The Herbs of Smoothie Essentials: Garcinia Cambogia

Add a Boost with Trim & Fit Blend, featuring Garcinia Cambogia

The fruit of a tree from Southeast Asia, garcinia cambogia is known for being a fat buster. It does this in two ways. Firstly, garcinia cambogia makes people feel fuller, faster usually causing them to eat less without even trying. Secondly it actually blocks some fats from being absorbed by the body, though it doesn’t stop uptake of other nutrients.

Specifically, it prevents the body from forming an enzyme that helps turn carbohydrates, like sugar, into fat cells.  Scientists say that this amazing property is due to the high concentration of hydrocitric acid, or HCA for short in garcinia cambogia, which is also know as Malibar tamarind, gambooge, assam fruit or brindleberry depending on where in the world you live.

In addition to the fat-blocking and satiety-promoting traits mentioned above, Dutch researchers studying HCA found it did something very interesting. It slowed glucose uptake which in turn eliminated post-meal glucose spikes.

You may ask yourself why this is important.  Well, as anyone with diabetes will tell you, glucose absorption requires insulin. The more glucose, the more insulin is required. A sugar-rich meal requires the body to release a very large supply of insulin in a very short amount of time.  By spreading out the body’s uptake of glucose for a much longer time span – two hours for subjects receiving HCA versus 20 minutes for those not receiving HCA – the body can replenish its insulin supply much more leisurely and naturally levels out the customary blood sugar peaks and valleys that often occur after eating sugary meals.

As if all that wasn’t enough, scientists are also becoming interested in the effect that garcinia cambogia – through its active natural compound HCA – has on raising serotonin levels and lowering stress hormones.

Smoothie Essential’s “Add a Boost with Fit and Trim Blend, featuring Garcinia Cambogia 50%” provides a non-genetically modified source of this amazing fruit, and the garcinia cambogia used has a 50 percent concentration HCA, the optimum level of the active plant compound shown to be so beneficial.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050523092407.htm

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/garcinia-cambogia-hca?page=2

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The Herbs of Smoothie Essentials: Inulin

Add a Boost with Trim & Fit Blend, featuring Inulin

Inulin, a starchy substance produced by the roots of certain plants such as chicory, is becoming a more and more common as people look for ways to get more fiber in their diets. Once unheard of, inulin is a common ingredient of high-fiber food products such as breads and muffins.

A soluble fiber, inulin is considered a compound known as a fructan, and has health benefits similar to other fibers from fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Considered pre-biotic, meaning it stimulates the growth of “good” bacteria in the digestive tract, inulin provides the perfect environment for bifidobacteria, the pro-biotic bacteria in yogurt that we all know is so good for our guts.

These helpful bacteria, in turn, maintain healthy digestion and improve nutrient absorption. When good bacteria have the right environment and nutrition it is harder for “bad” types of invasive bacteria to get a foothold.

Research seems to indicate that inulin is particularly beneficial with regards to calcium uptake, which is necessary for strong and healthy bones. It has even been show to improve bone mineral density in teenagers and may have an effect of magnesium uptake.

Inulin is also near zero on the glycemic index, making it a good choice for diabetics, particularly those with type 2 diabetes, and others looking to reduce sugar in their diets. It has also been shown to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, the fats that thicken the bloodstream and clog arteries. Of course, as a fiber, inulin relieves constipation.

Since inulin is a powder, it can be added to almost any kind of recipe – like breads and yogurt – without adding grit. The food industry often uses it as a substitute for fats and sugars since it lends itself to a variety of favors and textures, unlike bran.

Dietary sources of fructan include agave, dandelion, jicama, jerusalem artichoke and onion, though its found in trace amounts in most root vegetables and levels can vary depend on when in the season they were harvested. Plants use inulin to store energy, mostly in their roots.

Maybe it’s time to see if this high fiber pre-biotic is right for you.

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber-rich-foods/MY00741

  http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1048-INULIN.aspx?activeIngredientId=1048&activeIngredientName=INULIN

http://www.naturalnews.com/016620_inulin_health_studies.html

 http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/11/2493S.long

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The Herbs of Smoothie Essentials: Wheat Bran

Add a Boost with Fiber Blend, featuring Wheat Bran

Bran, the hard outer coating of all cereal grains such as wheat, is the nutrient dense layer that gets stripped away by the modern industrial food process. In losing the bran we loose what is perhaps the most important part of the grain. Rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, wheat bran is one of the supplements most commonly recommended by doctors.

