Category Archives: Nutrition Facts

If you’re anything like me all information about what you eat is helpful

Healthy and Elegant Zucchini Ribbon Salad

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Try this for your meatless Monday. I truly enjoy salads, and I like exploring in the vegetable world and seeing what I can use in a salad so that we never get bored or feel that it’s too monotonous. Salads don’t just have to be made of leaves, it can be of anything you like. I am determined to believe that the more you explore and diversify your meals the more you look forward to experimenting and eating healthy foods. i.e. if you make the same salad everyday, then you start feeling as if you are deprived but if you spice it up and add different things you start forgetting all the other bad foods and start craving and looking forward to the foods that you are eating.

I am a firm believer that you crave what you eat, if you eat too many sweets you are going to be craving sweets, if you snack on junk food, your body will crave junk food anytime it’s hungry, if you eat too much meat your body will crave more meat, and when meat (or any other food) is not included in a meal you may feel as though you are still not satisfied because your body will send signals to the brain that its missing something. So, if you eat veggies, or fish, or nuts, or any healthy eating habit you’ve formed your body will be more inclined to craving that vs. the other. I am not saying by any means that meat is bad for you, I understand that we all have our opinions and a good grass fed filet of meat is delicious; but eaten in moderation. In my opinion meat should not be eaten all the time, once in awhile is good, there are so many better for you replacements out there like; fish, chicken, eggs, nuts and etc….

However seeing that this is a dedication to meatless Monday lets stick to no meat at all. This recipe is nutritious, vibrant, healthy, low carb and most of all delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Zucchini

1 handful Rucola

1 Jalapeno, optional

1 handful Parmigiano Reggiano Shaves

2 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed

Salt and pepper to taste

Start off by washing all your vegetables. Get a salad bowl and a mondoline*, now get you zucchini chop off the 2 ends and lay longways on the mandoline and start shaving (slicing) you don’t want them too thin, if you have one of those that adjust make sure that it is almost transparent. Once you are done with those add your handful of rucola and if your adding your chopped jalapeno add it now as well. In a separate little bowl mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour over the salad and gently mix all the ingredients, be careful to not break the zucchini.

Plate and shave some parmigiano over the dish and serve. If you like you can drizzle a little olive oil over the dish or you could also sprinkle some toasted pine nuts. You can do what you like. I hope that you like and enjoy this recipe.

* if you don’t have a mandoline you can also use a peeler, hold the zucchini in your hand and run the peeler across, it should do the trick.

 

Skinny Italians Eat Pasta: Simple and Delicious 5-Ingredient Spaghetti Dish

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I do like Spaghetti. But it is also one of those foods that if you are not careful can be really fattening. Its not the fact that pasta in itself is fattening, it’s the ingredients that we chose to dress the pasta with that often times makes the dish fattening. You are already eating carbs so I always say dress it light. Here in Italy most Pasta dishes are dressed really simple and with few ingredients, I think that this is the secret as to why Italians are really all so thin even though they eat pasta pretty much everyday. This is the secret: Always use fresh and natural ingredients, dress lightly and most of all don’t overcook.

Overcooked pasta sends blood sugar higher than pasta cooked al dente. Italians believe that overcooked pasta is harder on your digestive tract than al dente which is easier for your body to digest and doesn’t leave you feeling sluggish. When pasta is overcooked, it means it has absorbed its maximum amount of liquid. Pasta cooked al dente, on the other hand, can still absorb more during the digestive process and therefore digests more easily.

Pasta al dente also has a lower glycemic index than overcooked pasta, so it has less of an impact on your blood sugar levels. The Pasta Italians eat that are high-quality pastas made of hard durum wheat semolina and whole grain pastas have staying power. Their low glycemic indexes mean that they give you a slow, steady supply of fuel while allowing your blood sugar levels to stay constant, which helps protect you from getting hungry between meals. With all this said you should still have portion control (about 100gr. per serving), don’t have a huge plate and always try to accompany with either protein of veggies.

Oh, and please don’t ever rinse your pasta when you drain, unless you are serving a cold pasta salad. If you went over the cooking time you may throw in a cup of cold water in the pot to stop the boiling and cooking process of the pasta.

Ingredients:

250 gr. Spaghetti N° *

8 oz can of Natural Tomato Sauce

1 Garlic clove

A few leaves of basil

Drizzle of Olive oil

Salt to taste

(chilies optional)

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Place a pot of salted water to boil. In a medium sauce pan drizzle some olive oil, allow to heat and then add your garlic clove peeled but whole (you just want the oil to pickup the aroma), allow garlic to turn slightly golden and then remove from pan, add your can of tomato sauce now cover and allow to simmer.

