle, they undergo significant processing and refining. Examples include vitamin D from fish liver oils, vitamin E from vegetable oils, and natural beta-carotene.

When a vitamin is marked “natural”, it only has to include 10% of actual natural plant-derived ingredients. The other 90% could be synthetic.

Consider vitamin E tocopherols, which can be extracted from vegetable oils (often soybean, due to low costs).

2. Nature-identical synthetic

This includes nutrients completely manufactured in a lab with the molecular structure identical to the same nutrients occurring in nature. Manufacturers often prefer this process because of the cost and scarcity of natural resources. Most standard vitamin supplements on the market today are this type.

An example here would be vitamin C. Most vitamin C currently manufactured is synthetic, coming from China. Vitamin C is a weak acid. If you look on the back of a bottle of vitamin C, it'll prob be listed as ascorbic acid. The ascorbic acid in supplements is often derived from corn starch, corn sugar, or rice starch. And it takes a lot more ascorbic acid to get close to what you actually need from vitamin C.

3. Strictly synthetic

Centrum is strictly synthetic

These nutrients are manufactured in a lab and are different than the same nutrients found in nature. Synthetic vitamins can have the same chemical constituents, but still have a different chemical shape/structure.

This is important because some of the enzymes in the human body only work properly with a vitamin of the correct shape. When we give the body concentrated forms of synthetic nutrients, it doesn’t always appear to have an appropriate delivery system.

Starting materials for strictly synthetic supplements can be anything from coal tar to petroleum to acetylene gas. These supplements are made in facilities via chemical manipulations with the goal of duplicating the structure of the isolated vitamin. Specific formulas for the process aren’t made available to the public (sorry, I tried). So, essentially, you don't quite know what you're getting.

An example is vitamin B1. Coal tar is a widely used foundational substance for this vitamin(yes, this means it’s from coal). Hydrochloric acid is often added to allow precipitation. Then fermentation, heating, cooling, and other steps are completed until a final synthetic vitamin is created. It’s then dried and tested for purity before being shipped to distributors.

Now, to get a natural vitamin B1 supplement the process is quite different.

The food or botanical containing the desired vitamin is harvested and cleaned (let’s say wheat germ). It’s then placed in a vat to be mixed with water and filtered to create an extract and remove fibre (unlike in whole foods, where you want fibre). The post-filtration extract of the sourced food contains the nutrients found in the original whole food. It’s then dried and ready for packaging.

4. Food cultured

This involves the same process behind cultured foods like yogurt, kefir, miso, and sauerkraut. Nutrient supplements are often grown in yeast or algae. Culturing in and of itself creates nutrients and can make them more bioavailable.

Raw materials (minerals and some synthetic nutrients) are added to yeast/algae suspensions where they concentrate within cells. The yeast/algae are then harvested, ruptured, and made into a vitamin supplement. The theory here is that yeast/algae contain the nutrients they’re fed in a whole food complex.

5. Food based

One kind of food based supplement is made by enzymatically reacting synthetic and natural vitamins with extracts containing vegetable proteins and then making this into a supplement. This is not food cultured, because the nutrients are not grown into a whole food, as in the yeast/algae suspensions.

Manufacturers don’t often use concentrates or extracts derived from whole food sources because of low nutrient potency, fluctuating nutrient levels, limited shelf life. Nutrients are easily degraded by heat, pH changes, light, and oxygen.

6. Bacterial fermentation

This includes nutrients produced by genetically altering bacteria. Genetically altered bacteria can produce nutrient by-products.

Examples include CoQ10, amino acids, vitamin D2, vitamin K2, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and melatonin.

Nutrients from food?

Most people are interested in vitamin supplements because they fear they don’t enough nutrients from food.

This is a worthwhile concern: nutrients can be lost from soil due to fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, irrigation, farming practices, and other causes. The USDA has reported that the nutrient content of vegetables has fallen since 1973. Of the vitamins we do ingest from whole food, absorption can range from 20 to 98%.

Do vitamin supplements prevent disease?

A 2002 study in JAMA concluded that adults would be better off taking a multivitamin supplement each day. The authors didn’t specify synthetic or natural. Other reviews have concluded that beyond treatment of deficiency, vitamin supplements don’t promote health or prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Data indicates that vitamin supplements can actually lead to more cancer (specifically breast and prostate), cardiovascular disease, kidney damage (in those with diabetes), and fractures, while not helping prevent infections and sick days.

However, it’s important to remember that chances of certain chronic diseases can increase for those who are deficient in certain micronutrients.

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) recommends that the best nutritional strategy for optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to choose a wide variety of whole foods.

A report from the National Institutes of Health noted that individuals who consume high dose single nutrient supplements and fortified foods along with multivitamin/mineral supplements are at risk for undesirable effects.

Notice the synthetic vitamins added to Corn Flakes and Special K. Check out the ingredient listing.

Summary and recommendations

With all of the data regarding nutrition and optimal health, the most convincing information tells us to focus on what we eat — not what we get from a pill bottle.

Synthetic vitamin supplements are isolated man-made chemical compounds, and appear to be in the same class as other synthetic pharmaceuticals.

Some supplements hold real benefit. For instance:

● folic acid for pregnant women

● iron for those who are anemic

● B-vitamins for those dealing with alcoholism

● vitamin D for those who’ve undergone bariatric surgery

● vitamin C for someone with scurvy

If you want to find a natural vitamin supplement, look for one with a label that indicates “naturally occurring food sources.” If the potency of the vitamin is higher than anything you would find in nature (e.g., 1000% vitamin B-3 per serving), the product likely contains synthetic ingredients.

Extra Stuff

Fortification of foods with vitamin B-3 has lead to intakes greater than twice what’s recommended, most notably in kids, who eat processed fortified foods. This higher intake of vitamin B-3 might lead to increased appetite and impaired glucose tolerance.

Capsules that enclose vitamin supplements can be derived from plant sources, like seaweeds, or animal sources like gelatin. Animal gelatin is from tallow, animal bone, marrow, or tissue scraps, and may include diseased tissues.

The tablet coating methylene chloride is a carcinogen.

Food color additives are often used in children’s vitamins..

The Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are based on synthetic vitamins. We don’t fully understand how they translate to whole food alternatives.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

And now for some sources:

Roan S. The dirt on dietary supplements. 2009

United States National Library of Medicine. TOXNET.

Epstein D & Dohrmann G. What you don’t know might kill you. Sports Illustrated. May 18, 2009.

Hickey S & Saul AW. Vitamin C: The real story. Basic Health Publications. 2008

Ji Sayer. Is your multivitamin toxic?

Andrews, Ryan. 2011

Cooperman T, Obermeyer W, Webb D. Consumerlab.com’s guide to buying vitamins and supplements. Consumerlab.com. 2003.

Nutrition 101

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:54:00 -0600

NUTRITION 101

And is a calorie a calorie?

Nutritional science is divided into 2 categories: Macronutrients/ micronutrients and essential nutrients/nonessential nutrients.

Macronutrients are those nutrients that give us calories. These calories come from protein, carbohydrates, fats, and alcohol. So it’s really a misnomer to say we consume calories but we should say we consume the various macronutrients that give us energy in the form of calories. Researchers determine the caloric value of a food item by placing it in a bomb calorimeter. They set the food and fire and measure the temperature of heat it gives off. Remember that a calorie is a measure of heat. A calorie is the temperature required to raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius.

To lose a pound of bodyweight you need to burn 3500 calories. Or consume that many more to gain a pound of weight.

For simplicity, I recommend each person gets 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

Macronutrients:

Protein: 4 cals/gram
Carbs: 4 cals/gram
fats (lipids): 9 cals/gram
alcohol

Micronutrients:

Vitamins
Minerals
Water

Trouble arises when we start dieting to lose weight or eat in surplus to gain muscle. So here you are all psyched out and ready to go. But that’s where a lot of people get stumped. So they go to the grocery store and buy lean cuisines or some other food product that advertises LOW FAT or LOW CARB or LOW SOMETHING OR ANOTHER. However, one needs a starting point on how to set how many calories they should consume for their goals. A very basic and easy way to do this is to multiply your bodyweight by 15. This is a starting point. Now you’ll have that X amount of calories. To start with weight loss or gain, start with a 10% increase or decrease (depending on goals)

For example, let’s say you weigh 100. 100x15=1500 calories starting point. To lose, take off 10% and now you’re looking at consuming 1350 calories rather than the 1500. And vice-versa for gaining muscle (hypertrophy). So you have 1350 calories to work with. Well we start with 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight=100 grams.
100 grams of protein X 4 cal/gram=400 total calories. Now you 950 calories left to get from fat and carbs.

Obviously the above is pretty general but it tends to work for most. And you can always mess with the percentages as needed. The more accurate way to get your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is through the Harris-Benedict formula (you can google this is if you get curious). Anyway, short of having a really awesome and expensive machine like a bodpod, the Harris-Benedict BMR formula does a good job. Or just use the your weightX15 and play with the percentages and you can be successful on your dieting goals this way.

ESSENTIAL VS NONESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS

Nonessential nutrients are not essential that they be obtained from the diet. This is because they are produced in sufficient amounts in the body.

Essential nutrients must be obtained from the diet as they are not produced in sufficient amounts or at all by the body. The criteria for being an essential nutrient is:

Nutrient is required for survival
Nutrient cannot be made in sufficient amounts (or at all) by the body.

NOTE ON VITAMIN D

While vitamins and minerals are considered essential, I’d call vitamin D conditionally essential. What this means is that the condition of vitamin D production occurs with sunlight being in contact with the skin (obviously this is simplified). So, vitamin D supplementation isn’t necessary so long as we’re getting our fix from the sun.

IS A CALORIE A CALORIE???

Well, yes and no. I want to premise the following with I’m/we’re assuming that you have adequate protein consumption. Protein is king and the most important of all the macronutrients.

With that being said, it’s often said that a calorie is a calorie. And while on the surface, it seems logical that a calorie is a calorie (after all, what else can it be?). If that were true, then 1000 calories of candy would be the same as 1000 calories of broccoli. Now I don’t know about you but the idea of consuming 1000 calories worth of broccoli (or pick your poison as far as vegetables are concerned) is way too time consuming and the sheer mass of that amount of food would be incredible. However, it doesn’t take much sugar to get to 1000 calories.

On average, a person uses about 10% of their daily energy expenditure digesting and absorbing food, but this percentage changes depending on the type of food you eat.
Protein takes the most energy to digest (20-30% of total calories in protein eaten go to digesting it). Next is carbohydrates (5-10%) and then fats (0-3%).
Thus, if you eat 100 calories from protein, your body uses 20-30 of those calories to digest and absorb the protein. You’d be left with a net 70-80 calories. Pure carbohydrate would leave you with a net 90-95 calories, and fat would give you a net 97-100 calories.
Hmm. Maybe “a calorie is a calorie” doesn’t hold up after all.

To further this, it’s easy over consume calories from jelly beans or candy than from vegetable just as it’s easier to eat 3000 calories from butter than from celery (no human alive could eat enough celery to get 3000 digestible calories). Many diets are based around this simple fact: make people eat less of the foods that are easy to over consume and/or make them eat lots of those foods that are tough to overeat and they will lose weight because they automatically reduce their caloric intake.

As well, the source of calories can affect other aspects of physiology beyond body composition. Health, energy levels, hunger/appetite and all the rest interact here. So while a calorie controlled diet of jelly beans, butter and protein powder might very well work to lose weight/fat, it probably wouldn’t be as healthy compared to a diet of low GI carbohydrates, healthier oils and lean protein sources.

Understand me here? Issues such as hunger control, long-term adherence, individual variance, athletic performance, and a few others all go into the determination of what food might or might not be a better choice under a given set of circumstances. So while a calorie might be more or less a calorie under somewhat artificial conditions (where calories are or can be strictly controlled), it’s a little more complex than that in the real world.

The shopping list……

‘Healthy’ eating is misunderstood by so many. And understandably so when people get dieting and eating advice from:

TV (infomercials, commercials, weight loss shows)
Family doctor (Most doctors are clueless or know outdated information)
Magazines
Rumor/gossip (so and so lost a bunch of weight by eating certain food so it must be true)

The easiest and most simple way to eat healthy would be to skip the middle isles in the grocery store and hit the outside aisles. Think about it for a second. What’s on the outer aisles? Fruits, vegetables, dairy, beef, chicken, seafood, and pork. I realize some students or parents might object to certain foods like dairy (specifically milk), shellfish, pork, or really any animal product. And that’s certainly fine. Obviously some individuals have food allergies and definitely should avoid those foods.

I promise the vegetarians that as long as they don’t try to convince me of the evils of eating animals I won’t explain the dangers of soy consumption.

It would behoove you to become literate at label reading.

A few words on sugar
1 tablespoon= ~12.55 grams
~12.55 grams = 50 kcals

A twix candybar has 27grams of sugar. This means you’re eating over 2 table spoons worth of just straight sugar. Remember that 3 teaspoons equals 1 table spoon. And now think how the typical adult or teenager eats. This gives you an idea of how quickly we can over consume on our total calories. Even foods like apples, bananas, carrots are pretty high in the sugar area. If a person is dieting to lean out, then carbs and the carb type and the carb timing has to be taken into consideration. Physique athletes will often cut out fruit because of fructose. Or they’ll include fruit (more specifically berries) early in the morning when they can tolerate carbs better or after a training session.

And a carb/sugar source shouldn’t be taken by itself. We want to blunt the insulin response (except with weight training or anaerobic activites), so it is highly recommended that protein be included in all feedings.

There are some good alternatives to table sugar. Stevia and splenda are both easy to get a hold of. Stevia tends to be sweet than straight sugar. Some people are iffy about splenda because it’s cholorinated.

Basically be mindful of the carb choices you choose.

Confused yet? This stuff gets easier.

3 rants-

Forget the BMI. It’s practically worthless
The scale can be your enemy. Stay off that sucker.
The word diet is a misnomer

Diet is simply what someone eats. Somehow the word diet has become to mean dieting. What we mean to say is that I have the goal of A and B and to achieve this goal, this is the way I’m going to eat. That is your diet.

One more rant…
STOP SAYING “I’M TONING!” And stop asking how you can “tone this part of my body.”

First, you can’t spot reduce or pick where you lose fat.
Second, when you say you’re toning, what you really mean is you’re trying to lose fat to get leaner.
Third, the word ‘toning’ actually refers to the word muscle tonus. Muscle tonus is how the muscles look.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

Wholesome Fruit Crumble

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:52:00 -0600

Wholesome Fruit Crumble

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Coconut oil or butter

2 tbsp Water

1 cup Apples (core removed, large chopped)

1 cup Pears (core removed, large chopped)

½ tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Honey

½ tsp Pure vanilla extract

1 cup raspberries (frozen)

1 cup Homemade granola (recipe I just posted or use store-bought)

Instructions:

Preheat a large pot on medium heat. Add the oil, water, apples and pears. Cook until the fruit starts going soft (about 5-8 minutes) and then add the cinnamon, honey and vanilla extract and cook a few more minutes until the liquid is slightly thickened. Stir in the raspberries and remove from heat to cool a little. Add to ½ or ¼ cup Homemade Granola. Serves 2 large or 4 small.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Nutritional Information:

Per Serving	large	Small
Calories (k/cal)	421.5	210.8
Fat (g)	9.2	4.6
Carbohydrates (g)	78.9	39.4
Fiber (g)	11.8	5.9
Sugars (g)	38.9	19.5
Protein (g)	5.8	2.9

Notes:

Don’t be scared off by the carbs. This makes a fantastic postworkout snack.

Poached Pears

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:58:00 -0600

Poached Pears

Ingredients:

¼ tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Honey

½ tsp Pure vanilla extract

¼ mixed nuts

2 Pears (peeled, halved lengthways, core removed)

Instructions:

Combine all of the ingredients except pears in a mixing bowl. Evenly spoon mixture into the center of the four pears (where the core was removed). Place in a covered casserole dish or on a plate with plastic-wrap and microwave until pears begin to soften (approximately 2 minutes). Cool for a couple minutes and serve. Serves 2 large or 4 small.

Nutritional Information:

Per Serving	Large	Small
Calories (k/call)	476.2	238.1
Fat (g)	18.0	9.0
Carbohydrates (g)	71.3	35.6
Fiber (g)	13.4	6.7
Sugars (g)	45.4	22.7
Protein (g)	7.2	3.6

Homemade Granola

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:29:00 -0600

Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

2 cups Old Fashioned Oats

½ cup Walnuts (chopped)

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp fennel seed (ground)

2 tbsp Maple Syrup

¼ cup Unsweetened coconut

2 tbsp Coconut oil or butter (melted)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the rack in the middle. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven, mixing once during baking until oats are golden brown (about 20 minutes). Then remove to cool. Serves 5 large or 10 small.

Nutritional Information

Per Serving	Large	Small
Calories (k/cal)	355.2	177.6
Fat (g)	21.7	10.9
Carbohydrates (g)	32.0	16.0
Fiber (g)	6.3	3.1
Sugars (g)	6.4	3.2
Protein (g)	7.9	4.0

Options:

This goes great with the Coconut pudding recipe. Also, feel free to throw in some pecans, cashews, almonds, or a variety of seeds in place of the walnuts. This also goes great with dried fruit.

Strawberry Coconut Pudding

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:26:00 -0600

Strawberry Coconut Pudding

Ingredients:

¾ cup low-fat cottage cheese

¼ cup coconut milk or crème of coconut

½ cup frozen strawberries

¼ tsp splenda

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. This recipe is between a pudding and a shake. To thicken, add a scoop of protein powder. To thin, add a little water at a time until desired consistency is reached. Serves 1 large or 2 small

Personal notes: I really like to throw this in the freezer for about half an hour. It gives it almost a sorbet feel to it. Don’t let the cottage cheese throw you off; this is an absolutely delicious recipe. I’ve had my students try it, my neighbors try it, and several other people try it (many who swore they hated cottage cheese) and absolutely loved it.

Nutritional Information

(per serving)	Large	Small
Calories (k/cal)	270.0	135.0
Fat (g)	16.0	8.0
Carbohydrates (g)	11.3	5.6
Fiber (g)	2.3	1.2
Sugars (g)	8.0	4.0
Protein	22.5	11.3

Options—

This is nice served on top of fresh chopped fruit, such as apple, banana, pears, or berries or along with a serving of wholesome Fruit Crumble. This simple recipe makes a great bedtime snack and can be paired with Poached Pears, Homemade Granola, or the Wholesome Fruit Crumble.

I will include this evening the recipes for Poached Pears, Homemade Granola, and Wholesome Fruit Crumble.

EPOC: What It Is and Why It's Important

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 11:08:00 -0600

EPOC: What it is and why it’s important

EPOC is short for excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. Basically this is the increased oxygen intake following strenuous anaerobic activity. For simplicity sake, we’ll refer to anaerobic activity as explosive or power movements that last seconds to less than two minutes in length. When you think of anaerobic, think lifting weights or sprinting 20 yards versus say going out and running half a mile. Essentially the body has what text books will refer to as “oxygen debt” following strenuous anaerobic activity. The reason for this is to repair all the stress and breakdown of the muscles.

In other words, after you finish training your body needs more oxygen. Your body must restore that oxygen debt to maintain homeostasis. In essence, your body must return to its pre-exercise state. It does this by re-oxygenating your blood, restoring the circulatory system, decreasing body temperature, and returning breathing and heart rate to normal. All these steps are called EPOC, and all these steps take energy. And, of course, as stated previously, you have an increase in energy and oxygen use for the repair of muscle tissue repair. So the higher your EPOC, the more calories you’ll burn after exercise. So the more intensity you use when working out, the higher of a calorie burning state you’ll be in. And notice the word work is in working (out). When I say working out, I don’t mean strolling into the gym, sitting on a machine, and not putting any effort into the endeavor.

The duration of EPOC is around the 24-48 hour mark.

Why is this important?