And no wonder.  A high-fiber diet helps prevent all sorts of ailments, including colon cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids.   It is also often the first thing doctors recommend for constipation, high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

Yet the average American consumes only about 15 grams of dietary fiber daily, despite recommendations from the Institute of Medicine that most adult women consume at least 25 grams per day and men 38 grams per day.

Technically, fiber is the indigestible part of plant matter that is left over after our stomachs and intestines have absorbed its nutrients, and fiber has an important role to play in health by helping move waste though the digestive system.

There are two types of fiber important to digestion and regular bowel function – soluble and insoluble. Both are vital for proper digestive health.  Wheat bran is incredibly high in insoluble fiber, so named because it does not dissolve in water. This provides a valuable bulking material that helps form solid stools which can easily pass through our bodies while providing a necessary and healthy cleansing of our so-called plumbing.

Wheat bran, in particular, is valuable as a source of manganese which helps prevent osteoporosis and joint problems. It also contains significant amounts of magnesium, iron, phosphorous and a number of B vitamins.

Added to smoothies, muffins and a number of tasty treats, wheat bran is an easy and healthy way to add back to our diets something nature always intended we eat.

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033  http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-867-WHEAT%20BRAN.aspx?activeIngredientId=867&activeIngredientName=WHEAT%20BRAN

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/fiber-how-much-do-you-need

The Herbs of Smoothie Essentials: Oat Bran

Add a Boost with Fiber Blend, featuring Oat Bran

The world-renowned Mayo clinic recommends oats and oat bran as the number one food you can consume to lower your cholesterol level.  This is because oat bran is incredibly high in soluble fiber, one of two types of fiber – the other being insoluble fiber such as wheat bran – we need for a healthy digestive system.

Soluble fiber, so-called because it dissolves in water, reduces the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the “bad”cholesterol we hear so much about.

Famous physician and healthy living guru Dr. Deepak Chopra likens oat bran and soluble fiber to a sponge that soaks up bad cholesterol in your system. Even adding just a moderate amount to your diet can lower you risk of heart disease, and if you already have heart disease, oat bran can slow it’s progression.

He also claims most Americans get less than half of the dietary fiber they should, and that to reap the cholesterol-lowering benefits of soluble fiber most adults need five to 10 grams per day. What’s more, it can also reduce a person’s chances of becoming diabetic.

Oat bran contains 76 grams of soluble fiber per cup, according to the USDA. Adding just a few spoons to your diet daily is an easy way to ensure you get enough soluble fiber.

Soluble fiber works by mixing with water in your intestines, forming a gelatin-like substance with prebiotic properties that can be fermented in the colon. It slows digestion, giving your colon longer to pull valuable nutrients out of your food as you digest it.

Aside from the fiber, oat bran is low in calories, contains a fair amount of B vitamins, helps keep blood glucose levels steady and can fill you up more easily and keep diet-busting munchies at bay.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/deepak-chopra/fiber-cholesterol_b_879059.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oat  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fiber/NU00033

The Herbs of Smoothie Essentials: Spirulina

Add a Boost with Green Blend, featuring Spirulina

High in protein, iron and B vitamins, Spirulina is the name given to blue-green algae, a diverse group of simple, plant-like organisms that live in most salt water and some large, tropical and subtropical fresh water lakes.  For centuries it has been harvested by humans and used as both a food and a medicine.

Many today use spirulina for weight loss or to improve their immune systems, allergies, energy levels, anxiety, wound healing, metabolism, memory, precancerous mouth lesions, cholesterol levels, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), viral infections, digestion and depression.

At about 60 percent protein by volume, spirulina is also considered a complete protein – meaning it’s protein contains all nine essential amino acids the body needs in adequate proportions. Protein is the body’s building block, needed to make most tissues. It also serves as fuel and is necessary for growth and maintenance throughout life.

Many contend that the iron in spirulina is more readily absorbed by the body than other types of iron found in plants and most dietary supplements. Also known as Cyanobacteria, the scientific name for blue-green algae, spirulina is high in vitamin E, beta-carotene, copper, selenium, manganese, zinc, and gamma linolenic acid, an essential fatty acid.

Check with your doctor before taking spirulina if you take immunosuppressants since the immune-boosting properties of spirulina can counteract the drug’s effect in some cases. The same goes for patients on anticoagulant therapy as spirulina contains high levels of Vitamin K, which promotes healthy blood clotting.

