Health Foods Blog

Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
Always work towards progress.

Main Course
When you first started out with your fitness program, you probably found that you made big strides every week. You were always able to lift more weight, run longer and for greater distances, and stretch further than the week before. If you stuck with it, you have probably noticed these advancements becoming less and less pronounced over time. When you get to the point where you stop losing fat (even though you are a few pounds shy of your goal weight), or you don’t notice any improvements in your athletic performance, you have hit a plateau. Here are a few ways to work through it:

Slow Down – Obviously, you aren’t just lifting weight for the sake of the lifting weight. You want to grow stronger and become more toned, so you should lift slowly – making sure that each rep puts as much strain on your muscles as possible. Ideally, take about two seconds to lift the weight and two seconds to lower the weight.

Shake Things Up - If you have been stuck in a rut for a while, considering adding in a few more exercises or completely changing your routine. Your body craves variety, and switching up can totally change how your work your body.

Take a Break – It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes taking a couple days off might be the best thing you can do for your fitness training. A plateau might be a sign that you are just overtraining. Take a couple days off, and see how you feel when you come back to it.

Dessert
I don’t want to advocate never being satisfied with your fitness level or how you look, but at the same time, it is OK to enjoy the satisfaction that comes with continually striving for progress. When you see that you making strides, you are more likely to stick with your fitness program and continue to integrate exercise into your overall lifestyle.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

‘Ask a pro’ is a special A Sizable Apple feature geared to bring quality information to readers through professionals in the health and nutrition field.

Marissa Schiesser is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner in Canada. Her site, ‘A Healthier Me’ has information for workshops; recipes and free stuff aiming at helping women feel better and get in shape.

A Sizable Apple: Can you tell me about yourself and your practice?

Marissa: I have a passion for teaching busy people the nutrition and lifestyle know how and the mindset to reach their health goals. I like to make it easy and simple by creating new positive and healthy habits that simply cause the old habits that are no longer serving you to slide away. There is a misconception that [meeting nutrition goals] has to be complicated, painful and hard. I don’t believe in no pain, no gain. Life is about joy, not pain. It brings me joy to see the delight and progress that my clients go through. This is not to say that they don’t put in any effort, they do have to work on it. There is no magic bullet, believe me I have searched for it and been disappointed many times. To have real change requires commitment and effort. This can come in the form of joy though and that is where I come in with support knowledge and understanding.

ASA: Explain the ‘A Healthier Me’ system?

Marissa: The Healthier Me System™ is what I developed and use with each of my clients to help them achieve their goals. It has been the secret to creating lasting changes for me and my clients. By working through each of these steps, over several months, you will achieve more energy, less stress, a stronger sense of yourself and an understanding of what makes your body healthy. I want to help you get inner calm, joy and health. These are the things that I have found to be vital to reaching and staying with your health goals.

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  1. Make your health and wellness a priority.

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  2. Eat and live mindfully.

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  3. Support your body and balance your hormones.

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  4. Get the stress out and the cravings that go with it.

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  5. Learn how to shop for quality foods.

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  6. Get emotional support.

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  7. Feed your mind as well as your body.

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  8. Cleanse your body and mind.

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  9. Create a healthy home and work environment.

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  10. Maintain a simple program for a healthy life.

ASA: What are some of the most common issues clients come to you with, and what are some solutions you offer?

Marissa: Most of my clients are busy women with not a lot of time for themselves. They almost always have some form of PMS, have digestive complaints, cravings and high stress. I walk them through and give them support by strengthening their bodies first and then cleansing out the stuff that is making them feel bad, I end with a supportive maintenance program that empowers them and makes them independent and in control of their health. When the body is supported with the nutrients it needs it does not scream out for more and it provides balance in the mind.

ASA: I like A Sizable Apple readers to understand what the nutrition and fitness routines of pros are, can you share your typical workout routine and also nutritional habits with my readers?

Marissa: I love to let others know what I am doing because it helps to motivate them and know what is possible. My routine is ever changing as I learn and progress and as my mood and interests change. At the moment I get 30-60 minutes of exercise every day. This is usually in the form of hiking through the woods behind my house. I also do a bit of yoga and qi gong to keep the energy flowing and my muscles stretched and limber. When it starts to get dry and sunny I will be out a bit more doing some rock climbing and biking; nothing crazy though. I also make sure that I have time every day to sit and let my mind be present and get myself grounded with meditation. Meditation also comes while I am hiking in the forest; you don’t have to sit and be quiet and still for meditation, you just have to be present.

