GI Diet Info – Are you getting good info?

Fruits and veggies cover the gambit of the glycemic index.

Glycemic Index Dieting – what is it? How do you do it? Is it good for you?

Low glycemic refers to the effect of food on a person’s blood glucose and insulin response.

How fast and how high the blood glucose rises and how quickly the body responds by bringing it back to normal.

A low glycemic index diet is eating healthy foods with a low GI (glycemic index), meaning the carbohydrate you eat will not raise blood glucose quickly.

Gimme the details

Certain foods raise your blood sugar fast and furious (high glycemic food) and then there are those foods that raise your blood sugar at a more even rate.

People eating for the medium to low glycemic index diet are eating foods that do not spike your blood sugar after ingesting them, eating low to medium glycemic foods.

Foods with a low glycemic rank less than 55, medium is ranking 55-70, and high glycemic foods have a rating of more than 70.

Examples

Some high glycemic foods include white bread, waffles, mashed potatoes, pretzels, jelly beans, honey, regular soft drinks.

Examples of medium glycemic foods include watermelon, cream of wheat, sourdough and rye breads, pineapple, ice cream, popcorn, and raisins.

Then there are the lovely, my favorite, low glycemic foods such as whole grain breads, long-grain brown rice, bran cereals, whole oats, apples, oranges, peaches, baked beans, lentils, legumes, carrots, milk, yogurt, sweet potatoes, and tomato soup. Low glycemic foods tend to be wholesome, fiber rich foods, they release glucose gradually into the blood.

Is it good for you?

My opinion is yes. High glycemic foods push your body to the extreme. Your body goes through so much everyday. It just makes sense to give it a choice.

Would you not give your body a break from working so hard, and choose the lower glycemic foods? Personally, I am very in tune with my body. I can feel the difference when eating low glycemic foods and then eating a high glycemic food. It feels as though I am beating my body up when I am eating the high glycemic foods.

Remember, just because it is low glycemic (aff) doesn’t mean it is low calorie. This is when your portion sizes are very important to watch.

Photo by Daniel Göttler

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Sweet potatoes again

A Southern Staple

We’ve covered the benefits of eating sweet potatoes in 2010, so I won’t be going through all of that again.

Thanks to some good friends, we’ve discovered sweet potato pie.

It seems to me that this is a fantastic alternative to pumpkin pie during the holidays, primarily Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The recipe that our friends use is one adapted from a Paula Dean recipe found on Food Network. Now, listen y’all, everything that Ms. Dean cooks is full of butter and sugar. This recipe is no different.

Needless to say that it’s loaded with fat and sugar. While that may taste awesome, it’s not exactly good for the old waistline.

A healthy alternative

With a little searching, you can find some healthier alternative recipes for sweet potato pie.

One that I found that I really like was at Laa Loosh.

In Weight Watchers talk this recipe is worth 4 points. I don’t know what that means, so we’ll be feeding this sweet potato pie recipe into Spark Recipe to calculate real world numbers.

The WW recipe used a marshmallow topping. Frankly, I’m not big on that idea. I just used a dab of Cool Whip. Topping choices are personal, so I’m not going to include that into the equation.

Lastly, I’m using a 9″ frozen pie crust. Feel free to use a graham cracker crust, or whatever floats your boat. Just make sure to adjust the numbers accordingly

Sweet Potato Pie – A Southern Classic

Ingredients

• 9″ pie crust
• 4 cups of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly equal sized pieces
• 1 banana
• 2 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 3 packets of Splenda No Calorie Sweetener
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

Add sweet potatoes in pot with water barely covering. Cover and bring to a boil, and let cook until the potatoes are soft – about 20 minutes. Drain.

Puree banana. Add banana, hot sweet potatoes, butter, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg, Splenda packets, and mash together until well blended. Pour into to pie crust. Bake at on top of a cookie sheet at 350° F for 15 – 20 minutes or until heated well through. Remove from oven and let cool.

The results

Servings: 8

Calories     190.0
Total Fat     8.3 g
Saturated Fat     3.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat     0.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat     3.3 g
Cholesterol     7.8 mg
Sodium     692.5 mg
Potassium     213.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate     27.5 g
Dietary Fiber     2.5 g
Sugars     3.4 g

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It’s medicinal, I tell you!

Catnip tea - Yeah - it's that freakin' relaxing.

It’s ok — you read that right. We’re talking catnip today. You know, the stuff that makes your cat stoned? We’re going to make tea with it.

No, it’s is not the same as those funny brownies in college. (Wait, what?)

When I told Becca about this, she looked at me with a scowl, and said, and I quote, “Ewww.”