The University of Maryland Medical Center states that spirulina shows promise in protecting against cirrhosis and liver damage in people with chronic hepatitis, though they caution that more research is needed to make definitive statements on efficacy.

NASA, the U.S. space agency, has even investigated spirulina as one of the main food sources for long-term space missions.

While increasingly popular as a superfood today for all the reasons mentioned above, Mesoamericans were eating spirulina long before Europeans arrived in the Americas. The Aztecs harvested it from Lake Texcoco, the lake that surrounded their capital city, Tenotchtitlan. Most of the lake was drained when the Spanish built Mexico City over the Aztec capital and spirulina production all but disappeared after 1600 until the first large-scale, commercial production began nearby in the 1970’s.

Since then, production has spread across much of the world, with major producers including the United States, Thailand, India, Greece and Chile.  Spirulina also has a long history of being harvested in Chad, where it is traditionally dried into cakes that are used for soups and broths. Some evidence exists that blue-green algae has been harvested from the waters around Lake Chad since the 9th century.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/923.html  http://www.spirulina-benefits-health.com/spirulina_algae_history.html

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/spirulina

Strengthen Mind and Body

Get Stronger and Improve Your Mind — Add strength training to your fitness regimen: at least 2 sessions per week.

As kids all that running jumping cart wheels and tumbles create natural flexibility and strength training.  As we get older we do our best to tumble less and stay up right more than not.  And away goes our natural weight training and aerobic fitness.

As we age, balance and fitness become more and more important.  Walking, strength training and flexibility become a real focus.  A mixture of the three can keep the aging process in the slow lane and work our mental fitness out as well.

Fitness experts agree it doesn’t have to be heavy – 5lbs hand bars will do – added to a walk around the block or several – followed by a bit of yoga to enhance flexibility and balance.  How about an afternoon of dancing to liven up the experience?  Strength training also promotes bone health and greater bone density.

So today step out and take Mom with you, walk, talk, move, balance, flex, dance while your mind expands and your body strengthens.

It seems to work in humans, too. Preliminary research from the University of British Columbia’s Aging, Mobility, and Cognitive Function Lab is showing that elderly women who strength train do better in cognitive tests than women who do “toning” work, according to the lab’s principal investigator. Preliminary brain scans of the weight-lifting women with greater cognition seem to show neurogenesis occurring, which would also jibe with the rat studies and the fact that there is a significant neural component to lifting – on the conscious side of things, you’re using your brain to activate your muscles and to guide their trajectory; subconsciously, you’re activating the various energy systems and engaging varying amounts of various types of muscle fibers, depending on the job required. In the end, then, you’re not “just” training your muscles as most people imagine (physical restructuring of the muscle). You’re training the muscle, the energy pathways, the brain, the CNS, and anything else that’s involved in moving your body against a resisting force. And as we know, training something improves it, or, rather, it motivates something to improve itself. This is true for both brain and brawn.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/monday-musings-the-dumb-jocks-myth/#ixzz1n2MabDy9

Older women are generally less likely than others to do strength training, even though it can promote bone health and counteract muscle loss, said Teresa Liu-Ambrose, a researcher at the Center for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver General Hospital and the lead author of the paper, which appears in the Jan. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

Lee Igel, PhD, clinical assistant professor of sports management at New York University:
To put your mind into your muscle requires organizing your thoughts and concentrating them on the specific task at hand during a workout. Although this sounds like a simple idea, it’s not easy to do because there are plenty of distracting thoughts to get in the way. To minimize the distractions, manage your time so that your workout is a priority, which helps your mind be less agitated about other things you think you should be doing. If you start worrying about how you look at the gym or noticing the person next to you, remind yourself that you’re there to maintain and improve your health, not to see and be seen by others.

Below is a fabulous smoothie from Smoothie Web.   I suggest it be boost with Smoothie Essentials Calcium, Smoothie Essentials Women’s Blend and Smoothie Essentials Soy to really bring in the elements that are critical to women’s nutrition.

Ginger Jolt Smoothie

December 27, 2011 · Filed Under Apple Smoothies, Healing Smoothies · Comment

Adding to our newest category, Healing Smoothies, this smoothie helps relieve pain due to stomach ache, nausea or queasy feelings in your tummy. The ginger is the key ingredient so don’t skip it and drink it slowly so your stomach ache doesn’t get worse from drinking too fast.