EPOC has also been slang-termed as ‘after burn’ and this is to represent that 24-48 hours of increased metabolism which means we have an increase of how many calories we typically burn. And this is one of the great benefits of lifting weights—EPOC. So not only are you building muscle but you’re putting your body in a greater caloric burning environment. Aerobic activity gives very little in terms of the EPOC benefit. This is why I cringe when I hear of someone spending countless hours on the treadmill in hopes of getting and staying in that ‘fat burning zone.’

But really no one really knows where that ‘fat burning zone’ is. Sure we can get a rough estimate and look at figures and formulas but aerobic activity (or what we often refer to as cardio) will burn some calories while we’re running and that’s about where it ends. It is my opinion that cardio for fat loss is way overhyped. And if you’ve read some of my other blog entries you’d know that nutrition is king when it comes to fat loss or muscle gain anyway. Now I’m not saying don’t get out and get in some cardio, it’s great for the heart. But don’t expect to just use cardio activity as a primary means of fat loss.

What I like about places like Crossfit, Fitness Together, and workout programs that involve high intensity circuits involving weights, you get a lot of work done in a short amount of time and this leads to a lot of EPOC. And, remember, a lot of EPOC = a lot of calorie burning.

So, in closing, if you’re a Fitness Together member, remember to hug or high five your trainer for making you work hard.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

As always, references (because credit should be given where credit is due)…

Crosgrove, Alwyn. Biotest Inc. 2010

Waterbury, Chad. Biotest Inc. 2009

5 Things to Know Before Joining a Gym and Hiring a Personal Trainer

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:06:00 -0600

5 Fitness Lessons for 2012

AKA:

Questions you should be asking before you hire a personal trainer or join a gym

And why you should join Fitness Together

Lesson 1: Nutrition before exercise.

What’s your first thought when you think about getting in shape or getting in better shape? It probably revolved around some form of exercise. And this is what most people think about. So Jan 1^st hits and we find ourselves running out to join a gym, get a personal trainer, pick up some fitness oriented magazines. There are a few problems here:

Magazines are typically not a good resource for exercise and diet information.
Most personal trainers are ‘rep counters’. In other words, they take you from machine to machine where they count the number of reps you’re doing. They’ll have you on back day and arm day and leg day. Great...except sitting on the tricep extension machine is going to do nil for your physique transformation goals. Most of us want to look better in that bathing suit. And we think that personal trainer is going to lead us to fit into that bathing suit that we’ve hung up and looked at for weeks and months now swearing we’ll fit into it come beach season. Let me let you in on a secret...if you’re hiring Joe Blow at We’ll Get You Fit So Fast gym, you are wasting your money. Now I don’t want to say there aren’t good personal trainers out there but it has been my observation that the way they are going to train you is not going to align with your goals. It’s not their fault; the book they studied to get certified said if you want X result, you do A, B, and C. Let me repeat, sitting on the leg press, knee extension, and tricep extension machines are not going to do anything for that ‘look better’ goal.
Nutrition is king when it comes to body transformation—whether for building muscle or losing fat. I have no idea who said it and who knows how many times it’s been resaid but it’s true—you can’t out exercise a bad diet. One important question to ask when seeking out a personal trainer or source is do they know nutrition? And I’m not referring to the simple eat less fast food, eat some vegetables, eat some protein, etc etc etc. Do they really know their stuff?

This is where Fitness Together excels! The coaching staff at FT in Yukon has worked with a wide variety of clients from the elderly to adolescents, from obese to extremely skinny, and anything in between. We can put together everything needed to give you the tools to be successful in a fun atmosphere. If you’re ready to move, get fit, and have fun all at the same time, come join us at Fitness Together in Yukon.

Lesson 2: Choose proof over theory

Okay, so how many of y’all saw a program in a magazine or heard a friend talk about an exercise or diet program and tried it out? And I’d be willing to bet that you ended up with disappointment and wasted time. Who really wants to start a program of exercise and nutrition where the success rate is very little or nothing at all? We’d all most likely agree that we’d want no part of that. However, with the number of magazines, books, tv shows, etc and obesity numbers rising, I’d say that this is exactly what is happening. Truth is while most people understand what it takes to get overweight, they don’t really know what it takes to lose the weight.

Here are questions to ask before joining a gym, hiring a personal trainer, and/or engaging in a program:

“Does the program work?”
“Who else have you helped?”
“Are there people like me who’ve done this?”

At Fitness Together in Yukon, we can back up our claims with achievements. If you’re looking for real results, then Fitness Together in Yukon is where you need to be.

Lesson 3: Do one small thing each day.

One of my mentors Dan John once put it this way: “If something is important, do it every day; if it’s not important, don’t do it at all.” And this is very true when it comes to body transformation goals. Unfortunately I see a lot of people giving it all they got and doing it right then. In other words, they adopt a whole new way of living, eating, and habits at the same time. This will lead to burn-out. And, typically, they find out the hard way. Usually going into changing an unhealthy lifestyle with an all-or-none attitude works on a short-term basis. They find themselves becoming unmotivated and going back into the old lifestyle. Start with one thing and then after you’ve settled into that routine, move into another. Remember that you didn’t develop these habits and way of living over night. And you shouldn’t expect to change everything over night.

It’s important to be confident in what you can do. If you don’t eat vegetables and you throw a goal of eating 10 servings of vegetables a day, that’s a daunting task and you prob won’t be confident that you can meet that goal? So what about 3 or 2, maybe just 1 serving a day. Maybe cutting out all junk foods, while a good idea, is too much to start with. Well, what about removing those sodas out of your diet? It’s important to start with small goals that are achievable. Once you start seeing what you can accomplish and gain confidence, it’s amazing how much easier it gets. If it seems easy, then you’re going to be successful. Success is where you should start.

Remember that we can’t always control outcome. We can control our actions that lead to our desired outcome though. Let’s say our desired outcome is to lose 30 pounds. So we step on the scale and on week 1 we’ve lost 4 pounds.

Cue inner monologue:

“I’ve only lost 4 pounds?! That means I have another 26 pounds to go?! But I’ve worked so hard. This just isn’t working. What’s the use?!”

Focus on the actions. Focus on what you can do—

-Today I will go workout

-Today I will eat 3 servings of vegetables and not drink soda

Remember that we’re trying to create habits. Continued actions leads to habits. Habits are what will give us outcomes. Focus on today.

At Fitness Together in Yukon, we’ll give you small measurable goals that are easy to achieve. Imagine a puzzle. We’ll give you the pieces and start to put them together for the big picture. Or imagine trying to build a house. You have to start with a foundation before you move on. We will help so you can build that foundation and work with you the entire way. We are interested in our clients from start to finish.

Lesson 4: Let the ‘experts’ do what they do best

You’re paying a trainer because they should be able to get you from where you are to where you want to be. This means your trainer has to understand what it takes to get there. They are the ones that should be monitoring and changing things as needed.

Your responsibility should be in concentrating on doing those actions and making those suggested changes happen.

At Fitness Together in Yukon, we monitor our client’s progress and use evaluations to determine what (if any) and when changes should be made. We will support you and answer questions. We want to take the guess work out of this for you. We don’t promise easy. But we can offer simple.

Lesson 5: Get a Support Group

Remember how people assumed when you were a teenager that you were like the group you hung out with (even if you weren’t)? Kinda’ that old saying “if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck...” And there’s a lot of truth to this. When it comes to changing lifestyle and physique, I can’t even begin to explain how true this is. It is important to surround yourself by those that will support your endeavors. Changing behaviors and lifestyle by itself is hard enough but if you’re in an environment that is non-supportive, it can became an extremely daunting task. You will be more successful if you are in a supportive environment and even more so if you’re surrounded by those with like intentions. It’s so much easier when those around you share the same goals, have experienced the same frustrations, and are all on the same path to the same end.

At Fitness Together in Yukon, you’ll find yourself in a very positive environment catered towards those physique goals. We also have a really cool feature called Pack Training. This is a set up in which a small group of individuals train together and motivate each other together. Essentially it’s a like minded community all striving to be successful with the same goal you have. And what better way to be successful than to be surrounded by others with the same goal? This truly is different than what other gyms and fitness centers have to offer, and this is what makes Fitness Together stand out against the rest.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

The Thyroid and Issues

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 10:49:00 -0600

Thyroid Issues

The thyroid gland is found in the neck, right below the voice box (larynx). The thyroid is filled with cells that contain iodine complexes. These complexes are precursors (or the start of production so to speak) of thyroid hormones. Although they’re often referred to as “thyroid hormone”, the thyroid gland produces two hormones: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones play a vital role in regulating growth and metabolism. I mention both T3 and T4 because it’s not atypical to go to the doctor, they realize you have low thyroid and prescribe something that will work with the T3 or T4 but not both. Now, of course, I hate to make some absolute statements. Some doctors will hit both (usually D.O.s) but often not both. This will at least give you something to strike up should you need to get on thyroid treatments; you can ask your doctor if he or she is going to address both the T3 and T4.

The thyroid is one of the “master controllers” that regulates nearly every major metabolic function in the body. Thyroid hormones regulate pretty much everything at a cellular and tissue level—growth, reproduction, repair, etc.

So you know…

Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can influence your metabolism.

What does the thyroid impact?

Increased oxygen consumption (metabolic rate)
Increased thermogenesis (heat production)
Increased number of beta adrenergic receptors in the heart, skeletal
muscle, adipose tissues, and lymphocytes (these receptors bind fat
mobilizing hormones)
Increased sensitivity to fat mobilization, and the ‘fight or
flight hormones’
Increased number of red blood cells and increased oxygen delivery
Increased lypolysis
Increased liver glycogen breakdown
Increased liver glucose production
Increased intestinal glucose absorption
Increased protein turnover
Decreased cholesterol levels

Hyperthyroidism

In hyperthyroidism, or over-active thyroid function, it’s as if your body’s “engine” is revving at high speed. Symptoms can include:

racing heart and palpitations
trouble sleeping
tremor and nervousness
weight loss
hair loss
muscle aches and weakness
diarrhea and over-active digestive system
sweating and trouble tolerating heat
exophthalmos (bulging eyes)

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism refers to low thyroid function — the opposite of the above.

If you’re struggling to lose fat even with a solid nutrition plan and regular, intense exercise, and you have some or all of the symptoms below, consider hypothyroidism as a possible contributor, especially if you’re female.

1 in 8 women will develop a thyroid problem at some point in life. Unexplained weight gain is one symptom of hypothyroid, but others include:

tiredness, fatigue, lethargy
depression and losing interest in normal activities
forgetfulness
dry hair and skin
puffy face
slow heart rate
intolerance to cold
constipation
brittle nails
muscle cramping
changes in menstrual cycle

I want to mention that while many people assume that correcting the thyroid imbalance will suddenly result in body fat just melting away like crazy. Changes will happen, but these individuals will be disappointed if they don’t’ realize that changes are a lot more subtle than sudden. Nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle issues all need to be addressed.

Screening for thyroid function

Some organizations recommend that any person over the age of 40 be screened periodically for thyroid function. This can be done with a blood test measuring TSH.
As previously mentioned, TSH stimulates the thyroid. If the thyroid does not respond, then TSH levels will rise. Overly high TSH levels mean that the signal is being released, but the thyroid isn’t listening. (Imagine screaming louder and louder at a person who can’t hear well.)
If diagnosed, hypothyroidism is controlled with thyroid hormone replacement (specific to the individual).

The role of iodine

Dietary iodine is needed to synthesize thyroid hormones. To meet the body’s demand for thyroid hormones, the thyroid gland traps iodine from the blood and uses it for the synthesis of T3 and T4.
Iodine deficiency results in a lower production of T4. The body normally contains 20 to 30 mg of iodine, with more than 75% in the thyroid gland. The RDA for iodine is 150 mcg/day for adult men and women. \ Iodine from seaweed appears to enhance thyroid function.

Recommendations

Consume adequate iodine
Don’t drastically restrict calories
Consume adequate carbohydrates and fats
Maintain a 5 hour per week exercise regimen
If symptoms of hypothyroidism are suspected, request a TSH test from your physician
Get 7-9 hours of sleep each night
Avoid synthetic chemicals found in conventional food items, body products and food containers when possible

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

And now for some references

Teas J, et al. Seaweed and soy: companion foods in Asian cuisine and their effects on thyroid function in American women. J Med Food 2007;10:90-100.

Borer KT. Exercise Endocrinology. Human Kinetics. Champaign, IL. 2003.

Mahan LK & Escott-Stump S. Eds. Krause’s Food, Nutrition, & Diet Therapy. 11th ed. Saunders Publishing, Philadelphia, PA. 2004.

Andrews, Ryan. Precision Nutrition. May 20^th, 2010.

Berardi, John. Johnberardi.com. Sept 14^th, 2001

Caffeine: That Morning Fix

Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:25:00 -0600

Getting that Morning Hit—Caffeine

Caffeine is a methylxanthine (a stimulant). And, on the other hand, people have adenosine and adenosine receptors in the brain. Adenosine does to the central nervous system what brakes do for a car. The caffeine blocks this adenosine. Then the pituitary gland senses something like an emergency or other amiss is happening and tells the body to speed up by releasing adrenaline. Then throw in that dopamine is also released and people start to desire this caffeine feeling.

Essentially caffeine prevents the body from slowing down at a cellular level. Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in the world. It decreases fatigue and increases mental alertness. However, too much can make you feel anxious and physically shaky.

Caffeine is considered a drug. It has been widely studied as an ergogenic aid for athletes. And it can increase fatty acid mobilization during exercise (help to burn off more fat so to speak). I’d surmise that this is due to epinephrine stimulation.

The good

Caffeine can increase performance, especially with endurance events. Athletes can typically last longer and work harder. But even brief bouts of activity can be improved with caffeine use. This may be due to increased alertness and awareness.

The bad

When someone removes the caffeine from their daily routine, it can cause headaches, shakiness and stomach upset. If caffeine is used regularly and at the end of the day, people may have trouble getting to sleep and sleeping well. Sleep quality and duration affect the hormones that control appetite and hunger which can ultimately detract from optimal body composition (looking good). And, for some people, caffeine can cause acid reflux to flare up. And let’s not forget that we can build up a tolerance so that more and more is needed over time.

And, fyi, caffeine can increase the risk of first trimester spontaneous abortions.

For Your Information

There’s about 80-155 mg of caffeine per 8oz cup.

3-5 mg of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight (2.2 pounds) can provide a performance effect without health risks. At 3 mg/kg, an 80 kg person would need 240 mg of caffeine. An 80 kg person would weigh 176 pounds.
If using caffeine to increase performance, try consuming it 30 to 60 minutes before the event/exercise.
Take caution if you plan on mixing caffeine with other supplements. Using multiple stimulants (e.g., synephrine, ephedra, forskolin, yohimbe, etc.) can put one at risk for a heart attack.

***The variability in the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea is relatively large even if prepared by the same person using the same equipment and ingredients day after day.***

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

And now for some references…

Armstrong LE. Caffeine, body fluid-electrolyte balance, and exercise performance. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2002;12:189-206.

Groff JL & Gropper SS. Advanced nutrition and human metabolism. 3rd Wadsworth Thomson Learning. 2000. ed.
Andrews, Ryan. December 29th, 2008
Bunker & McWilliams. J. Am. Diet. 74:28-32, 1979

Regulating that Appetite

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 02:36:00 -0600

Appetite Regulation

How many of y’all have opened the fridge, stared at the contents and declared, “There’s nothing good to eat!” It’s okay to raise your hand or nod. I’ll be right there with you. So just what makes us hungry? What makes us desire certain foods more than others? And why is it that so many of us want to grab dessert rather than something more nutritious? The short and long answer has to do with chemicals.

Let’s start with something we’re all familiar with and can agree on—appetite is our desire to eat. Simple,right? Well, yes and no. Appetite is controlled by hormonal signals and these signals are not only controlled biologically but are also impacted by our emotional and cognitive state. As an example, if you were to ask someone in Oklahoma what there definition of comfort food is, they might reply with macaroni and cheese. The same question asked of someone that lived in the New England area would more than likely answer differently. And then ask someone that lives in Egypt and their response is going to be different than the first two. So, the physiology is what we are attuned to eating and the psychology is based on how we were raised. In other words, physiology would be the foods our body is used to processing and psychology would be all those wonderful foods mom made me when Suzie broke up with me in 7^th grade after I could have sworn we were madly in love and going to be together forever. I actually think I’m more upset about the endless hours I can’t get back that I sat and watched Poison rock videos on MTV with her. Oh those sacrifices we make in the name of love. Anyway…

Keep in mind that appetite is different from hunger. Hunger is that necessity to eat. It’s the physical need if you will. Think of hunger vs appetite in these two different scenarios. You can want to eat but not need to eat (for example, wanting to eat some of that pecan pie after a large Christmas lunch). Or you can need to eat but not want to eat (for example, losing your interest in food when you’re stressed).

I’ll assume if you’re still reading that I haven’t lost you and you’re just as nerdy as I am when it comes to an interest in nutrition. Okay, maybe not nerdy. But it’s interesting how all this nutritional physiology goes down when you’re not being educated by a bunch of generic articles coming out of some random magazine that has diet information in it. The other thing is I enjoy writing about this stuff as it makes me re-educate myself constantly. So if there’s anything you want me to hit up on, just drop a note in the response area.

For anyone that has purposefully controlled food intake to lose weight knows how powerful counter-regulation can be. Much of this seems to be mediated, or shaped by, our neuro-endocrine system, aka the interaction between our brains and our hormones. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve done two physique contest challenges and dieted down to compete in the 190 pound class for the Highland Games competitions. And dieting down for weightloss is never easy. It takes a lot of determination and self-control. And I won’t even get into the huge psychological battle that takes place…in this article anyway.

Basically when we lose stored fat, our body mounts a major response to conserve energy and boost appetite, defying further weight loss and encouraging regain. This can be very frustrating as we’re trucking along doing well and we start hitting these ‘roadblocks’ where it seems we’re not making any progress. It’s those times that really makes us want to throw in the towel.

Why is appetite regulation important?

If we under-eat or over-eat, problems and issues arise. We can become malnourished, obese, fail to repair damaged muscle tissue, lose reproductive ability, lose energy levels and/or develop diseases. And it’s interesting how there seems to be two camps when it comes to the endeavor of decreasing body fat. You have those that are successful and those that are not. Why?

Finding the master controls

One of the best ways to grasp the importance of appetite regulation is to knock it out. In other words, the best way to learn what a hormone/gland does is to get rid of it and see what happens. It still seems strange to me when sitting in anatomy and physiology class and the professor says, “well, if you have this structure it’s not that big of a deal. It’s kinda’ responsible for this and that but not really.”

For instance, a simple defect in the hypothalamus, located in the brain, might mean someone may eat or starve themselves to death, like with Prader-Willi Syndrome. This tells us that the hypothalamus has a big role to play.

When it comes to appetite, the hypothalamus is in charge. Of course there are lots of other interactions going on when it comes to appetite regulation such as insulin, the thyroid, testosterone levels, cortisol, and etc. If any of these get out of whack, bad things happen (including death).

What you should know

Appetite is governed by two organ systems of the body, the endocrine system and the nervous system — their connection is sometimes known as the “neuroendocrine system”.

The endocrine system & appetite

Quiz time! What’s the largest endocrine organ in the body? Why it’s the GI tract. Or we can just call the GI tract your gut.

The nervous system & appetite

The nervous system acts via nerve impulses and neurotransmitters (hormone-like chemicals), directing nervous tissues, smooth muscles, and other organs of the body to move, mix, and propel foodstuffs that enter the digestive system.

While some appetite control originates from nervous and hormonal connections between the digestive system and the brain, the digestive system possesses its own, localized nervous system, referred to as the enteric nervous system. It’s the “mini-brain” located in your gut. In this mini-nervous system, neurotransmitters are released, which can relay, amplify and modulate different signals between cells of the body.

Study results, observations, and fun facts

Physical activity plays an important role in appetite regulation. Some data show that appetite responses to exercise are strongly influenced by energy balance in men, but less in women.

Those who regularly exercise become more efficient at using body fat as a fuel source, and this can help with regulating appetite. And for those that lift weights, they create a much more fat burning potential due to something neat called EPOC.

