Navigating the Fast-Food Maze

In our society, everything is fast, fast, fast, including our food. The problem is, how does one follow government-advocated healthy eating guidelines recommending that we consume lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nonfat (or 1%) dairy products, lean protein and healthy fats (like olive oil, avocado and nuts) when we’re on the go?
Let’s face it, finding healthy food is tough outside of your own kitchen.

In answer to your question, surprisingly some of the “healthy” menu choices now offered at fast-food restaurants are actually much healthier than their classical menu choices, though clearly not what I would call “health food.” The best advice for navigating the fast-food maze and for a fast food to be truly healthy is that it has to be low in saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat free. It also cannot be swimming in sodium or sugar and should not provide a ridiculous amount of calories (a good goal is to keep under 500 calories for a full meal).

I decided to check out the McDonald’s Web site (http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/bagamcmeal/nutrition_facts.html ) to see if I could concoct a “healthy lunch.” I found the following nutrition information for their Premium Asian Salad with Grilled Chicken: 320 calories, 9 grams fat (3 grams of those are saturated) and 960 mg sodium. Add in a packet of Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette (40 calories, 3 grams fat and 730 mg sodium), a sugar-free iced tea and a fruit ’n’ yogurt parfait (160 calories, 2 grams fat and 85 mg sodium) and you can squeak out a somewhat healthy lunch for a grand total of 520 calories, 14 grams fat and a whopping 1,775 mg sodium (you should keep your total daily sodium intake under 2,300 mg/day). Not ideal, but in a pinch .

Recipe: Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Another tasty way to get in that cholesterol-lowering oatmeal!

INGREDIENTS:

Mix the dry ingredients the night before then finish the batter in the morning to start your day with a freshly baked muffin.

Nonstick cooking spray

1/4 cup raisins

2 tablespoons water

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup fat-free milk

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon flax seed oil 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly coat six 2 1/2-inch muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper bake cups and coat insides of paper cups with nonstick cooking spray; set aside. Place raisins and water in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power for 25 seconds. Let sit for 2 minutes to plump the raisins.

In a medium bowl, stir together flours, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside. Combine applesauce, milk, egg whites, flax seed oil, and raisins. Add to flour mixture; stir just until incorporated. Don’t over mix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups filling each about three-fourths full. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned and the muffin is firm in the middle. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and serve warm.

Serves 6

NUTRITION IN A BOX

Per muffin:

Food weight: 1.5

Calories: 157

Fat: 3 g (0 g EPA, 0 g DHA, 1 g ALA)

Saturated Fat: <1 g="g" p="p">

Cholesterol: < 1mg

Sodium: 69 mg

Carbohydrate: 30 g

Dietary Fiber: 2 g

Sugars: 13 g

Protein: 4 g

September Arm Shaping Workout

Arm Shaping Workout

Tricep Dips (x15)
Push Ups (x15)
Plank (45 seconds)
Shoulder Press (x15)
Bicep Curls (x15)
Bent Over Rows (x15)

Repeat 3 times with 5-10 second break in between all exercises!

September is the Start of Soup Season!

Mmmmm---soup…warm and comforting, delicious, nutritious and super filling. And I’m not talking about the canned kind which is basically salt water chock full of bad fat and mushy veggies. Nope—I am referring to homemade soups—an inexpensive and incredibly tasty way to add in healthy legumes, vegetables, grains and extra virgin olive oil to your day. What’s more, soup has been proven to help with weight control by curbing your appetite and helping you to slow down at the main meal. So this fall and winter, ladle up a hot and savory bowl of soup, serve with a crusty loaf of whole grain bread and enjoy one of the many culinary pleasures of the fall and winter seasons!

Recipe: Lentil Soup

Warm and comforting--meal in a bowl.

Food Weight: 2.0 for ~ 1 ¼ cups soup

INGREDIENTS:

Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 1/12^th of recipe, 258 grams or ~ 1 ¼ cups soup)

·         1 package (16 ounces) French green lentils

·         2 teaspoons sea salt

·         1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

·         1 bay leaf

·         2 stalks celery, chopped

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         2 carrots, chopped

·         2 garlic cloves, mashed

·         2 plum tomatoes, chopped

·         1 carton (26 ounces) Parmalat chopped tomatoes

·         2 cups chopped kale, stems removed

·         3 cans (14 ounces each) reduced sodium chicken broth

·         ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·         Fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

·         Parmesan cheese, for garnish, optional
 

DIRECTIONS:

Wash lentils and place in a large soup pot. Cover lentils with water and add 1 teaspoon sea salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse lentils and set aside. Heat olive oil in soup pot with bay leaf over medium heat. Add in celery, onions, carrots, and garlic and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in kale and cook until wilted (approximately 5 minutes) then stir in tomatoes. Add in chicken broth, remaining salt, and lentils to pot. Stir all ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add pepper and remove bay leaf before serving. Divide into bowls and garnish with parsley, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and a touch of olive oil if desired.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (~ 1 ¼ cups soup):
Food Weight: 2.0, Calories: 220, Fat: 6 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 742 mg, Carbohydrate: 30 g, Dietary Fiber: 7 g, Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 12 g

September Leg Burner Workout

Good Morning Fitness Fans!