As for my nutrition, I start every day with a big glass of water, sometimes with lemon, to flush out my system and to wake it up. I then have a cup of herb tea followed by breakfast, which varies. Right now I am eating soaked muesli. I drink a lot of water and herbal tea throughout the day. I have some sort of snack in the morning, usually fruit or a granola bar/cookie I made. For lunch I have leftovers or eggs with a green veggie and toast or salad with beans or goat feta. I get as many veggies in as I can both raw and cooked. I will have another snack in the afternoon and then for dinner I have veggies, a grain, sometimes beans or meat or goat cheese. You can see some of the meals I make on my blog. It really varies and I like to be creative with cooking.

ASA: What kind of tips do you have for busy women who are looking at easy to manage tips to starting the process of getting into shape?

Marissa: 3 quick tips to bring greater ease and health to your life are:

Eat food in its whole and unprocessed for as much as possible. Have vegetables or fruit with every meal and add fiber to your meals in the form of whole grains, nuts and seeds. Try new whole foods such as quinoa, flax seeds and rappini. If you are not sure how to cook them and want inspiration take a look at my recipes.

Drink water. I know this is obvious but it doesn’t always happen. Dehydration is the biggest cause of cravings. If you are craving something sweet or carb filled and you know that you should not be hungry have a glass of water. The craving will usually subside. Caffeine is something that is very dehydrating and causes stress in the body. If you are not ready to let go of it yet please drink 2 extra glasses of water for every cup of coffee.

The biggest factor to not being healthy or not being able to reach your goals is stress. Stress will stop you every time; it will create cravings, blood sugar ups and downs, weight gain and more. Stress is our reaction to a situation and we can change that reaction. Start by remembering to breathe and take a step back before reacting. Oxygen will immediately calm your body.

ASA: What are common misconceptions you see of women trying to get healthy? What solutions do you have for those misconceptions?

Marissa: Searching for one solution that covers it all and cures all. There are so many diets and solutions out there that claim to fix all of your problems it can be overwhelming. The biggest thing to realize is that we are all different, our biochemistry is different and therefore our needs are different. The biggest thing you can do is to learn how to read your own internal “GPS” system, it will guide you and always let you know what is best for you. Just because something worked incredibly for your friend doesn’t mean it will for you.

You can learn how to listen to your body and follow it, that is something I work with my clients on. If you would like to get started please take a look at my upcoming phone workshops.

Thanks so much for sharing this information and all the great info that you give to your readers. I would like to offer your readers a FREE download of my past workshop Eat Well on the Go. You can get it here (download click the download button or right click and save).

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Saving greens on your favorite greens, I say! I can’t help but share an old email I received on ‘32 ways to save when grocery shopping’. Not all of the suggestions were good ones, and a few are tried and true, or sort of fall under the ‘duh I knew that’ category. But hey, a few were worth repeating-

“Trim your food bill by as much as 19 percent simply by shopping at a couple different stores.”

Going to different stores can be helpful on your wallet. Specialty fruit and vegetable stands and farmers markets are prone to slash prices since you’re cutting the middle delivery man.

“Don’t crisis cook- shopping after work for the day’s dinner gets expensive. Plan a weekly menu before shopping and watch your grocery bill shrink.”

This advice goes with one of my favorites- don’t shop on an empty stomach. At the end of the day, you’re ready to crash, and eat! If you’re heading to pick up supplies for dinner after work, you’re going to be in a tired rush to get home. Prepare dinners ahead of time with frozen meals from another night, or at least an idea of what to make.

“The highest markup items on the shelves are at about chest level. Reach up or kneel down to select cheaper house or generic brands.”

Anyone remember the commercial for the bagged cereal brand that had a man shopping in a squat-walk motion? Shop from a distance if you’re able to! Stand against the other shelve so you can see the prices on all levels.

“Clip coupons.”

From magazines and newspapers, to in-store coupon displays can spark ideas for meals and tiny savings that can add up big. Log on to your supermarket’s website and even the sites of your favorite products for printable coupons as well.

“Avoid purchasing non-grocery items, such as painkillers, contact lens solution, ect., at a grocery store. You usually pay more.”

Keep drug store items, drug store purchases. Grocery stores love that you grab a refill on toothpaste and shampoo when you see it.

“Know when your store marks down goods that expire, like meat and bread. The deal: Use them that night or freeze them.”

Get on track with your grocery store’s restocking hours. Pick up on otherwise splurges a couple dollars off.

Picking up on the small cents off will benefit you in the end. Shopping smart increases your awareness in the grocery store which will keep you fit as well.

Reference: Bankrate.com

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Carmen over at the ELFF Diet has a great new post on her blog about supporting local farmers by joining Community Supported Agriculture.