Protein and fiber all seem to help control appetite. Refined carbohydrates, on the other hand, appear to increase appetite. Dietary fat has mixed results; when combined with refined carbohydrate it seems to increase appetite while on its own or combined with protein, it typically decreases appetite.

Eating a reasonable amount of food each day to support health and regulate appetite should just be the way we eat.

The body prefers a diet consisting of whole foods that aren’t all filled with synthetic products. A simple rule here is if you look on the label and can’t pronounce it, the body doesn’t want it.

The human body doesn’t have a good relationship with processed food products, and they mess with our appetite regulation.

Oh! And often times when we might think we’re hungry, we might just actually need some water.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

Now for some references:

Ryan Andrews, Precision Nutrition

Hagobian RA & Braun B. Physical activity and hormonal regulation of appetite: sex differences and weight control. Exerc Sport Sci Rev 2010:38:25-30

Garcia OP, et al. Impact of micronutrient deficiencies on obesity. Nut Rev 2009;67:559-572.

Kessler D. The End Of Overeating. 2009. Rodale

Christmas Morning Egg Puff

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:13:00 -0600

Christmas Morning Egg Puff

Ingredients

4 slices center cut bacon (or turkey breakfast sausage/ lean ham or turkey)
2 eggs
2 cups egg whites (or egg substitute)
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1/2 cup shredded 2% cheese, swiss cheese, or feta cheese
1/2 cup red and/or green bell peppers, diced
1 tsp baking powder,
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste (I suggest just a pinch of each!)
*Optional: Any steamed/chopped veggies of choice! Also, if you would like to add a little spice~ you could add 1/2 small can of diced green chillis!

Method

Cook bacon (or sausage) until cooked through, and/or crisp. (I usually place bacon in the microwave, or on a baking sheet in the oven). Crumble bacon, and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, egg whites, cottage cheese, shredded cheese, bacon and bell pepper. Whisk until mixture is well combined. (Also, if you are adding any additional veggies, add them to the mixture here!) Cover mixture, and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 sized baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. (Or you could do 6 individual small baking dishes)
Remove egg/cheese mixture from fridge, and stir in flour, baking powder and salt/pepper. Pour batter into baking dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in oven, until egg puffs up, and becomes slightly golden on top.

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 6; Calories: 175 per serving

How We Get Fat

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:25:00 -0600

How we get fat

# 1: Calories in Exceeds Calories Out

At a fundamental level, fat storage occurs when caloric intake exceeds caloric output. Basically, we take in more calories than we burn. Most people think of only the food we eat as calories. However, those calorie-containing drinks add up in calories also. And a lot of people don’t realize how many calories we take in from snacking and adding condiments. Take a second to think about this and see if this fits you at all. You pass by the cabinets and grab just a few chips. I mean, they’re just a few chips, after all. Then a bit later as you put out the pizza rolls for a snack for the kids, you eat 1 or 2. I mean, after all, it’s just 1 or 2. Then the kids want a couple cookies and maybe some animal crackers, so while you hand those over, you help yourself to 1 or 2 cookies and a couple animal crackers. I mean, they’re just 1 or 2 cookies and a couple animal crackers. Before long you’ve had a few servings of high sugar and fat laiden snacks.

Let’s take it a step further and you’ve decided to have a salad. So you get it all prepared and then you throw on your salad dressing. Salad dressing is abundantly high in fat (I’m not a fat phobe at all, fat has a lot of benefits but fat also contains a lot of calories that add up quickly. As an fyi (and I’ll cover this more later), avoiding fat is not a good idea. Even if you get the low calorie dressing, chances are you’re using more than a couple servings or the low-calorie stuff is filled with synthetic chemicals and oils. A typical serving size for dressing is 1-2 tablespoons. That’s 3-6 teaspoons, which is not a lot. Chances are if you haven’t actually taken the time to measure out the salad dressing, you’re getting a lot more than you realize. Do yourself a favor one day and actually check out the quantity of the serving size of dressing. My point is two fold—a lot of us are uneducated in portion size and you can’t change your dietary habits unless you know exactly what and how much you’re eating.

I want to take a brief moment to mention that taking in way too low of calories is not a good thing either. The body can and will go into fat storage mode if we starve ourselves. Yes there will be an initial weight gain which is almost entirely due to carbs being restricted and losing water weight. But that’ll be saved for another article.

We burn calories in a variety of ways from breathing to standing up to hitting the gym. There is a thing called RMR (resting metabolic rate). This is the rate at which (or how many) calories we burn while resting with only basic activities like physiological functions (breathing, digestion, etc). What has become common is people consuming way more calories than they’re burning and not partaking in muscle building activities (like weightlifting or its variations).

# 2: Fat Storage

The primary storage of fat in the body is in fat cells (I know, kind of a ‘duh’ statement). Most of that is found in what is called subcutaneous fat, which is found under the skin. There is also fat stored around the gut area called visceral fat (this surrounds the organs). Fat can also be stored in ‘bad’ places like the liver and pancreas under certain conditions; this is called ectopic fat storage.

However, I’m going to focus here on subcutaneous fat. Whether or not fat is stored or removed comes down to a concept called fat balance. For those of you that enjoy math, you can think of it as an equation like You can think of fat balance as Net Change in Fat Stores = Fat Stored – Fat Burned.

So at a fundamental level, fat gain occurs when fat storage exceeds fat burning (or called oxidation if you want to be sciency or throw around cool words at the next office party). And fat loss occurs when fat oxidation exceeds fat storage. Keep in mind that both processes take place in some amounts throughout the day, controlled by a host of processes that would probably bore you so I won’t mention here. Just recognize that what happens over time in terms of your fat stores comes down to the relationship between those two processes: fat storage – fat oxidation.

In recap, remember that fat storage = stored fat and fat oxidation = fat burning (in a nutshell and basically put)

So what determines fat oxidation and fat storage rates?

# 3: Intake, Oxidation and Storage

When you eat dietary fat, it’s primary fate is storage as its intake has very little impact on fat oxidation. It also doesn’t impact greatly the oxidation of protein or carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are rarely converted to fat under normal dietary conditions. There are exceptions when this occurs. One is with chronic overfeeding of carbs for multiple days. Under those conditions, carbs max out glycogen stores and are in excess of total daily energy requirements.

Typically when you eat more carbs, you burn more carbs and burn less fat. And that’s why even if carbs aren’t directly converted to fat and stored as such, excess carbs can STILL MAKE YOU FAT. Basically, by inhibiting fat oxidation, excess carbs cause you to store all the fat you’re eating without burning any of it off. Go ahead, and reread that.

So while the carbs may not make you fat itself, excess carbs can still make you fat by blunting out the normal daily fat oxidation so that all of the fat you’re eating is stored. Which is why a surplus of fat and a surplus of carbs can both make you fat; they just do it for different reasons through different mechanisms.

And the same holds for protein. This means that excess protein can still make you fat, just not by direct conversion. Rather, it does it by ensuring that the fat you’re eating gets stored. Now protein also has the highest thermic effect (more calories burned through digestion and etc). So excess protein tends to have the least odds of making you fat; however, excess protein can make you fat. If you’re going to over consume on one macronutrient, then do so with protein but adjust your carb and fat intake accordingly.

As a recap, here’s what happens and why all three still make you fat:

Excess dietary fat is directly stored as fat

Excess dietary carbs increases carb oxidation, impairing fat oxidation; more of your daily fat intake is stored as fat
Excess dietary protein increases protein oxidation, impairing fat oxidation; more of your daily fat intake is stored as fat

Well, how about just not eating fat?

So I’ve been asked before “that means I can just not eat fat and eat all the protein and carbs that I want?” The asnswer is still no. First, keep in mind that unless you’re on a very low caloric intake, you still have a threshold of how many calories you can take in. For the average American, a typical carb intake revolves around a lot of high carb/sugar foods (and it gets really easy to go way beyond calorie needs with these types of food). Second, it’s not impossible for carbohydrates to be converted to fat for storage. When you go too low on fat consumption, the body will stop burning fat and store it.

Under conditions where dietary fat intake is ‘adequate’ ( around 10% of total calories or more), the primary fate of that fat is storage and protein and carbs are used for other things. But when dietary fat consumption is too low, the body will start converting ingested carbs to fat for storage.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

Cramping, electrolytes

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:17:00 -0600

Cramping is a complicated topic and while many simple solutions are often thrown out, they don’t always seem to work. Usually the culprit is issues with hydration or electrolyte levels; electrolytes are things like potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium they are involved in transmission of the electrical signals in the body (hence their name). Hydration and electrolyte levels are intertwined as the amount of water in the body affects the relative concentrations of the electrolytes in the body. So if there is more water present, the relative concentration of each of the electrolytes will be lower because the water will dilute them. And on the flipside, if you are dehydrated, the relative concentrations of the electrolytes goes up.

When it comes to cramping, most people point the finger at the electrolyte potassium. Somehow the mantra became ‘eat a banana to stop cramping’ idea. In fact, the next time or you get a cramp, see how many people suggest you eat a banana. I surmise it’s because bananas are an excellent source of dietary potassium. And they are easy and convenient to have on hand. However, the banana only takes care of the possible lacking of sufficient potassium. The banana doesn’t take care of the insufficient sodium (sodium plays a huge role along with potassium when it comes to muscle performance and issues in general with the muscular system. You’ll understand once you get to biology and the sodium potassium pump is discussed).

Cramping is way more complicated than a potassium fix and can be related to all of the different electrolytes, not simply the absolute amounts of each but the interactions between them. Since everyones physiology is different, fixing the cramping problem usually entails trying different things to figure out what’s causing the problems for a given individual.

Now, a potential issue specific to very low-carbohydrate diets (less than 100 grams of carbohydrate per day) and cramping is that these diets cause water loss. The water losses can vary massively from a low of perhaps 1-2 pounds up to 10-15 pounds in larger individuals. As well, very low-carb diets cause electrolyte losses and this can cause cramping and fatigue.

Of course, an adequate calcium intake is important under all conditions for bone health. How much you need depends solely on how much dairy foods you’re eating so whether or not you need to supplement extra will depend on that variable.

Also, studies have shown that high doses of the amino acid l-taurine seems to help with cramps in some people. If your hydration is good and you’re getting the above electrolytes but are still having problems with cramping, you should consider adding l-taurine to the mix.

I should also mention that stimulants in general (as well as the asthama medicine clenbuterol) can cause cramps. Sorry coffee and tea drinkers, these contain caffeine and caffeine is a stimulant.

In regards to fluid loss and exercise, you need around 1.5 liters (48 oz, 6 cups) of fluid to replace every 1kg of weight lost during exercise (1kg=2.2 pounds). Athletes who do a lot of training in the heat who don’t replace fluid losses can get into trouble pretty quickly.

As well, note that plain water is actually the worst rehydration drink out there. Fluids containing sodium and potassium are retained far better than those that don’t. As an fyi Milk is a good recovery drink because it contains sodium and potassium and also provides good carbohydrates and high-quality protein so it does double duty after training if you can stomach it.

So anyhow, that’s a basic look at cramping.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

Weight Gain and that Wine after Christmas Supper

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:40:00 -0600

Alcohol is a two-edged sword. On one hand, a drink or two a day is touted as having health benefits. However, too much alcohol can lead to any number of negative side effects. While it’s not true for everyone, it’s not uncommon for alcohol to be a part of the holiday cheer whether at work parties or that rum in the eggnog at the family Christmas supper or any other social gathering in between.

Alcohol is technically considered a macronutrient since it is a source of calories. A macronutrient is what we derive calories from (protein, fact, carbs, and, yes, alcohol). But the body treats alcohol differently than the other macronutrients and tries to expel it from the body. Alcohol nets us 7 calories per gram. One thing to take into consideration as I just wrote the article on weight gain during the holidays is that alcohol impairs us from burning fat. This is not a good thing as the holidays are notorious for many people for weight and/or fat gain. And, for guys, it is worth mentioning that alcohol has been shown to have testosterone-lowering properties.

The real issue with alcohol is when it is combined with food consumption. So take into account these social gatherings you’re attending and if you’re intending on eating and drinking alcohol, know that you’re digestive abilities will be impaired. Essentially pepsine is impaired so that the digestive juices cannot do its job in breaking down the food (or to be more correct, the macronutrients). How long it takes for alcohol to get out of the system depends on a lot of different factors like age, weight, gender, etc. A very rough general guesstimate would indicate that a drink (one beer, one glass of wine, one shot) takes an hour to get out of the system. And that’s if you only have alcohol in your system and then since everyones metabolism is different, there’s no hard and fast timetable of alcohol elimination. But, simply put, that food is going to sit in your stomach while the body is burning alcohol. So I want to emphasize that the old notion that a glass of wine after a meal aides in digestion is absolutely false.

Now it’s the holidays. And there’s no reason not to eat, drink, and be merry if that’s what you intend to do. But, hey, at the very least, when you’re sitting around the Christmas table and Aunt Vickie suggests a glass of wine to help break down the meal, you’ll be able to bring up a fun fact. And fun facts can always make for interesting (and informative) discussions.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

9 Point Survival Guide for Fighting Holiday Weight Gain

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 10:55:00 -0600

With Christmas and New Years coming up, we tend to go all-out on poor eating choices. So I’ve put together a 9 point guide to help combat that dreaded holiday eating weight gain.

1. Limit Bad Choices

This is kinda’ a no-brainer. Too many people fall into the trap of “If I’m going to eat junk, I might as well just go all out now.” Instead, try to make better bad choices. Limit portions (you know that you don’t really NEED three pieces of cake to be satisfied). Pick the lower calorie or lower fat/high-carb stuff at the dessert table. Since that table will be full of a bunch of different desserts, maybe pick 2-3 half portions.

2. Take a Dish with you to the Party

Whether a work party or holiday dinner, it’s not uncommon for people to bring their own thing to add to the food table. So make something that falls in line with your dieting goals.

Find a happy medium between the high-sugar/high-fat stuff and clean eating. Most American desserts have about twice the sugar and butter that they usually need and, who knows, you might even convert someone into realizing that they can eat sweets without it having to be 1000 calories per piece.

3. Train with Higher Volume Before the Eating Event

One of the best ways to increase the need for incoming calories is to deplete muscle glycogen. When you do that by using a higher volume (more sets, higher reps) of training, not only do you increase fat oxidation, you give incoming carbs somewhere to go for storage instead of being used for energy.

You can simply bump up your volume a bit in the days before a specific event where you know there will be junk. Even a heavy training session on the day of the party can be beneficial here.

Train in the ‘muscle-building’ zone (get about 40 reps per muscle group) and you’ll increase protein synthesis so that incoming calories will support growth. Training also tends to acutely blunt hunger so if you train right before the party, you’ll be less likely to overeat. Well, unless you use that training session to justify a sugar binge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say “I just had a training session, so it’s okay to hit this desert table hard.” Okay, they don’t say it quite like that, but you get the idea.

4. Start with protein and vegetables before dessert

Lean protein has the highest short-term satiating power (this means it keeps you full) and the high-bulk of vegetables helps to fill your stomach which also sends a fullness signal. Typically all holiday parties have a vegetable plate (limit the high-fat dip) or plate of cold cuts. Load up on that to get some fullness going before you hit the desserts. You won’t be as hungry and, assuming you don’t like eating yourself sick, this alone will do damage control. Back to the dip—I was looking in my fridge and found some ranch dressing (this is typically what you’ll find in most vegetable trays). 2 tbsp (table spoon) was the serving size which gave you a whopping 16 grams of fat. That’s a lot if you consider that you’re going to probably use far more than 2 tbsp and then add in all the other fillers you’ll have…well, you get my point.

5. Eat protein and vegetables about 30 minutes before hand

Eat lean protein, veggies, and fruit about 30 minutes will give you a feeling of fullness and help to limit overconsumption of ‘junk’ at the party. If you hit a few 8 oz glasses of water, this will help too. A lot of times when we feel hungry, we’re actually in need of water.

6. Consider Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting (IF’ing) is a recent dietary approach that involves not eating for 16 hours per day and then either having an ‘eat period’ of roughly 8 hour or even a single meal. I know that most of y’all probably re-read that. No I’m not just throwing out some crazy dieting fad. There’s actual peer-reviewed studies that support IF as a viable eating lifestyle. I know that goes against the grain of eat 3 meals a day or eat every 3-4 hours. I’ll do an article on IF at a later date.

Anyway, it’s one good way to deal with holiday parties.

Know that you’ve got a 7pm dinner party where there will be lots of yummy food? Try IF’ing (or only have small meals of lean protein and veggies) most of the day. Unless you go completely berserk, you’ll be unlikely to exceed your entirely daily caloric requirement in the one meal. If you can train beforehand, even better.

7. Consider a Short Mini-Diet

Let’s say you have an event or two coming up on the weekend and you know that there will be lots of food and you may have control issues. Well, consider doing a short, possibly hardcore diet in the days before. Let’s call it pre-active damage control.

8. Stay Off the Scale

People often see the scale spike up after a big party; this is especially true after Christmas. But, really, unless you go nuts, you can’t eat enough in a single meal to put on appreciable fat. It’s only water, and it’ll come right back off in a few days. However, we look at the scale and freak out that we’ve suddenly gained five pounds. Relax. Get back to training and eating as normal. When it comes to dieting, the scale lies and is not your friend. I’ll do an article on why to avoid the scale at a later date.

9. Start with an 80/20 rule

It’s no secret that I try to avoid math if I can. It usually involves balancing the check book or that wonderful ‘honey do list’ that involves measuring, cutting, and hanging. But this is a handy rule when it comes to the eating lifestyle. If 80% of your meals are clean, then you have 20% to indulge (and, no, this does not mean going overboard). Let’s for simplicity sake say you eat 3 meals a day. That’s 21 meals a week. 21x20% is roughly 4 meals a week. So you have 4 meals or eating session during the week that you can be a bit more loose with your food choices. This is actually important for the new ‘dieter’. When we move from a predominant fast food and soda induced dietary lifestyle, a lot of us start to go into withdrawls from these highly addictive foods. I’ve seen it more times than I can count where a person whose lifestyle was predominately junk food and convenience eating where they start ‘dieting’ and week into this eating lifestyle change, they freak out. They find themselves going through the drive-thru, ordering a bunch of food and stuffing it down their throat as fast as possible. Then the guilt sets in and then they begin self-defeating mindset of “I just can’t do this!”

Two things:

Don’t be so hard on yourself when you ‘fall of wagon’. Get up, dust yourself off, and get back to the business of healthy living.
You didn’t get overweight over night. Weightloss/fatloss is a long term endeavor. It’s going to take more than a couple weeks or months to get thin (depending on bodyfat percentage and what your definition of thin is).

So there you go. 9 ways to combat the holiday eating and break out of that “Here’s the holidays, I’m going to gain 15 pounds” mentality.

Yours in Health,

Joshua Morgan

Large Group Personal Training – Vs – Bootcamps…What’s The Difference?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:49:00 -0600

The other day I was invited by someone to attend a bootcamp that they had been doing. I gladly accepted the invitation because I saw that this could be a great opportunity to learn a little bit more about what is out there, and maybe have a little fun in the process.

Now as someone who has been running “bootcamps” for over 2 years and doing personal training for 8 plus years I know a little bit about how to execute group training. I’ve never actually attended a bootcamp before I started my bootcamp, but I’ve heard plenty about other bootcamps and I wanted to experience the difference between the norm and what I was calling bootcamp. This process has led me to consider not calling my bootcamp by that name any longer. Here is why.

Bootcamp

My alarm goes off at 5 AM to wake me up for the workout, which is no biggie for me, I’m used to it. Although, I would have rather done an afternoon workout, I can understand that a lot of people like to get their workouts in early so I was glad to join this group of go-getters for an early workout.

