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March 28, 2008
Green Beans with Pears
Elegant and sweet, a lighter version on a classic side dish.
2 lbs. French green beans, ends trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 cup finely chopped basil leaves
2-3 sprigs fresh parsley
2-3 shallots, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Grated zest of 1 fresh lemon
4 small, ripe pears, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 cup coarsely chopped walnut pieces, toasted
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook beans for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well and set aside.
2. For the dressing, whisk oil, vinegar, basil, parsley, shallots, garlic, and lemon zest until smooth. Place beans, pears, and walnuts in a mixing bowl. Toss gently with dressing and transfer to a serving bowl.
Serves 8
Per serving: 226 calories, 5g protein, 23g carb, 15g fat, 2g sat fat, 0mg cholesterol, 6g fiber, 62mg sodium
Posted by Lisa at 8:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 25, 2008
Diabetes Alert Day
The American Diabetes Alert Day is a one-day, “wake-up” call to inform the American public about the seriousness of diabetes. The American Diabetes Association encourages people to take the Diabetes Risk Test and find out if they are at risk for developing diabetes. Observed on the fourth Tuesday of every March, the 20th annual American Diabetes Alert Day is Tuesday, March 25, 2008.
Why is Diabetes Alert Day important?
* Nearly 21 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes
* One-third of those or more than six million do not know they have diabetes
* One in five Americans is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes
For many, diagnosis may come seven to ten years after the onset of the disease. Therefore, early diagnosis is critical to successful treatment and delaying or preventing some of its complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, stroke, amputation and death.
Everyone should be aware of the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. People who are overweight, under active (living a sedentary lifestyle), and over the age of 45 should consider themselves at risk for the disease. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and people who have a family history of the disease are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
Posted by Lisa at 11:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 24, 2008
Get Fit, Stay Sharp
Crossword puzzles or learning a new language are great ways to preserve your memory as you age. It's also been shown that exercise can prevent or even reverse some age-related changes that occur in the brain.
Seniors who took an hourlong walk three days a week for six months experienced increases in brain volume, particularly in frontal areas that are associated with memory and that tend to shrink with age. On scans, their brains looked like those of people three years younger.
Posted by Lisa at 7:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 19, 2008
Green is still in!
St. Patty's Day may be over, but that doesn't mean you don't have to eat your greens!.
Avocado: Avocado is a good source of monounsaturated fats, which help lower cholesterol. Avocados also are good sources of both vitamin E and lutein, a natural antioxidant that may help maintain eye health.
Broccolini: It's packed with the cancer-fighting nutrients isothiocyanates, sulforaphane, and indoles all linked with reducing the risk of breast, prostate, cervical, lung, and other cancers and offers as much vitamin C as orange juice.
Tomatillo: The vegetable, which is a good source of vitamin C and potassium, is used in salsa verde and can be eaten raw.
Posted by Lisa at 7:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 17, 2008
I Can Make You Thin
Did anyone tune into the new reality show on TLC? Paul McKenna, a self-claimed weight loss guru, uses accessible techniques that focus on controlling the mind’s relationship with food. Every week on the show, he will cover a major theme such as emotional eating, addictions and cravings, motivation to exercise and metabolism, and self esteem and self-image. He has “4 Golden Rules” which turned out to be concepts I teach to my patients as well.
Th 4 Golden Rules
#1 Eat when you are hungry (starving on a “diet” doesn’t work)
#2 Eat what you want, not what you think you should (there are no forbidden foods)
#3 Eat consciously, enjoy each mouthful (put your knife and fork down between bites and do not eat while reading, talking on the phone, watching tv, etc.)
#4 Stop eating when you are full (Tune into your satiety feelings)
We’ll see how the show progresses…
Posted by Lisa at 9:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 13, 2008
All-you-can-eat seats?
Downing a dog while watching the Texas Rangers or another team may put a fan in the middle of a new controversy: ballparks' all-you-can-eat seats.
At least 13 of the 30 major league teams will offer all-you-can-eat seats for all or part of the 2008 season, up from six last year, USA Today reported Friday.
All-you-can-eat options -- usually offered in the cheap seats -- allow teams to wring revenue out of parts of ballparks that used to sit empty, team officials told the newspaper.
Diet and health specialists say the seats symbolize super-sized fast-food and poor nutrition. At a time when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the nation is in an obesity crisis, setting aside places for fans to feast is irresponsible, many specialists say.
Posted by Lisa at 7:01 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 11, 2008
Baked Beans: yea or nay?
The upside: Beans are packed with fiber, which helps keep you full and slows the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream.
The downside: The baked kind are typically covered in a sauce made with brown and white sugars.
And because the fiber is located inside the bean, it doesn't have a chance to interfere with the speed at which the sugary glaze is digested. Consider that 1 cup of baked beans contains 24 g sugar: That's about the same amount in 8 ounces of regular soda.
The healthy alternative: Red kidney beans, packed in water. You get the nutritional benefits of legumes, but without the extra sugar. Try splashing some hot sauce on top for a spicy variation.
Posted by Lisa at 7:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 7, 2008
National Nutrition Month
It'll never whip up the frenzy of food holidays such as Christmas or the Super Bowl, but National Nutrition Month is worth marking with your mouth.
The month, started in 1973 by the American Dietetic Association, this time around is urging consumers to eat around the myths of nutrition and focus on the facts, during March and beyond.
The ADA also is encouraging people to schedule annual "nutrition checkup" visits with a registered dietitian with its first Registered Dietitian Day on Monday.
The ADA has more than 67,000 members. For more information, including some recipes and a way to find a registered dietician near you, visit www.eatright.org.
Posted by Lisa at 7:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack