Myth or Fact?

I been emailed a few questions, and I've had people ask me if this or that is true. So I thought, it'd be nice to start a little mini segment and list out some myths. Maybe trick ya and throw a few facts in there. There is so much information and its hard to know what is true and what is myth. Some people say this is the only way, others say another way is the only way. I like a combination of clean eating and exercise. I'm so against chemicals, its almost hilarious. Although, balance is a good thing and I like to have a little cheesecake or something every now and then. Moderation. Its a good thing.

1. It's expensive to eat healthy. Hmm. Mostly a myth. It can be expensive to eat healthy, depending on where you shop, and what you buy. I've found, I went to the Dr (as did my kids) regularly when we didn't eat healthy, and had more prescriptions. Now we go 1ce a year for well checks. So, that saved a lot. And yes, I do have insurance, but I still had out of pocket expenses. Also, the main bill. The grocery bill. Rice, lentils, and beans are much cheaper than a million boxes of hamburger helper any day and with some garlic (typically 30 cents per head of garlic) and olive oil (12$ for a very big bottle at my local Costco) adds tons of flavor. The trick is to buy in season. Bananas, Apples, Celery, Carrots and Sweet Potatoes, are fairly inexpensive. Less than 1$ per pound. I've learned I need to buy my spinach, kale and lettuce at Costco, only 3$ each and they last me a week for the whole family. Meat was the other expensive part. I found a clean little grocery store close to me. They have their own butcher and it costs between 3-5$ for most packages of meat. And they're good cuts too. I only buy ground beef at Costco. Low fat, No pink slime meat (I did a post about that too, last year, I believe.) All in all, I save drastically more by buying healthy food. If you get crazy and fancy. It can get costly. But, shop smart. Use the recipes I've posted, and if you're in doubt, email me. I've probably got a recipe for that.

2. "20 minutes is all the exercise I need." Nope. This ones a myth. As we age we need even more too. I used to be able to get my workouts done in 30 minutes or less. Not so much anymore. Now, I take an hour, at least, to maintain the same fitness level and shape. It doesn't matter how you break it up either. Do 6 - 5 minute sessions. Do 2- 30 minute sessions. For weight loss, you want to aim for about 250 minutes per week of exercise. That seems to be the "golden number" for whatever reason. You may think you're too tired to work out, do it anyways. (As long as its laziness and not a medical reason, then ignore that last line!) When I start out tired, I feel great when I'm done. I sleep better at night, and have more energy during the day. Just one of the amazing wonders of exercise :)

3. Don't eat after 8pm. I always do. I have to. Otherwise, I'm up at midnight looking for a snack. I have a fast metabolism thanks to all my exercise. My body needs it. You just need to snack smart. I aim for 6 small meals a day. The largest one is breakfast. Its the start of my day, I'm going to be doing a lot. I go for the Steele Oats and berries with some milk poured over it. Recipe is posted. Snack. Usually fruit and Greek yogurt. I recommend nuts, if you re not allergic. I am, so its a no go for me. Lunch, I like to do that Salmon BLT sandwich I posted on our workout foods on our facebook page. I'll get a post going to transfer all that to here too for all of you. Then its my workout, and my next snack, my post workout shake. Then Dinner (half a plate of veggies, quarter of my plate starchy vegetable or carbs like quinoa or rice and quarter of my plate quality protein like salmon or chicken) and lastly my before bed snack. I've been liking berries and kefir lately. Carbs are my energy, without them I'm soooo exhausted. Besides, they're good for brain food. Lets all stay smart :)

So there's our first set of Myth or Fact. Let me know how you liked it. Anything you're curious about and I can do a Part 2.

Top 10 Fat Loss Foods

I did a series on Facebook for the top 10 fat loss foods. There are plenty of good for you foods. Add veggies and cut chemicals, soda etc and you really can't go wrong. But its always hard to know your best options. Which are the best fat loss foods?

1. Avocado. These green beauties are high in monounsaturated fats, which is less likely to be stored as body fat. Avocados have been showed to reduce weight when eaten in place of carbs (do not read this as don't eat carbs please haha).

Try them: Mash them up with a fork, add 1/2 diced tomato, juice of 1/2 a lime, some chopped cilantro. I add a little chopped onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Eat with whole wheat pita chips. (Slice 1/2 whole wheat pita in quarters, separate sides and toast in a toaster oven til crunchy. About 3 minutes). Yum!

