I just turned another year older and celebrated my wedding anniversary — the numbers are getting higher and are making me uncomfortable.  I hate to admit it, but this year, my birthday stung.  My bedside table is now covered with self help books, discussing the meaning of life, happiness, staying in the moment, what it all means, etc.  I find myself running from one thing to the next and never really enjoying the present.  Looking back, I also now realize that life is accelerating and time is racing past — and my kids are getting so big.  I am in desperate need of slowing down time. Motivated by the feeling that life is slipping away, I decided to create my Stay Young list.  It is a compilation of all the research studies I read everyday, the philosophical books I’ve read, the things that fulfill me, and my life’s lessons learned along the way.  I thought maybe other moms may be grappling with the same issues, so I thought I would share my list. If you feel the same way, I hope my list will help motivate you to slow down and create a list that works for you.

These activities are not in order of importance –

1. Simplify my life — drop any unnecessary commitments, say no, plan out the week

2. 20 minutes of quiet everyday — either meditate, listen to music, close eyes, read book

3. Wake up 15 minutes earlier and pray and meditate

4. Eat at least 5 servings of foods that help with blood flow everyday - these include the flavonoid containing foods, omega-3’s and monounsaturated fats

-berries, soy, garlic/onions, dark chocolate (10g), grape juice made with skin (Welch’s) or red wine 1 glass, olive oil 1 Tbsp, salmon or tuna, green tea…etc.

5. Yoga at least once a week

6. Swim twice a week (other days jog, spin and weights)

7. Play with kids for at least 20 minutes everyday

8. Write my husband a gratitude or love thought everyday and seal with perfume

This is what I am going to do to stay young — let me know if you have your own staying young list.

Tags: antiaging, baby fat diet, health, moms, nutrition, stay young, wellness

Okay - I have to share this program with you — I evaluate diet and exercise programs for my clients often.  And one that is really hot right now is P90X.  From a dietitian’s and exercise instructor’s perspective, it is a great program.  The eating plan is pretty balanced and the exercise regimen is great.  I am not a huge fan of supplements, so based on my advice my clients and friends did not purchase any of the supplements and just followed the eating plan. Not only have people lost weight and improved their muscle strength, stamina and flexibility on the program, but some have improved their blood pressure, triglyceride and cholesterol.  If you are looking for something to help you lose weight and get fit, P90X might work for you.  You can also buy it used on Amazon.

Tags: baby fat diet, healthy eating, nutrition, P90X, weight loss

The Easter Bunny’s basket is full of heart healthy flavanols…well, as long as the basket is carrying chocolate.  A recent study, once again, showed that as little as a square of dark chocolate (about 7-10 g) can have a significant impact on your cardiovascular health.  In the study, 19,357 people between the ages of 35-65 were assessed.  Those who at an average of 7.5 g of chocolate per day over a ten year period had lower blood pressure and an estimated 39% lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared to those who ate the least amount of chocolate (average 1.7 g/day).  So, what’s the take away?  You can enjoy a moderate amount of dark chocolate (45%cocoa or more).  What is moderate? Keep it to no more than 20 g/day (about 85 calories).  That is half of a regular sized 40 g candy bar.  Help yourself to not overeat chocolate by either breaking the bar into pieces before you dig in or buy the individually wrapped squares of chocolate.  One of my favorites is the 60% cocoa Hershey’s Extra Dark Pomegranate - each square is 10 g and 43 calories.

Tags: baby fat diet, chocolate, dark chocolate, health, healthy eating, Hershey's, Hershey's Extra Dark, nutrition, weight loss

I just ran across and interesting study - taxing soda is estimated to help people drop 5 pounds a year.  At the University of North Carolina researchers looked at price, energy intake and weight and found that if the proposed 18% soda tax is implemented, people would consumer 56 fewer calories each day, which amounts to 5 pounds/year for young to middle-aged adults.  As the price of foods increase, the consumption of those foods decrease.  For now, New York has tabled the soda tax discussion.  However, it is interesting to note that soda had the largest price decline over a 20 year period, second to pizza. The price of a liter of soda went from $2.71 to $1.42, a staggering 48% decrease.  So, these foods are actually getting cheaper and (we already know) people are eating more.  Don’t fall prey to unhealthy choices because of cheaper prices — in the long run, it can end up costing you your waistline and health.  In my practice, one of the ways that I help my clients lose weight (and it is the easiest way to lose weight), is to have them cut down on their sugary drinks.  By cutting down your regular sodas by two 12 oz bottles a day - you can lose a whopping 29 pounds in one year!  Each 12 oz can has 140 calories.  Now, if you drink the 20 oz bottles, you can lose 54 pounds in one year.  It is really that easy — challenge yourself today to cut down by two.