I show up early at the freezing cold park where the workout takes place to meet the instructor and fill out some paperwork. I understand paperwork is completely necessary to get to know your clients. I realized quickly however that I could’ve just slept in an extra 15 minutes because the instructor didn’t get there until about 5 minutes prior to the workout beginning. The instructor gave me a sheet of paper to fill out. Contact info, how I heard of the bootcamp, and if I’d had a heart attack lately were the depth of these questions. I was a little upset to see that after I gave the instructor the sheet of paper I had just filled out he just said thank you and put it in pile along with the other new peoples sheets. He didn’t even look at it. What was the point of the health history if you aren’t going to look at it, but oh well; I’m healthy, so lets move on.

By this time I’m already a little skeptical, but willing to put it aside to get a good workout on. Ugh, I’ll make this quick. The workout consisted of the following:

1. Running laps around the park for 10 minutes
2. Forming a line and doing random amounts of pushups, burpees, jumping jacks, squats, and lunges. I love all of those exercises, but the programming left a lot to be desired.
3. Running laps and taking breaks to do more jumping jacks, jumping on park benches, more pushups, and more burpees.
4. We finally ended with about 20,000 sit-ups, crunches, and more mountain climbers.

Even better yet, I had a non certified trainer who was a drill sergeant want to be, yelling at me the entire time telling me to work harder. Naturally when I started getting too tired to do the some of the exercises in good form I dropped down to an easier regression of the exercise. I wanted to make sure I didn’t get hurt, but that’s a no go in this bootcamp. Work hard and do what everyone else is doing in bad form maggot! That’s what it takes to get results. Sure, if the results you are looking for is bad posture and injury. This guy either didn’t know what good form was, or just didn’t care.

To give the bootcamp some credit however, everyone was working his or her butt off, and it was really cheap.

Group Personal Training

Leaving that bootcamp made me realize that I had to write this article. I had to let people know there is a better way to train large groups, but still get people to work hard, and work smart at the same time. I’ve been working hard over the last few years with some of the best in the industry like BJ Gaddour, Mike Robertson, Jared Woolever, Pat Rigsby, the people at FMS, and many others and have found a better way to train groups.

So what is the difference between “bootcamp” and group personal training? It’s huge. Lets begin.

Assessments: Having someone fill out a piece of paper and throw it into a pile without looking at it is a disgrace. Group personal trainers require some sort of screen or assessment. I currently use the FMS screen to make sure I know what’s going on with my client’s bodies. I will also go over the client’s health history and goals with them to make sure we know exactly what they want and exactly what they need.

Typically Inside: Workouts don’t have to be inside to be good, but it sure is nice. It also allows you to be able to have access to lots of strength training equipment, which is essential in a well-rounded training program.

Exercise Progressions: Everyone is different and everyone has different needs. If you aren’t going to do an assessment (which is crazy) you at least need to have different levels of difficulty for each exercise. At the bootcamp I tried to regress, but was yelled at. In group PT you are praised for being smart if you drop down. It’s about working as hard as you can at the appropriate level for your body.

Certified Personal Trainers: If someone who can’t put in the effort to get certified is training you please run as fast as you can away from that bootcamp.

Well Thought Out Programs: Random workouts that change by the minute may be fun, but if you want a real program that produces results it should follow some sort of training guidelines. You get results by learning exercises and tracking your progress. If you are just doing random exercises you will get random results. Programs should be based on your needs to get you the results you are looking for. How is a random workout going to give the 50 different people in the bootcamp the same results when each person is different?

Less People in the Workout: One coach can’t train 50+ people well. Indoor group PT typically has less people to make sure the coach can correct your form so you can improve.

Nutrition Intervention: I know a lot of group personal trainers and almost all of them include some sort of nutrition information or nutrition counseling in their programs. If nutrition is forgotten in your bootcamp, forget that bootcamp.

All of the Benefits of Bootcamp Without All of the Negatives: Outdoor bootcamps can be fun, low cost, and provide group support. That is the draw of bootcamps in the first place. Group PT offers all of these benefits without any of the drawbacks that I discussed above.

This article has been a long time coming. Anyone who knows me understands my strong dislike for generic crap training like the bootcamp I attended. It’s my mission in life to increase the quality of group training in America. I hope this article will make a small splash in that happening. I know the readers of this blog will understand the importance, so if you know anyone that may like this article please share it with them. If each person who reads this makes a vow to increase the quality of his or her bootcamps and/or group training I know I’ve begun to make the difference I’m trying so hard to make. Thank your for reading and for going the extra mile to do what is right.

Steve Long

Creamy Sugar-Free Egg Nog

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:17:00 -0600

Ingredients:

1/2 cup egg beaters (note: egg beaters are pasteurized, so they are safe to eat, but don’t use raw eggs or egg whites, because these are not pasteurized and must be cooked before they are safe to eat!)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or low fat milk/milk substitute of choice)
2 tbs sugar free instant vanilla pudding mix
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp imitation rum extract
3-4 stevia packets, or to taste (or sweetener of choice to taste)

Method:

1.Blend or whisk all of the ingredients together until they are well combined. Refrigerate 30 minutes or more to chill and allow to thicken. Serve immediately, or store in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 2 (1 cup) servings; Calories: 72 calories per serving

Skinny Sugar Cookies 2 ways

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:31:00 -0600

Ingredients:

Skinny Sugar Cookies:

5 tbsp butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar substitute, OR 1 tbs stevia, (or to taste)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract, (or an additional 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (or you could do half pastry flour and half all-purpose flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Skinny Gluten Free Sugar Cookies:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or an additional 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
4 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup sugar substitute of choice OR 1 tbs stevia, (or to taste)
1 cup coconut flour (can be found at most health food stores. You can also get it on Amazon.com )
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, (or foil and spray with cooking spray).
Mix the wet ingredients in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing until everything is just combined. Place dough back in fridge to chill for about 30 minutes, or until dough is cold. (Note: While you are working with the dough, if it gets difficult to work with, it’s because the butter in the dough is too warm, an easy fix is to place the dough in the freezer for about 5 minutes, or until it’s cold again, and it will roll out and cut into shapes nicely again!)
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface (use coconut flour for gluten free) and cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Place on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes for regular sugar cookies, OR for 18 minutes for gluten free sugar cookies.

Calories: 67 calories each for regular sugar cookies OR 48 calories each for gluten free sugar cookies

Feel free to use royal icing for decorating but be sure to account for the added calories and grams of sugar!

Lasagna Roll-ups

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:19:00 -0600

Ingredients:

6 whole wheat (or fiber plus) lasagna sheets
1 cup cooked ground chicken or cooked lean ground turkey/ lean ground beef
1 cup low fat cottage cheese, blended in a blender or food processor until smooth, (or low fat ricotta)
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup parmesan, separated
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning (or 1/4 tsp basil + 1/4 tsp oregano)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic)
Optional: 1 cup mozzarella sprinkled on top

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1 cup of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Set aside.

2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil, and cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. (I recommend cooking a few more than 6, just in case one breaks or tears).

3. Meanwhile, in a medium size bowl, mix together meat, 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, spinach, 1/4 cup parmesan, and spices.

4. When noodles are cooked, drain in a colander, and lay on a kitchen towel to dry. Start assembling lasagna roll ups by spreading 1/6 of the meat mixture over each individual lasagna noodle.

5. Roll noodle, and place seam side down in baking dish.

6. Pour the remaining sauce over the noodles, and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese, (and mozzarella cheese if desired), over the top.

7. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes covered with foil, remove foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 6 lasagna roll ups; Calories: 228 per lasagna roll

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:28:00 -0600

Layered Pumpkin Cheese

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Filling

2 (8oz) packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
3/4 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg and 4 egg whites)
1 1/4 cup sugar substitute of choice (or stevia to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (more or less to taste)

Gingersnap Crust

1 1/2 cup gingersnap cookies (I measured them out before crushing, so I overfilled the measuring cup a bit to make up for the gaps between the cookies)
1/4 cup sugar substitute of choice
3 tablespoons light butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray. To make the crust, place cookies, sweetener, and melted butter in a food processor, and pulse until cookies are broken down into a very fine crumb. Press crust down into prepared springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Turn oven down to 325 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, to make the filling, place the first five ingredients into a blender, (the cream cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, sweetener, and vanilla extract). Blend until the mixture is smooth.

3. Pour a little more than half of the filling over the gingerbread crust. Pour the remaining cheesecake filling into a bowl, and mix in the pumpkin puree and spices. Carefully pour the pumpkin cheesecake filling over the first cheesecake filling layer. (I used a spatula to gently smooth out the filling out once I poured it over the first layer).

4. Bake cheesecake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. (Note: The center will almost be set, but it will appear a bit ‘jiggly’…Don’t worry, it will continue to set up in the fridge!) Allow cheesecake to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight. Serve with whipped topping if desired! Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts: Servings: 12 slices; Calories: 185 calories per slice

Layered Apple Pies

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:37:00 -0600

Ingredients:

For Pastry Filling:

12 wonton wrappers
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sweetener of choice

For Apple Pie Filling:

2 large granny smith apples (or other baking apple of choice), peeled, and diced into small chunks
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp apple pie or pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt
2-3 packets of sweetener, (or to taste)
Optional: 1(8 oz) Container Fat Free or Light Cool Whip

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, or foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Lay wonton wrappers out individually on baking sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sweetener.
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until wontons have crisped, and become lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool completely on baking sheet.
4. Meanwhile, to make the apple pie filling, Place all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan, and cook over medium heat, until apples are soft and resemble the appearance of apple pie filling, stirring constantly, (about 2-5 minutes). Remove from heat.
5. To build the layered apple pie, start by placing one baked wonton on a plate, and layer with about 2 Tbsp apple pie filling in between each layer, (alternating with cool whip if desired). Repeat layers 2 more times, (baked wonton will be the top layer, and three wontons will be used for each tower).
6. Top with Cool Whip and cinnamon if desired~ Served best warm!

Nutrition Facts:

Servings: 4 layered apple pies

Calories: 125 calories each pie

Pumpkin Spice Protein Pancakes

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:55:00 -0600

Ingredients:
• 1 scoop protein powder
• 1/2 cup pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice + 1/4 tsp cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup + 2tbs water
• 3-5 packets stevia (or 1/2-1 tbs sweetener of choice)

Method:
1. Put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!
2. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick griddle (or large nonstick skillet) coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake onto griddle. Turn pancakes over when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Serve warm!

Nutrition Facts:
Servings: 4 (3 pancakes per serving)
Calories: 150 per serving (15g protein/4 g fiber per serving)

*Optional top with sugar-free syrup, and or light all natural whip cream….be sure to account for those calories and no cool whip, that stuff is awful…partially hydrogenated oils, yadda, yadda, yadda.

The Ancient Chia Seed - How it Can Benefit Your Health

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 13:50:00 -0500

You have probably heard how important it is to get enough essentials fatty acids(EFAs) in your diet. Some good food sources containing omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids include fish, shellfish, flax seeds, leafy green vegetables and walnuts. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to obtain enough of these fatty acids on a daily basis. Recently, an ancient seed has regained popularity due to its high nutritional value.

You may know Chia as the sprouts that grow on the porous clay figurines called Chia Pets, however there is much more to it than that! Chia has both nutritional and medicinal benefits. The seeds are an excellent source of essential fatty acids and are a great addition to a healthy diet.

My introduction to Chia seeds came a few weeks ago when a friend brought me some Chia seed chocolate pudding form the local health food store. It had the texture of tapioca and was quite delicious. The pamphlet touted the many health benefits and curious, I was insired to look further into this interesting seed.

Chia is a member of the mint family. The seeds are either white or black and both types are highly nutritious. Originally grown in Mexico and the Southwest between 1500 and 910 B.C., Chia seeds were an important part of the Aztec and Mayan diet. Aztec warriors used Chia as their main source of fuel during conquests. Medicinally, they also used it to relieve joint pain and stimulate saliva. Although once a major crop in Mexico, it was banned after the Spanish conquest due to its association with Aztec religion where it was used as an offering during religious ceremonies and ritual. Commercial production is increasing and you can now find Chia seeds online as well as in many health food stores.

Chia (Salvia hispanica) - 10 Health Benefits of This Superfood

Supports Heart Health
Chia seeds can help reduce blood pressure. The seeds contain one of the highest known plant sources of essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6). EFAs cannot be synthesized by our bodies however, it is very important that we get enough to support our immune, cardiovascular, nervous and reproductive systems. EFA deficiency is quite common in North America.
Stabilizes Blood Sugar
Chia seeds slow down the rate at which complex carbohydrates are digested and then assimilated into the body. The soluble fiber helps to stabilize blood glucose levels resulting in steady, sustained energy. In one study on diabetic patients, Dr. Vladamir Vuksan of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, found that blood was thinner and less prone to clotting and blood pressure of participants dropped significantly, after three months of taking Chia seeds daily.
Energizing
The word “Chia” comes from the Mayan language and means strength. Chia seeds are a balanced blend of protein, carbohydrates, fats and fiber. It is said that 1 tablespoon of Chia can sustain a person for 24 hours. Athletes have reported that Chia seeds help them perform at optimal levels for much longer periods of time.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
A number of arthritis sufferers have reported reduced pain and inflammation after a few weeks of taking Chia seeds. The high concentration of omega-3 helps to lubricate joints and keep them supple. Additionally, Omega-3s are converted into prostaglandins which are known to have both pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects.
Weight Loss
The essential fatty acids contained in Chia seeds helps to boost metabolism and promote lean muscle mass. The seeds are sometimes added to food to provide bulk and nutrients while adding very few calories. For these reasons, many people have found Chia quite useful in weight loss and weight maintenance.
Detoxification and Elimination
Similar to psyllium, the swelling action of Chia in the body helps to cleanse and soothe the colon, and absorb toxins while lubricating and strengthening peristaltic action.
High Quality Protein
Chia seeds contain about 20% protein, a higher percentage than found in many other grains such as wheat and rice. Chia seeds contain strontium which helps to assimilate protein and produce high energy.
Antioxidants
Chia seeds are an excellent source of antioxidants containing even more antioxidants than fresh blueberries. The high amounts of antioxidants in Chia seeds also keeps the oils from going rancid - contributing to a long shelf life.
Provides Fiber and Other Nutrients
Besides EFAs, Chia seeds also provide fiber, iron, calcium, niacin, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus.

2 tablespoons of Chia = 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 205 milligrams of calcium, 5 grams omega-3
Brain Power
EFAs are known to make cell membranes more flexible and efficient making nutrients more readily available and nerve transmission more efficient. This helps to improve brain function (including memory and concentration).

How to Use Chia

Chia seeds have a mild, nut-like flavor. The seeds are easily digested and do not have to be ground to be used. In Mexico, the seeds are mixed with water and a little bit of lime or lemon juice to make a drink called “Chia Fresca.”

Whole Chia seeds can be sprinkled on your cereal, salads, or yogurt. Seeds can also be ground and mixed into smoothies or added to baked goods. The seeds can be sprouted and used in salads or sandwiches. Sometimes Chia seeds are soaked in water (for about 30 minutes) to form a gel. The seeds soak up to nine times their weight in water. The gel is then added to porridges or used to make puddings.

Roasted Vegetable Eggplant Parmesan

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:26:00 -0500

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, sliced crosswise into ¼ inch thick disks
1 baby zucchini, halved crosswise and sliced into ¼ inch thick planks
1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 C low calorie marinara
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 Tbsp grated real Parmigiano Reggiano chesse

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place eggplant on one baking sheet, and zucchini and peppers on another baking sheet. Brush eggplant with 2Tbsp of olive oil on both sides. Drizzle the remaining oil over rest of the veggies. Sprinkle all veggies with salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer. Place in oven to roast until soft and starting to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. (You want veggies almost completely cooked through.) Remove and set aside.
Lower oven temp to 350 degrees. In a 3 qr. Baking dish, spread ½ C marinara over bottom. Begin layering vegetables, starting with the eggplant, completely covering the bottom of the pan. Spread a layer of sauce over eggplant and add a layer of another vegetable, then sauce. Repeat until all vegetables and sauce have been used, making sure to reserve enough sauce to cover the top layer. To finish top with sliced mozzarella, and spread and even layer of Pamigiano Reggiano on top. Bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts: serves 6

Calories 231; Protein 13g; Carbs 19g; Fat 14g; Sodium 487mg

Paleo Diet

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:31:00 -0500

THE BASICS

Okay – time for some common sense! This diet plan is right up my alley and the premise is ultra simple – eat food as Mother Nature intended, and as our ancestors did before the agricultural revolution. I preach some similar ideas and really the diet is very easy to follow. It excludes milk and dairy products, as well as cereals and grains that are man-made. Basically, if you can’t find a food growing on the planet, in nature, or anywhere else- then put it back.

So what does that mean? It’s simple – the foundation for this diet are meats, seafood, and unlimited amounts of fruit and vegetables. Nuts and other plant based foods are also acceptable, but in moderation. The Paleo Diet has also been called “The Stone Age” or “Caveman” diet for its simplicity. And that’s the diet’s beauty – though truthfully, Dr. Cordain gets a bit too serious for me and includes what I think is just too much detail when describing the ideology behind the plan. He gets into ratios, different healthy fats, ancestral history and a lot of other things that will push people away.

Like all diets on the market, Cordain cites health benefits including better cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and improved overall health. This diet is also high in healthy fats (omega’s), antioxidants, phytonutrients, flavonoids and lots of other funny sounding terms that we know to be health promoting.

DIAGNOSIS

The Paleo Diet is a high protein diet when compared to its counterparts which I don’t think is a bad thing. I am of the belief that higher protein and lower carbohydrate diets are better in the long run for health, energy, and maintenance of bodyweight. Dr. Cordain speaks of only eating “in season” foods, genetics, and macronutrients of various food groups. Personally, I think it’s too much to swallow – pun intended. At the core this is a very solid and sound philosophy – don’t eat man-made processed food, and stay away from flour, grains, wheat, breads and the like. Eat healthy sources of fat from nuts, seeds, and fish, and eat lean sources of protein from meats. Plus, eat unlimited fruits and vegetables.

Grocery list for the example 6 day meal plan

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 09:11:00 -0500

Grocery List
Produce	Dairy	Meat		Canned Foods	Frozen
Baby Spinach	String Cheese	Chicken		Tuna	Sugar Snap Peas
Mixed Baby Greens	1%-2% cottage cheese	Shrimp		Black Olives	Edamame
Arugula	Unsweetened Almond Milk	Sliced Turkey Breast		Chickpeas	Green Beans
Broccoli Florets	Parmesan Cheese	Tilapia			Cod Fish
Lemons	Part-Skim Mozzarella	Firm Tofu			Shrimp
Garlic	Eggs	Rotisserie Chicken			Sword Fish
Zucchini	Liquid Egg Whites
Yellow Squash	Low-fat Plain Yogurt
Tomatoes				Dry Food
Onions		Bread/Cereal		Brown Rice
Cucumbers	Baking	High-Fiber Cereal like Kashi Go-Lean		Raw Almonds
Asparagus	Olive Oil	Whole Grain Bread Or Sprouted Grain		Raw walnuts
Pineapple	Balsamic Vinegar				Condiments
Watermelon	Cooking Spray				Salsa
Strawberries	Stevia				Dijon Mustard
Avocados					Tabasco
Grapefruit					Low-Fat Mayo
Mushrooms
Bell Peppers	Health /Beauty	Paper Products		Cleaning	Miscellaneous
Blueberries
Carrots
Celery



Schedule:			Notes:
The example 6 day meal plan			The Chickpeas are for Hummus, so if you don’t want to make your own
			Feel free to purchase the pre-made variety. However if you do want to
			Make your own be sure to have Tahini (sesame seed paste) and cumin too.

			Feel free to substitute any of the entrees for other light and healthy
			Options, because swordfish is expensive and not everyone knows how
			To properly cook with tofu…for example.

The "dirty dozen"

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 09:54:00 -0500

12 most contaminated

Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes (imported)
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes

12 least contaminated

Onions
Avocados
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapple
Mangos
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Kiwi fruits
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya

Muffin Frittatas

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:29:00 -0500

Ingredients:

6 eggs
½ C. milk
1/8 C. chopped red onions
¼ C. chopped red bell pepper
¾ C. diced zucchini or yellow squash
4 slices of bacon chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, and bacon; mix well. Spoon evenly into 12 greased muffin cups, about a ¼ of a cup each.
Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 to 22 minutes; until firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes; remove from cups. Enjoy!