2. Chili Peppers. These contain capsaicin. Chili peppers boost your metabolism and your feeling of fullness. Even a little helps and it add delicious flavor. Can add these to anything. Salads, eggs, potatoes, the list could go on forever. Add them in when you saute the veggies in any recipe.

3. Eggs. Studies have shown that those who ate a breakfast that included 2 eggs ate less throughout the day and felt fuller, longer. They're full of vitamins and healthy fats. And yes, I do eat the egg yolk too. Although, on occasion, I've done maybe 2 eggs and an extra egg white or two.
Check out our Frittata recipe for an easy breakfast on a get ready quick morning.

4. Ginger. I love ginger so much, I did a whole post about it. It was actually after I researched for this post. I knew ginger was amazing, but had no idea how amazing until this. But a quick run down. Ginger boosts metabolism in 2 ways. it increases muscle's oxygen consumption helping you burn more calories, and it increases lactic acid production, which in turn, increases the human growth hormone, which THEN increases the amount of fat released from fat stores, burning them as fuel. Yea... go ahead and get some ginger... I'll wait.

5. Grapefruit. 1 study showed those who ate 1/2 a grapefruit daily lost on average 3 1/2 more pounds in 12 weeks. They didn't change anything else about their diets, so that's saying something. There's a compound called narigin and it boasts fat blasting properties. So throw some into a spinach-feta cheese salad. Sounds delicious.

6. Green tea. Contains Epigallocatechin gallate (Say that 10 times fast. We're going to stick with the abbreviation EGCG from here on out, m'kay?) & caffeine. Caffeine is a well known fat burner and EGCG's phytochemicals are also responsible for green tea's myriad of health benefits. Including increasing your metabolic rate and burning fat. For best antioxidants, drink it warm- hot and add some lemon. Or...
Try it: Mix 2 cups iced green tea with 1/2 cup 100% pomegranate juice. Add a splash or two of seltzer water and ice. Delicious.

7. Pomegranate. In one word. Antioxidants.300 times better than other fruits at protecting nitric oxide (aka NO) in the body. NO is associated with fat burning. Try the recipe above or add some to make a perfect pre-work out shake. Although, have you tried pomegranate? A pain to peel but sooooo worth it. Yummy plain or in salads, yogurt. Just plain good.

8. Salmon. You knew this was making the list. Full of omega-3's and those can turn on the genes that increase fat burning and turn the genes off that regulate fat storage. All while keeping your cardiovascular system healthy. For those who don't like the taste of fish. Add some dill, it cuts the fish taste. You can also soak it in milk. But, not for too long, it'll fall apart.
Try this: The SLT. Mash contents of a can of Salmon with 1 T. greek yogurt and juice from 1/2 a lemon. Spread it onto whole wheat toast with 2 slices of crisp cooked turkey bacon. 1 leaf of romaine lettuce and some tomato slices.

9.Tofu. Soy= a powerhouse food. From reducing risk of several cancers to promoting cardiovascular health. This is superfood. It appears to be the main factor responsible for boosting fat burning as it reduces appetite and abdominal fat.
Try it: Chop it and add it to chicken or vegetable broth and add 1 sliced scallion. Mmm. And mushrooms. Mushrooms help relax your muscles.

10. Spinach. The last in our list. 1 cup cooked is only 41 calories. Contains great detoxifying abilities for your body. Spinach adds soluble fiber to your diet which does the job of binding bad cholesterol (LDL) in your digestive system (good riddance fat!) and dragging it out of your body (haha kicking and screaming of course!)
Add it to soups, pastas, eggs, sandwiches or a personal favorite spinach strawberry smoothies!)

My favorite lentil recipe...

 

8 7/8 oz. lentils

1 medium carrot, I make thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Can also be chopped finely. Your choice.

2 garlic cloves, minced ( or more, cause um... garlic is delicious!)

1 bunch parsely (as you can see in pic I omitted this, I was out. Used italian seasoning- best with fresh)

1/4 onion finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Dressing:

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 T. Balsamic Vinegar

2 T. white wine ( or a touch more vinegar)

2 T. Dijon Mustard

1/16 t. cinnamon

1 t sugar

1 t pepper

salt, to taste

Cook the lentils in lightly salted water for 20 minutes or until soft. Strain water out. Set aside. Put all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Heat 1 1/2 tsp EVOO in small saucepan. When warmed add onion, garlic and carrots (if youfinely chopped them. Not necessary if you used a vegetable peeler or grated them). Remove the pan from heat and toss in lentils and chopped parsley. Mix and add to bowl with dressing. Mix again. Can be served warm, cold or room temperature. Always a favorite in my house :)

Makes 4 servings