Tags: baby fat diet, health, nutrition, soda, soda tax, weight loss

I am constantly trying to create and find healthy and quick recipes that my kids will eat between baseball games and gymnastics and basketball and dance…you get me.  Well, last night before baseball we created another winner that I want to share with you –

Turkey and Sweet Potato Tacos

Pre-cooked white turkey breast (or if you have the time, cook it yourself)

Sweet potatoes

Whole wheat/low fat tortillas

Start the sweet potatoes in the microwave — cook for 10 minutes or until they are soft.  Meanwhile, cut turkey into strips and heat (stick in microwave with the sweet potatoes for the last 3 minutes of cooking).  Put tortillas between two humid paper towels and heat for about 20 seconds, depending on your microwave.  Once everything is heated, cut open sweet potatoes and mash the insides with a fork (no skins). Then put the mashed sweet potato and cooked turkey in the tortilla.  Add a glass of low-fat or non-fat milk and you have a great meal.  My family loved it.

Tags: baby fat diet, health, healthy recipes, nutrition, weight loss

Do you reach for chocolate when you are stressed or overwhelmed? Your body might be trying to self medicate.  A study that published this past December shows chocolate might help decrease your body’s reaction to stress.  In the study, the participants were fed a dark chocolate bar (40 grams) for two weeks.  They found that cortisol (a stress hormone) was decreased.  You may have heard or seen the word “cortisol” recently — it is heavily covered by the media as a contributor to belly fat, headaches, cardiovascular health, blood sugar control, etc - all of the symptoms related to stress.  More research is needed to better understand the effects and if less chocolate will do the trick.   For now, we know that chocolate is a good thing, and bonus, it might help control the release of cortisol.  Here are some additional healthy ways to help deal with stress, the release of cortisol and the symptoms related to stress.

Eat foods that release the feel good hormone serotonin — eat your whole grains and fruit

Exercise, even if you only have 10 minutes — go for a walk, do some stretching, jump rope, shoot baskets with the kids, play chase and time yourself if you are short on time

Enjoy your chocolate in moderation – sit down, without distraction and truly savor a few squares of darker chocolate (at least 45% cocoa)

Practice deep breathing – when you inhale, fill your belly first, then your chest, then exhale and release the air from your chest first, then down to your belly

Find some favorite yoga poses – go to a yoga class regularly, if you do not have time, find some poses you like and do them throughout the day

Meditate – when you are stressed, practice your deep breathing and close your eyes for 10 minutes and focus on a beautiful scene.

Tags: baby fat diet, chocolate, health, nutrition, stress, Valentine's Day

I did not blog last week on my new cooking class because we had to delay the start of the class to Feb 4th.  This works well for me, since I would like to shave more time off the recipes.  My goal is to have the prep time 10 minutes or less and cooking time no more than 25 minutes for each recipe.  Here are the recipes for the first 4 sessions — Succulent Salmon, Sweet Potato Chicken Nuggets, Vegetable Lasagna and Paprika Pork Fillet.  I am going to continue to work on these recipes and will begin posting the information covered in the cooking classes in February.  For now, here is my Succulent Salmon recipe -

Servings 4

Time - 15 minutes

1.5 lbs Wild Alaskan Salmon - skin removed

3 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce (to lower sodium use low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos)

1 minced garlic clove

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup feta cheese

Combine first 5 ingredients in large zippered storage bag and shake.  Make sure to thoroughly coat salmon with all ingredients in bag.  Heat skillet on medium heat and once warm, add all ingredients from bag to skillet.  Cook for 2-4 minutes (depends on thickness of salmon) on each side or until salmon is pink and flaky.  Serve about a 4 oz piece of salmon (a little larger than a deck of cards) on top of 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves and sprinkle with feta cheese.  Then enjoy!

Tags: baby fat diet, healthy eating, healthy foods, healthy recipe, lose weight, nutrition

This year the holidays came upon us fast. So, I had to find and create easy, delicious, (and kind of healthy)  candies and treats for our gatherings and gifts.  One treat in particular got great reviews, so I thought I would share it.  Also, you can feel okay about enjoying this treat – consider it a little healthy since it is made with dark chocolate, whole grains and has the option to add almonds and dried fruit. Plus, it will not add too many calories to your daily tab as long as you stick to two. 