*remaining frittatas can be refrigerated and quickly heated in the microwave for those hectic mornings when time is shortJ

Nutritional Information

12 Servings: Per 1 serving

Calories:57, Fat: 4g, Carbs: 2g, Protein 4g, Sugars: 1g, Sodium: 87mg

Quinoa and Black Bean lunch bowl

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:00:00 -0500

Ingredients:

½ C. Quinoa
½ C. Black Beans
1 small baby zucchini
¼ C. Hummus homemade or store bought
Juice of ½ a lemon
3 C. of mixed greens
¼ C. of salsa
1 small avocado pitted and sliced
2 Tbsp of chopped cilantro

Preparation:

In a small sauce pan, bring 1 C. of water to a boil. Add quinoa and cover, reduce heat and simmer until most of the water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 more minutes.
In a small sauté pan, heat black beans and zucchini over medium-high heat. Add a splash of water and cook until zucchini is slightly soft
To make dressing combine hummus and lemon juice.
Divide mixed greens between 2 bowls and add quinoa, black beans and zucchini mixture. Pour dressing over top, and add avocado and cilantro to each bowl.

Nutrition Facts: 4 servings 2 cups each

Calories 200; Protein 6g; Fat 9g; Fiber 8g; Sodium 193mg;

Example meal plan for weight loss

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:12:00 -0500

Example Meal Plan

Day 1

Breakfast: Poached egg with asparagus. Two poached eggs with 5 steamed spears of asparagus, ½ medium grapefruit, and ½ of a toasted whole wheat English muffin.
Snack: ¾ C fresh cubed pineapple and 1 string cheese or ½ C of 1%-2% cottage cheese
Lunch: Tuna Salad. Combine 4oz. white meat tuna, packed in water, with 1 tsp, low-fat mayo. Scoop tuna salad onto a mixed green salad with cucumber slices, and 2 tomato slices.
Snack: 15 raw almonds
Dinner: Lemon Chicken with steamed snap peas. Marinate 5oz. of boneless, skinless chicken breast in lemon juice and olive oil, bake at 375 degrees until cooked through. Serve with 1 C steamed snap peas.

Nutrition Information: Calories about 1200; Protein 110g; Carbs 71g; Fiber 15g; Fat 54g; Sugar 19g

Day 2

Breakfast: High-fiber cereal . One serving of cereal with one cup of unsweetened almond milk.
Snack: One C. of sliced strawberries with ½ C. of 1%-2% cottage cheese.
Lunch: Turkey, avocado and arugula salad. Combine 5oz. sliced turkey breast, ¼ avocado, and 1 C. of arugula with 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 2 tsp olive oil, and vinegar.
Snack: 12 walnut halves or 1 9oz. package of steamed edemame.
Dinner: Herb grilled Tilapia with Broccoli. Brush 5oz. tilapia with 1tsp. olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and ¼ c. of fresh herbs (such as basil, rosemary, or thyme) Let marinate in fridge. Grill tilapia until cooked through and grill marked on both sides, then top with salsa. Serve with 1 C. steamed broccoli florets and 2/3 C brown rice topped with 2 Tbsp salsa.

Nutrition Information: Calories about 1200; Protein 109g; Carbs 106g; Fiber 20g; Fat 42g; Sugar 33g

Day 3

Breakfast: Spicy egg white and mushroom scramble. In a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, scramble 1 whole eggs and 2 egg whites with ½ c sliced mushrooms. Sprinkle with Tabasco and ¼ c low-fat shredded cheese. Serve with 1 slice of whole wheat toast.
Snack: 1 C cubed watermelon and a 1 c. of low-fat plain yogurt
Lunch: Shrimp Salad. In a salad bowl, combine 4oz. of grilled shrimp on a large mixed green salad (mixed baby greens, peppers, and cucumbers) tossed with balsamic vinegar, 1tsp olive oil, and 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard.
Snack: Carrots and celery sticks with 2 Tbsp. hummus for dipping
Dinner: Rotisserie chicken and spinach. 6oz. of chicken served with 1 C spinach sautéed in 1 tsp. olive oil and minced garlic with a twist of lemon. Serve with salad greens topped with ¼ of an avocado and 1 sliced tomato dressed with 1 tsp olive oil and lemon.

Nutrition Information: Calories about 1220; Protein 128g; Carbs 68g; Fiber 14g; Fat 50g;

Sugar 31g

Day 4

Breakfast: Egg White Omelet with Spinach and salsa. In a non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, and add 3 egg whites, ½ C chopped spinach and ¼ C reduced-fat shredded cheese. Serve with 1 Tbsp salsa and 1 slice of whole wheat toast or English muffin.
Snack: 1 C. cubed watermelon and 1 string cheese
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Breast. 5oz. grilled white meat chicken breast, pounded and sliced over a bed of mixed greens, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp. olive oil
Snack: 1 9oz. package of steamed edamame
Dinner: Broiled Swordfish with Zucchini and Squash medley. 6oz. broiled swordfish filet served with 1 C each of sliced zucchini and squash, sautéed with 2 tsp. minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced tomato and onion salad.

Nutrition Information: Calories about 1200; Protein 130g; Carbs 75g; Fiber 19g; Fiber 19g; Fat 46g; Sugar 28g

Day 5

Breakfast: High-Fiber Cereal. 1 cup of cereal combined with 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
Snack: ½ cup of blueberries topped with 2 Tbsp of slivered almonds
Lunch: Julienne Turkey over Mixed Greens. 4oz. sliced white meat turkey server on a bed of 2 cups mixed baby greens, ½ cup sliced raw mushrooms, 5 black olives, and ½ cup chopped cucumber, drizzled with 1 tsp. olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and lemon if desired.
Snack: 20 raw almonds
Dinner: Tofu and broccoli. Combine 7oz. grilled firm tofu with 1 cup sautéed broccoli in 2 tsp. olive oil. Serve with small green salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Nutrition Information: Calories about 1200; Protein 99g; Carbs 89g; Fiber 24g; Fat 58g; Sugar 31g

Day 6

Breakfast: Green and White Omelete. In a non-stick skillet coated with cooking with cooking spray, combine 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, with 2/3 cup steamed spinach, and ¼ cup part-skim mozzarella into an omelet. Sprinkle with Tobasco for an extra kick. Serve with 1 slice of whole wheat toast.
Snack: 10 frozen grapes with ½ cup of 1%-2% cottage cheese.
Lunch: Poached Chicken and Arugula Salad. 5oz. of poached, sliced white meat chicken breast on a bed of 1 cup of mixed greens, 2 tomato slices, ¼ of an avocado, and sliced cucumber. Serve with spicy mustard for dipping.
Snack: 1 9oz. package of steamed edamame
Dinner: Citrus baked cod with Sauteed Green Beans. Marinate a 6oz. cod filet in lemon juice and olive oil and bake at 375 degrees until cooked through. Serve with 1 cup green beans sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil and minced garlic.

Nutrition Information: Calories about 1200; Protein 143g; Carbs 59g; Fiber 16g; Fat 44g; Sugar 22g

Italian Sausage with Sloppy Peppers

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 08:31:00 -0500

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
6 all-natural, low fat Italian chicken sausage
½ C low-sodium chicken broth
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 Poblano pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 wax peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
2 Italian sweet peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 C no salt added crushed tomatos
Mustard for serving
6 whole grain hoagie or hot dog buns

Preparation:

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add sausages and cook, turning a few times, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, cover, and simmer until sausages are cooked through, according to package instructions. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Heat remaining olive oil over me-high heat and add onion, peppers, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Cook until soft and slightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. (Work in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding pan.) Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.
To serve, squirt mustard inside hoagie roll and add sausage. Divide pepper mixture among sausage-filled hoagies, about 2/3 C for each, and serve with a big napkin!

Nutrition Facts: (1 sausage filled hoagie with 2/3 C peppers) Calories 308; Fat 8g; Protein 24g; Carbs 34g; Sodium 869mg;

Yucatan Chicken

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:28:00 -0500

Ingredients:

8 garlic cloves
½ C water
½ C Orange Juice
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground allspice
¼ tsp ground black pepper
8 (4 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
¼ C low-sodium chicken broth
2 C sliced onion
1 (14.5 oz.) can chopped tomatoes undrained
8 large Swiss Chard leaves or banana leaves
Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation:

While running drop garlic into food processor, process until minced. Add the next 8 ingredients (water through black pepper), and process until blended. Reserve 1 C of the garlic mixture, and set aside; combine tge rest with the chicken in a large zip-top bag, and seal. Marinate in fridge 8 hours, turn bag occasionally.
Remove chicken from bag.
Preheat oven to 350
Heat broth in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add onion, and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Add ¼ C reserved marinade and the tomatoes. Bring to boil, and cook for 5 minutes or until reduced to 2 C. Remove tomato mixture from heat, and set aside.
Drop Swiss chard or banana leaf into a large saucepan of boiling water; cook 30 secs. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain again.
Place 1 chicken breast in center of each leaf, and top with ¼ C tomato mixture. Fold in the edges of the leaves, and roll up; place the chicken rolls in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining ¾ c of marinade over the chicken rolls. Cover, and bake for 50 minutes; uncover, and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve with remaining tomato mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutrition Facts: (per roll)

Calories 170; Fat 2.2g; Protein 4.2g; Sodium 152mg; Carbs 2.8g

Does caffeine help with weight loss?

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:32:00 -0500

Caffeine is found in many beverages, including coffee, tea, energy drinks and colas; in products containing cocoa or chocolate; and in a variety of medications and dietary supplements, including supplements aimed at weight loss.

Although research about the connection between caffeine and weight isn't definitive, there are several theories about how caffeine might affect weight, including:

Appetite suppression. Caffeine may reduce your desire to eat for a brief time, but there's not enough evidence to show that long-term consumption aids weight loss.
Calorie burning. Caffeine may stimulate thermogenesis — one way your body generates heat and energy from digesting food. But this probably isn't enough to produce significant weight loss.
Water loss. In some people, caffeine can act as a diuretic, which means it increases the amount of urine you excrete. This increase in urine output, mostly water loss, may temporarily decrease your body weight, but it doesn't result in the loss of body fat.

Some studies looking at caffeine and weight were poor quality or done on animals, making the results questionable or hard to generalize to humans. In addition, some studies found that even decaffeinated coffee may contribute to modest weight loss, suggesting that substances or factors besides caffeine may play a role in weight loss.

The bottom line: Be cautious about using caffeine products to help with weight loss. When used in moderation, caffeine is generally safe. But too much caffeine might cause nervousness, insomnia, nausea, increased blood pressure and other problems. Also, some caffeinated beverages, such as specialty coffees, are high in calories and fat. So instead of losing weight, you might actually gain weight if you drink too many of these.

High-Fiber Diet Might Lower Risk for Colon Polyps

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:28:00 -0500

TUESDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- People who regularly eat legumes, brown rice, cooked green vegetables and dried fruit have a reduced risk of colon polyps, a precursor to colon cancer.

That's the finding of California researchers who analyzed data from 2,818 people who were followed for 26 years. During that time, 441 cases of rectal/colon polyps were detected among the participants.

The risk of polyps was 40 percent lower among those who ate brown rice at least once a week and 33 percent lower among those who eat legumes (a class of vegetables that includes beans, peas and lentils) at least three times a week, the Loma Linda University team found.

Eating dried fruit three times or more a week, compared to less than once a week, was associated with a 26 percent reduced risk. Eating cooked green vegetables once a day or more, vs. less than five times a week, was associated with a 24 percent reduced risk, according to the report published online in the journal Nutrition and Cancer.

"Eating these foods is likely to decrease your risk for colon polyps, which would in turn decrease your risk for colorectal cancer," study author Dr. Yessenia Tantamango, a postdoctoral research fellow, said in a university news release.

"While a majority of past research has focused on broad food groups, such as fruits and vegetables, in relation to colon cancer, our study focused on specific foods, as well as more narrowed food groups, in relation to colon polyps, a precursor to colon cancer. Our study confirms the results of past studies that have been done in different populations analyzing risks for colon cancer," Tantamango said.

"Legumes, dried fruits and brown rice all have a high content of fiber, known to dilute potential carcinogens," Tantamango noted. "Additionally, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain detoxifying compounds, which would improve their protective function."

Pasta with Tomato-Peach Sauce

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 10:14:00 -0500

Pasta with Tomato-Peach Sauce

Ingredients:

5-6 Sun dried tomatoes
4 C coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 C fresh or frozen peaches peeled
1 C chopped onion
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
12 ounces chunky whole grain pasta
Grated parmesan or romano cheese

Preparation:

Soak sun-dried tomatoes in boiling water for @ least 15 minutes, until soft and plump. Drain and chop.
In lightly oiled 9x13 backing dish stir together sun-dried tomatoes, tomatoes, peaches, onions, Olive oil, cinnamon, black pepper, and cayenne. In a 450 degree oven, roast uncovered, stirring @ least twice during cooking, until the ingredients have softened and thickened, about 40 minutes. When done stir in the vinegar.
After sauce has been roasting for about 25 minutes, bring water to boil and cook pasta until al dente. Drain well.
Serve garnished with cheese.

Nutrition Facts: per serving serves 4

2oz. Pasta Calories 180, 1 C sauce Calories 178, Protein: 16g, Carbs 84g, Fiber 4 g, Fat 12g, Sodium 362mg

When you're losing weight, where does the fat go?

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:44:00 -0500

Multiple chins, bulging tummies and flabby arms: It's easy to see where fat accumulates on the body.

When a person starts losing weight, where does the fat go? And what parts of the body can you expect to see results?

Headlines from fitness magazines promise exercises to blast away belly fat and activities to spot-reduce flab. The scientific evidence, unfortunately, doesn't back those sexy headlines.

Here are three things to know about weight-loss and body fat.

You can't change your shape, just your size.

You can't cherry-pick where you shed fat; weight loss doesn't work like a point-and-shoot.

MRIs, CT scans and dexa scans, which use X-ray beams to measure body composition, show no evidence for spot reduction.

"Basically, when we lose weight, we lose weight all over in exactly the proportion that's distributed throughout our body," said Susan Fried, director of the Boston Obesity and Nutrition Research Center at the Boston University School of Medicine.

A pear-shaped woman who loses weight will remain a pear, just a daintier one, say researchers who specialize in body fat. More women tend to be pear-shaped, with fat around their hips and thighs. Men tend to be apple-shaped, because they have fat that accumulates around their waist.

"People come in with unrealistic expectations from magazines and spot-reducing," said Gary Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education. "That doesn't happen. When you start to lose fat, it's proportionate throughout your body, whether it's your neck, waist, ankle circumference. You'll come out smaller but have the same body shape."

That was the case with Maggie Sorrells, 37, who lost nearly 300 pounds through diet and exercise in less than five years.

Her body was pear-shaped even when she weighed about 500 pounds. She reduced her portion sizes and attended weekly faith-based weight loss meetings called Weigh Down. She noticed that her face and hips were getting smaller.

"My hips were like 73 inches," Sorrells said. They're now down to 39 inches.

"It's crazy to think how much they've come down."

She and her husband, Andy, who live in Nashville, lost more than 500 pounds combined.

Sorrells essentially retained her pear shape, although she's 300 pounds lighter. "I'm still rounder in the bottom part of my body. I'm still pear-shaped," she said.

For most people, the problem is their weight, not their body shape, Foster said. Whether you're a pear or apple may be determined by genetics or hormones.

Not all body fat is created equal.

When Joe Dragon, an insurance company supervisor in Albany, New York, started losing weight from his 425-pound frame, he noticed the biggest difference in his stomach.

"I was never heavy on the bottom; it was more the gut, belly area," the 34-year-old said. "The differences I noticed, I have a flat stomach. It used to be huge round ball."

Like Dragon, men tend to be apple-shaped and carry more belly fat, known as visceral fat. This is a dangerous type of fat because it surrounds abdominal organs and is metabolically active.

Essentially, it disturbs the regular mechanisms in your body.

The fat cells release biochemicals that lead to inflammation, which could lead to heart attacks, strokes and joint and muscle pain. This accumulates in the liver, said Dr. Robin Blackstone, surgeon and medical director of Scottsdale Healthcare Bariatric Center in Arizona.

"Fat is basically a store of energy," she said. "When you need energy, you break down the fat. That breaks down into a component called free fatty acid and goes into the liver for energy. When you have a lot of excess fat, it generates so much free fatty acid, the liver can't handle it, so it stores it."

That triggers a host of problems including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance and diabetes.

"Belly fat is much more harmful than the so-called big butt," Foster said.

The fat in the hips causes much alarm because that part of the body is highly visible. Called subcutaneous fat, the masses of this fat may be unsightly, but scientists believe they're not as dangerous as internal abdominal fat.

For cosmetic or social reasons, women are more likely to seek obesity treatment than men.

"What that says is that men are likely to need obesity treatment more than women, but women, likely due to stigma socially for being overweight, are more likely to present for treatment," Foster said.

Where does the fat go?

Fat cells expand when people consume more energy than they can burn. During weight loss, the cells shrink.

"The fat is a very specialized cell, and it takes basically the fat we eat and it stores it in form of triglycerides," said Fried, who researches how fat is deposited. "It's doing that for the purpose of releasing it when other parts of the body need it."

Humans carry about 10 billion to 30 billion fat cells. People who are obese can have up to 100 billion.

"If anyone of us overeats long and hard enough, we can increase the number of fat cells in our body," Fried said. "When we lose weight, we don't lose the number of fat cells."

The size of the cells shrinks, but the capacity to expand is always there.

Liposuction can remove fat cells, but this procedure is ideally for people who are not obese.

"The fat cells are actually being removed," said Tony Youn, a plastic surgeon who performs liposuctions. "It doesn't mean that fat cells that remain can't get bigger."

Despite the extraction of fat cells, the ones remaining can always get bigger or smaller depending on a person's diet and fitness.

Where does the fat go?

Fat cells expand when people consume more energy than they can burn. During weight loss, the cells shrink.

Humans carry about 10 billion to 30 billion fat cells. People who are obese can have up to 100 billion.

"If anyone of us overeats long and hard enough, we can increase the number of fat cells in our body," Fried said. "When we lose weight, we don't lose the number of fat cells."

The size of the cells shrinks, but the capacity to expand is always there.

Liposuction can remove fat cells, but this procedure is ideally for people who are not obese.

"The fat cells are actually being removed," said Tony Youn, a plastic surgeon who performs liposuctions. "It doesn't mean that fat cells that remain can't get bigger."

Despite the extraction of fat cells, the ones remaining can always get bigger or smaller depending on a person's diet and fitness.

Baked Oatmeal

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 22:09:00 -0500

Baked Oatmeal (serves 8)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp canola oil
½ C. unsweetened applesauce
1/3 C brown sugar or stevia
2 eggs or 4 egg whites
3 C uncooked rolled oats
1 tsp each baking soda and cinnamon
1 C. skim, almond, soy or coconut milk

Preparation:

In a large bowl, stir together oil, applesauce, sugar/stevia and eggs. Add dry ingredients and milk. Mix well. Spray a 9x13 baking pan generously with cooking spray. Spoon oatmeal mixture into pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving)

Calories 204, Protein 8g, Carbs 34g, Fat 4g, Sodium 105mg, Fiber 4g

Can too little sleep make you gain weight?

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:57:00 -0500

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who got very little sleep ate more but didn't burn any extra calories in a new study that adds to evidence supporting a link between sleep deprivation and weight gain.

Although the findings don't prove that sleeplessness causes people to pack on extra pounds, or exactly how the relationship between sleep and body weight might work, they do show that "sleep should be a priority," said Michael Grandner, who studies sleep and sleep disorders at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

"If you're making your diet a priority and trying to be healthy, don't forget that getting healthy sleep is probably an extremely important part of being healthy," Grandner, who was not involved in the new work, told Reuters Health.