Joining a CSA creates a partnership between you and local farms. After becoming financially invested in your local farms, they will in turn supports you with a weekly basket of produce.

“By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become “members” (or “shareholders,” or “subscribers”) of the CSA.”

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Take advantage of fresh produce in your area! Poke around at the CSA site. Search for local farmers markets in your area, or make contact to get involved with the program.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

photo credit: miikkahoo

Proteins from vegetarian sources are not as easily digestible as proteins from animals. Animal proteins contain amino acid chains that are closer to or nearly identical to human amino acid chains. Therefore a vegetarian may find they need to eat more plant protein than someone on a non vegetarian diet.

The absorption ratio when eating animal proteins is close to 1:1, where as plant proteins such as wheat might only provide 50% of the amino acids needed to build a protein that can be easily assimilated into the body.

In layman’s terms this means that vegetarians should seek to supplement their food with added protein where possible. There are numbers of ways that this can be done.

The simplest is the purchase of additional protein powder. However this may not always be the best way when considering taste. Simply being aware of the foods you purchase and watch him out for foods that are labelled ‘ protein-fortified’ is the easiest way to manage additional protein intake.

Some foods if you like them such as soya milk, do in fact reach and almost 1:1 absorption ratio, so if you are a vegetarian, or considering embarking on a vegetarian diet, this is something you should be aware of.
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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

When your eyes are hungry and your plates are big, you’re putting a big multiplier on portions.

I posted on portion control back in August, but with a topic so difficult for our super sized society to comprehend, it bares repeating.

Portion control comes in four levels: shopping, cooking, eating and mental/snacking.

Shopping:

The beginning to portion control starts in the grocery store. A Sizable Apple is stocked with tips on how to shop smart. The issue that many struggle with is the want to eat because it’s there. Don’t buy more than you need. Stock your house to survive for the week, and not the year.

If you’re into buying bulk, break it up and repackage it back home. Stock the remainder in the basement/garage/somewhere away from the kitchen! If you’re a snacker (or live with snackers) break open big boxes and separate them into smaller bags.

Yes, this takes some extra time, and an extra buck every now and then for zip lock bags (which you can reuse!) but small steps can make a difference.

Cooking:

This one took me a little while to master. Eating while you cook is a bad habit I’ve almost fully broken. Try not to wait until you’re starving to cook. You’ll make too much, and eat too much in the process. Make less instead of more. If the pasta is almost done and looks like it’s not enough for two, make a side dish of vegetables to go with it. Best advice- you can always make more, but you’d have to throw out, save, or eat the rest.

There are some great tools out there to help you manage your portions before you even sit down to eat. Although I couldn’t find it online, my mom has a great tool to measure serving sizes of pasta before you toss them into the pot. It’s a little plastic sheet with cut out holes for different serving sizes.

Eating:

Here’s where the trouble sets in, unless you’re paying attention! Using smaller plates or even eating out of a Tupperware can control your portions. Plate your food and put the rest away. Left-overs should go immediately to the fridge. If you’re really hungry and need more, you’ll have to go through heating up extra instead of subconsciously loading up your plate again or standing in front of the pot working on extra before it’s even left over.

If you’re serious about portion control, you can buy a food/calorie scale, or special dishware, shown also here, here and here.

These tools are great for someone looking to change their habits. The dishes with sizes on the bottom are especially helpful if you’re trying to alter the portions of children.
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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

I got a great message from someone at the Cheerios PR firm alerting me to a great new program.

Entering box top codes at cheerioscircleofhelpinghearts.com can help women get their cholesterol levels checked. For every code from specially marked boxes of Cheerios entered, $1 will be donated to WomenHeart to support women’s health education and provide cholesterol screenings for women in need.

“While heart disease ranked highest (38%) in terms of chief health concerns among women; only 50 percent of women have had their cholesterol level checked in the past year.”

- Cheerios campaign

Cheerios will donate up to $300,000 to WomenHeart, the nation’s only patient advocacy organization serving women with heart disease.

Even if high cholesterol isn’t an issue for you, the Cheerios campaign gives you good reason to start protecting yourself early. If nothing else, the campaign puts you in power to helping change the lives of thousands of women. Entering the box top code online will take about a minute out of your day. Showing you promote good health in others will change your overall attention to health.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

Water Chestnuts
by DeaTheGossamerMonster

Water chestnuts are not in fact chestnuts at all. They are crunchy tuberous vegetables which are used in many Asian dishes, soups and salads.

Water chestnuts are a source of moderate amounts of protein and vitamin C., but are nowhere near as nutritious as even a potato or other tuberous vegetables.