By now your water should be boiling throw in your Spaghetti and allow to cook for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally. (Always follow cooking instructions on the box).

Throw in you basil leaves and add salt to taste in you tomato sauce. (Chilies as well if using.)

Drain your spaghetti and either join in together in the sauce pan and mix with all the sauce or you can put back in the pot add a few ladles of sauce and stir. Serve and add some sauce on top and sprinkle parmigiano on top.

Enjoy

* You can use any type of Pasta you have

What’s more Healthy than: Quinoa Primavera

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So as you know I love Meatless Mondays and an All Vegetarian meal whenever I can….??!!

I especially love Quinoa, for me it’s the best substitution to heavy carbs and it marries so well with vegetables (really anything, in this case I am focusing on vegetables 😉 ), I love the fact that it really will just blend with whatever flavors it is paired up with.

It’s been winters and although I love salads it’s been pretty hard to just have a salad when outside it’s snowing or just plain cold. So, what I resort to is basically roasted, steamed or lightly sauteed vegetables. On this particular day I hadn’t gone to the store in a while it was snowing outside and I just was going to use whatever I had in the fridge. I always have a large variety of veggies so I figured that I would make vegetables accompanied by……??? I opened the cupboard and there was the Quinoa, so I decided I would make something using both. I seldom will serve my Husband just vegetables, unless requested by him. Even if I just eat all vegetarian I always try to make him, chicken, beans or pasta or something (healthy) to go along with the veggies. So in this case it was Quinoa.

I do have a post I completely dedicated to the Nutrition facts and health benefits for Quinoa, you can see here: http://mythineats.com/2011/11/11/quinoa-nutrition-facts/

However this dish is simple, light, healthy, low carb, and low fat. So I hope that you like it. You can serve as a main dish or as a side dish to chicken, salmon, meat, eggs; whatever you like or prefer. Enjoy

Ingredients:

Serves 2 as main dish 4 as side dish

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups of Water

1/2 cup frozen Peas

2 Zucchini

1 Endive

A couple leaves of Radicchio

A handful of Arugola, washed

Salt and Pepper to taste

A few drizzles of Olive oil

Preheat your oven at 180° C (350° F).

Now put the quinoa and the water in a small pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper to taste, mix, cover and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil and lower flame to minimum and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes (until all water is absorbed).

Get your slice in 1/4 in rounds and place on a baking paper over a big baking tray or cookie sheet tray, lay them out one by one. Do the same with the endive. You should be able to fit your leaves of radicchio also, drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables and add salt and pepper to taste. Put in oven and allow to bake for about 15 – 20 minutes.

Place about 1 cup of salted water to boil in a little sauce pan, once boiled throw in the peas and allow to cook for about 5-8 minutes. Drain immediately in cold water and set to the side

Fluff your Quinoa, join all ingredients in a salad bowl and mix lightly and if you like you can squeeze a little bit of lemon over it and serve.

I have included a photo with an fried egg on top, or you could also chop up some feta or any cheese you like and throw it in. There are so many endless variations. Enjoy!!!

 

 

Foods that Burn Body Fat

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Well, before we get into it and I want to say that the list of foods below are there to help you make smarter decisions when ordering or cooking foods and will help you when working out and tying to eliminate the layer of fat that is covering your muscles.

So how do you pick the best foods that burn body fat? Easy. Look for foods that are considered thermogenic. Calorie for calorie, certain foods are considered to increase your metabolic rate – that is, they naturally increase energy expenditure – helping you burn body fat rather than storing it.  In reality, ALL foods are “thermogenic” because the body must use energy to digest them. This is known as the “thermic effect of food” (TEF) or “specific dynamic action of food.”

And when that occurs, your body taps into existing fat stores to meet energy demands, melting off the layer of fat covering up your six pack that you’ve been dying to show off. Even better, some foods have abilities to surpass their fat-burning effect. Certain choices result in fullness; some require energy to be broken down; and some can even release body fat elevating your metabolism.

