Sodium in Moderation

A high sodium diet increases your risk of stroke, hypertension and heart disease. The recommended daily allowance of salt is 2300mg a day. This is for people who are not at risk of heart disease, hypertension or stroke. A high sodium diet equals not only poor health but also some other bothersome symptoms such as, water retention and thirst. People who do have a predisposition to hypertension, stroke or heart disease should limit their sodium intake to 1500 mg a day. This daily allowance can easily be met, if your not careful of what you eat. For example, a slice of pizza can range from 200-875 mg of sodium. Most people eat more than one slice of pizza in one sitting. Even an uncooked chicken breast without seasoning can contain 150mg of sodium as a preservative. This poses a problem because most people will apply additional salt prior to cooking.

Salt is in just about everything you eat and that means even pastries as well as some candies. Processed foods still remain the biggest culprit of salt but can be avoided by preparing your own food using fresh ingredients. Here are a few tips if you’re trying to lower your sodium intake.

· Use herbs and spices to season your food.
· Try olive oil, pepper and lemon as a salad dressing.
· Read food labels. Look for foods containing less than 300mg of salt per serving.
· Watch your food portion size.
· If you’re eating at a restaurant ask for a nutritional guide.

Cutting salt might be a challenge if your not use to low sodium foods, but it’s not impossible. Overtime with patience, your palate will get an acquired taste. Keep in mind that salt is salt. In other words, Sea salt is not a better alternative. Sea salt does contain trace amounts of minerals but still needs to be monitored.

Women & Strength Training

This week I had a client who was concerned about putting too much lean muscle on her body frame. She didn’t want to promote a less than feminine appearance. This seems to be an issue for some women who want to get into weight training, so I’m going to touch on this subject a little. Women gaining too much muscle from weight training should not be of concern. It’s not possible, unless you have the genetics. For example, if you genetically carry more muscle than the average female or partake in drug use such as steroids, you will not turn into Mr. Woman. Also, women carry less muscle mass than men. In fact, we carry more fat than lean muscle tissue and because of that, it contributes to a more feminine appearance. So weight training will not morph you into a man. One of the many benefits for not only women but men as well is, building lean muscle means more calories burned. For every pound of lean muscle your body has, you will burn 6 calories a day. On the other hand, for every pound of fat your body has, it burns only 2 calories (per pound of fat). What this comes down to is, strength training has more pros than cons such as helping your body be more efficient at using energy. Strength training not only builds lean muscle but it has many other benefits such as, a decreased risk of osteoporosis, reduces the risk of muscle loss due to aging, helps to transform your body composition, resulting in a better appearance. Also, an increase in strength, reduces stress, improves your immune system and helps to increase your sex drive.

The facts are in and women have a lot to gain from strength training, so pick up those weights and start lifting :).

Moderate exercise 5 days a week vs. high intensity, less days a week?

Recent studies have shown that exercise moderate in duration for less than 4 days a week is not likely to produce the same results as exercising four or more days a week. The study showed that people who exercised less than four days a week did not achieve the results of the group that exercised four or more days a week. In fact, the group that worked out more lost 13.3 lbs and showed significant fat lost compared to the 4 lbs that the other group lost while working out less than 4 days a week.

What this means is those infomercials that claim you can workout less than 4 days a week for 20-30 minutes and get the same results as someone who worked out more is not true. Following a moderate to high intensity routine for 20- 30 minutes 2 days a week, don’t get the same results as someone who has worked out more than 4 days a week. Some of the latest exercise crazes claim you can burn significant calories by doing an extremely high intensity workout. If anything these intense routines will increase your chance of injury and the amount of effort that is required to follow such workout will eventually burn you out. One can get good results by working out several days a week at an intensity of 70% of your target heart rate. Even experts say, “There is no secret to weigh loss beyond that which we already know to be true.”

So my advice to you is quick killing yourself by following an extreme routine for 20 minutes 2 days a week. You’re better off working out 5 days a week for 30-60minutes at moderate intensity and following a nutritious diet.

What’s For Dinner?

Wednesday was one of those days where I had several clients booked with a 1-hour gap in-between each appointment. At the same time, I had my priorities so I made sure I had time to help my son with his homework and spend time playing with him. And during the other time gaps, spend time working on my psychology paper that was due this week. Long story short, it all worked out but what I hadn’t figured out was, “what’s for dinner?” I knew I wouldn’t be back home until 5:30pm and I certainly didn’t not want to be prepping my dinner for 30-minutes and cooking it for 45-minutes. Usually I’m pretty good about planning a menu for the week that’s healthy and wholesome and provide leftovers but some how Wednesday escaped me. I quickly grabbed a copy of Real Simple magazine and found a great looking recipe for a vegetarian dish called “Linguine with Asparagus & Pine Nuts.” At my house we eat a lot of nuts because we’re nuts and I like variety, so I happened to have a bag of pine nuts on hand, and the other ingredients that were required. The best part was this recipe said it would take 25-minutes from start to finish. This of course was for the rest of the population, not me. If a recipe says 25-minutes for me that’s 2 hours, however I was willing to give it a try, besides it didn’t seem too complicated. Surprisingly, it did take 25-minutes to make, we were able to eat dinner by 6pm, I had leftovers, it was delicious and it looked just like the picture! If you like vegetarian or are up for trying something new then give this recipe a try! Bon appetite and happy Mother’s day to all you moms!