They do not grow on trees in marshy areas, but are actually grown wild in marshes or shallow water along lake banks or as a second crop in a rice paddy, and are an important export from many areas of Asia in particular China and Japan.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

I was recently contacted by the advertising folks at Propel to bring my readers on board their new campaign ‘How fit is your water?’ I’d seen their new commercials but not really paid them much mind, since I had always been a water girl in the gym anyway.

Did you know if you drank one of these other vitamin enhanced waters instead of Propel you would have to do 492 more sit ups, take 2,640 more steps or do 995 more jumps just to burn off the calories in that beverage?

- Propel Advertising

I decided to test it out anyway, and see how it held up to a good workout. I took a lemon flavored Propel with me on a good hour long bike ride last weekend. My first complaint was the bottle design. While working out, especially on the bike, unscrewing the lid and juggling both the bottle, top and bike all at the same time was challenging. I’d like to see a company promoting their product to a fitness geared group to throw me a little functionality in there as well.

Now, I tried the lemon flavor before boarding it on the bike to make sure I was actually gonna drink it. Sitting around with my roommates, I was pretty pleased with the taste. I imagined it was going to be a little more watered down tasting, especially since the clear liquid mimics water so well. My roommates all spouted out their favorite flavors (berry won). I asked the girls (all three are college athletes, mind you) where they typically drink Propel. They replied mostly in the summer to cool off, although none of them said they drink Propel while working out.

I could see why when I was on my bike ride. When I stopped for a drink (I figured out pretty quickly with traffic passing me, my Propel bottle was not going to be a solid drink on the go) I was pretty displeased with the taste. The lemon flavor was so sweet and sugary tasting, I contemplated ditching it completely and finding a drinking fountain to refill. I was concerned about my hands being sticky from the sugary drink (they wern’t), and also turned off that I couldn’t finish my ride by pouring a little stream down over my face like I would with a water bottle.

However, Propel is the grandchild of the Gatorade company, which boasts its ability to hydrate you better than water. Propel promises to ‘help hydrate and nourish the active body throughout the day’. I guess if I were to be hanging out all day throwing a Frisbee or going for a walk, I wouldn’t mind a Propel in hand.

If you’re typically a sports drink fan during heavy activity, Propel would be a good choice. It would also work wonders with keeping kids hydrated (or anyone who isn’t an avid water drinker). Their new campaign promotes low calories among other sports drinks. With 10 calories & 2 grams of sugar per 8 oz. bottle, they beat competition (vitamin water is about 40 & 13 for the same size). If you’re looking to cut calories in the gym, I’d suggest going the old fashion water route, since a regular sized 20 oz bottle of Propel will run you about 25 calories.

Check out their commercial here.

What do you normally drink during your workouts? What’s your favorite sports drink and when do you regularly drink it?

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

A wonderful tasting easily made dessert.

¼ pint (150ml) of whipping cream whipped into gentle peaks
Lemon slices
Lime slices
1 packet of Lemon Jelly
¼ pint (150ml) boiling water
Grated zest and juice from 1 lime
13 oz (400g) can of chilled evaporated milk

Line a 2lb (1kg) load tin with clingfilm

In a oven proof glass bowl dissolve the jelly in the boiling water stirring in the zest of the lime and the juice, then leave aside to cool.

Whisk up the evaporated milk to twice its previous volume and gradually whisk in the cooled jelly.

Then pour the mixture into the loaf tin and put it in the fridge to set for 2- 3 hours.

Turn the Terrine out onto a serving dish and decorate with the whipped cream, lemon and lime slices.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Eight glasses of water proved wrong

A recent study performed by two kidney specialists at the University of Pennsylvania searched through existing medical records to find no proof of the eight glasses a day advice.

The study combats the former belief that adults should consume eight, eight ounce glasses of water a day.

The doctors did find two smaller studies on water making you feel full to replace eating for dieters, however both studies disagreed.

“Stella Volpe, a nutritionists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing says you get more than what you need from water, coffee, soda and soup. And she reminds people that 20 percent of their daily water is from solid food, much of which contains water.” – ABC article

The article was published on ABCnews.com, April 2 and combats decades of wide-spread beliefs on water consumption.

“Drink when you’re thirsty,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, of the University of Pennsylvania. “That’s the way your body is designed.”

The study continued to find that on average (through drink and food consumption) women consume 11 glasses of water a day.

The study added drinking more during warm temperatures and while engaged in physical activity is still important, as both events dehydrate the body at a higher rate than normal.