I can see her point, but what’s it based on? Perception.

Nepeta cataria, or catnip, is a member of the mint family of herbs. While felines “enjoy” catnip, people have been using it medicinally for ages.

According to Grandma’s Wisdom, the “heart-shaped leaves and lavender or white flowers have properties that can help relieve or prevent muscle spasms, increase perspiration and relieve flatulence.”

Who doesn’t want help with that?

Some other medicinal bennies include

• fever reduction
• appetite stimulant

The nitty gritty is that while it puts your cat into a metaphoric state, it can help calm your nerves and help you to relax.

Gimme the good stuff!

Let’s face it, making tea isn’t rocket science. Do I really need to give you a ‘recipe‘?

Steep 1-2 teaspoons of dried catnip for five minutes in hot water. You should be able to have up to three cups per day. Use the brain that God gave you. If you find that two is too much, don’t drink two cups.

Growing your own catnip can be a challenge if there are cats around. Then again, it could be highly entertaining to watch them roll around in a patch of the stuff.

Photo by ilker

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Bipity – Bopity – Bacon

Bacone makes everything better

I recently discovered a new (to me) blog called Primal Toad. It’s run by this young buck named Todd (Toad) Dosenberry.

Toad is into what’s called the Primal Lifestyle. (Stay tuned, he’s going to be doing a guest post primer to the primal way of eating).

No, he doesn’t hunt wooly mammoth in a saber tooth tiger loin cloth and a spear. At least he hasn’t mentioned doing so. He would get bonus points if he did though.

Toad posed a question — “Why Are We Obsessed With Bacon?“. And no, this isn’t about turkey bacon.

I had to stop and think about that for a moment. Yes, I know… eating lots of bacon often isn’t good for you. Then again, eating lots of anything isn’t good for you. So what’s wrong with the occasional piece of bacon?

How do I love thee

Toad’s question got me to thinking. Bacon is so good, and it is used everywhere. Let me say that again. Everywhere!

• Without a doubt the most popular way of preparing bacon is to fry it up in a pan. Now, I love the smell of fresh coffee brewing when I wake up. Bacon trumps coffee. Period. Some, like my beautiful bride, Becca, like the bacon to be cooked crispy. Uh-uh, it cooks away the flavor and texture. I love it when it’s still chewy. Yum!
• Have you ever grilled bacon? Be careful that it doesn’t fall between the grills, but it is wonderful.
• Right along with grilling is smoking the bacon (no, not like Cheech & Chong). This takes a little longer, but dude, it will melt your face off; it’s just that good.
• Of course bacon can be used as a condiment. Chop that stuff up, and throw it on a baked potato, and now we have a party. Right along with that, if your salad is just too “healthy”, throw those bacon bits on it, and bon appétit!
• Have you ever had bacon wrapped shrimp? Oh my, that is heavenly. I’ll give you a tip; if you’re making it at home, cook the bacon first, then wrap the shrimp, and continue to cook. They cook at different times, and this works.
• Speaking of wrapping something in bacon (get your mind out of the gutter!). If smoked bacon is going to melt your face, bacon wrapped steak will cause your head to implode like the Kingdome (Look for it on youtube. It’s awesome.). Steak by itself is to die for. Wrap that sucka in bacon and you’ll slap yo’ momma!
• Now for the pièce de résistance. That’s right, I’ve used two, count ‘em two, French phrases in ONE blog post! I’ve never tried this, but hear me out. What would happen if you wrapped bacon around… wait for it… wait for it… a pork tenderloin. Yes, I said it; wrap pork around another piece of pork. Believe it or not, I did a Google search, and there are actually recipes for this. Craziness!

Final thoughts

We’ve talked about how you can eat bacon. We have not covered “why” we love the stuff though.

My personal feeling is that it’s salty, and fatty. Those two things right there make everything taste better.

How much do you love bacon? Enough to want to smell like bacon throughout the day?

How do you eat bacon? What makes you like it so much?

Photo: Interact Images

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The gluten free diet of Russell Crowe

Gluten is found in wheat, and other grains.

One of the things that really, really annoys me are all of the gluten free signs that I see in the grocery store. Oddly enough on items that there wouldn’t be gluten anyway. Ridiculous.

A gluten free diet is all the rage, not only with celebs, but with soccer moms (is that a relevant term any more?) as well.

According to Men’s Health, Russell Crowe is now on a gluten free diet in order to lose weight. You read that right, Russell Crowe is following this diet to lose weight.

The silly part is that there is no data that points to avoiding gluten causing weight loss.

There are some who have to go on a gluten free diet. That doesn’t mean that everybody should.

