Tag Archives: Fruits Vegetables

Personalize Weight Results in 5 Easy Steps

5 Easy Steps to Personalize New Weight Results!

To burn fat around your waist there are some easy habits and exercises you can start today. Your body is genetically programmed to store fat around the waist area. Some people tend to have a harder time keeping fat off their waist. With simple lifestyle changes and enjoyable exercise choices you will be able to lose a few inches off your waist by burning fat with noticeable results in a months time. 

Step 1
The easiest way to start to burn waist fat is to cut out the excess fat currently in your diet. Concentrate on the fat already stored in your waist, not on new fat. Eliminate fast food. Easy to make Recipes can be made at home were you can the ingredients. Include fish into your diet 3 times a week and aim for adding lean meat, beans or soy into your menu plan. Minimize the amount of cheese to 1 ounce per day. Reduce other high fat dairy products you eat including changing from 2% milk to skim milk. Eliminate fried foods and salty snacks!!! 

Step 2 
Watch what you are drinking. ADD WATER, Reduce wine and beer to one glass a day, Eliminate all soda’s and juices (100% juice is okay) from your daily nutritional intake.  The sugars and added ingredients in soda’s are not good for your body and since your body can not use them the SUGARS (sucrase) ARE STORED AS FAT. 

Step 3  
Replace white breads in your diet with whole grain bread. Replace plain pasta with whole grain pasta. Only eat whole grain cereals.  You body converts white breads to sugar, which in turn will result in added waist fat. Opt for more vegetables and fruits when making your Grocery Shopping List for Weightloss in 5 Tips 

Step 4   If you are not already doing so, start some general moderate exercise. Exercise 4-5 times per week. The exercise should include 20 minutes of cardio such as hill climbing, jogging, biking, swimming, hiking, etc. The general exercise will balance your input of calories and stop the addition of new waist fat. Walk 20-30 minutes per day. 

Step 5 
Concentrate on core exercises. Do a core workout for 15 to 20 minutes every 3rd day. You will not need any more than this to quickly reduce waist fat. Do not increase the frequency of the core exercises, give your body time to recover. There are many great core workouts out there or you can develop your own routine. Core workouts include sit-ups, leg lifts, and mason-twists. There are many other exercises that concentrate on the waist to the mid-section of the torso. 

IMPORTANT: Document in a journal:
Weight
Waist Circumference (passed around waist and over belly button)
Daily Exercise
Drinks
Foods for the day (include condiments.) Read more Tips to Modify Recipes 

Exercising your core as little as 30-45 minutes per week, along with the diet changes are the keys to burn waist fat.               BELIEVE that you will succeed! 

Kim Crocker 

References 

A comparison of the effects of swimming and walking on body weight, fat distribution, lipids, glucose, and insulin in older women-the Sedentary Women Exercise Adherence Trial 2.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20197194 

Effect of nutritional counselling and nutritional plus exercise counselling in overweight adults: a randomized trial in multidisciplinary primary care practice. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026554 

Modification effects of physical activity and protein intake on heritability of body size and composition. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19710197 

Photograph http://www.savvy-diets.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/Reduce%20belly%20fat.jpg

Calzone

Great for appetizers, lunches, picnics!!!
Handmade dough that can be baked or fried is listed at the half way point of the recipe. For baking only a store bought dough is an easy way to make Calzone without investing into the dough making, by simply substituting it with Pasta Sfoglia (2 Pastry Sheets) purchased from your local grocery store in the freezer or refrigerator departments.  Please scroll to “Home Made Dough” to follow original recipe.

Calzone
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 8 minutes, Baking time 15 minutes
Preheat oven to 400 F or 180 C.

On a clean baking sheet unroll first pastry sheet (may throw out parchment paper or place it on baking sheet with pastry sheet on top).  Add suggested fillings. Close sides of dough and place in oven for 20 minutes.

