Superdrink of the Week: Vino
PIN IT!
I’m a very big fan of wine , but that is not the only reason I’m featuring it as this week’s superfood! Wine, besides being full of feel good elixers, is also full of added health benefits if drank in moderation. This drink is good for happy hours and a healthy heart! Now, this doesn’t mean you can drink a bottle a night and assume your reaping the health benefits. Like all alcohol, wine needs to be drank in moderation. But who knew one glass could provide so much good for our minds and body? [as well as our social life!]
Cardiovascular health
A type of phytochemical in wine, known as resveratrol, has been shown to prevent blood clotting and plaque formation in arteries, which works to keep blood flowering normally in and out of the heart.
According to MSNBC Today, findings from a recent study suggest that resveratrol can also produce anti-thrombotic agents that work to improve your cardiovascular health and lower the risk for fatal heart disease. Also, studies done in animals have shown that the same phytochemical resveratrol reduced tumor incidence.
Resveratrol also lowers the “bad” cholesterol [LDL] in your body, as well as works to prevent damage in your blood vessels.
Red Vs. White
Not both varieties of wine carry the same amount of resveratol. In fact, red wine had considerably higher concentrations of resveratol, making it the healthiest of the two favorites. Why does red carry more of this powerful chemical? The longer the skin is kept on the grape during the fermentation process, the greater the concentration of resveratrol. When white wine is being made, the skin is removed before fermentation, which prevents the wine from holding onto the higher levels of reveratol.
So pour yourself a glass of red and drink to your heart!
Eat Skinny Be Skinny: Grilled Salmon Burgers
There’s nothing more quintessential summer than grilling out on a warm evening. Grilling is not only a quick way to prepare meals, it’s also one of the healthiest. Grilling adds flavor to food with flames, not fat. You also lose all of the oils, butters and shortenings you normally use to pan fry, bake or fry your favorite protein. As someone who doesn’t eat much read meat, I wanted to find a healthy, yet delicious alternative to the classic burger. I’ve done turkey so I decided to archive this mouth-watering recipe for grilled salmon burgers! I can’t wait to try this out in the upcoming summer months.
Grilled Salmon Burgers [recipe courtesy of the Biggest Loser]
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 1 lb. skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1” cubes
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- Zest of one lime
- 1 Tbsp. peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- Pinch of salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Lightly coat rack with the fat free olive oil cooking spray.
- In a food processor or blender, pulse salmon cubes just enough to grind coarsely.
- Transfer salmon to a large bowl and mix in the dijon mustard, lime zest, ginger, soy sauce and coriander.
- Form salmon into patties. Recipe should make 4 normally sized burgers.
- Grill burgers, turning once, until done, 4-5 minutes on each side for medium.
- Squeeze patties with fresh lime juice and garnish with a lime.
- Serve on a whole wheat or multi-grain bun with your choice of condiment.
Nutritional Information per patty: 170 calories, 23 gm. protein, 7gm fat.
Focus, Fix and Flaunt: Abs
I’ve been trying to find the right way to introduce fitness tips and techniques to my blog and I found it! Focus, Fix & Flaunt will be a weekly article that focuses on fixing one body part with strength training exercises and cardio geared toward making that part of your body flaunt worthy. Once I’ve hit all of the body parts individually, I’ll start featuring articles on the best exercises for an all around beach body.
Kicking off Focus, Fix and Flaunt, I spent a full day okay so an hour after work focusing on one of the biggest trouble zones on my body: my abdomen area. I used to have abs of steel, not quite Jillian Michael’s, but sexy nonetheless. Well, all thanks to a job where I sit, for 8 hours, those abs have morphed to a more squishy, jello like substance that make me weep and wear black, even in the summer. So on day 26, I spent some QT with my core and hope, sooner rather than later, it will be flaunt-ready!
Cardio
[Photo via]
Most cardio’s purpose is to burn fat and calories, however, some types of aerobic activity burns fat faster than others. In order to burn the most fat, your cardio and aerobic exercise needs to be more intense than your regular workouts. A quick and effective way to up the intensity of any workout is to add intervals. [See my post on interval training here]. To get even more results, up your higher intensity segments by one or two RPI’s, just be sure not to over do it or you risk hurting yourself. Another benefit of this type of aerobic exercise is it allows you to achieve a much faster calorie burn rate than you would with a regular, stagnant cardio regime.