Should gluten be in your diet? Those that should avoid gluten have either a wheat alergy, or are afflicted with Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disease.

According to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, only 1 in 133 people in the U.S. are affected.

Where the rubber meets the road

Check it out, you don’t “need” gluten. It’s a good source of protein, but it’s not a necessity. Then again, barring those with the health issues, gluten isn’t going to hurt either.

Imagine this happening with any other food intolerance—”the lactose intolerant diet,” anyone? Bari Lieberman

Can it lead to weight loss? The jury is out — but even if it did, why cut it out if you don’t have to? Those “gluten free” items may cost more. And for what? Nothing.

Leave the gluten free diets to the celebs, like Russell Crowe, and just eat smart.

What do you think about a gluten free diet?

Photo by Patrick Hajzler.

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Prepare food in advance

I love PBJ for snacks

Lisa at A Dietician’s View did a post about after school snacks for children.

One of the points that she makes is that older kids won’t take the time to make healthy snacks, and therefor we should prepare them ahead of time.

Honestly, that’s awesome advice for all of us.

By not only planning, but preparing some of our food in advance, you’ll keep yourself from straying.

For example, I keep my cooler in my desk drawer during the day. In it is all of my food for my work day, including snacks. If somebody brings in doughnuts, I can fall back on my food, rather than the jelly fat-pill in a box.

• What do you think of Lisa’s idea?
• Do you prepare your food in advance?
• What tips do you have that might help somebody else?

Photo: Katinka Kober

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The Ultimate Nutrition Tip

Good food in limited quantities

Guest post by Susan Campbell

Why do I eat so much? That’s really the question I wanted you all to ask yourself this week. And I have the ultimate nutrition tip for you.

If you only follow one nutrition tip it should be to only eat when you were hungry and eat less.

And as enthusiastically as people try this challenge, I’m never shocked to see how many people actually have a hard time doing it. It may be the most difficult nutrition challenge you can try.

So why do you eat so much? And why are you having trouble eating less?

There’s probably a dozen things that could be causing you to eat so much. They may be:

1. Boredom
2. Stress
3. Distraction
4. Fill a void
5. Fun
6. Contentment
7. Socialization

But you are probably very aware of most of those – you are probably even guilty of a few.

However, in my experiment with eating less I have found 2 new reasons why you could be eating so much.

1. You’re thirsty.

One of my biggest nutrition challenges is drinking enough (sometimes any) water. I truly do not have a thirst mechanism. I go right from being fine to having a headache and feeling like my gears are grinding. Then I have to go on overdrive to rehydrate. And if I just stayed hydrated in the first place I’d be fine.

Anyway, since I was trying to eat less I drank more water. And guess what happened? Any hunger rumblings I was experiencing actually disappeared for awhile.

It was amazing! If I felt hungry I drank a glass of water and it satisfied me.

Sometimes hunger isn’t really hunger at all.

2. You’re eating the same things in the same quantities as your spouse/significant other.

The best nutrition tip I can give you is this…..

Here’s a brief scenario for you:

Since I met my boyfriend 3 years ago, who is 6′4″ and is 50-60 pounds heavier then me, I have gained 14 pounds. That’s about 5 pounds per year.

That’s right, me – fitness professional and know it all, gained weight just from dating.

What I started to realize is that I eat portions of food that are very similar to Scott’s. I don’t need to eat the same amount of food as a 6″4″, 215 pound man does.

Even if our activity levels were identical, his food requirements are much higher then mine.

I have to start looking at what he takes and then eating less. There’s really no good reason to match him.

And chances are very good that you are doing something similar. If you are having trouble losing weight (or if you are gaining weight) take a look at what your husband or boyfriend eats and make sure you eat less. For now that’s a good starting point.

The bottom line is this: you have to start looking within yourself to figure out why you eat so much. Your don’t have the body of your dreams because you eat too much – period. So take a look inside and come up with an action plan to turn things around.

To learn more about good ways to lose weight fast, take a look at this blog post about Home Cardio Workouts on my Home Workouts Blog. While you’re there be sure to sign up for regular email updates to learn more weight loss tips.

Article Source: Susan J. Campbell

Photo: Zsuzsanna Kilian

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Enjoy a glass of red wine

A couple of glasses of red wine

Today we’re talking wine. Vino.

“Hey, isn’t this a fitness blog?” Why yes, yes it is.

-I love wine (but loathe whine–go figure).
-Wine has many health benefits.

“But isn’t alcohol bad for you? Won’t it make me fat?” Wow, we’re full of questions today, aren’t we?