Crunchy Yummies (my children named our creation)

Serving size = 2

Total time to prepare = 7 minutes

4 cups Kellogg’s Special K cereal (or any whole grain crunchy cereal)

1 lb dark chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

red and green sprinkles

(optional almond slivers and/or dried cranberries, or other fruit)

Step 1. Melt all chocolate together in microwave. Start with one minute and stir 30 seconds to help chocolate continue to melt.  If the chocolate is not completely melted, then heat for another 15 seconds and stir for 30 seconds - continue this until chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Be very careful not to overheat - the stirring will help the chocolate melt.

Step 2. Pour cereal, vanilla extract and melted chocolate into bowl and mix together

(optional - add almond slivers and/or dried cranberries or other fruit during this step)

Step 3. Drop spoonfuls on wax paper and add sprinkles

Step 4. Put in refrigerator for about 30 minutes and enjoy and share

Try it and tell us what you think.

Happy Holidays!!!!

Tags: baby fat diet, health, holiday treat, holiday treats, nutrition, weight loss

Turkey day is now over and I feel sluggish from all the food we ate.  Thanksgiving day lasts in my home for several days.  My mother in law makes lots of tasty food and my nephew makes several amazing desserts.  There is always enough for us to take home so that we can continue eating the Thanksgiving meal through Sunday.  Well, today, I am throwing the leftover cakeballs away.  As much as I really would like to keep them (they are my absolute favorite), I cannot control myself around them and need to just throw them away.  I typically do the right thing when it comes to eating – but I am not perfect.  So, I am reviewing the Dos and Dont’s of holiday eating for myself and hopefully it will help you as well. 

1. Don’t eat out – reserve eating out only for special occasions.

2. Don’t accept leftovers or goodies to take home — enjoy them out, but keep your house “clean and pure” to avoid unecessary temptations — (I need to work on this one).

3. Don’t overeat — eat healthy before attending a party, use small plates for your holiday meals and goodies, and avoid going back for seconds.

4. Do eat lots of fruits and veggies — make sure to have plenty of fruits and veggies available and visible throughout the day.

5. Do focus on healthy eating in between social occasions — go online and find low fat and nutrient-rich recipes and foods.  Some examples include — beans (make without fat), sweet potatoes, spinach and kale salads, Wild Alaskan salmon, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc.

6. Do be picky about what you eat — only eat the goodies that you really, really like, don’t waste the calories on treats that do not “move you!”

Tags: baby fat diet, diet, healthy eating, holiday eating, losing weight, nutrition, weight loss

I saw the author of the Eat This Not That series of books on the Today show (yesterday) and Rachel Ray today and had to blog about it.  The idea of showing what to eat versus what not to eat is a great educational tool.  But I need to warn you that some of the statements made need some explanation.  If you heard the statement that potato chips are horrible and worse than french fries and that you should instead eat pork rinds - I want to clarify that all three are fried, over 50% fat and high in sodium.  The better choice, if you want something crunchy, is to eat an ounce to an ounce and a half of nuts (e.g. about 42 almonds) and, if you want fries, eat baked sweet potato fries instead (see recipe below) and toss the pork rinds altogether.  Some may consider pork rinds a “better choice” because of its protein content, about 40% vs 5% in chips, however, this does not make it a “health” food or a “better choice”.   If you are looking to increase your protein, eat beans, soy, lentils and/or nuts in place of refined carbohydrates.  There was also mention that a salad is not a good choice — it all depends on what you put on your salad.  If you drown it in dressing, then another food may be a better choice.  How you prepare your food and the ingredients will determine if it is a good choice or not — blanket statements that one food is better than another are interesting and get media hype but need explanation.  If you hear information in the media, i.e. news, magazine article, etc that is contradictory to what is considered common knowledge or seems wrong to you…then it might be!  Use your common sense when evaluating nutrition and health information and make sure that the source is credible.  Credentials are important — for example, if the person speaking about food is a Registered Dietitian (RD) or if the person giving medical advice is a Medical Doctor (MD) or Nurse you can feel secure that the information is more than likely accurately stated.

Savory Sweet Potato Fries recipe

Peel sweet potatoes and slice

Arrange flat on baking sheet

Spray with Olive Oil and lightly brush with vinegar

lightly sprinkle with garlic salt and onion powder

Bake at 425 and check every 20 minutes until crispy and soft

Tags: baby fat diet, eat this not that, healthy eating, nutrition, registered dietitian