Linguine with Asparagus & Pine Nuts

¾ box of linguine
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts
4 cloves of sliced garlic
2 lbs of asparagus (trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 cup of shaved Parmesan cheese

1.Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and return to pot.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, add pine nuts & garlic stirring frequently, until golden (1-2 min). Add asparagus & cook, tossing occasionally, until tender (2-3 min).

3. Add asparagus mixture to the pasta along with 1 tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of pepper and toss together. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.

"Bad Habits Can Age You By 12 Years"

In Tuesdays April 27th edition of the Press Enterprise I read an article about bad habits aging people by as much as 12 years. This article should not come as a surprise to anyone. But for the skeptics, there is research to back it. The header read “Study: Bad habits can age you by 12 years.” Most of us know that bad habits contribute to poor health. The study that was done focused on four common bad habits. These habits included: smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet.

This study tracked 5,000 British adults from the ages of 18-44 years for about 20 years. Out of the 5,000, 314 adults had all four unhealthy habits and among the 314, 91 of the studied individuals died (29%). On the other hand, 387 of the individuals that did not adopt the four bad habits, only 32 died (8%). The group of individuals who were involved in the unhealthy lifestyle habits that included: drinking more than 3 alcohol beverages per day (for men) and women, more than 2 alcohol beverages per day. People who exercised for less than 2 hours a week and did not eat the recommended daily allowance of fruits and veggies were at risk. In addition, those individuals aged themselves by 12 years and increased their mortality rate.

The healthy group included people who didn’t smoke, women who had less than 2 drinks a day, men who drank less than 3 drinks a day, exercised at least 2 hours a week and ate at least 3 servings of fruits and veggies a day. One of the doctors in the study said, “You don’t need to be extreme” to reap the benefits. As little as 1 carrot, 1 apple, and a glass of oj was all that was needed in the study (with the group of healthy people) that made a difference.

This study is clearly another reason to be healthy. Eating five or more servings a day of fruits and veggies and getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day can help you reap the benefits of good health.

Protein

Protein is found in various parts of our bodies and is vital for muscle repair and cellular function. The Institute of Medicine recommends that most adults need .8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. So if you weight 135lbs. your weight in kilograms would be 61.4kg (2.2/ 135= 61.4) multiply that times .8 and that will give you 49 (grams of protein a day). This may vary depending on activity level (athletic) or health condition. Athletes can need anywhere from 1.2 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Having .8 grams of protein a day will keep your body from catabolizing tissue to meet its needs (tearing down muscle).

There are around 20 amino acids and 9 of the amino acids are essential meaning that they must be obtained through diet because the body does not produce them. The other 11 are produced in the body. Proteins that are obtained from diet and contain all the essential amino acids are considered a complete protein. Not consuming complete proteins can hinder synthesis, meaning the breaking down of protein to amino acids cannot be fully completed, resulting in the body not being able to maintain homeostasis.

All sources of protein are not equal. Usually animal protein sources are complete (dairy included). This is can pose a challenge for people who are vegetarian but it’s more difficult for people who are vegan. These difficulties can be over come by choosing the right food combinations. Plant sources do contain all amino acids and are considered incomplete. These foods include: grains, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetables. However, mixing 2 or more of these sources will provide a complete protein source and ensure protein absorption.

Protein is the second most abundant source in our bodies (water is first). Its role varies from muscle, bone to skin and blood cell repair. Proteins are also “key elements” in antibodies that help protect us from disease. Protein also plays a role in hormone function and transporting nutrients. Protein is more complex and does require more energy from your body to break down.

Lastly, protein is one of those things that your body uses as needed. So consuming extra protein is not necessary (depending on your condition) and it should be consumed on a regular bases to insure it’s used to it’s fullest. Extra protein that is ingested and not used is broken down into energy or is considered extra calories that your body doesn’t need, resulting in it being stored as fat. Healthy diets consist of a balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Eating Healthy While Dining Out

If you’re a working Mom like me and are the primary cook in your family, eating out can be a treat. However, it can turn out to be disastrous when you’re trying to eat healthy. There are a few ways you can tackle the “eating out dilemma” less the guilt.

If you’re a healthy eater 95% of the week, you can allow yourself a cheat meal or day (keep in mind that the cheat day must come to an end at the end of the day and cheat meals may not work for everyone). A cheat day does not mean you should over do it, however this can happen when you don’t have nutritional information to guide you. In these types of situations you should avoid dishes with heavy sauces or at least ask for the sauce on the side. This allows you to control your caloric intake by putting the amount of sauce on the food that you want. In addition, order dishes that are broiled, grilled, baked, poached or steamed. Also, keep it plain and simple. Instead of ordering the double decker burger, choose a grilled chicken sandwich with lots of veggies. If your craving a chocolate malt shake that you haven’t had in ages but don’t want the extra calories, ask the Server if you could have your shake made with skim milk. Pizza is one of my favorites and I’m not afraid to have a slice or two but I usually avoid the meat and order a pizza with lots of veggies.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. It’s a time when you are breaking a fast, hence the name Break-fast. Breakfast can be loaded with calories such as pastries or deluxe French toast. If your looking to reduce calories, go for cold cereal or whole grain pancakes, egg whites or whole wheat toast with preserves. If you take in too many calories, this is probably the best time of day for that to happen because you have the rest of the day to burn off the extra energy. Eating healthy is not a one time deal, it's a lifestyle and I encourage you to look at it from that perspective. Understand that when your making a lifestyle change it means just that. In other words, make changes to your eating habits for the better. This doesn’t mean that you can never have Death by Chocolate again, it just means in moderation, making a healthier version or adjust your caloric intake and increase your level of activity.