HOME MADE DOUGH: Follow this recipe for ultimate Calzone Dough La Focaccia Italiana

Pinch sides of dough to close the calzone. Place in oven to bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

FOR DEEP FRIED PANZEROTTI:  If deep frying, to make the Panzerotti, pour the contents of an entire bottle of Canola Oil into a deep pan and heat up on medium heat for 6 minutes. Carefully add the calzone/panzerotto to the oil, with a metal slotted spoon turn in oil for 3 minutes. When golden remove and place onto a paper towel to remove the oil, then onto a baking sheet and into a warmed oven (350 F) to keep them warm while making the other Panzerotti.

Suggested Fillings for calzone.

Ricotta and Spinach
250 g Ricotta
20 leaves spinach (washed and patted dry)
1 Egg slightly beaten
Combine all ingredients. With a spatula layer pastry sheet with filling. Unroll second pastry sheet and lay on top of ricotta filling.

Leeks and Dried Cranberries
4 Leeks thinly sliced and soaked in water. Carefully remove leek slices by hand from the water so that the dirt will collect in the bottom of the bowl.
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup milk
250 g mozzarella diced
4 Tbsp  choose any or all dried cranberries, raisins, dried apricots, or prunes, olives. (slice larger pieces)

After leaks have been washed, place into a large pan on medium heat and allow to with olive oil for 5 minutes then add milk and salt. Cook on stove top for about 20 minutes. Remove pan from heat and pour leeks into a colander to drain fluid. Return leeks to pan and add mozzarella, dried cranberries salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out dough about 1/2 cm thinkness.

Roll out first “Pastry Sheet” and place on to a baking sheet, layer with leek filling, then place second pastry sheet on top. Pinch the sides of the pastry  sheets together to close. Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tuna and Sundried Tomato’s
120 g Tuna from cans
2 eggs
1/4 onion peeled and diced
1/3 cup sundried tomatoes diced
1/4 cup walnuts
100 g mozzarella diced

Place pastry sheet on to a clean baking sheet. Combine all ingredients. Layer filling on to a pastry sheet. Place second pastry sheet on layered filling and pinch pastry sheet edges together to close. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Filling For Panzerotti

Combine sliced San Marzano (Whole Peeled) Tomatoes with Mozzarella, Oregano and place into center of dough, (juice from the tomatoes that come out of the side of the closed dough will result in hot oil splatter, be careful not to put an abundance!)  Carefully, close and place into hot oil.

Brown 3/4 cup sausage and 3/4 cup hamburger. Drain fat and cool for 10 minutes. Combine browned meat with 1 minced garlic and mozzarella. Place into center of dough, close well and add to hot oil.

Fresh Veggie Salad

Tantalizing Vegetable Salad
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 10 minutes

1/4 onion peeled and diced
1 tbsp Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed is good too!), or White Wine, or Vinegar
1 spear of Broccoli
1 Pepper (yellow)
1 Carrot sliced (lengthwise or circular)
1 Celery stalk
5 Cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp Pinenuts (optional)
Dressing
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp lemon juice, or white wine, or vinegar

In large bowl, soak diced onion in lemon juice (method of cooking to neutralize acidity from onion) and set aside, allow to marinade 10-15 minutes.
Thinly slice all vegetables and then add to bowl with marinading onion. Add to same bowl all ingredients for dressing and toss salad to combine flavors. May serve immediately, or prepare the night before.

Does Your Diet Lower Inflammation?

How can foods impact inflammation? Discover which foods work best for YOU!

Inflammation, (while part of a healthy immune response), is increasingly thought to play a leading role in encouraging a number of major killers, such as:   cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. Dangerous chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system stays turned on and starts attacking healthy cells and tissues, or causing cancer genetic mutations, or the bursting of artery plaque.