Previous studies have tested the link between sleep and diet and weight in multiple ways, Grandner explained. Some surveyed large populations of people with questions about their sleeping and eating habits and tracked their future health conditions. Others, including the new report, looked at a smaller group of people very closely, manipulating their sleep schedule and observing how their food cravings and appetite responded.

Both kinds of research have generally supported the idea that less sleep is associated with more extra weight.

One recent study in Sweden found, for example, that young men who were sleep-deprived ate about the same amount of food as usual, but burned between 5 and 20 percent fewer calories than when they were well-rested. (See Reuters Health story of May 13, 2011).

Approximately 50 to 70 million Americans -- including a significant number of shift workers -- suffer from chronic sleep loss and sleep disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health.

For the current study, Marie-Pierre St-Onge of the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital and colleagues recruited thirty men and women in their 30's and 40's, all of roughly normal weight. The participants lived and slept in a research center during two different five-night periods.

During one of those visits, they were allowed to sleep for nine hours each night. During the other, participants were only permitted four hours of shut-eye. Both times, they were fed a strict diet for the first four days of their stay and then were allowed to eat whatever they wanted on the fifth and final full day.

Researchers tracked how much energy they burned on a daily basis, and also asked participants how energetic they felt.

The tests showed that regardless of which sleep schedule they were on, people burned a similar amount of calories -- about 2,600 per day.

But when they were sleep-deprived, they fed themselves about 300 more calories on average on the final day of the study compared to when they had been sleeping normally. Well-rested participants ate an average of 2,800 calories that day, compared to 2,500 when they were running on less sleep.

If that kept up in a person's normal daily life, it would put the sleep-deprived at higher risk of obesity, the authors write in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Participants also said they felt more sluggish and less energetic after a few days on the short sleep schedule.

There are a few possible explanations behind the link between sleep and eating, researchers explained. One is that shut-eye is important for the hormones that help control how much we eat.

Sleep "seems to play a role in how your body manages the hormones that control how hungry you are, when you're hungry (and) what kinds of foods you're hungry for," Grandner said.

Another explanation is that when we're tired, we're less good at making healthy eating decisions.

"It's possible that when you're on short sleep you're more susceptible to giving in to your desires," St-Onge told Reuters Health. "You walk past a (food) cart or a bakery and it smells so good...If you're sleep-deprived you may be like, 'Oh, what the heck,'" she said.

Grandner added that it's possible the link goes both ways, and that eating too much of certain kinds of foods can disrupt a person's sleep schedule. Or, someone that has a stressful job may sleep too little and also eat too much as a result.

Too little sleep has also been tied to a host of other health problems, he said, including heart disease and diabetes -- which have their own associations with weight, complicating the picture even further.

"People always want to say if you sleep more you'll lose weight," St-Onge said. While her study didn't set out to show whether that's the case, "if you're trying to control your weight, it would be helpful not to be sleep-deprived," she concluded.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/pIBBTT American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online June 29, 2011

Quinoa Jambalaya

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 13:49:00 -0500

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
½ onion
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 clove garlic
1 low-sodium chicken sausage sliced
¼ C quinoa
½ C low-sodium chicken or veggie broth
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
¼ lb. shrimp peeled and deveined
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Chop onion, zucchini, bell pepper and garlic.
Add chopped veggies and sausage to skillet and sauté about 5 minutes.
Add Quinoa and toss to coat, about 2 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 min.
Add shrimp and cover skillet. Cook another 5-10 min, or until shrimp are opaque (cooked through). Top with green onion, salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving; 2 servings)

Calories 400g; Fat 15g; Sodium 500mg; Carbs 39g; Fiber 6g; Protein 24g

Sweet Avocado Smoothie

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:55:00 -0500

Ingredients: serves 1

¼ avocado peeled, pitted, and cubed
2 Tbsp canned sweet potato
1 small banana, sliced
¾ cup milk of your choice
½ tsp honey or stevia

Preparation:

Combine and blend.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories 291; Fat 8g; Carbs 50g; Sodium 135mg; Fiber 7g; Protein 9g

* For thicker texture and more energy fueling carbs you can add a ¼ cup of oats.

Cucumber and Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 21:50:00 -0500

Cucumber and Black-eyed Pea Salad (serves 6)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dried Oregano
Coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
4 cups peeled and diced cucumbers
1 14oz can drained and rinsed black-eyed peas
2/3 cup diced red bell pepper
½ cups crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup slivered red onion
2 Tbsp of chopped black olives

Preparation:

Whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano and pepper in a large bowl until combined. Add cucumber, black-eyed peas, bell pepper, feta, onions, and olives; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts: per serving (1 Cup)

160 calories; 10g fat; 11mg cholesterol; 12g carbohydrates; 5g protein; 3g fiber; 270mg sodium; 273 mg potassium

Grilled Orange Pork and Pineapple

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:58:00 -0500

Grilled Orange Pork and Pineapple

Ingredients:

4 boneless top loin pork chops, cut ¾ inch thick (about 1 1/4 lbs)
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cored
¾ C plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 C low-sugar or no sugar added orange marmalade
2 TBSP coarsely chopped toasted pecans
TBSP fresh thyme

Preparation:

Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper. Cut pineapple crosswise into 8 ½ inch thick slices; set aside. Combine yogurt and 2 TBSP of the marmalade, set aside.
For a charcoal grill, grill chops on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 4 minutes. Turn, ass pineapple to grill. Brush chops and pineapple with remaining marmalade. Grill 3-5 minutes more or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in pork registers 160 F and pineapple has light grill marks, turning pineapple.
Arrange pineapple and chips on serving plates. Spoon yogurt mixture over chops and pineapple. Sprinkle with nuts and thyme.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving; 1 pork chop, 2 pineapple slices, plus sauce, pecans, and thyme)

Calories 320; Fat 7g; Sodium 240mg; Carbs 28g; Protein 35g; Sugar 23g; Fiber 2g

Margarine Vs. Butter

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:42:00 -0500

For years, margarine was promoted as a heart-healthy alternative to butter. Since margarine was made from unsaturated vegetable oils, most people assumed it would be better for long-term health than butter, which was known to contain a lot of cholesterol and saturated fat. That assumption turned out to be wrong. Research showed that some forms of margarine—specifically the hard stick margarines—were worse for the heart than butter. This was because they contained large amounts of trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils.

The Nurses' Health Study found that women who ate 4 teaspoons of stick margarine a day had a 50 percent greater risk of heart disease than women who ate margarine only rarely. (21)

So should you choose butter over margarine? Whenever possible, skip both and use a liquid vegetable oil. At the table, try dipping bread in olive oil instead of slathering it with butter or margarine. When sautéing, try using olive, canola, or another liquid vegetable oil, with a little bit of butter for flavor. If you need something spreadable, choose a soft margarine that is not only trans free but low in saturated fat. A number of soft margarines are made from a blend of healthful oils, and some have the added benefit of containing cholesterol-lowering plant sterols. Keep in mind that you need to eat two servings of these sterol-containing margarines a day to put a small dent in your LDL level.

How RunKeeper Could Become the Facebook of Fitness

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 11:08:00 -0500

In a few short years, fitness has become so much more than just recording how many calories you burn or how many miles you run. There are mobile apps and standalone gadgets that’ll monitor your heart rate, how many hours you slept, the number of steps you take at work and so on.

Now RunKeeper, the company behind one of the original health and fitness apps for the iPhone, has revealed an ambitious new plan that it hopes will make it the Facebook of fitness, a one-stop location for all of your important health information. Imagine having data on your blood pressure, cholesterol, diet, cycling output, heart rate, REM sleep and BMI, all continuously updated from a slew of third-party gadgets and services.

If Facebook tells you everything about what’s happening with your friends, RunKeeper wants you to know everything that’s going on in your body.

Tucked away in Boston’s South End neighborhood, the 11-person, 3-year-old startup announced this morning that users may now see all their health and fitness data points aggregated together into a Health Graph, an interactive graphical representation of their workouts over time and how they compare to friends in their FitnessFeed, akin to Facebook’s News Feed or your standard Twitter stream.

More over, RunKeeper has also released an open API for outside developers to plug into RunKeeper users’ feeds, like so many various Twitter clients and Facebook partners. FourSquare, Zeoand Polar are just a few of the launch partners being announced today.

But with an open API setup, RunKeeper cofounder Jason Jacobs expects a steady stream of new additions to the FitnessFeed every week. And with more partners feeding health data into RunKeeper, that means more useful information for the site’s 6 million-plus users.

“It became clear that no one was pushing us harder than our community to enable them to get a holistic view of their health in one place,” RunKeeper cofounder Jason Jacobs told Wired.com. “If someone gains 10 pounds, it’s not just the food they eat or how much exercise. There are all these different drivers. Who’s peeled back the onion to start to understand what those factors are for you as an individual?

“Nobody has ever had all this information in one place before to be able to make sense of it.”

The Health Graph and its corresponding API is the result of a 15-month development overseen by Mike Sheeley, RunKeeper’s other cofounder. It’s an idea that sprung up after RunKeeper partnered up withWithings, which manufactures a $160 Wi-Fi-connected body scale.

“We had started to collect weight and body fat percentage, and as soon as we integrated with Withings, all of our users were saying, ‘Well, there’s this other scale and there’s one for heart rate and so on,’” Sheeley told Wired.com. “From a technical standpoint, we looked at our database where we were storing all of our data and we knew that if this was going to continue, we had to think about how we should store it, collect it and actually structure it so that it makes sense.”

Jacobs sees the Health Graph — and its inevitable growth from the open API — as a significant step toward connecting all the relevant health points in your life, from working out to your regular physician checkups.

“You have one Health Graph and when you go to the gym, your program is based on the graph that the trainer can know about you, and then the exercise you do will feed back into the graph,” Jacobs said. “When you run a race or when you go to a doctor, same thing.”

Since its earliest days, RunKeeper has battled fitness giants like Nike for positioning among consumers looking to shed pounds and lead a healthier life. RunKeeper was actually one of the first iPhone apps available in Apple’s App Store, beating even Nike+ to release. (At the point, Nike+ was still a web-based service that required a dongle on your shoe and specialized sensor plugged into your iPod.) Since then, RunKeeper has formed partnerships, one at a time, with various companies, including Garmin and Fitbit.

RunKeeper has seen two rounds of funding to date, totaling some $1.5 million in seed money, but Jacobs says they “haven’t touched a dime,” even while developing the Health Graph and scaling up operations to handle more than 6 million users with no service outages, although “there have been scaling issues and scaling isn’t something that you ever really solve,” Sheeley said.

Still, the upwards curve can’t be denied, as RunKeeper has more than doubled its user base since last November (when it had 2.5 million) without making a single withdrawal from its nest egg. That’s owed to the success of its Elite subscriptions, which cost $20 a year and offer users the ability to broadcast their runs live and get access to more detailed fitness reports. Jacobs actually receives an email every time a RunKeeper user decides to go Elite, so we can guess that he’s been getting a lot of emails over the past year, keeping both his investors happy and the RunKeeper operation lean and efficient.

Another move, which could’ve easily backfired, was when Jacobs announced last December that the company’s flagship app, the $9.99 RunKeeper Pro and one of the highest-grossing apps in App Store history, would be made free for a month, a seemingly perfect promotional move to capitalize on people’s New Year’s resolutions to get more fit.

But as the window was set to close, Jacobs dropped another bombshell: RunKeeper Pro would continue to be free permanently. At $10 a pop down suddenly going for nothing, it’s understandable that RunKeeper’s investors, who had just ponied up $1.1 in seed money, would be a tad nervous, but Jacobs now says the move was liberating for RunKeeper’s dev team: “We saw that setting it free would be a catalyst to making everything that we wanted to happen, happen faster.”

While the RunKeeper Health Graph fulfills a significant part of the company’s long-term plans, users and investors will be watching closely as the company moves to announce more initiatives later this year.

“Aggregating the world’s health information is where we ultimately want to head,” Jacobs said. “We looked at the landscape of everything we don’t yet integrate with and realized that the more inputs that come into the system, the more powerful the system becomes.”

Breakfast Cereals: The marketing of sugar

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 10:55:00 -0500

It’s not often you see an advertisement for Shredded Wheat, All Bran, or low-sugar organic cereals. What you do see, in a very repetitive and aggressive way, are ads for high-sugar, low-fiber content cereals. You know, Trix (Trix are for kids!), Lucky Charms (they’re magically delicious), Corn Pops, and Cap’n Crunch (one of my childhood favorites).

Those Saturday morning cartoons may entertain the kids and even delight a few adults but they also offer up unhealthy choices in the form of commercials. A new study, conducted by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, shows that cereals marketed to our children have 85 percent more sugar, 65 percent less fiber, and 60 percent more sodium, not to mention the additional unnecessary calories that they add to the breakfast bowl.

The study, released over the weekend, provided a wealth of information on both the content and marketing of cereals in this country. Using a nutrient profile system and reviewing marketing data for the popular cereal brands, researchers found that the average preschooler sees 642 cereal ads per year on television. Eleven of the thirteen cereals advertised most to children on television are also marketed heavily on the internet, with not one of them qualifying for inclusion in the USDA WIC Program.

The Top 10 advertised cereals to children with the poorest nutrition content were: Reese’s Puffs, Corn Pops, Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cap’n Crunch, Trix, Froot Loops, Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, Cocoa Puffs, and Cookie Crisp.

Of course the food companies are fighting back. General Mills spokeswoman Heidi Geller says kids who eat cereal more frequently, including pre-sweetened cereals, "tend to weigh less than kids who eat cereal less frequently — and they are better nourished." Given that General Mills has the highest number of brands marketed directly to children (8) and the highest amount of money spent on marketing those cereals ($107 million per year), it’s not surprising that they are trying to spin this in a positive light.

Look for cereals that have 10 grams or less of sugar per serving and look at the serving size, which varies. Cereal bowls, when filled, tend to be twice what the average serving size is (3/4 to 1 cup), meaning that your child is getting twice the amount of sugar than you intended. And many go back for seconds, compounding the issue.

GoodGuides http://www.goodguide.com/ provides the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home. It has a good cereal ranking system, and also allows you to filter by the following topics:

Environmentally Friendly

Organic
Low In Sugar
Low In Sodium
Low In Cholesterol
Low In Saturated Fat

The Top 12 ranked cereals on GoodGuides are:

Nature's Path Puffed Millet, Organic
Barbara's Bakery, Cereal Shredded Wheat
Vita Spelt Flakes
Food For Life Ezekiel Cereal, Original, Organic
Arrowhead Mills Puffed Wheat
Grape-nuts, Flakes Cereal
Post Spoon Size Shredded Wheat Cereal
Honey Bunches Of Oats, Cinnamon Clusters Cereal
Cheerios, MultiGrain
Wheaties
Total
Chex Corn

For more information on this report, you can go to CerealFacts.org

Pesto Stuffed Portobello Pizzas

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 10:19:00 -0500

Pesto Stuffed Portobello Pizzas (servings 4)

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
½ C Basil lemon pesto
4 oz fresh mozzarella
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425
Using a soup spoon, scrape out gills from underside of Portobello caps and discard. Spread 2 Tbsp pesto in scraped-out hollow of each mushroom cap. Top with mozzarella and tomato slices, enough to cover top of each mushroom.
Place pizzas on a baking sheet and bake in oven until mozzarella is melted and Portobellos are cooked, but still hold their shape. About 10 minutes.

Nutritional Facts: (per serving)

Calories 201; Protein 12g; Carbs 10g; Fat 14g; Fiber 4g; Sodium 434mg

Basil Lemon Pesto (makes 6 servings)

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic
¼ C pine nuts or pistachios
3 C fresh basil leaves, or ½ basil, ½ spinach, slightly packed
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
¾ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ C freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

In food processor, pulse garlic and nuts until chopped. Add basil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper. Pulse until chopped.
While processor is running, stream olive oil until pesto is blended and fairly smooth. Stop processor and use a rubber spatula to scrape down sides. Add parmesan and pulse blend until all ingredients are combined. Can be refrigerated covered, for up to a week!

Nutritional Facts: (per serving-2 Tbsp)

Calories 62; Protein 3g; Fat 10g; Fiber 1g; Carbs 3g; sodium 248mg

Good Form: A little plank movement does a lot of work

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:21:00 -0500

If you are familiar with performing a traditional elbow plank, try this new variation for an extra challenge to your core muscles. Just remember to make your movements very small in order to keep it safe and effective.

Begin on all fours. Position your elbows directly below your shoulders and place your hands and forearms flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart. Straighten your legs behind you. Balance on your toes and forearms as you bring your hips down to shoulder level. Keep you knees straight and press your heels back. Pause for two breaths.

On an exhalation, contract your abdominals and use your core muscles to raise your pelvis a few inches higher. Pause, continuing to hold your abs firm to support the weight of your pelvis. Slowly lower your hips back down to shoulder level and pause. Repeat this small movement three to six times. Release by bending your knees and sit back on your heels to rest. Repeat the entire exercise one more time.

National Prevention Strategy aims to keep Americans healthier, living longer

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:05:00 -0500

How many federal agencies does it take to make Americans healthy? Seventeen, according to the new National Prevention Strategy released this month.

A requirement of the health-care overhaul law passed last year, the National Prevention Strategy for the first time corrals 17 federal agencies — from housing to labor — and commits them to helping shift the nation's focus from treating illness to preventing it. To hold agencies accountable, the plan sets out specific 10-year goals.

Among the suggestions in the 122-page report: Replace deep fryers in cafeterias with salad bars. Add miles of safe, lighted sidewalks and bike lanes to neighborhoods to encourage outdoor activity. Help new moms breastfeed within an hour of giving birth. Bring more farm-fresh vegetables to everyone's table.

Though the key messages — stop smoking, don't abuse drugs and alcohol, eat healthier and exercise — are familiar, the strategy differs significantly from previous efforts, said U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin.

"This is the first time we've ever had this sort of commitment from high-level government. We are now focusing on trying to change our system from a system of sickness and disease to a system of wellness and prevention," Benjamin said.

Although Americans spend more per capita on health care than any other country, the nation falls far behind in measures such as life expectancy, ranking 24^t^h in the world for men and 35^t^h for women.

Whether the National Prevention Strategy can improve those measures stirs debate, in part because of how politicized the health-care issue has become.

"This is another one of those periodic exercises from the government to organize a nanny state and come up with a blueprint to improve us," said Ed Haislmaier, of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C.

"These problems will not be resolved by government studies and initiatives, but by individuals deciding through their own research and discussions with their doctors," Haislmaier said.

The National Prevention Council spent a year pulling the recommendations together and establishing its goals. But in many cases, the bar seems rather low, say health care professionals.

For instance, the plan aims to reduce teen suicide attempts from 1.9 out of 100 to 1.7 over 10 years. Its aim to reduce major causes of death also seems modest. Under cancer, the goal is to lower deaths from 178 deaths per 100,000 Americans a year to 160.

"But cancer rates are already falling. This makes you wonder if they are riding the trend or accelerating the trend," said Richard Morrison, regional vice president of governmental relations and public affairs forFlorida Hospital.

Still, the real test "will come as we work toward implementing these ideas and integrating them into the culture," said Jeff Levi of Trust for America's Health, a non-partisan, non-profit organization working toward disease prevention.

An analysis by Trust for America's Health found that for every $1 spent on preventive care, the nation would save almost $6 in treatment costs. Certainly, it's cheaper to teach someone not to smoke than to pay for years of life on a respirator, said Levi, who chaired an advisory group for the national council.

"Where we live, learn, work and play has a huge impact on our health. That's why it's encouraging to see that the strategy directly addresses the connection between social factors — such as poor housing, poor education and poverty — and health," said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which seeks ways to improve the nation's health.

Although Dr. Marc Siegel, a practicing internist and associate professor at New York University, is not in favor of the health-care overhaul law, he likes the prevention piece.

"I like the link-arms approach," said Siegel, whose book "Inner Pulse," (Wiley May, 2011) looks at why America is sick. "The collaboration is very refreshing because so much of government is compartmentalized."

