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Recent CommentsThree Things You Can Do To Lose Weight
June 10, 2008
“In all my years as a doctor, I’ve only found three things to help a person loose weight:
cut your hair, trim your nails, and clean out your navel!”
The Scoop on Brown Rice
June 9, 2008
What exactly is brown rice? Well, first of all, brown rice isn’t always brown.
“We say ‘brown rice’ when we mean ‘whole-grain rice,’ ” said Cynthia Harriman, a spokeswoman and nutrition educator for the Oldways food-issues think tank and the Whole Grains Council. Brown rice actually comes in a lot of colors, she said, including red and black, the latter of which also is known as forbidden rice.
According to a definition from the USA Rice Federation, brown rice is rice with only the hull removed. The color comes from the kernel’s bran layers, which carry vitamins, minerals and fiber.
It was last month that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decided that brown rice can carry a “whole-grain” designation, although the fact that it hadn’t been included in an earlier ruling was a technicality, Harriman said, that basically had to do with wording. The designation is important because it makes it easier for consumers to know that brown rice can help them meet one dietary goal.
“In 2005, there was a dietary guidelines recommendation to increase our whole grains,” said Anne Banville, spokeswoman for the USA Rice Federation. “That really is what has given the big push to whole grains. Any authoritative source agrees we all need to get more whole grains in our diet.”
Among the reasons, Harriman said, is that diets rich in whole grains and low in fat have been shown to contribute to heart health. And brown rice is rich in vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that has been linked to protecting cells from cancer, heart disease and cataracts, according to the federation.
A plus for brown rice is that it’s familiar to most people, even if, as Harriman said, “people have traditionally thought of brown rice as a hippie food; eat a bit and you’ll burst out singing ‘Kumbaya’ or something like that.”
But, she said, it has become both more sophisticated — as in the red, black and other varieties that are being showcased in high-end restaurants — and more familiar. In addition to the supermarket-staple long-grain, brown varieties including jasmine and basmati are showing up in local stores.
“We’re seeing most whole-grain food go away from this hippie image, and also this dichotomy between foods that taste good and foods that are good for you,” she said. “You shouldn’t have to hold your nose and eat things because they’re good for you. There are delicious things out there, and brown rice is just one of them.”
“It’s a familiar whole grain,” said Banville. “It’s not that big of a leap; people can even pronounce it.” Some people, she said — particularly moms with recalcitrant kids — mix white and brown rice to make the latter more familiar.
Brown rice also is showing up in more convenient forms. Because the bran layers resist heat and moisture, long-grain brown rice takes 45 to 50 minutes to cook, compared to about 14 for white (although Harriman said one red variety takes 20 minutes). But, as Harriman noted, there’s “lots going on in the brown-rice area.” Uncle Ben’s and Minute Rice have introduced precooked brown rice in cups that heat in the microwave in 90 seconds in the case of Uncle Ben’s, 60 for Minute Rice (true to its name).
Banville said the new products are helping to propel double-digit annual increases — such as 20 percent last year — in U.S. consumption of brown rice.
“There’s a whole bunch of products out there that weren’t five or eight years ago, and consumers are really going for them,” she said.
Special diets also are fueling the increase.
“Last year, when everybody was crazy about the South Beach Diet, brown rice was one of the few carb foods that the South Beach Diet permitted once you got past the initial phase,” Banville said.
Commercial outlets also have made brown rice more familiar to consumers. Banville said the federation works with Disney World in Orlando, Fla., which has increased its menu offerings.
And Harriman, in confirming that brown rice has become “much more mainstream,” noted that at outlets of the P.F. Chang’s chain, “they come to the table and instead of slapping down the white rice and making you beg for the brown rice, they take your order and ask.”
Laura Cherry, a spokeswoman for P.F. Chang’s, said that last year the chain and its Pei Wei concept served 12 million pounds of white rice and 10 million pounds of brown.
“Every year the amount of brown rice requested seems to go up,” she said, adding that that holds true for both concepts.
Which just makes sense to Harriman.
“If you serve it,” she said, “they will come.”
Source:
http://www.lvrj.com/
HEIDI KNAPP RINELLA
Diet Advice: Choose Better Parents
June 4, 2008
“Eat Less, Exercise More, and Invent a Time Machine so you can go back and choose parents with better genetics.”
Cutting Down the Calories from Salad Dressings?