What you eat, though, helps determine how much inflammation you produce. It is critical to realize the importance that Omega-3’s play in keeping at bay certain disease or in healing the body.  Doctor’s will also promote a diet rich in Omega-3’s after surgery or to reduce swelling after the body has undergone any type of trauma. Certain foods are inflammation-fighting and should be consumed in abundance (mainly plant or seafood) while other foods can promote and prolong inflammation (animal fats and white flour). Some recommendations:

GO FOR …

Omega-3 fats. These are among the BEST and most potent anti-inflammatory foods. Best sources: fatty fish like Salmon, Sardine, Anchovies and Tuna; Dark Leafy Greens: Broccoli, Kale, Chard, Spinach, Seaweed. Walnuts and other nuts; Flaxseed, Pumpkin Seeds; and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Herbs and Spices: Basil, Oregano, Cloves, Marjoram, Tarrogan, SPearmint, Capers, Prepared Yellow Mustard, Peppermint, Thyme, Saffron, Bay Leaf, Chili Powder, Turmeric, Rosemary, Curry.

Colorful produce. Red Onions, Tomatoes, Prunes, Red Grapes, ALL Berries, Pomegranates, and Oranges all are packed with  flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Herbs and spices. Ginger and Turmeric, Cinnamon either dried or fresh, are among the most healthful spices. For herbs, sprinkle on some freshly chopped Sage, Rosemary and minced Garlic.

Peanuts, Chocolate, Red wine. Red wine has anti-inflammatory chemicals like resveratrol. Dark chocolate,  at 70% or higher cacao which protects against inflammation. Great News for the research suggests that hot cocoa will also benefit the body’s health. Eat the peanuts right out of the shell in order to maximize reseveratrol intake.

REDUCE  …

Animal fats. Foods high in whole milk dairy are:  cheese, butter, margarine, ice cream.  Additionally:  egg yolks,  red meat, poultry skin,   All which contain high amounts of arachidonic acid, a molecule used by the body to create inflammation.

Omega-6 fats. While Omega 3 fats make a healthy impact on your body, it’s been found that Omega 6’s  trigger the body to produce pro-inflammatory chemicals. Oils rich in omega-6 fats include corn, safflower, and vegetable oils; mayonnaise; and many salad dressings.

Trans fats. Thanks to much research and the FDA getting behind the 8-Ball, trans-fats are all but gone from packaged foods as research shows they drive inflammation. Now they’re on nutrition labels, so they’re easier to avoid.

Rancid fats. CRITICAL to anyone who leaves the kitchen “to check on something” only to return and find that they have heated oil to the point that it’s smoking.  Besides the fact that smoking oil changes the flavor of a dish, it oxidizes fats and turns them into inflammation boosters. Also, avoid old peanut butter and any old chocolate stashed away for years in your pantry.

White starches. Flour, sugar, white rice, and instant mashed potatoes, for example, all cause quick spikes in blood sugar levels, causing the production of advanced glycation end products that spur inflammation.

Excess alcohol. Avoid drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages a day; too much alcohol can cause changes in the intestinal lining, allowing bacteria to pass through into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation.

Vitamin B and Vitamin E

Vitamin B’s strongly impact the entire body and are therefore a critical part of ones daily dietary intake. Vitamin B is critical for neuro functions, metabolisom which controls and regulates the body, and energy production.

Listed below are the benefits that the body receives from from this important vitamin.

  • Increase mood stability
  •  Creates energy and reduces headaches, (B-2)
  • Increase blood circulation and is a vessel dilator (B-3).
  • Reduce depression and stress (B-5 and B-7),
  • Reduces weakness, numbness, tingling in arms, improves on diabetes (B-6)
  • Improves and promotes heart health, (B-12)

Dietary Source: Liver, Shellfish, Milk, Eggs, Fortified Cereal, Garbanzo Beans, Chicken, Banana, Spinach, Tomato, Potatoes.

Vitamin E is an important body lubricant for all organs and muscles, in other words it helps your body run like a smooth “Oiled Machine”.  Additionally, it keeps skin, eyes, and the heart healthy. Vitamin E is credited for increasing HDL (healthy) cholesterol and reducing LDL (lousy) cholesterol.

Dietary Source: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), Avocado, Almonds, Olives, Nuts, Seeds Green Leafy Vegetables, Sardines and Crab.