A lot of people try to starve their nutrition in a bid to reduce fat. This approach can have spurious effects on the harmony of the body and is not a wise or healthy way to reduce fat. The right way to reduce fats would be to eat foods that reduce the possibility of further fat deposition, or foods that assist in burning fats, while also taking up calorie-burning exercises (like aerobics, yoga and resistance/weight training) to use up the past-stored fat in your body. The science is complicated and not necessary to grasp.  You need to understand which foods work to promote fat burning so you can capitalize on the best options and get rid of your unwanted fat. However, not all foods have the same thermic effect. Dietary fat has the lowest thermic effect. The most thermogenic food is lean protein from solid foods.

Question: What are the best fat burning foods, that help eliminate body fat?

Oats:   Oatmeal will help you reduce fat levels by providing sustainable energy and keeping you full so you don’t over eat mid morning. It’s full of plenty of fiber to maintain your insulin levels throughout the day.

A key to losing fat is to keep insulin levels lowered because insulin moves fat into storage more easily, especially if you’re not weight training regularly. Raisin and Barn cereal is another good example of breakfast food that’s rich in insoluble fiber, so is cooked barley.

Eggs:   A study showed that those who ate eggs for breakfast instead of bagels lost considerably more fat.  Not to mention the muscle-building power of the protein found in eggs because of it’s superior amino acid profile.  The fat in the yolk of the egg is the healthiest part and helps with slower digestion and reduces hunger therefore one of the best foods that burn body fat when eaten in moderation.

Poultry:   Poultry like chicken are low on fats and carbohydrates while have a good protein profile. Research has proven that the thermic effect of protein is the highest of all the macronutrients, requiring about 30% of the calories it contains, just for digestion and processing. An added bonus is that lean protein foods suppress your appetite! Try to incorporate the following lean proteins as well: Turkey breasts, Bison, Venison, Buffalo, very lean Red Meats like (top round and lean sirloin, as well as lean veal), just about any type of Fish, Shellfish and other Seafood.

Almonds and Walnuts:   These nuts are a great source of healthy fats. It has been seen that people who don’t consume healthy fats are more likely to gain weight than people who do. This is the reason why it’s very imprudent to eliminate healthy fats from your diet in a bid to reduce weight. Remember that healthy fats are needed for a harmonious functioning of the body because most of the body’s cell structure is made from these fats.

Olive Oil:   Your body cannot live without certain foods and “good fat” is one of them. That’s because approximately 70% of it Olive oil is one of those “good fat.” Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that has many healthy benefits like preventing heart disease, colon cancer and controlling LDL (bad cholesterol). It’s also loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants.  Olive oil can increase the activity of certain chemicals called “uncoupling proteins.” These chemicals effectively “tell” the body to burn excess calories, rather than store it. Oil is one of the forgotten foods that burn body fat.

Water:   Though water would not count as a food, because it has no calories, it would need to mentioned that water helps improve the over-all metabolism of the body and thus helps burn fat. And of course, water helps flush out toxins and thus improves the capacity of the body to stay healthy. Certain foods are rich in their water content and thus help in the process of fat reduction. Regardless, keep cold water in your thermogenic food plan and rely on water’s other advantages: It keeps you hydrated, which assists with energy, absorption, being anabolic and is required to burn fat.  Staying hydrated can also help you keep your overall calories lower.

A Simple 3-Step Formula To Put Together A Fat-Burning Meal:

STEP 1: Select a green vegetable or fibrous vegetable such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, salad vegetables, etc., and then

STEP 2: Combine that with one of the lean proteins (previously mentioned above).

STEP 3: The lean protein and fibrous carb forms the foundation of your fat burning meal. From there, add natural starchy carbs or grains such as brown rice, oats, or sweet potatoes – in the amount your calorie needs dictate and to the degree your body can tolerate them (some people have a carb-intolerant body type). Fruit is also ok, but focus even more on the green and fibrous vegetables.

I hope that you enjoyed this research I did. It’s a great and healthy way to eat everyday regardless! Remember I’m not a doctor or dietician, just a girl that is interested in how to get the Maximum benefits out of food and have a healthy physique.

 

Here are some of the websites I pulled this information off of:

http://www.burnthefat.com/fat_burning_foods.html

http://www.home-workout-success.com/foods-that-burn-body-fat.html

http://www.iamnotobese.com/fat-burning-food-list.php

 

10 ways to speed up your Metabolism

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I think that boosting your metabolism aids to weight loss and energy. Here is a list of how you can boost your metabolism naturally, without doing anything crazy.

1.     Never Skip Meals:  you want to make sure that your blood sugar stays leveled and if you skip meals you risk lowering it, when your sugar levels drop you get immediately hungry, which can cause you to binge or make wrong food choices. Eat smaller and healthier meals more frequently.