Bottom line–in moderation (like with everything else) it isn’t bad for you, and won’t make you fat. In moderation.

If you sit and drink a bottle on your own in one evening, that’s not-a good-a. That’s when it’ll go to your belly. Have a glass of red wine with a meal, or while relaxing at the end of the day, and it’s all good.

Ok, so having a glass of red wine can be relaxing, and it tastes good. But how is it “healthy”? Great question. The bottom line is that the grapes used to make the wine, and more importantly, the skins used in red wine, is chocked full of fruity goodness.

Red wine contains resveratrol. What’s that?

Resveratrol might be a key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces “bad” cholesterol and prevents blood clots. -Mayo Clinic

Antioxidants are somewhat of a hot topic. These little guys are the heroes in battle with free radicals–the evil invaders that cause cancers.

Do your homework

There have been a number of studies that show that a glass of red wine a day helps to keep the doctor at bay.

It’s not going to cure heart disease, or stop it all together. The benefits may actually be very small. I, for one, am willing to take this extra step–in the name of my heart health!

There are others that claim that it’s the grape, and not the wine. Frankly, I don’t like grape juice. I like to eat grapes, but come on, that’s not the same as a good tasting wine.

**On a funny side note, the people that I read about that want you to drink grape juice and eat grapes instead of wine are self-proclaimed “prohibitionists”. Take it for what it’s worth.

You get what you pay for?

Researchers found that a $90 dollar bottle of wine tastes every bit as good as a $10 bottle. What? That doesn’t sound right.

I’ve had some expensive bottles of wine. The were very complex. Some were very good. Others, not so much.

The funny part here is that I consider myself to be a salmon snob, a coffee snob, and even a beer snob. But when it comes to wine, I love a glass of Sweet Red.

We’re talking under $6 for a bottle. It’s super good, and fruity. I love the stuff. It’s basically a blended wine with a very fruity sweetness.

Don’t be a wino. Like I said, moderation is the word of the day (and everyday). What’s the word of the day? Right, moderation.

Photo: Roger Kirby

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Vitamin D Will Help You With Weight Loss!

The sun is a great source of vitamin D

Guest post by Lori L. Shemek, PhD.

Just when you thought you had heard all about Vitamin D, more research surfaces with compelling information. Vitamin D has been a hot topic in both conventional and alternative medicine lately because vitamin D is related to so many health concerns like diabetes, osteoporosis, depression, stroke, cancer (including breast cancer), heart disease and…drum roll….weight loss as well! Believe it or not, most of us are deficient in this very important nutrient – especially the elderly, people with darker skin and people who are overweight.

Our bodies make vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. This very important nutrient is called a vitamin, but vitamin D is actually a precursor hormone that is a building block of a steroid hormone called calcitriol. Vitamin D has always been known for its role in the health of our bones and teeth but an amazing amount of research of late has been surfacing showing the surprising connection between vitamin D and the prevention of most chronic diseases.

Vitamin D promotes normal cell growth throughout your body, maintaining hormone balance and a healthy immune system. Vitamin D slows down the growth of fat cells as well. Calcitriol actually becomes part of the physical make-up of the cells. However, when Vitamin D is deficient, as it is in most of us, the cells are not able to behave properly and are vulnerable to these serious health issues including weight gain and obesity.

One study done in Britain (Aberdeen University Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, 2008) showed that people who were overweight had lower levels of vitamin D. The study found that low levels of vitamin D in the blood interfered with the function of a hormone called Leptin, which tells the brain when you are full. Researchers at Aberdeen University found that obese people produced 10% less vitamin D than people of average weight. The study also found that excess body fat absorbs vitamin D, stopping it from entering the blood stream.

Another Study in Britain (Ortega RM, Aparicio A, et al, Br J Nutr 2008) using 60 overweight/obese women aged 20-35 years that had adhered to a low calorie diet, showed that those with higher vitamin d levels lost more weight and fat.

Now, these are just two studies, and I obviously cannot go over the enormous amount of research out there, but suffice it to say, the conclusions are primarily the same – Vitamin D helps with weight loss and weight gain.

How does vitamin D help with weight loss?

As mentioned, extra body fat holds on to vitamin D so that the body cannot use it. This perceived deficiency interferes with the action of the hormone Leptin. If you are not able to recognize when you are satiated, you are more likely to overeat.

Taking Vitamin D in conjunction with Calcium, helps to properly assimilate food and regulate normal blood sugar levels. Not only do you need calcium to further your weight loss, but you will also need to trim the calories. Vitamin D is not a magic potion. So to ensure this “Vitamin” can work its magic, watch your food intake, exercise and take your vitamin D with Calcium for optimal success.