Ginger Smoothie Ingredients:

• 1 apple, cored, peeled and sliced
• 1 lemon, peeled and seeded
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/2 cup ice
• 1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and crushed.

Nutrition Information:

• Calories: 120
• Protein: 2 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Magnesium: 30 mg
• Potassium: 400mg
• Carbohydrates: 30 g
• Total fat: 1 g

Tags: apple, carbohydrates, ginger, ginger root, ginger smoothie, magnesium, potassium, protein, smoothie, stomach ache

Fishing for Health – 12 Steps to a Healthier You!

Go Fishing— We’ve all heard – cook fish or seafood for dinner 2 times a week.

But which fish are safe and which give the most bang for the buck so to speak?

Fish is general believed safe but with the concerns over global warming and mercury as well as heavy metal poisoning which fish are safe NOW?

The Super Green List:

Connecting Human and Ocean Health

Seafood plays an important role in a balanced diet. It’s often rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help boost immunity and reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer and other ailments. Omega-3s are especially important for pregnant and nursing women, and young children. Unfortunately, some fish carry toxins that can become harmful when eaten frequently.

Good for You, Good for the Oceans

Combining the work of conservation and public health organizations, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has identified seafood that is “Super Green,” meaning that it is good for human health and does not harm the oceans. The Super Green list highlights products that are currently on the Seafood Watch “Best Choices” (green) list, are low in environmental contaminants and are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.This effort draws from experts in human health, notably scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The Monterey Bay Aquarium will continue to work with these organizations to balance the health and environmental attributes of seafood.

The Super Green list includes seafood that meets the following three criteria:

Low levels of contaminants (below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury and 11 ppb PCBs)

The daily minimum of omega-3s (at least 250 milligrams per day [mg/d])*

Classified as a Seafood Watch “Best Choice” (green)

Contaminants in Seafood

Seafood contaminants include metals (such as mercury, which affects brain function and development), industrial chemicals (PCBs and dioxins) and pesticides (DDT). These toxins usually originate on land and make their way into the smallest plants and animals at the base of the ocean food web. As smaller species are eaten by larger ones, contaminants are concentrated and accumulated. Large predatory fish—like swordfish and shark—end up with the most toxins. You can minimize risks by choosing seafood carefully. Use our Super Green list and learn more about contaminants in seafood on the EDF website.

* The Best of the Best: September 2010

Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)
Oysters (farmed)
Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
Rainbow Trout (farmed)
Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)

** Other Healthy “Best Choices”

Arctic Char (farmed)
Barramundi (farmed, from the U.S.)
Dungeness Crab (wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
Longfin Squid (wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
Mussels (farmed)

• Grilled Rainbow Trout and Zucchini with Rosemary and Garlic

  Prepare your grill to a medium high heat

  2 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  2 tablespoon minced garlic
  2 teaspoon olive oil
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon multi herb seasoning
  4 whole trout – dressed
  4 zucchini cut lengthwise in half
  4 rosemary sprigs
  Cooking Spray or more olive oil in spray
  Combine chopped rosemary, minced garlic, olive oil, salt and seasonings in small bowl.
  Cut 3 diagonal slits on each side of the fish and rub in the rosemary mixture.

  Repeat with zucchini

  Place one rosemary sprig into the cavity of each fish
  Coat grill with cooking spray before placing fish and zucchini on grill
  Grill until fish flakes with fork.

  Serve on a bed of fresh greens with fresh beans or peas.

  

Healthy Fats – 12 Steps to a Healthier You!

Focus on Healthy Fats—Swap unhealthy fats for healthy fats in your diet.

The facts about dietary fat via the Mayo Clinic

There are numerous types of fat. Your body makes its own fat from taking in excess calories. Some fats are found in foods from plants and animals and are known as dietary fat. Dietary fat is one of the three macronutrients, along with protein and carbohydrates, that provide energy for your body. Fat is essential to your health because it supports a number of your body’s functions. Some vitamins, for instance, must have fat to dissolve and nourish your body.

But there is a dark side to fat. The concern with some types of dietary fat (and their cousin cholesterol) is that they are thought to play a role in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Dietary fat also may have a role in other diseases, including obesity and cancer.

Research about the possible harms and benefits of dietary fats (sometimes called fatty acids) is always evolving. And a growing body of research suggests that when it comes to dietary fat, you should focus on eating healthy fats and avoiding unhealthy fats.

So what foods should I eat? Fats that are liquid at room temperature are healthiest.