Drinking eight glasses of water has never been my strong suit. Downing 64 ounces in a day (the equivalent of almost a full 2 liter for those who want a visual) is difficult to remember. When I did try to keep up with the eight glasses a day rule, I felt overly full with an ocean in my stomach, and uncomfortable for most of the day. No one could be happier about this realization than myself, no longer plagued by empty glasses reminding me of the six more I still had to go.

Reference: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Story?id=4574553&page=2Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry leading blogs.

Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

Sushi

When Sushi is mentioned, most people are unsure of what it is. They immediately recognise it is a raw fish dish but that is about the limit of their knowledge.

Actually the word, Sushi means vinegared rice, but it has now become commonly used as a term to describe bite sized raw fish on a bed of rice (Nigiri), or a type of rice and seaweed roll filled with fresh fish and vegetables (Maki). Usually there is an accompanying dip of shoyu (Japanese soy sauce).

Sushi is both delicious and nutritious and its preparation has evolved over centuries into an art form.

Sushi dishes contain many healthy ingredients and are low in fat. The bite sized pieces help weight watchers eat more slowly, however seaweed used in the dish may mean a slightly higher salt intake.

Sushi should always be kept cool and not stored for more than eight hours after preparation because of the risk of microbial growth. There is always a risk of eating raw fish because of the small risk of exposure to bacteria or parasites. Therefore it would be good common sense for a pregnant woman or those with immune disorders not to eat Sushi.

The origins of Sushi dates back to the seventh century when South-east Asians developed a pickling technique. The Japanese adapted the technique for packing rice and fish. As the fish began to ferment the rice produced lactic acid, which in turn, pickled the fish. As the technique was improved upon over time, many unique, healthy, beautifully presented dishes appeared.

Today, Sushi continues to grow in popularity.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

A symphony to the dieter’s ears! After hearing some myths about the magical negative calorie content of celery, I decided to do a little dig to see what other foods shared this quality.

Negative calorie foods are classified as foods (mostly fruits and vegetables) that burn more calories being digested than they contain as a whole. With that in mind, I wasn’t shocked crunchy water stick celery was such a familiar negative calorie find.

But,

We better stop here to debunk any brewing ideas for a fabulous new diet trend. Sticking to this regiment deprives your body of a huge class of nutrients. Also keep in mind women’s bodies need roughly 2,000 calories per day to stay healthy. Snapping celery sticks on your plate for dinner isn’t gonna cut it. However, there are some instances where this group shines-

Snacks, side dishes and desserts. For all your off meal time cravings, negative calorie foods are a positive choice. Even when an apple isn’t what you had in mind, make yourself up a fruit bowl and break out a few spoonfuls of peanut butter or salad dressings to dip in.

Although dips are usually higher in fat and calorie content, pairing it with a healthy choice is a good way to go about cravings. This alternative can accompany tons of heavy partners. If you’ve got a high calorie meal, use a negative calorie choice as a side dish to balance.

Negative calorie foods give some flexibility over the traditional eating routines. If you’re bored and can’t get the kitchen off your mind, you can feel ok about giving in if your choices are thoughtful.

Negative calorie vegetables: Asparagus, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, chili peppers, cucumber, endive, garden cress, garlic, green beans, lettuce, onion, papaya, radishes, spinach, turnip, zucchini

Negative calorie fruits: Apple, blueberries, cantaloupe, cranberries, grapefruit, lemon, mango, orange, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, tangerine, watermelon
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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Can a slice of bread and olive oil before dinner help you eat less? I was stunned when I heard Oprah’s favorite doctor, Dr. Oz preach this idea on her show today. Now listen, I’ve downed plenty of bread and dipping olive oil when eating at restaurants and can always find room for a whole dinner on top of that.

How would a little snack before hand make any difference? I found info on both the Men’s Health Magazine website and Oprah’s site as well. Men’s Health Magazine says-

“olive oil stimulates the release of cholecystokinin, a gut hormone that signals the brain to stop eating”.

What do you think? Both sites say to let a slice of whole wheat bread soak in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and consume 15-20 minutes before dinner.

Personally, I’d hate to rely on oil soaked bread as part of my daily dinner routine. What else would I be prone to soak in fatty oil later? The tips and tricks I thrive on placing good foods close to where I’d see them, and eating slowly to evaluate when my body says I’m full.

Besides, as I’ve learned from my first course at restaurants, just because you feel full, doesn’t mean you’re full on good food. If having sopping bread will make me eat less of my salad or stir-fry, what’s the point?

Any readers interested in taking the plunge, in the spirit of science?