2.     Drink Water:  cold water is the best option, research shows that when you drink cold water your body expends extra calories warming it up to your body temperature. Subjects who drank 16 ounces of water at a time experienced a 30 percent increase in metabolic rate during the following hour.

3.     Spice it up: Hot food and spices like paprika, red pepper flakes, cayenne give your metabolism a real kick. A fiery meal can make your heart beat faster and even bring you out in a sweat – both signs your body is working harder and therefore burning more energy.

4.     Muscle Building: Building up muscle increases your resting metabolic rate and reduces your body fat levels. People who are really toned will have a slightly higher metabolism all the time, as women I suggest doing exercises that tone the body, like Pilates, Resistance training, Power Yoga (ashtanga, vinyasa, bikram).

5.     Exercise:  Cardio, Aerobics, even fast walking all improve definition and burn the fat that covers your muscles, especially belly fat. It even stays at this higher rate for three to four hours after you’ve finished your workout. I especially love Tracy Anderson, she does a combination of both Cardio and resistance.

6.     Caffeine: Research shoes that drinking Green Tea and Coffee can significantly increase your metabolic rate for a period of 3 hours. Caffeine is a stimulant that affects metabolism your central nervous system. Avoid putting sugar in your coffee or green tea, sugar turns into fat. And please; stay away from sodas.

7.     Get Real: Eat healthy, To maximize the calories burned through digestion and stave off hunger, get plenty of complex carbs (fruits, vegetables and beans) and eat a little protein with every meal. It doesn’t need to be meat; nuts, lowfat dairy, tofu, and beans are all good vegetarian protein sources.

8.     Manage your fat intake: Unsaturated fats – consumed in moderation can boost the metabolism. This includes omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, omega-6 fatty acids found in cereal grains.

9.     Sleep: If you’re tired because you haven’t slept your metabolism won’t have had the chance to recharge so it will be slower than normal. Plus your body will crave sweet foods to give it constant bursts of energy. So get a good eight-hour kip so you’re ready to start fighting the fat

10.    Avoid crash dieting: Crash diets — those involving eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day — are disastrous for anyone hoping to quicken their metabolism. Although these diets may help you drop pounds (at the expense of good nutrition), a high percentage of the loss comes from muscle. The lower your muscle mass, the slower your metabolism. The final result is a body that burns far fewer calories (and gains weight faster) than the one you had before the diet.

* This is research I did, I am not a physician or a dietician. I love figuring out the ways to make a women’s body healthier and sexier.

Quinoa Nutrition facts

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What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is known as a superfood, some people relate it to grain but it is actually a seed that comes from a plant most closely related to spinach. It is grown in the Andes mountains of South America.  The ancient Incas considered this plant sacred and called it “chisaya mama” which means ‘Mother of All Grains’. Quinoa grains are about the same size as millet, but flattened, with a pointed, oval shape. The color ranges from pale yellow through red and brown to black.

 

These are the Nutrition facts and why it’s so good for you:

Quinoa is a great source of iron, manganese, potassium, riboflavin, copper, phosphorous, tryptophan, B6, niacin and thiamine.  One cup of cooked quinoa has only 220 calories.  It also has 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein.

Quinoa is stocked with life-sustaining nutrients all across the board, including all eight essential amino acids. There are other highly beneficial compounds, vitamins and minerals.

It is not surprising that it is being recommended for people who want to lose weight, for people who suffer from migraine, heart disease and atherosclerosis, for people with gluten sensitivity, for vegans, and basically for everyone who wants to eat healthy.

 

How to Prepare:

Quinoa cooks very easily, in about 15 minutes. Like cooking rice in a stove top pot, you’ll want almost 2 cups of water per one part quinoa but be careful not to pour too much water in the pot, otherwise it will take even longer.

Cook quinoa at a high setting until it starts boiling and then cover and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. When you see the ring-shaped sprouts popping out, you’ll know the quinoa is almost ready. Stir the quinoa so all the water gets absorbed.

Quinoa by itself is rather bland, I like to add olive oil, bullion, and if you like spicy food as I do some chili pepper as it boils. Quinoa is fun to cook with and you can add anything you like to it, from veggies to poultry, or you could make it as a cereal with milk and cinnamon, you can incorporate it into dessert, it’s a chameleon.

I hope that this was helpful for more information I added below some of the sites I pulled this off of. Enjoy!

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/quinoa–nutrition–facts

www.quinoa–nutritionfacts.com/

nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/10352/2