Today's workout is for our legs...feel the burn!


Leg Burner
Body Weight Squat (x15)
Donkey Kicks (x15 per side)
Lunges (x10 per side)
Mountain Climbers (30 seconds)
Hip Lifts (x25)
Repeat 3 times with 5-10 second break in between all exercises!

Good luck!

Preventing Heart Disease...

...the leading cause of death of American men and women

Considering that cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart disease and stroke, is far and away the leading cause of death and disability in American men and women (killing as many people each year as all forms of cancers, lung disease, diabetes and accidents combined), it would behoove all Americans, young and old, male and female, to live a heart-healthy lifestyle. This involves fine-tuning both your diet and your exercise habits, which together favorably impact your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol level.

The first step in preventing CVD is to sit down with your personal physician and assess your risk factors. LDL cholesterol is the most established risk factor for CVD. You and your doctor will come up with your personal LDL goal, as your LDL goal really depends on your risk status: the higher your risk, the lower your goal. According to the American Heart Association, the “optimal” goal for LDL cholesterol—for the prevention of heart disease—is less than 100 mg/dL. An LDL of between 100 and 129 mg/dL is defined as “near or above optimal.”

If your LDL is too high, what should you do? Because lifestyle changes (diet and exercise) remain the foundation for cardiovascular disease prevention and cholesterol control, the answer to your excellent question is to focus on both diet and exercise to lower your LDL cholesterol level. In my book,Cholesterol DOWN, I provide a simple diet and exercise plan that includes nine “miracle foods” and 30 minutes of walking a day that can lower your LDL cholesterol by as much as 47% in just 4 weeks.

Recipe: Tabouli Salad

Eat whole grains for a healthy heart--most people know this to be true but did you know that bulgur wheat is a whole grain? Try this easy, light and delicious tabouli salad with heart-healthy whole grains!

Food weight: 2.0

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup bulgur wheat

2 cups boiling water

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

2 cups diced plum tomatoes

¾ cup diced red onion

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

2 cups fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place bulgur wheat in  a large stainless steel bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let bulgur wheat soak for 30 minutes. Drain bulgur wheat and set aside. In a separate salad bowl, mix together cucumber, tomatoes and onion. Mix together the dressing in another bowl—combine olive oil, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper. Pour over vegetables and toss. Add in bulgur and toss. Add in parsley, stir and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving

Serves 6

Nutrition per 1 cup serving:

Food weight: 2.0

Calories: 180 kcal

Sodium:20 mg

Potassium: 412 mg

Magnesium: 56 mg

Calcium: 141 mg

Fat: 8 g

Saturated Fat: 1 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Carbohydrate: 26 g

Dietary fiber: 7 g

Sugars: 4 g     

Protein: 5 g

September Core Blast Workout

Hello!
Every Monday will we will be posting a new workout, with a different focus every week!  These are simple and short workouts to jump start your week!
Today's workout is Core Blast.  Let us know your thoughts and how it goes!









Core Blast
Plank (30 second hold)
Reverse Crunch (x25)
Side Bends (x15 each side)
Flutter Kicks (30 seconds)
Ball Roll Outs (x15)

Repeat 3 times with 5-10 second break in between all exercises

Fabulous Fruit Salsa!

Eat from mother nature's glorious palette of fruit colors.  Salsa is always a perfect nutrition choice for seasoning anything and everything...light, healthy and packed with disease-fighting plant chemicals called polyphenols---this is one condiment that should be a staple in your heart-healthy eating regimen.

Recipe: Grilled Shrimp with Melon & Pineapple Salsa

Had to share this recipe which taps into the last days of summer's fruit bounty!

Description

Grilled shrimp is perfectly accented by this light, summery pineapple-melon salsa. The flavors are bright and fresh, just right for a hot day. Use just one melon or any combination of melons—including watermelon—for the versatile salsa. For best flavor marinate the shrimp overnight.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound raw shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined (see Cook Tips) 
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided 
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger, divided 
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño, divided 
2 cups finely diced firm ripe melon
1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus 4 sprigs for garnish 
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large lettuce leaves, such as Boston, romaine or iceberg 
4 lime wedges

DIRECTIONS:

Combine shrimp, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon jalapeño in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Combine melon, pineapple, red and green bell pepper, onion, vinegar, chopped mint and salt in a large bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

About 20 minutes before serving, preheat grill to high.

Thread the shrimp onto skewers, piercing each twice, once through the tail end and once near the head end. Grill the shrimp until pink and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. When cool enough to handle, slide the shrimp off the skewers.

To serve, arrange one large lettuce leaf on each dinner plate. Spoon salsa onto the lettuce and top with shrimp. Garnish each serving with a lime wedge and a mint sprig, if using.

 

Food weight:                                                2.0

Calories Per Serving

213

Total Fat

8 g

Saturated Fat

1 g

Monounsaturated Fat

5 g

Cholesterol

168 mg

Sodium

352 mg

Carbohydrates

16 g

Fiber

2 g

Protein

19 g

Potassium

509 mg