Fats come in various types. Unsaturated fats — including monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats — are healthy if eaten in small amounts. But saturated fats and trans fats can increase your risk of heart disease.

No matter what; 5 grams of fat and 45 calories.  What does 5 grams look like?

Monounsaturated fats

• Almonds 6
• Avocado 2 tablespoons (1 ounce)
• Brazil nuts 2
• Cashews 6
• Filberts (hazelnuts) 5
• Macadamia nuts 3
• Nut butters, trans-free: almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) 1 1/2 teaspoon
• Oil: canola, olive, peanut 1 teaspoon
• Olives, black 8 large
• Olives, green with pimento 10 large
• Peanuts 10
• Pecans 4 halves
• Pistachios 16

Polyunsaturated fats

• Margarine, low-fat spread, 30 to 50 percent vegetable oil, trans-free 1 tablespoon
• Margarine, trans-free: stick, tub, squeeze 1 teaspoon
• Mayonnaise, reduced-fat 1 tablespoon
• Mayonnaise, regular 1 teaspoon
• Mayonnaise-style salad dressing, reduced-fat 1 tablespoon
• Mayonnaise-style salad dressing, regular 2 teaspoons
• Oil: corn, cottonseed, flaxseed, grape seed, safflower, soybean, sunflower 1 teaspoon
• Pine nuts 1 tablespoon
• Salad dressing, reduced-fat 2 tablespoons
• Salad dressing, regular 1 tablespoon
• Seeds: flaxseed, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower 1 tablespoon
• Tahini (sesame paste) 2 teaspoons
• Walnuts 4 halves

When you lose weight, where does the lost body fat go?

Answer

from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.

Body fat breaks down during a series of complex metabolic processes.

When you burn more calories than you consume, your body uses fat (triglycerides) for energy. This causes your fat cells to shrink. In turn, triglycerides are broken down into two different substances — glycerol and fatty acids — which are absorbed into your liver, kidneys and muscle tissue. From there, the glycerol and fatty acids are further broken down by chemical processes that ultimately produce energy for your body.

These activities generate heat, which helps maintain your body temperature. The resulting waste products — water and carbon dioxide — are excreted in urine and sweat or exhaled from your lungs.

• Quinoa and Pistachio Salad

• Low Fat High Passion Protein Punch

  Quinoa is a high protein and quick cooking grain.   This makes 6 servings – thus it is very fat responsible.

  1 red bell pepper
  1 cup uncooked quinoa
  1 cup vegetable broth – low sodium
  1 can (15 1/2 ounce) chickpeas
  1/2 cup water
  1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  1/3 cup fresh coarsely chopped cilantro
  1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil
  2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley – flat leaf works best
  3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
  2 large cloves garlic coarsely chopped
  12 oil cured olives, pitted and chopped
  1/4 cup pistachios

  Preheat Broiler

  Cut red bell pepper in half length wise; discard seeds and membranes.  Place skin side up under broiler for 8-12 minutes or until blackened.  Let stand 10  minutes then peel and chop.
  Place quinoa, broth, chickpeas, water, and juice in a large sauce pan – bring to boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer  for 9-12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
  Place cilantro, olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, cumin, salt, cayenne and garlic in blender or food processor until smooth.
  Combine bell pepper, quinoa mixture, cilantro mixture and olives in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with up to 16 pistachios per person!

  Serve a top a bed of green salad – romaine, red leaf lettuce, arugula and spinach with blanched asparagus accents.

  For dessert – to feed our sweet tooth – orange sherbert or glace with a square of dark chocolate or melt the square and add a drizzle.

     

Vegetarian of Vegan – Once A Week – 12 Steps to a Healthier You!

Meatless Mondays!

Go Vegetarian or better yet VEGAN at Least 1 Day a Week—Expand the number of all-vegetable dishes that you eat by making 1 dinner or main-meal-of-the-day vegetarian.

It’s just once a week.  You can do it and the benefits are astounding: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

• • REDUCE HEART DISEASE: Recent data from a Harvard University study found that replacing saturated fat-rich foods (for example, meat and full fat dairy) with foods that are rich in polyunsaturated fat (for example, vegetable oils, nuts and seeds) reduces the risk of heart disease by 19%
  • FIGHT DIABETES: Research suggests that higher consumption of red and processed meat increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • CURB OBESITY: People on low-meat or vegetarian diets have significantly lower body weights and body mass indices. A recent study from Imperial College London also found that reducing overall meat consumption can prevent long-term weight gain.
  • LIVE LONGER: Red and processed meat consumption is associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality.
  • IMPROVE YOUR DIET. Consuming beans or peas results in higher intakes of fiber, protein, folate, zinc, iron and magnesium with lower intakes of saturated fat and total fat.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital Launches Meatless Monday —
Wellness Corner in Main Cafeteria to Highlight More Vegetarian Meals

The Johns Hopkins Hospital has launched a Meatless Monday campaign to encourage healthier eating among patients, visitors and staff.