Haislmaier thinks the strategy is a waste of time, but adds, "Provided the government doesn't spend much money trying to implement this nonsense, it won't cause too much harm. Fortunately, we're having a budget crisis, so that might curtail them."

As for how the plan will play in Central Florida, the region already is ahead of the nation in some areas, including tobacco use and violence, said Morrison. "And we're making respectable progress in promoting active living, thanks to city-sponsored walking programs. But in other areas, we have some work to do."

Central Florida's teen birth rates and the numbers of low birth-weight babies are worse than average, as are the area's rates of domestic violence and child abuse.

"Regardless of what the national government says, if everyone isn't working together on this locally," Morrison said, "it will never happen."

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:56:00 -0500

Ingredients:

Dressing

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 large clove garlic
½ tsp anchovy paste
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
½ C low-fat kefir
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Salad

1.5lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
Cooking spray
½ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
6 mini whole wheat pitas
2 hearts of romaine, halved and cut into 1 ½ inch strips
6 tsp parmesan cheese, crumbled
Lime wedges for garnish

Preparation:

Pre-heat grill or grill pan to med-high heat. Spray with cooking spray.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place on grill and cook until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove cooked chicken to a cutting board to rest.
In a blender, place all dressing ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Spray grill or pan again. Season with small pinch of salt and pepper. Place on grill until marks appear, for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Place cut romaine hearts in a large bowl and toss with ½ C Caesar dressing. Divide salad among six plates, about 2 C per serving. Thinly slice chicken breasts across grain and divide among plates, fanning out on side of lettuce. Drizzle remaining ¼ C dressing over the chicken and sprinkle with 1 tsp of cheese over each salad. Serve with grilled pitas and lime wedges. For squeezing over top of salad.

Nutritional Facts: (per serving)

Calories 246; Fat 5g; Carbs 19g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 456mg; Protein 31g; Cholesterol 70mg

Pre-Workout Meal Nutrition

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 14:54:00 -0500

Overview

Proper pre-workout nutrition is important because it offers critical anabolic and anti-catabolic effects, according to dietitian Christopher Mohr of Bodybuilding.com. A healthy meal before each workout helps promote muscle growth and prevents muscle atrophy, or loss of muscle. Mohr suggests consuming a healthy amount of protein and carbohydrates prior to each workout to get maximum results in terms of energy, fat loss and muscle gains.

Just Before Workout

Consuming a small snack or supplement just prior to a workout might provide better results when compared with consuming a post-workout snack/supplement exclusively, Mohr says. He suggests consuming about 35 g of simple carbs and 10 g of high-quality protein, also referred to as complete protein. Complete protein sources are those that contain all nine essential amino acids your body needs, but can't produce itself. Examples of effective pre-workout snacks include a small whey protein shake, a glass of fat-free chocolate milk or a piece of fruit and small glass of skim milk.

Gatorade Protein Drink G Series 03 Recover Helps Rebuild & Rehydrate Your Body. Available Now! www.Gatorade.com/03_Recover

Importance

Pre-workout nutrition is important because it plays a major role in your exercise results. During an intense workout, your body needs an increased amount of energy. Once the body's preferred source of energy, carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, are used up, energy needs must come from other sources. The body might resort to using protein or even break down muscle tissue for energy, which is called catabolism. By supplying the body with an adequate amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat before the workout, you can minimize these risks.

Pre-Workout Meal

In addition to a pre-workout snack right before you begin your workout, it's important to eat a light pre-workout meal to prepare your body for exercise. Sport and nutrition specialists J. Anderson, L. Young and S. Prior of Colorado State University recommend a 500- to 1,000-calorie meal three to four hours before an intense exercise session or sporting event. The majority of these calories should include sources of complex carbs, such as whole grain bread and pasta with vegetables. They also recommend limiting sugar, caffeine and fats. Drink plenty of water leading up to your workout.

Considerations

One of the most important things to consider when eating a pre-workout meal or snack is to keep it light. This means avoiding foods that take a long time to digest, such as fatty foods, which can help you avoid feeling sluggish during your workout. Carbs and protein offer energy and muscle-building properties that are more beneficial to pre-workout nutrition. It's also very important to stay hydrated before, during and after your workout by drinking water regularly.

Something Is Seriously Amiss With Our Hormones

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 13:57:00 -0500

Over the last 50 years there’s been an undeniable escalation of hormone-related health problems. The incidence of infertility, fibroids, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries and ovarian, cervical, and breast cancer have increased steadily and quite dramatically. Even more worryingly, many hormone-related diseases are occurring earlier in life. Complaints like endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts used to be extremely rare in teenage girls but they are now quite common and sometimes result in irreversible infertility. Underactive thyroid hormone production is almost endemic.

The Cancer Epidemic

The reality of the hormonal havoc we now face, especially in the Western world, becomes vividly clear when we look at cancer statistics. While some non-hormone related cancers are not greatly increasing in incidence (lung cancer, for example, is on the decline) the hormone-related cancers are very much on the increase.

Breast cancer incidence, for example, has more than doubled over the last 50 years. It now affects one in eight women in Britain at some time in their life, compared to one in 22 in the 1940s. According to the Office of National Statistics breast cancer is the most common cancer in England. The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer is gradually increasing year on year with about a thousand additional cases each year. At the other end of scale of hormonal health problems an increasing number of women experience pre-menstrual and menopausal problems, while one in seven couples are infertile.

But hormonal problems don’t just relate to women. Although breast cancer rates in men are much lower, rates of breast, testicular and particularly prostate cancer are growing year on year. Over the last 30 years, rates of prostate cancer have almost tripled and this disease now affects around one in 10 men at some point in their life with a new diagnosis every fifteen minutes. Also, an increasing number of men experience symptoms of the andropause, associated with testosterone deficiency.

A New Framework for Optimum Hormonal Health

The cause of all these hormonal health issues is certainly complex, and multi-factorial and, in my new book, Balance Your Hormones, I put all the pieces together to give a concrete strategy for reversing these kind of conditions experienced by so many women, and providing a framework for living and eating in a way that truly does support health hormone balance.

The key factors that I discuss are:

- The impact of hormone-disrupting chemicals in certain foods, packaging, household products and the environment and how to minimise your exposure

- The effect of stress, lack of exercise, weight gain and blood sugar imbalances

- The many nutrients we need to maintain healthy hormone balance

- The gut-hormone connection and the dangers of dairy products

- How to check for hormone imbalances and correct them with supplementation and the judicial use of low dose bio-identical hormones

- The role of hormone balancing herbs

- Why getting enough good fats in your diet is essential

- Why methylation, controlled by B vitamins, is a key determinant of biochemical balance

- The truth about the pill and HRT, the key to natural contraception (and conception) and how to restore hormone balance naturally

For each kind of hormonal health problem there’s a different set of solutions. For example, for breast cancer prevention there’s a lot of evidence that having a high intake of phytoestrogens, from beans and lentils, is good news. But if you have endometriosis you need to limit these. There are different kinds of PMS, some linked primarily to progesterone deficiency, for others linked to oestrogen deficiency. Finding out which makes all the difference. In my book I explain how to do this and the tests that are available through nutritional therapists that help get you back in balance.

The book is a total re-write of the earlier 1998 edition (now 380 pages, rather than 179 pages) and includes cutting edge research and strategies to keep your hormones in balance. Balance Your Hormones is out now and you can order it directly from www.patrickholford.com

Bombay Curried Shrimp

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:55:00 -0500

Bombay Curried Shrimp (serves 6, 1 C shrimp mixture, 1 C rice, 1 ½ tsp coconut)

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 T all-purpose flour
2 tsp olive oil
½ C minced shallots
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 C diced red bell pepper
1 ½ C diced tomato
½ C light coconut milk
¼ C chopped fresh or 4 tsp dried basil
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp raw brown sugar
1 (10 ½ oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
6 C brown rice or cauliflower rice*
3 Tbsp flaked sweetened coconut, toasted

Preparation:

Combine shrimp and flour in a bowl; toss well, set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. Add shallots and curry powder; sauté 1 minute. Add bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add tomato and next 5 ingredients (coconut milk through broth); bring to a simmer, and cook 2 minutes.
Add shrimp mixture; simmer 4 minutes or until done, stirring occasionally. Spoon shrimp mixture over rice, and sprinkle with coconut.

*For a lower calorie, lower carbohydrate meal substitute brown rice for cauliflower rice. Take 1 bag of frozen cauliflower and roughly chop in food processor, until you have a rice-like consistency. Then steam the pulsed cauliflower and drain after thoroughly heated.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving with brown rice)

Calories 397, Fat 6g; Protein 23.2g; Sodium 361mg; Fiber 4.6g; Carbs 61.2g

*Nutrition Facts: (per serving with cauliflower rice)

Calories 215; Fat 4g; Protein 21.2g; Sodium 383mg; Fiber 5.6g; Carbs 23.2g

Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 16:27:00 -0500

Strength training: Get stronger, leaner, healthier

By Mayo Clinic staff

You know exercise is good for you. Ideally, you're looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. If your aerobic workouts aren't balanced by a proper dose of strength training, though, you're missing out on a key component of overall health and fitness. Despite its reputation as a "guy" or "jock" thing, strength training is important for everyone. With a regular strength training program, you can reduce your body fat, increase your lean muscle mass and burn calories more efficiently.

Use it or lose it

Muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. "If you don't do anything to replace the lean muscle you lose, you'll increase the percentage of fat in your body," says Edward Laskowski, M.D., a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and co-director of the Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. "But strength training can help you preserve and enhance your muscle mass — at any age."

Strength training also helps you:

Develop strong bones. By stressing your bones, strength training increases bone density and reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Control your weight. As you gain muscle, your body gains a bigger "engine" to burn calories more efficiently — which can result in weight loss. The more toned your muscles, the easier it is to control your weight.
Reduce your risk of injury. Building muscle helps protect your joints from injury. It also contributes to better balance, which can help you maintain independence as you age.
Boost your stamina. As you get stronger, you won't fatigue as easily.
Manage chronic conditions. Strength training can reduce the signs and symptoms of many chronic conditions, including arthritis, back pain, depression, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis.
Sharpen your focus. Some research suggests that regular strength training helps improve attention for older adults.

Consider the options

Strength training can be done at home or in the gym. Consider the options:

Body weight. You can do many exercises with little or no equipment. Try push-ups, pull-ups, abdominal crunches and leg squats.
Resistance tubing. Resistance tubing is inexpensive, lightweight tubing that provides resistance when stretched. You can choose from many types of resistance tubes in nearly any sporting goods store.
Free weights. Barbells and dumbbells are classic strength training tools.
Weight machines. Most fitness centers offer various resistance machines. You can also invest in weight machines for use at home.

Getting started

When you have your doctor's OK to begin a strength training program, start slowly. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of stretching or gentle aerobic activity, such as brisk walking. Then choose a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 repetitions.

"On the 12th repetition, you should be just barely able to finish the motion," Dr. Laskowski says. "When you're using the proper weight or amount of resistance, you can build and tone muscle just as efficiently with a single set of 12 repetitions as you can with more sets of the same exercise."

To give your muscles time to recover, rest one full day between exercising each specific muscle group. When you can easily do more than 15 repetitions of a certain exercise, gradually increase the weight or resistance. Remember to stop if you feel pain. Although mild muscle soreness is normal, sharp pain and sore or swollen joints are signs that you've overdone it.

When to expect results

You don't need to spend hours a day lifting weights to benefit from strength training. Two to three strength training sessions a week lasting just 20 to 30 minutes are sufficient for most people. You may enjoy noticeable improvements in your strength and stamina in just a few weeks. With regular strength training, you'll continue to increase your strength — even if you're not in shape when you begin.

Strength training can do wonders for your physical and emotional well-being. Make it part of your quest for better health.

Citus Salad with Cashews and Mint

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:41:00 -0500

Citrus Salad with Cashews and Mint (serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 grapefruits, peeled and cut into segments
2 tangerines or clementines, peeled and segmented
2 kiwis, peeled and cut into slices
¼ C toasted or raw cashews, chopped
¼ C fresh mint leaves
Sea salt

Preparation:

Arrange fruit on a platter. Squeeze any excess juice from grapefruit membrane. Top with cashews and mint leaves. Lightly season with salt.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving)

Calories 132; Fat 4g; Cholesterol 0mg; Carbs 32g; Sodium 4 mg; Protein 3 g

Chicken Salad

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 18:39:00 -0500

Chicken Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:

6oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
1/3 C. 2% Greek yogurt
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp minced chives
2 Tbsp dried apricots
2 Tbsp chopped toasted almonds

Preparation:

Fill medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, season chicken with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, add chicken, and simmer until cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
In a bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, minced chives, dried apricots, and chopped almonds. Stir in chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Serve as a sandwich, wrap, or on top of a salad.

Nutrition Facts: (per ¾ cup)

Calories 189; Fat 7g; Cholesterol 49mg; Carbs 9g; Sodium 115mg; Protein 22g; Fiber 1 g

Chicken Soft Tacos with Sauteed Onion and Apples

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 08:47:00 -0500

Chicken Soft Tacos with Sauteed Onions and Apples (Serves 4; 2 per serving)

Ingredients:

1lb boneless Chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil
2 C thinly sliced onion
2 C peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith apple (about 2 apples)
2 cloves garlic; minced
8 (6-inch) La Tortilla Factory low-carb tortillas or sprouted grain tortillas like ezekial brand

Preparation:

Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and place over med-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with nutmeg and black pepper. Add chicken to the pan; sauté 7 minutes or until golden. Remove the chicken from the pan; keep warm.
Melt butter or olive oil in pan over med heat. Add onion; cook for 4 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Return chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.
Heat tortillas according to package directions. Arrange ½ C chicken mixture evenly over each tortilla.
Optional top with mixed greens, fresh cilantro, and or salsa (will slightly change nutrition information)

Nutrition per serving:

Calories 354; Fat 7.6g; Protein 32.9g; Sodium 305mg; Fiber 4.8g; Carbs 31.5g

Spinach Salad with Kale, Strawberries & Grilled Chicken

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:49:00 -0500

Spinach Salad with Kale, Strawberries & Grilled Chicken (2 servings)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 garlic clove
4 basil leaves
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 C. baby spinach
1 C. purple kale leaves
1 C. sliced strawberries
8oz. grilled chicken breasts sliced very thin

Preparation:

In a blender puree vinegar, honey, garlic, basil and water
While pureeing, slowly add olive oil (to emulsify) salt and pepper
Toss spinach, kale, strawberries and chicken with 1-2 Tbsp of dressing. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts: (per serving)

Calories 244; Protein 30g; Carbs 18g; Fat 7g; Fiber 4g; Sugar 8g; Sodium 128mg

Berry Blast Smoothie

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:36:00 -0500

Berry Alert Morning Smoothie

Blend:

½ C. frozen mixed berries
½ C. quick oats (can swap oats for any high fiber cereal of your choice)
1 scoop strawberry whey protein isolate
½ C. low-fat vanilla yogurt
½ -1 C. water

Mixed Berries: Red berries like raspberries are extremely fibrous, low in calories and chock-full of bone building vitamin K. The pectin in blackberries helps to keep blood-sugar level. Blueberries are great for shedding fat because they contain pterostilbene, a compound that helps the body break down fat and cholesterol.

Oatmeal: The carbs in oatmeal are slow digesting and won’t boost insulin levels, which will keep you energized longer without interfering with fat-burning.

Whey Isolate: Whey protein isolate contains more protein, and less fat and lactose per serving than regular whey. It breaks down fast and releases amino acids into the bloodstream. Plus, research shows that whey reduces hunger so you eat less throughout the day, making fat loss easier.

Yogurt: Besides the obvious health-boosting benefits of protein and calcium, this dairy food does your body good in other ways. Yogurt contains more calcium than milk, and has been found to help maximize fat loss – especially around the waistline – and minimize muscle loss. Yogurt is also a good source of glutamine, an important amino acid that helps you loss fat.

The Truth about HCG

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:54:00 -0500

The article below is authored by Dr. Matt Smith, of Balance Chiropractic.

When I read it on his blog, I and asked his permission to repost it here.

He kindly gave his permission, so here it is.

If you know anyone who is considering the hCG diet as a weight loss strategy, you’d be doing them a favor to direct them to this blog.

This post may have a different — perhaps more hostile — tone to it, but it’s only because I’m so tired of hearing about this hCG “diet.” It’s time to put it to bed.

Odds are if you listen to the radio or watch a modest amount of TV, you’ve seen/heard about the hCG Diet being marketed by doctors offices, “wellness” centers, and medi-spas everywhere.

You may have even considered giving it a shot for yourself because of the dramatic results they show. If you have… I am about to do my best to persuade you otherwise.

Here’s what the “leading hCG information site” has to say:

“hCG stands for Human Choriogonadotropin, the hormone produced by pregnant women in the early stages of pregnancy. Research suggests a small, daily hCG injection (approx. 125 IU to 200 IU) results in a weight loss of 1 to 2 lbs per day, and often more, when accompanied by a VLCD (very low calorie diet of approx 500 calories). We recommend you read Kevin Trudeau’s book, “The Weight Loss Cure They Don’t Want You to Know About”which contains vital information on using hCG injections for weight loss.”

First and foremost… there is NO such research that exists! You’ll see that in just a minute.

Second… are you a pregnant woman? If not, do you think you are supposed to have hCG in your body?

Third… what is your hurry? Your body is simply NOT designed to function on less than 1000 calories a day! Anything less triggers the stress response and sends your body into starvation-mode.

Fourth… yes, obesity is bad. I will NEVER argue against that because I have seen the statistics on mortality and costs of treatment. But to put your long-term health at risk for the sake of short-term results is absurd. You can lose just as much (or more) weight and keep it off forever by changing your lifestyle habits.

Finally… why in the world would you ever listen to anything Kevin Trudeau has to say?

Some “alternative medicine” practitioners love him for rebelling publicly against Big Pharma but that’s just short-sighted foolishness. Kevin Trudeau is aconvicted felon dressed in a slick salesman’s suit who uses ex-Playboy Playmates to sell his medical and financial books because he has a court order prohibiting by law from promoting anything else.

He’s never had ANY medical training… alternative or otherwise.

He’s also never provided ONE reference to an actual scientific study that validates any of the claims he makes in his infomercials. This is mainly because they don’t exist. I also looked at over a dozen hCG-hawking websites while researching this post and NOT ONE mentions any potentially negative side effects.

Just for fun, I decided to give you some ACTUAL studies conducted on the hCG diet by authors who are scientists:

This study showed that the injection of hCG “has no additional effects that cannot be accounted for by [a 500 calorie] diet alone.” They also state that the Simeons (hCG) protocol “does not enhance the rate of weight loss, nor does it reduce hunger or change the ratings of hostility, anxiety or depression.” Their final point is that hCG is “no more effective than placebo and any effort to promote this diet are financially motivated.” Awesome. Sign me up!

This study notes that “the overwhelming majority of well-documented double-blind study authors largely reject hCG administration in dieting.“

This study showed that “there was no statistically significant difference between those receiving HCG vs placebo during any phase of this study.”

This study states “there is no statistically significant difference in the [average weight loss] of the two groups in number of injections received, weight loss, percent of weight loss, hip and waist circumference, weight loss per injections, or in hunger ratings. hCG does not appear to enhance the effectiveness of a rigidly imposed regimen for weight reduction.”

This study concluded that “there is no rationale for the use of hCG injections in the treatment of obesity.”

The American College of Bariatric Physicians released this position statementcondemning hCG as a dietary aide. The AMA and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition released similar statements.

Are you picking up on my point here?

Now let’s look at some risks of a 500 calorie diet all by itself:

This study found that low-calorie, semi-starvation diets can “deplete protein stores of the gastrointestinal organs of digestion and absorption and contribute to decrease in body nitrogen stores, specifically cardiac muscle.” In other words…your body starts to eat itself. Super.