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Submitted by Café Physique

Appetizer
Simple tweaks to your workout routine can make exercise time much more effective

Main Course
If you want to get results but spend as little time in the gym as possible, you need to boost the effectiveness of your routine. Use these tips to slim down your waistline without having to become a gym rat.

Rest In Between Sets - During weight training, that “weak” feeling you get when you feel your muscle giving up on the very last repetition of a set is caused by the buildup of lactic acid. Lactic acid gets flushed from your muscle very quickly after you complete a set, so it is important to jump right into the next set as soon as you can. Resting for less than a minute will increase the amount of strain on your muscle throughout the set, helping you to achieve the lean, toned look you want a lot more quickly.

Warm Up – A lot of people are under the impression that warming up before your workout is time wasted. So instead of getting loose and raising their heart rate for the upcoming workout, they will just go into the workout at a hundred miles an hour. But you should take those extra few minutes in the beginning of the workout to warm up your body. You’ll end up with a more effective workout overall.

Think Positive Thoughts – A study at Harvard University in 2007 examined two groups of people who performed the exact same amount of exercise. One group was told that what they were doing was very effective exercise, while the other group was not. Believe it or not, the group that was told that it was effective lost more weight. So when you go into your workout, really believe that what you are doing is good for you. After your workout, congratulate yourself on how well you did. These kinds of good thoughts might just show up in your slimmed waistline after time!

Dessert
Of course, the best way I’ve found to make workouts more effective for my clients is to make exercise time as pleasant a possible for them. When exercise is enjoyable, the time you spend sweating really flies by, and you may even discover that you look forward to your next workout. Not sure how to make your workout more fun? Try listening to up-beat motivating music while doing cardio or working out with a partner who doesn’t mind chatting a little bit between sets.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

Grocery shopping for dummies

When I was younger, I would head to the grocery store with my mom, usually under the coax that I could pick out a treat for keeping her company and not mindlessly running through the isles screaming or crying like many other children.

You would think, being familiar enough with a grocery store from those trips, and seeing same food day in and day out magically appear in our fridge at home, that once I had to actually grocery shop for myself, it wouldn’t be so life altering.

Wrong.

Last year, neither my mother nor my college’s cafeteria was responsible for feeding me. Still, at 21, shopping for food hasn’t proven to be an easy task. Trying to stay in shape at school, I understand that I am directly responsible for the fruit and vegetables (or lack there of) that go into my mouth. After much practice, and still some random hits and misses, I think I’m beginning to find an approach that works for me.

I’ve realized, however, that your success or failure with nutrition weighs heavily on your techniques in the grocery store. Your path through your local supermarket will dictate how well you meat nutritional guidelines. For instance, starting with processed foods (usually in the middle of the store on shelves) or spending more time in the aisles will result in more processed foods in your cart, which generally result in higher calorie and fat content than produce on the outer walls of the store.

This idea came from a great article I read by Dr. Pamela Avery. Her article, Eat around the edges, investigates the set up of grocery stores and the pattern of produce and healthy choices residing around the walls.

Dr. Avery explains the reasoning is because fresh produce needs to remain in a controlled climate, therefore relies on the electrical outlets and refrigerators that are often on the edges of the store. She continues that these areas should be considered the ‘green zone’ and make up a majority of your food choices.

Her mastering of the shapes and techniques of storage of foods provides a healthy routine while shopping. Another helpful approach to healthy shopping may be to clearly separate your produce from processed foods in your cart. This will help to make a quick visual distinction of your shopping habits.

What is your routine in the grocery store? What are some of your bad shopping habits?

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

Avocados, a fruit or a vegetable? The avocado is quite frequently mistaken for a vegetable, but it is in fact a fruit. It contains iron and magnesium and folate and is a good source of potassium, dietary fibre, lutein, and vitamins C., E., and B6.

They do have one major drawback in the fact that they are high in calories with 85% of those calories coming from fat. In fact it has more calories and fat than any other fruit.

The good news is however that the fat in avocados is monounsaturated and does not increase blood cholesterol levels. The fat is in the form of oil and Avocado oil is similar in nature to the oil found in olives.

Avocados also contain a plant sterol called beta-sitosterol which is a substance that can help to prevent cholesterol being absorbed by the small intestine, and an antioxidant called glutathione that may help offer protection against several cancers.

Because of its rough alligator appearance type skin avocados are also known as alligator pears. They only ripen once they are removed from the tree, and then they ripen within a few days.