Strength Training
We’ve come a long way from the crunch, my friends. Don’t get me wrong, a crunch done correctly can be very effective. Sadly, most people perform this exercise wrong, which doesn’t provide any physical changes or benefits. To get rock solid abs, like say Jillian Michael’s, a standard crunch isn’t going to make the cut either. Below are a few of the top abdomen exercises that I do when I’m focusing on slimming my tummy. [All of these exercises are courtesy of SELF magazine!]
Boat Pose [How Jennifer Aniston gets her abs!]
Sit with knees bent, feet flat on ground. Lean back about 45 degrees, chest lifted, and extend arms at chest level, palms up, as you straighten legs (as shown). Hold for 5 to 10 breaths. From this pose, place your hands behind you, palms flat, fingers forward. Brace body with hands as you contract abs to bend and straighten legs in and out. Do two sets of 8 to 12 reps.
Plank Pose: Lie face down resting on your forearms then push your body up off of the floor onto your elbows and toes. Be sure to keep your back flat keeping your body in a straight line from your head to your feet. Pull abs tightly into your spine and squeeze those inner thighs together. Hold for 10-30 seconds. If this gets too intense [trust me, it will!] alternate touching your knees down to the floor, first right, then left for 20 seconds.
Side Winder: Stand with feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent, hands clasped behind head and elbows pointed out to sides. Lift right leg to side, knee bent, thigh parallel to floor. Keeping knee lifted, bend torso to right side, bringing elbow and knee toward each other. Do 10 reps and switch sides and repeat.
Practice these exercises along with a high intensity cardio session and your abs will be as flat as Jennifer Aniston’s in no time!
Eat Skinny, Be Skinny: Kabobs
Summer is finally upon us, which means cool drinks, hot temperatures and bar-b-ques! However, these summertime soirees can be serious diet busters if you aren’t careful! Instead of worrying about your calorie intake when you are supposed to be having fun with friends and family, grill up a dish that is not only delicious, but super healthy! Elliot and I made these kabobs recently and they were so good, we are doing them again tonight! You can switch up your proteins if you are not a beef person, chicken, pork and even fish work just as great!
Skinny Beef Kabobs
1/4 c. reduced sodium steak sauce
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 t. dry mustard powder
2 dashes of italian seasoning
8 Portobello mushrooms, cut in fourths
8 oz 98% fat-free stew beef
3-4 green red bell pepper
2 onions, trimmed, cut crosswaysMix steak sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, mustard powder and italian seasoning. Add the beef cubes to mixture. Mix and saturate the beef in the sauce. Marinate for 1 hour.
Soak 8 skewers in water. Pre-heat grill.
On each skewer alternate protein with vegetable, or add more protein or vegetables to your taste. Grill until beef is tender, but not too pink.
Nutritional Info: 100 calories per skewer, 1 gm. fat
Superfood of the Week: Avocados
This green, soft and delicious superfood is more than just the main ingredient in guacamole, it’s chock full of health benefits and weight loss elixirs! The avocado is known as a fat fighter due to the fact that it is high in monounsaturated fats, or the good fats. According to SELF magazine, dieters who consumed these healthy fats lost more weight, especially in their stomach, than those who didn’t eat them. Your blood sugar can send signals to your body to store fat around your abdomen, however, these healthy fats stop this from happening, which prevents fat accumulation. Call them the super hero of all fats!
The fats found in avocados not only slim your waist, but they also keep your heart strong and healthy. According to the American Heart Association, the fats in avocados lower your risk for heart disease by lowering the amount of LDL cholesterol [bad] from your body. Avocados are one of the few fruits that provide this good fat.
And for an added bonus, avocados are naturally low in calories [50 for 1/5 or 2-3 slices of an avocado]! That is half of the calories that are in a slice of cheese!
Are you one of the many who love the health benefits but can’t stomach the taste of it raw or the consistency? Don’t worry! Below is a recipe that even the pickiest of eaters will love! Courtesy of California Avocado.
photo courtesy of Maria Cooks.
Italian Guacamole
Ingredients
- 4 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, seeded and peeled
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. shredded fresh basil leaves, or about 1/3 that amount dried ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped ¼ cup toasted pine nuts 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Coarsely mash (DO NOT PUREE) avocados
- Stir in vinegar
- Fold in remaining ingredients
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with crispy bread sticks or crostini.*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.
Guacamole is best made as close to serving as possible. For short-term storage, seal in an airtight container with a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the guacamole.Nutritional Information: 200 calories per serving, 18 gm. fat, 4 gm. protein [so enjoy sparingly!]
Claire
Tags:avocado, flat stomach, good fat, healthy fat, healthy fruit, healthy guacamole, healthy recipe, Superfood of the Week