This study found that “long-term maintenance of weight lost with VLCDs is not very satisfactory and is no better than with other forms of obesity treatment.” In other words, there was no change in lifestyle. And this lifestyle is unsustainable for life in the first place.

When you severely restrict your caloric intake, your body stops burning glucose (sugar), which is what normally fuels the daily activity of your cells. Your brain and your red blood cells can ONLY burn glucose for energy, so your body starts conserving it like it’s 24-karat gold to keep your brain from shutting down.

Instead, your cells start burning fat stores and also start burning protein (things like your muscle, tissue & organs). Your metabolism plummets, anemia can develop, pH balance is disrupted, bone density is weakened, mood is altered and your immunity is compromised.

Ready to sign up yet?

When you go on these extreme diets you are only reducing a symptom of a greater problem (your lifestyle choices) at the expense of your overall health.

There is a much better, much easier, and permanent solution to better health.

Change your beliefs about what you eat, and why you eat it. When you do that, you will joyfully make better choices every day for the rest of your life.

You will inch closer to health every day — and yes, you will also lose weight.

How do you do that? Contact me and I’ll show you how.

ARE CARBS MORE ADDICTIVE THAN COCAINE?

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:46:00 -0500

I’m sitting in a comfortable chair, in a tastefully lit, cheerfully decorated drug den, watching a steady line of people approach their dealer. After scoring, they shuffle off to their tables to quietly indulge in what for some could become (if it hasn’t already) an addiction that screws up their lives. It’s likely you have friends and family members who are suffering from this dependence—and you may be on the same path yourself. But this addiction is not usually apparent to the casual observer. It has no use for the drama and the carnage you associate with cocaine and alcohol. It’s slower to show its hand, more socially acceptable—and way more insidious.

I’m in a Panera Bread outlet. The company is on Fortune‘s 2010 list of the 100 Fastest Growing Companies and earned more than $1.3 billion in 2009, mainly from selling flour and sugar by the railcar. Last year, Zagat named it the most popular large chain in the United States and ranked it second in the Healthy Options category. The company responded by touting its “wholesome” food. Sure, Panera sells a few salads. But why do the scones, pastries, baguettes, and bear claws get all the good lighting? Why are the grab-and-go packs of cookies and brownies next to the register? What need is fulfilled by serving soup bowls made of bread, with a mound of bread for dipping, and then offering more bread on the side? How come it’s noon and the couple behind me are eating bagels while the guy to my right is sawing into a cinnamon roll with a fork and a knife like it’s a steak?

The answer is that fast-burning carbohydrates—just like cocaine—give you a rush. As with blow, this rush can lead to cravings in your brain and intrusive thoughts when you go too long without a fix. But unlike cocaine, this stuff does more than rewire your neurological system. It will short-circuit your body. Your metabolism normally stockpiles energy so you can use it as fuel later. A diet flush with carbohydrates will reprogram your metabolism, locking your food away as unburnable fat. When you get hungry again you won’t crave anything but more of the same food that started you down the path to dependency. Think of this stuff as more than a drug—it’s like a metabolic parasite, taking over your body and feeding itself.

You aren’t supposed to talk this way about carbohydrates. According to USDA dietary recommendations, they are not only healthy but are supposed to make up the majority of the food we eat—45 to 65 percent of all calories. Carbs, which are classified as starches and sugars, make up the essence of bread, cereal, corn, potatoes, cookies, pasta, fruit, juice, candy, beer, and sweetened drinks—basically anything that isn’t protein or fat. Our government’s recommendations were established in the 1970s and have since been accompanied by an explosion of obesity and diabetes. The advice came about as early nutrition scientists rallied around a misguided maxim that remains embedded in the fabric of our attitudes toward food to this day: Eating too much fat makes you fat. But science never bore out this pre-Galilean view of nutrition. What is now clear is this: At the center of the obesity universe lie carbohydrates, not fat.

“You could live your whole life and never eat a single carbohydrate—other than what you get from mother’s milk and the tiny amount that comes naturally in meat—and probably be just fine,” says Gary Taubes, the award-winning author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, which is helping to reshape the conversation about what makes the American diet so fattening.

If all you knew about food is what you read in the USDA guidelines, you’d think our bodies conveniently come into the world seeking the one nutrient that is cheap and amenable to commercial mass production: carbohydrates. “Sugars and starches provide energy to the body in the form of glucose, which is the only source of energy for red blood cells and is the preferred energy source for the brain,” says the latest edition of the guidelines. Wrong, says Taubes, who just released Why We Get Fat, a layman’s version of his influential scientific tome. In the absence of carbs, your body will burn fatty acids for energy. It’s how you sleep through the night without eating for eight hours. “The brain does indeed need carbohydrates for fuel,” Taubes says, “but the body is perfectly happy to make those out of protein, leafy green vegetables, and the animal fat you’re burning.” As a pair of Harvard doctors (one an endocrinologist and one an epidemiologist) wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association last summer, carbohydrates are “a nutrient for which humans have no absolute requirement.”

The Secret to Joint Pain Relief-Exercise

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 13:50:00 -0600

The secret to joint pain relief — exercise

Joint pain: it throbs, aches, and hurts. Quite likely, it makes you think twice about everyday tasks and pleasures like going for a brisk walk, lifting your grandchild or some grocery bags, chasing a tennis ball across the court, or driving a golf ball down the fairway. Sharp reminders of your limitations arrive thick and fast, practically every time you move.

What causes joint pain?

Very often, the culprits behind joint pain are

osteoarthritis
old injuries
repetitive or overly forceful movements during sports or work
posture problems
aging
inactivity.

How exercise can help

Ignoring the pain won’t make it go away. Nor will avoiding all motions that spark discomfort. In fact, limiting your movements can weaken muscles, compounding joint trouble, and affect your posture, setting off a cascade of further problems. And while pain relievers and cold or hot packs may offer quick relief, fixes like these are merely temporary.

By contrast, the right set of exercises can be a long-lasting way to tame ankle, knee, hip, or shoulder pain. Practiced regularly, joint pain relief workouts might permit you to postpone—or even avoid—surgery on a problem joint that has been worsening for years by strengthening key supportive muscles and restoring flexibility. Over time, you may find limitations you’ve learned to work around will begin to ease. Tasks and opportunities for fun that have been weeded out of your repertoire by necessity may come back into reach, too.

Beyond the benefits to your joints, becoming more active can help you stay independent long into your later years. Regular activity is good for your heart and sharpens the mind. It nudges blood pressure down and morale up, eases stress, and shaves off unwanted pounds. Perhaps most importantly, it lessens your risk of dying prematurely. All of this can be achieved at a comfortable pace and very low cost in money or time.

Why weight matters

Being overweight raises your risk for developing osteoarthritis in a weight-bearing joint like the knee — and even in the hand, according to some research, since inflammatory factors related to weight might exacerbate this condition. Simply walking across level ground puts up to one-and-a-half times your body weight on your knees. That means a 200-pound man will deliver 300 pounds of pressure to his knee with each step. Off level ground, the news is worse: each knee bears two to three times your body weight when you go up and down stairs, and four to five times your body weight when you squat to tie a shoelace or pick up an item you dropped.

Fortunately, strengthening your quadriceps (the muscles on the fronts of the thighs) changes the equation, and so does losing weight. Each pound you lose reduces knee pressure in every step you take. One study found that the risk of developing osteoarthritis dropped 50% with each 11-pound weight loss among younger obese women. If older men lost enough weight to shift from an obese classification to just overweight — that is, from a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher down to one that fell between 25 and 29.9 — the researchers estimated knee osteoarthritis would decrease by a fifth. For older women, that shift would cut knee osteoarthritis by a third.

LIFE IN NARRATIVE

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:07:00 -0600

A couple months ago, I decided it was time to hire a personal trainer to transform my sack of potatoes, achy body into a work of art. Or something like that. You know, I had never even thought about using a personal trainer - probably because I’ve been told I’m too cheap and don’t like to spend extra money on myself if I can help it. But my decision to start training at Yukon’s Fitness Together has been one of the best I’ve made during my adult years. The money it costs to join is partially offset by the savings on your grocery/restaurant bills ... and doctor visits. Having passed my 40th year, I learned it’s becoming more and more difficult to lose weight and keep to an exercise regimen ... at least without constant encouragement. The trainers at Fitness Together, owner Seth Humphrey, along with Brad Knight, Rickey Moore, and Kristin Davis do just that.

You will see many people you know working out there, people like Earnie Cornelius,
Dr. Alecia Hanes, Kent Mathers, and Heather Tennyson. I have joined several fitness facilities over the years and found the same routine followed me: I would work out steadily for a few months, then find some excuse and stop going. I’ve lost weight, am eating better and feel much healthier since going the personal training route. I would encourage anything who thinks about improving their diet and exercise regimen to contact Seth at Fitness Together. You will quickly see what it difference it can make.

Are you wired to relapse???

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:10:00 -0600

You may have recently heard that Oprah self-admittedly fell off the fitness wagon.

Oprah is not the only person to ever relapse. Unfortunately, many people start to fade away right about now after setting some very achievable New Year Resolutions.

I ran across this article about Oprah and her "fall" and thought you might find it encouraging and motivating.

Have you given up on your fitness goals yet?

"If you are looking for an excuse to fall off the wagon, the universe will provide one."

That was the lesson that Oprah shared in her recent confession about her ongoing struggle with weight. Oprah knows how it feels to fall off the fitness wagon; in the January issue of The Oprah Magazine she described her recent 40 pound weight gain.

Her testimony was filled with valuable insights for anyone else prone to relapse. There was a hidden cycle that I found in her story - one that... exposes the process of falling off the wagon.

1) You Fall: Your fall off the wagon could take place in a single moment, or it could be the result of a drawn out process. Oprah described her fall as one that happened slowly as a result of health problems. These health problems became her reason for not exercising. Illness, vacation, holidays, changes at work or any other change in your schedule are all things that'll get you off the wagon. Once you're off the real damage begins.

2) You Surrender: There comes a point after you fall off the wagon that you simply throw your hands up in the air and give in. For Oprah this was a dramatic moment. "I started eating whatever I wanted - and that's never good. My drug of choice is food. I use food for the same reasons an addict uses drugs: to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress." This is the most destructive part of the cycle. You remove all expectations from yourself and as a result you plummet into an unhealthy realm. The progress that you've made toward your goals is lost and even more weight is gained.

3) You Hit Bottom: Inevitably there comes the moment when you hit bottom. Your body shows the new weight gain and you feel awful about it. For Oprah it was a sobering moment. "I felt completely defeated. I thought- I give up. I give up. Fat wins." She went so far as to say, "I felt like a fat cow. I wanted to disappear." While hitting bottom is never a fun experience, it is a necessary one. The pain must become great enough for you to turn it around and take the control back.

4) You Take Control: Now comes the good part. When you hit bottom you were out of control, now you're ready to once again grab the reigns. Oprah says that "These days I've put myself back on my own priority list." She plans to get an hour of exercise five or six days a week, as well as eating healthfully and reordering her life to include time to replenish her energy. Her new goal is to be strong and healthy and fit.

Have you fallen off your priority list, like Oprah fell off hers?

The time has come to put yourself back on that priority list. The time has come to decide that you are worth it.

Whether you are a client or not, we're here to help you do just that. If your weekly workout frequency has dropped off it's time to recommit. The most fundamental principle to a fitness and weight loss programs success is frequency.

Even the most skilled personal trainer can not design a masterful program that trumps frequency. It would like expecting to drive a golf ball like Tiger Woods just because you bought the same golf clubs, but you only use them twice a year.

If you're not a client, we're here to help you get started on an exercise program that will change your body and your life...just like Oprah. Or maybe you have fallen off the wagon too and need help getting back on. We would love to assist you.

Lighten Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 13:44:00 -0600

Lighten Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Jell-O Salads

You probably won't find large Jell-O salads already made (I've seen only small tubs of prepared Jell-O salad at the market), but making them is a snap. If you're making a layered salad (see recipe below) your biggest challenge is having to wait a few hours before you make the second layer (the first layer needs time to gel in the refrigerator).

When making your favorite Jell-O salads, there are a few easy things you can do to lighten them up:

Use sugar-free Jell-O for at least one of the layers.
For recipes that call for mayo, use light or low-fat mayonnaise.
For recipes that call for cream cheese, use light cream cheese instead (fat-free cream cheese may not go over as well with all your guests).
For recipes that call for Cool Whip, use light Cool Whip.

Sweet Potatoes

Generally this is a dish you have to make at home, but basically it involves nothing more than assembling the ingredients into the baking dish. Some recipes even call for canned sweet potatoes or yams.

Keep these dishes light by using less butter than the recipe calls for (add some fruit juice in its place), half the marshmallows called for, and substituting Splenda for half the sugar, if desired. You can also use egg substitute instead of some of the eggs.

Light & Festive Cranberry Jell-O Salad

A Pyrex or see-through 9x13-inch dish works well, because you can see the colorful layers from the side.

1 (0.6-ounce) box Sugar Free Cranberry Jell-O (makes 4 cups)
16-ounce can whole cranberry sauce
1 (6-ounce) box Lime Jell-O
8 ounces light cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple (in juice), drained
8 ounces light Cool Whip (or similar light topping)
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces

Stir 2 cups boiling water into cranberry Jell-O powder in medium bowl, and stir until completely dissolved (about 2 minutes). Stir in 2 cups ice water. Then whisk in the can of cranberry sauce. Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch dish and, with your whisk, spread the cranberries so they are evenly distributed in the pan. Refrigerate 3-4 hours.
Stir 2 cups of boiling water into lime JELL-O powder in medium bowl, and stir until completely dissolved (about 2 minutes). Whisk in the light cream cheese until mixture is creamy. Stir in 2 cups cold water and the pineapple. Slowly pour this mixture over the gelled cranberry layer. Put back in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
Just before serving, spread the light whipped topping over the top and sprinkle with walnut or pecan pieces.

Yield: 15 servings

Per serving (with walnuts): 193 calories, 3.5 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 6 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 6 mg cholesterol, 0.7 g fiber, 120 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 30%

Per serving (without walnuts): 164 calories, 2.5 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat, 3.4 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, 0.4 g fiber, 119 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 22%.

Quickie Garlic & Herb Crescent Rolls

These are so easy to make, and the recipe is easily doubled. (No need to butter these rolls; they taste great all by themselves.)

1 pop-can Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls
2 1/2 tablespoons no- or low trans-fat margarine with 8 grams fat per tablespoon (Take Control, Land O'Lakes Buttery Taste in tub, etc.)
1 1/2 teaspoons Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb no salt seasoning
2 teaspoons finely chopped chives (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add margarine, Mrs. Dash, and chives (if desired) to 1-cup measure. Blend well with fork or spoon.
Open pop can and, one by one, unroll the crescent roll dough and lay them flat on a work surface. Spread about a teaspoon of the margarine mixture over each of the triangles of dough (using a small spoon), then roll into crescents (start from the bottom of the triangle and roll toward the tip). Place on cookie or baking sheet.
Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely brown and cooked throughout.

Yield: 8 servings

Per serving: 125 calories, 2 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (1.3 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 256 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 50%.

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Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0600

Fitness Together - Yukon

Baked Oatmeal with Blueberries and Banana

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Zesty Lime Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Skinny Monkey cookies

Freezing Directions:

All about Preserved Produce

Why preserve fruits and vegetables?

Preserving nutrients

Vitamins

Minerals

What about BPA in canned food?

What about nitrates/nitrites?

What about sugar, salt and preservatives?

References

Spring Onion Salmon in Parchment Pouches

Shopping with my Wife

Shopping with My Wife

Frugal

Salsa

Curried Shrimp

Kale Salad with Lemon Chicken & Quinoa

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Quinoa Mac 'N' Chesse

Quinoa Porridge with Blueberries & Pecans

Peanut Butter-Banana Frozen Yogurt

Improve Body Image, Improve your Body

Body image: evaluation and investment

What role does body image play in weight loss?

Methods

Self-regulation

Body image sessions

How do you measure body image?

Results

Improved body image

Improved eating self-regulation & weight loss

Conclusion

Healthy Eating: Tips and Tricks for a Nutrition Transition

Nutrition Tip 1: Don’t Do It Alone

Nutrition Tip 2: You Bite It, You Write It

Nutrition Tip 3: Take Baby Steps

Nutrition Tip 4: Focus on the Positive

Tip 5: Break it Down

Fitness Together

AFRICAN SWEET POTATO STEW

Ingredients

Directions

Eating on the Go

Gyro Salad

Go Outside Your Comfort Zone

Surf-N-Turf Lettuce Tacos with Guacamole

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Your Friends and Your Physique

Mini Mexican Pizzas with Creamy Guac-de-Gallo

Time for Kitchen Makeover!

What is a kitchen makeover and why is it important?

How to do it

Obvious junk foods

Trick foods

Stuff you wouldn’t even think about

Another way to figure out what you don’t want

Help! My kitchen’s empty now!

Summary and recommendations

References

The 10 Commandments for Losing Weight…and Keeping it Off!

Basic Chocolate Vegan Cupcakes w/ Chocolate Frosting

The Skinny on Fat

How to form positive habits and a NEW YOU!

Roasted Chicken Dal

11 Dressings You Can Make At Home

SUN-DRIED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE Ingredients:

. 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes . 1/4 cup red wine vinegar . 1 tablespoon olive oil . 1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

-----------------------------------------------------BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE Ingredients:

. 1 tablespoon dried basil . 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar . 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots . 1/3 cup water . 1 tablespoon olive oil . Pinch black pepper

Directions:

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions:

SUN-DRIED TOMATO VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:

. 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes
. 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
. 1 tablespoon olive oil
. 1 garlic clove, minced

-----------------------------------------------------
BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:

. 1 tablespoon dried basil
. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
. 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
. 1/3 cup water
. 1 tablespoon olive oil
. Pinch black pepper

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth
----------------------------------------------------------------------

CREAMY DIJON HERB DRESSING
Mustard and garlic lend plenty of flavor to this thick dressing for green salads. I
also like to drizzle it over freshly sliced tomatoes.
Ingredients:

. 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/4 cup water
. 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
. 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
. 1 garlic clove, minced
. 1 teaspoon dried thyme
. Pinch black pepper

ROASTED SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE
The slight sweetness of the roasted shallot in the vinaigrette dressing plays well
off the bright-flavored herbs.
Ingredients:

. 3 medium shallot, peeled
. 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/3 cup water
. 1 tablespoon olive oil
. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
. Pinch salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Wrap shallots in foil. Bake at 400°F for 35 minutes; cool for 10 minutes.
Peel and mince.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
GINGER VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:

. 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/2 cup water
. 1/4 cup chopped green onions
. 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
. 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
. 1 tablespoon macadamia oil

Directions: Place of the all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth

APPLE SPINACH SALAD DRESSING
This makeover recipe is ideal for spinach. It's also a great way to dress up chicken
salad or coleslaw.
Ingredients:

. 1 small onion, finely chopped
. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
. 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
. 1/3 cup water
. 1 tablespoons macadamia oil
. 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
. Fresh spinach leaves (small handful)
. Salt and pepper

ORANGE POPPY SEED DRESSING
This light, refreshing dressing is perfect over spinach and other types of green
salads.
Ingredients:

. 1/3 cup water
. Juice of 2 fresh oranges
. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
. 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
. 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
. Pinch stevia
. Pinch salt

Directions:

1. Place of the all ingredients (except for poppy seeds) in a blender;
process until smooth
2. Stir in poppy seeds gently with a spoon

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RANCH DRESSING
Ingredients:

. 1/2 cup low-fat milk
. 1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
. 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
. 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
. 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
. garlic clove, minced
. Pinch salt and pepper

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INFERNO DRESSING
Ingredients:

. 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
. 1/3 cup water
. 2 tablespoons hot sauce or chili paste
. 1 teaspoon horseradish
. 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
. Clove garlic
. Pinch red pepper flakes
. Pinch cayenne pepper
. Salt and pepper

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VANILLA-PEAR VINAIGRETTE
Ingredients:
. 1 pear, halved
. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
. 1/2 cup water
. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
. Salt and pepper