The avocados rich buttery flavour and smooth texture makes them a great complement to salads and sandwiches, and is suitable for infants from six months old.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

by webg33k

One Year my parents gave my wife and I several bags of apples from a local orchard. Most of them were Golden Delicious and we were instructed not to cook with these,”..they are for eating only.”. When we arrived home my wife’s Grandmother stopped by and spotted the bags of apples. She said “Would you like me to make a pie with those?”. We instantly responded YES! The pie was incredible! So, here it is:

APPLE PIE RECIPE

5 or 6 apples

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg (optional)

1/2 stick of butter or margarine (optional)

2 TBSP flour (optional)

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 frozen pie crust

Peel and cut up apples into small pieces. Put apples in a bowl of water and lemon juice to keep from turning brown and to keep fresh. In a separate bowl, mix sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add about half of the sugar mixture to the apples. Add softened margarine (optional).

Stir all together. Pour apples into frozen 9 inch pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 1/4 hours. After the pie starts cooking for about 20 minutes add the rest of the sugar mixture and baste apples every 20 minutes.

About The Author
David Jones More recipes are available free at http://www.VirtualeMedia.com. Also check out http://www.GeminiMalls.com for your Christmas shopping convenience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Jones

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

The following is part two of an interview with health and fitness blogger, and author of ‘Locker Room Diaries’ Leslie Goldman. Check yesterdays post for the beginning of this interview.

A Sizable Apple: You have written about your own battles with self image in particularly battling an eating disorder, and also about binge eating. What advice do you have to maintaining a healthy lifestyle based on what you’ve learned from your past and reporting on others?

L. Goldman: Well, I never struggled with binge eating myself - my problem was anorexia in college. It was a very kind of cliché ED: I was the straight-A, perfectionist, eager-to-please young woman who goes off to college and freaks out and develops and eating disorder to cope with it, to cope with this new dis-order in her world. I lost a significant amount of weight; not so much that the fashion world would be appalled, but enough that I looked horrible. In terms of recovery, I got better physically within my freshman year, gaining most of the weight back. . . but it wasn’t until, I’d say, my junior year that I started looking deeper and realizing it wasn’t just about food—that it was so much more.

As for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I have to say being ready to change is a critical step. You can’t really help someone if they don’t want to be helped. So once I was mentally and physically prepared to make a change, I made damn sure I had a good therapist. You can and should couch-hop a couple times if you don’t click with the guy or lady right away. I found a male social worker who is challenging and doesn’t coddle me. Some people like a softer approach. I wanted confrontation.

Also, I have to give a shout-out to medication. Honestly, Luvox saved me. I’m know some people out there are anti-antidepressants and so was I for the first few years of college. I thought there was a stigma. Little did I know that 10 years later, 95% of my friends would be on Zoloft, Paxil or Lexapro. That’s an exaggeration, obvious, but I do maintain that being on an SSRI helped to clear away the clouded vision I had of my body. It didn’t make me feel instantly pretty or skinny or sexy, but I feel it put me on a level playing field to fight the disease.

ASA: I think it’s sometimes difficult for women to see fit fitness and nutrition writers/spokespeople discuss alternatives and workout plans that are made to look easy, without actually understanding what work a successful plan entails. What is your fitness plan like?

L. Goldman: I work out five to six days a week - which some may say is a lot, but it is key for my stress management and I can literally feel negativity build up inside me unless I unleash it through sweat and hard work! One of those days is a yoga class, then 4 days a week I’ll do about 30 minutes of cardio (Love the StepMill machine…now that it’s getting warmer in Chicago, I can’t wait to run outside). I also lift weights twice a week. I wouldn’t say my plan is easy, but it’s become a vital part of who I am. I wake up early - 6am-ish, go workout, get my sweat on, shower and have the whole day to be productive. And goof off. I only wish I lived somewhere warm and hilly so I could go hiking…but I do love my Chicago!

ASA: What is fittodaytv.com about? Who is it geared towards and what is its mission?

L. Goldman: Fit Today is a Chicago show, the brainchild of NBC5 Fitness Team correspondent Andrea Metcalf. She asked me to be a co-host and of course, I accepted! My role centers on food and nutrition, so I’ve been interviewing leading area RDs, nutritionists, chefs and more. Dave, another co-host, is all about lifestyle Inspiration, a perfect fit for him because he lost 150 lbs (!!!) and is now a trainer. Joanne, the final co-host, does a bit of food, a bit of lifestyle. Andrea pulls everything together with general health and medicine.

For the past month or so, we’ve been filming on location at various Chicagoland area locations, such as Crunch Fitness, local hospitals and restaurants and even McDonalds, which is cosponsoring the show (a huge deal!) in an effort to promote their heathier offerings like the Asian Chicken Salad, Apple Dippers, Dasani bottled water and, my favorite (and I’m NOT just saying this because you know I’ve mentioned these before) the Fruit & Yogurt Parfait. In fact, starting last week, a photo of Andrea, Dave and myself, dressed in workout gear, is appearing on tray liners at more than 500 McDonald’s across Chicago and Northwest Indiana for two months! People are literally eating off of me!

