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Eat Like the French, Look Like the French!

Admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:53:09 +0000

In seeking to understand the mysteries of diet and weight loss, scientists often turn to take a look at the people of France, who are probably one of the biggest lifestyle paradoxes around. Known for their slim and attractive population, you’ll rarely see an obese person in France. And it is hard to imagine how when you consider that the French drink red wine regularly, eat a high-fat diet and yet have the lowest heart-attack rate in Europe. Plus, what’s more, only 7% of the population is obese, compared to 23% in Britain and likewise for the U.S. So what is the answer to this great dietary enigma? Studies show that it is all about eating small amounts of food at regular intervals, combining fat with fresh foods and working out a lot, plus, always eating breakfast and avoiding skipped meals.

So overall, the approach here is about quality, not quantity. The French eat high-fat foods, in small portions, snack less and eat a healthy mix of fats in the form of heart-healthy unsaturated oils and nuts. Their diet is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables, then grains and a wide variety of nutrients and they adhere to serious portion control. A recent study found that French portions were, on average, 25% smaller than those in the US, and meals were eaten more slowly. And the French are more active, which keeps their calorie intake and output in balance.

Here is a sample 1-day eating plan that combines some of the principles mentioned above. Add in least an hour of exercise every day (swimming, jogging), half an hour of aerobics and regular weekend hikes for even more satisfying results.

Breakfast: Organic home-made yogurt, granola (rolled oats, nuts, seeds, honey, rice and dried fruit), fresh chopped fruit, coffee (no sugar)

Lunch: Vegetable soup, roasted chicken, goat’s cheese and walnut salad, yogurt, honey and strawberries

Dinner: Green salad, chicken casserole with vegetables, raspberries

Frugal and Healthy Meal Planning

Admin — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:39:04 +0000

With 3 meals a day and 7 dinners a week, most moms or dads who are in charge of food for the family find themselves swimming in confusion as to what to make for dinner or just serving up the same boring meals over and over again. Here’s the answer to your dinner planning woes: a weekly menu plan. It doesn’t have be complicated and a small time investment can reap great rewards. A menu plan saves money by reducing trips to the supermarket, and impulse spending. When you use leftovers, you efficiently cut food waste, and buying in bulk makes it easy to stockpile freezer meals at reduced prices. It also saves time and improves nutrition because you have time to prepare side dishes and salads to complement the main dish, increasing the family’s consumption of fruits and vegetables.

How to do it:

Begin with a notebook and a pen, or your computer and make a list of all of the things you like to cook and your family likes to eat, using these categories:

• Main Dishes

• Starches (Rice, Pasta, Potatoes etc.)

• Vegetables/Salads/Fruits

• Breads

• Desserts

What’s the next step? Go through and highlight all of the dishes that are budget friendly or that can be adapted to be and place them on a Master List. Dishes like oven fried chicken, veggie casseroles, ground meat dishes, favorite veggies, homemade breads and desserts usually make the list. Of course if your list is lacking a bit, add some new items you would like to try, and use them along with family favorites. Then if they turn out to be winners, you can add them to your Master List. Get the picture? The dishes on your Master list can be fitted into the categories above and rotated weekly. Be sure to visit the sales section of the local paper to see what the grocery store has on sale—be sure to factor in some frugality too!

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).

Almonds Help with Weight Loss

Admin — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 11:27:07 +0000

Did you know that aside from providing good mono-unsaturated fats, almonds may help you shed those unwanted pounds? A few years back, researchers actually found that people eating a diet rich in almonds lost more weight than those on a high-carb diet with the same number of calories, which goes against the traditional belief that weight loss is all about calories in versus calories burned. Researchers followed 65 overweight and obese adults, 70% of whom had type 2 diabetes, for 24 weeks. One group ate a 1,000 calorie/day liquid diet supplemented with 3 oz of almonds (384 additional calories) and the other group ate the same liquid diet but instead supplemented with a mix of complex carbohydrates (such as wheat crackers, baked potatoes, or air-popped popcorn). The two diets were equal in calories and protein but differed in fat and in addition to the liquid diet, they could also have salads with lemon juice or vinegar dressing.

The almond diet contained 39% total fat including 25% from heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, while the non-almond diet contained 18% total fat, 5% from monounsaturated fats. Participants in the almond diet saw an 18% reduction in weight and body mass index (BMI) compared with an 11% reduction in the non-almond dieters. Additionally, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and need for diabetes medication more so than the non-almond dieters. In terms of diabetic patients, since a side effect of some diabetes medication is increased hunger, the faster one can get off of medications, the better, so to stay slimmer. But for everyone else looking to lose weight, these results are very important! So what’s the mechanism behind all this almond based weight loss, you ask? Well, the researchers speculate that the fat in almonds may not be completely absorbed and earlier research suggests that the cell walls of almonds can act as a physical barrier to fat, and they also may make you feel fuller, longer, something I can vouch for myself. So go out and grab some almonds—turns out these yummy nuts are no longer diet-taboo!