June 4, 2008
Dear Glenny’s,
I love eating out and I try to eat healthy. But, how can I cut back on the high calorie sauces and salad dressings they serve at restaurants? What can I do so that I don’t consume the extra calories from that stuff?
Thanks.
Samantha
3 Tips to Help You Get Fit for Summer
June 4, 2008
Have you looked at the calendar lately? Summer is almost here. But, don’t worry: there’s still time to get healthy, fit and lean for summer!
Here are three simple yet effective tips from Nu-Train that you can use to get fit for the summer.
Tip 1: Prioritize
Maybe you have 5, 10, or more items on your to-do list to get your body health-and-fitness-ready for summer. Prioritize that list, and focus on just one weak area. If you try to do everything at once, you’re going to increase your stress levels, which typically leads to inactivity and failure. Each week pick one primary goal for the week, and stick with it.
For example, you might decide to start with alcohol consumption. Alcohol is the fastest way to add empty calories, and it weakens your resolve to choose healthier foods. The average serving of 1.5 ounces of 80-proof alcohol contains about 90 calories before adding mixers. There’s no need to abstain from alcohol completely. Instead, you might choose to drink only one mixed drink per day. Or you might decide to stick with a glass of wine and forgo high calorie mixers. Try drinking mineral water with a slice of lime at a cocktail party instead of alcohol.
By prioritizing your to-do list, you’ll keep your goals manageable and feel successful. Each small success breeds even more success, and before you know it you’ll make progress in every area on that list.
Tip #2: Prepare
Preparation trumps will power every time. Plan out what you’re going to eat for breakfast and lunch. Limit yourself to one or two breakfast choices, and just a few lunch options to keep it simple and hassle-free. Plan for at least three days per week where you have a finite lunch and dinner, such as a turkey sandwich from the corner deli or a frozen meal for dinner. Pick one or two snacks to bring with you each day.
Plan ahead for a weekly massage to work away stress. Take a 5 minute walk outside in the middle of the day to let the sunshine revive your spirits. Before you step into a stressful meeting or pick up the phone to call a difficult client, take 5-10 deep, slow breaths. Let the air fill your lungs and energize your body, and exhale away stress and tension.
#3: Recover
If you view any slipup as a defeat instead of a bump in the road, or you demand perfection in your eating habits, you’re more likely to increase your stress levels and strike out on your health and fitness goals. Resetting yourself by doing something active and concrete helps you restructure your thinking so you avoid an all-or-nothing attitude that cripples your success.
Use a Protein Day after a day filled with eating disasters to get right back on track. Base your meals and snacks around protein: eggs or egg whites for breakfast, grilled chicken or fish in a salad for lunch and with steamed vegetables for dinner, and canned tuna or sliced turkey for snacks. A Protein Day gives your body a break from carbohydrates and breaks the cycle of overeating and then feeling terrible.
Another recovery tool is a Veggie Night, where you microwave a white or sweet potato and two cups of vegetables. In less than 10 minutes you have a satisfying meal that helps erase the earlier lapses of the day. Enjoying a Veggie Night helps you regroup, so you wake up the next morning feeling light and ready for a balanced breakfast.
With the tips outlined here, you’ll be beach-ready before you know it!
Source: Nu-Train
Forget Boring Salads: Try This Salad With Tomatoes and Feta
June 4, 2008
Forget plain, boring salads — add ripe cherry tomatoes and mouthwatering feta cheese to create this scrumptious salad.
START TO FINISH: 20 minutes MAKES: 4 servings
8 cups torn mixed salad greens
12 ounces cooked skinless chicken or turkey breast, lean beef, or pork, sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup sliced, halved cucumber
1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta or goat cheese (1 ounce)
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallots
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large bowl combine greens, meat, tomatoes, cucumber, and basil. Drizzle with Red Wine Vinaigrette. Toss to coat. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Top with feta cheese and pine nuts. Serve immediately.
Red Wine Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, combine vinegar and shallots. Let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in mustard. Add oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly until combined. Stir in kosher salt and pepper. Use immediately or cover and chill for up to 3 days before using. If chilled, let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes; whisk before using.
Nutrition Facts per serving: 267 cal., 13 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 80 mg chol., 318 mg sodium, 6 g carb, 2 g fiber, 30 g pro.
Source: SonomaDiet.com
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