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

How to fail at nutrition

After writing for A Sizable Apple for 8 months now, what I know about nutrition has significantly grown. Based on what I’ve learned, I’ve decided to compile a ‘how to’ on what I’ve learned, in reverse. Here’s my take- how to fail at nutrition.

1. Shop unprepared:

Heading to the grocery store listless can be a horrible mistake. Pair it up with running on errands on an empty stomach, and your trip can be seriously hazards to your health. Be empowered, and shop on a mission! The grocery store is the most vital stop to managing your waist line. Know what you’re going for, be it recipes already in mind, or a list of what’s missing from the pantry.

2. Skip breakfast

It’s called the most important meal of the day for a reason! If you’re normally not quite a morning person, pre-pack your morning start. No matter what, eat up! Breakfast helps keep your metabolism in check for the rest of the day.

3. Forget the labels

I’m no nutritionist, but knowing the basics on the back of packaging is easy and important! Make sure the serving size number matches up with what your normal serving is, and that you’re not spending your precious calorie dollars all in one place.

4. Pass up on all produce because of the expense

Fresh produce can get pricy, but that doesn’t mean you should skip it all together. Fruit and veggies come in a variety of different options, most of which keep longer in your fridge and put your wallet at ease. Make the best out of the frozen food section and canned fruits and veggies as well.

5. Be bland

Keeping up with the best nutrition requires creativity. Cut calories with olive oil in a spray bottle, substitute pasta and potatoes with cauliflower or tofu noodles. Keep up with food blogs, helpful nutrition magazines and healthy sites that promote healthy eating.

Mastering eating well is a difficult feat, but a little creativity and attention can go a long way from bringing home healthy goods from the grocery store, to learning how to eat them properly once they are home.

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Submitted by Healthy Foods and Eating Healthy

by Hoobygroovy

This is another family recipe handed down across the generations. It is a delicious, moist fruit loaf that is a wonderful accompaniment to a cup of tea, or coffee.

It’s almost foolproof to make, and I made this myself at my first ever attempt at baking when I was about 12 years old, and the result was perfect. You can’t really go wrong with it.

The fruit content is largely a personal choice based around mixed peel and glace cherries. You are free to add your own proportions of currants, sultanas, and raisins, if you like them or just stick to mixed peel and cherries.

The result is a wonderfully moist tasty fruit experience that will have you reaching for another piece. It is also one of those recipes you may not want to pass on when your friends start complimenting you, after all – some secrets are not meant to be shared.

4 oz butter
4 oz sugar
8 oz self raising flour
2 eggs (medium sized)
¼ pint of whole milk
8 – 12 oz mixed fruit (glace cherries, mixed peel and your choice)

Cream the butter and the sugar, and gradually add the other ingredients. You end up with quite a sticky mix, which you place into a greased and bottom lined loaf tin (of about 2lb size).

Bake in a preheated oven at 160º or 325ºF for between 1 ½ - 1 ¾ hours. Test with a skewer or a fork and if nothing sticks, then it is ready. It is normal for the
loaf to fissure long ways up the tin during baking.

Delicious.

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Submitted by A Sizable Apple

My key clue to knowing it’s time to hit to grocery store again is when I see scraps left over in the fridge. The last bit of onion and bell pepper, maybe some left over meat from whatever I’ve made earlier that week. In attempts to save some cash, I’ve come up with a couple ways to fake real meals with left-overs.

Old veggies go a long way mixed with canned fish or chicken for a quick tuna melt, chicken salad or pair with pasta for a quick casserole. Getting creative with spices can turn ordinary fridge dwellers into something delicious.

Keep your eyes pealed at the grocery store for the isle with prepackaged seasoned mixes. Stocking up on cheep taco, meatloaf and even pasta sauce mixes add a kick to bland foods. Even left over meat that has already been seasoned can be remixed, and cooked again with new flavors for another meal. Throw any leftover veggies cut real thin with ground beef or tiny cubed chicken with a few tablespoons of water and half a package of meatloaf mix. Stir in any sort of white, brown or seasoned rice for the last few minutes. Stuff your mixture into hollowed out bell peppers and bake for a quick stuffed pepper dinner.

Don’t let random remainders at the end of the week get you down at night. Simple add-ins like sauce packages can make new favorites out of your old left overs.

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