What is the recommended dosage?

Although current guidelines suggest a daily intake from 400-600 IUs, research is clearly showing that this is way too low. A dosage between 2,000 and 4,000 IUs a day will have a much more therapeutic effect, boosting your overall health, help in prevention of illness and chronic disease and promotion of fat loss. Supplement with Vitamin D3 not D2. D2 is a synthetic derivative and not easily absorbed.

Living a healthy life is easy once you have the knowledge. If you would like to learn more about how carrying extra weight can silently steal your health or any other area of health and nutrition, please visit us here: http://www.dlsHealthWorks.com and while you are visiting, please sign-up for your FREE eBOOK “7 Steps To Optimum Health” Also sign up for your FREE weight loss tips! Here you will find everything you need to create optimum health in your life.

Lori L. Shemek, PhD, CNC, CLC, is Founder and President of DLS HealthWorks. Lori is a weight Loss Specialist, Author, Speaker, Show Host of “Creating Optimum Health!” and Health Expert.

Article Source: Lori L. Shemek, Ph.D.

Photo: Mauro CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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Running with the salmon

Spawning Sockeye Salmon. Yum!

Being from the Pacific Northwest, today we’re going to talk about something that is very near and dear to me–Salmon.

There are six species of salmon, five Pacific varieties (Chinook aka King, Chum, Coho, Pink, and Sockeye), and one Atlantic.

Aside from being a coffee and beer snob, I’m also a salmon snob (hey, don’t judge me!). Why do I mention this? Simple–Wild Atlantic salmon is not commercially caught.

Big whoop, right? Right! You’ll notice that the most common salmon available at your grocery store is Atlantic.

“Wait, if it’s not commercially caught, why is it the most common at the store?” Great question, thanks for asking.

It’s farm raised. Atlantic salmon, number one is an endangered species, which is why it’s not commercially caught. Oddly enough, Pacific salmon die shortly after spawning, while Atlantic salmon are capable of surviving the spawn to do it again another day. Number two, it is the most adaptable of the six species to farming.

“Ok, so what?” You’re on fire! Another awesome question. Farm raised salmon is fed ingredients that it was not meant to eat. Salmon eat bugs, and aquatic life. Guess what–those things are not present in the crowded fish pens where they are kept.

There is a difference.

Wild salmon costs more. There’s just no way around it. But if you’re after quality, it’s money worth spending.

The color of wild Pacific salmon is a deep, dark pink. On the flip side, farm raised Atlantic salmon is a light pink.

The flavors run the same way. You just aren’t going to beat the taste of good Pacific salmon. If all you ever knew was Atlantic salmon, you might not know the difference. Once you try the wild stuff though, you too will become a salmon snob.

Nutrition Facts

It’s a little difficult to give you the nutritional breakdown of salmon as a whole. The farm raised Atlantic salmon typically contains more fat and calories than it’s while Pacific counterpart. Wild salmon tends to be higher in protein.

Another option is to use canned salmon. This works well in a pinch. It’s typically smoked, and good right out of the can–but that could just be me. The two most common variates that you will find in the can are pink and sockeye. The sockeye has a stronger taste, while the pink is higher Omega-3′s.

All salmon is an awesome source of Omega-3 fatty acids (good fats).

My favorite way to prepare salmon is cold smoking. The taste is outta this world. But, there’s a downside–a lot of the nutritional values are cooked off in the processes. That’s not so good.

The most important thing is to get the freshest fish that you can. Apparently the nutrients degrade over time.

Recipe

I’m a grill guy, and a salmon snob. Put 1 and 1 together, and you have me on the patio grilling some salmon.

My preference is to keep it simple. With that said, I present my grilled salmon recipe. I have two ways that I do this. One is to use aluminum foil to encase the fish, and allow it to cook in the juices.

The second method is to use a wooden plank. This gives it a tasty wood flavor that lends itself well to the fish.

When I grill, I tend to just eyeball it. With that said, I present a cedar plank grilled salmon recipe from AllRecipe.com. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 (2 pound) salmon fillets, skin removed

Directions

1. Soak the cedar planks for at least 1 hour in warm water. Soak longer if you have time.
2. In a shallow dish, stir together the vegetable oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, green onions, ginger, and garlic. Place the salmon fillets in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover and marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to one hour.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Place the planks on the grate. The boards are ready when they start to smoke and crackle just a little.
4. Place the salmon fillets onto the planks and discard the marinade. Cover, and grill for about 20 minutes. Fish is done when you can flake it with a fork. It will continue to cook after you remove it from the grill.

Photo by Todd Radenbaugh CC-By-2.0

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