Every Monday the hospital’s renovated Cobblestone Café now offers only vegetarian meal options at its “Wellness Corner” to promote the benefits of eating more grains, fruits and vegetables.  Meals containing meat will still be available in other areas of the cafeteria.

• Roasted Pear and Sunflower Seed Salad

  Pears are in season as are sunflowers.  This is the perfect time to take advantage of fresh and if desired turn it into a raw food revolution.  Though I love this salad roasted it is beautiful raw.

  2 heart of romaine cut in half
  1/2 cup sliced fresh pineapple – spears or rings – canned does work just as well
  2 pears – don’t like pears? Try peaches or apples! Cut in half; seeds removed.
  1/4 cup toasted unsalted sunflower seeds
  1/4 cup toasted unsalted walnuts
  1/4 cup toasted unsalted cashews

  Cut the Romaine hearts and pears into halves; remove pear seeds. Coat with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking. Roast or grill romaine, pears and pineapple. Place one half grilled heart grill marks up on a plate, add pear sliced or diced, pineapple ring, sprinkle with sunflower seeds, cashews and walnuts.

  Drizzle with a citrus vinegar and oil or a creamy pear salad dressing.

  Need a bit more protein?

  Cook up 1/2 a cup Quinoa to sprinkle across
  Roast or Grill some tofu to top the salad off

Worried about Protein

One day will not a protein deficit create and in truth the salad above is rich in protein from nuts. Add some beans – black would be nice – and you’ll bump it a bit more. The recipe below includes nut proteins as well and a boost of soy along with 2 scoops of vitamins and minerals.

• High Protein Smoothie

1 cup vanilla almond milk
½ cup water
1/2 cup mango
1/2 cup banana
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons flax seeds
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
ice
1 scoop each

   

Directions:

Combine milk, water, mango, banana, blueberries, hemp seeds, flax seeds and ice in a blender.

Blend for 30-60 seconds or until smooth.

Can’t find hemp seeds?  Flax seeds?  Almonds and cashews make great replacements!!

Lower the Salt – 12 Steps for a Healthier You!

Salt Awareness: Cut back on salt/sodium and increase your sodium awareness.

Summer our desire for salt increases naturally since we dispel more salt and other electrolytes through sweating.  Yet over salting is not a healthy habit to have.

Sodium regulates the total amount of water in the body and the transmission of sodium into and out of individual cells also plays a role in critical body functions.

The movement of sodium is critical in generation of  electrical signals that regulate  many processes in the body, especially in the brain, nervous system, and muscles.

Too much or too little sodium can cause cells to malfunction, electric currents to short and extremes in the blood sodium levels (too much or too little) can be fatal.

We’ve created a fast food and processed food world.  Yet our kidney’s haven’t evolved to handle the chemical laden foods we ingest.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you’re age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

If you’re like many people, you’re getting far more sodium than is recommended, and that could lead to serious health problems. See how sodium sneaks into your diet and ways you can shake the habit.  . . .Mayo Clinic

The key to moving salt through your system is water but not over doing it. Staying hydrated is the first key to salts exit. Next cut the salt intake.

Consumer Reports analyzed 37 foods to check their sodium levels. Among the surprises:

• Twizzlers Black Licorice Twists – four strands have 200 milligrams; four strands of Twizzlers Strawberry Licorice have 115 mg.
• Raisin-bran cereals – Kellogg’s has 350 mg per cup; Post, 300 mg; Total, 230 mg.
• Jell-O Instant Pudding & Pie Filling Mix – the chocolate flavor contains 420 mg per serving; lemon, 310 mg; chocolate fudge, 380 mg.
• Prego Heart Smart Traditional Italian Sauce – this has an American Heart Association logo on the label which means saturated fat and cholesterol are restricted, but not that it’s low in sodium. This sauce has 430 mg per half-cup.
• Aunt Jemima Original Pancake and Waffle Mix – prepared as directed, the pancakes have about 200 mg of sodium each.