Incredible, Edible Chestnuts

Admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:37:10 +0000

How many of us have actually participated in that well-sung Christmas tradition of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”? I always loved the idea but we never actually did that in our family. Yet now that I’ve learned about the incredible virtues of these nuts, I am darn near tempted to do so this winter! Turns out, that chestnuts are a delicious health food which are rich in nutrition only matched by a handful of other foods. And who knew? Unlike most other nuts, chestnuts have a high water content and very little oil, which makes them virtually fat free. High in complex carbohydrates, and with very high quality protein comparable to eggs, chestnuts are gluten free, cholesterol free, and are very low in fat. This part may be most interesting: they have as much Vitamin C as an equal weight of lemons! Chestnuts (per serving) contain 149 calories, 1.6 grams of fat and 30 mg of vitamin C.

So how do you prepare chestnuts if not roasting them on an open fire? Like popcorn, fresh chestnuts have a closed shell with moisture trapped inside and when you roast them, the moisture can pop the nut open, so always slit the shell to allow the steam pressure to escape (lest you seek a small explosion in your home!) Here’s how to prepare them:

Oven Roasted Chestnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Make a slit through both the smooth outer shell with a sharp knife and the

textured inner skin to allow steam pressure to escape as the nut heats up.

3. Place the nuts in a shallow pan and roast for approximately 15-25 minutes. Turn them over after 5-10 minutes for a more evenly roasted chestnut.

5. Take out of the oven and let cool slightly before peeling both shell and skin (they

will peel more easily when they are still warm).

Losing Weight with Whey

Admin — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 09:56:36 +0000

To lose excess body fat, it is almost always necessary to reduce the number of calories you consume each day but for most this is easier said than done, as reducing calories increases hunger and the desire to eat. So permanent fat loss can only be achieved if calorie consumption is reduced in a way that does not cause persistent hunger and a high-protein reduced-calorie diet is one way to attain this balance. Gram for gram, and calorie for calorie, protein produces more satiety than either carbohydrate or fat so by increasing the number of calories you get from protein at the same time you reduce the total number of calories you consume in a day, you can avoid hunger and more easily stay consistent with your diet. So what kind of protein should you choose?

Research has shown that whey protein reduces hunger more than most. Whey is more filling because of its high levels of a peptide called glycomacropeptide (GMP), which is known to be a powerful satiety inducing nutrient. It works by stimulating the release of cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that’s responsible for controlling hunger. Whey protein also reduces hunger by lowering circulating levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin. A recent Australian study found that a whey protein drink produced a prolonged suppression of ghrelin compared to glucose and fructose beverages. Yet another line of research suggests that whey promotes body fat loss by blocking fat storage. In one recent French study, lab animals were fed a normal diet, a high-protein diet, or a whey-enriched high-protein diet for 42 days. At the end of the study period, the animals fed the whey diet weighed 30 % less than those fed the normal diet and 17 % less than those fed the regular high-protein diet, yet the whey-fed animals had the highest levels of lean body mass of the three groups. The researchers attributed these results to reduced fat storage caused by the high concentrations of branched-chain amino acids in the whey.

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Incredible, Edible Chestnuts

Losing Weight with Whey