Monday, September 15, 2008

Recipe Day!


Breakfast Tart & Fruit Salad

1½ cups peeled chopped tomatoes
½ cup finely chopped onion
6 ounces skim milk mozzarella
18 pitted olives, cut into small piecesolive
oil spray
3 large eggs
6 egg whites
1 tsp. dried dill
1 tsp. dried basil
pinch of black pepper
salt

Fruit Salad:

1 pear
2 cups grapes
3 kiwis
1 cup pineapple
juice of ½ lemon

Preheat oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a non-stick oven proof sauté pan, spray with olive oil. Add half of the chopped tomatoes, half of the onion, all of the mozzarella, and the olives. Put the remaining tomatoes, onion, eggs, spices, salt and pepper in a blender and mix until smooth and even. Pour into the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until mixture is puffed up and golden brown. Fruit Salad: Cut fruit into small pieces, adding the lemon juice, toss. Note: The cheese can be substituted with 5 ounces of lean ham.

Friday, September 12, 2008

"Supefoods" that keep off the lbs.

Are there really certain foods that can help you lose weight and keep it off? We're not talking about any so-called miracle food that "melts the fat" (i.e. the so-called "cabbage soup diet"). These are foods that really can help you lose or maintain weight, either by helping you to eat less or to burn more calories -- or, in some cases, maybe even helping to decrease your body fat.

Experts say there are two basic categories of foods that can be considered "keeping it off superfoods" because they fill your tummy without piling on the calories. For example, two whole cups of steamed broccoli packs a measly 87 calories. Or how about two cups of strawberry slices? And two cups of a denser fruit, apple slices? That's only 130 calories.

Protein is another supernutrient. It's becoming more scientifically accepted that protein may help to curb appetite. But whether we need more than 0.4 grams per pound of body weight is still up for debate among many researchers.

Before we get to the list of "keeping it off" superfoods, let's make sure we keep things in perspective. At the end of the day, weight loss is still about burning more calories than you take in. The advantage to these foods is that they may help you do just that -- if you eat them instead of some higher-calorie choices. Here we go:

1. Green Tea
2. Yogurt
3. Beans
4. Grapefruit
5. Low-Calorie Green Salads

Find out why these are "superfoods" and learn about the others on the list, according to WebMD, by clicking here. Tell us what you think about those mentioned and others you've come to view as sssssssuper!

Boot campers! Welcome to the N&S blog and to Rialto Wellness Boot Camp. Check back here each day for tips and topics related to nutrition and healthy eating during your bootcamp stint. Also, feel free to post ideas for discussion. We're always looking for new ones. - RW

Monday, September 8, 2008

Nutrition & Stretching

The forgotten nut

You might have heard about the benefit of adding nuts like almonds or walnuts to a healthy diet. But, recent research shows that pistachios are packed full of nutrients AND you can eat more of them!

Once dyed red to stand out in a vending machine, pistachios are actually a great snack for "waist watchers". They contain more than 30 different vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. And, thanks to the high protein and fiber content, you can eat less of them and feel full longer. This is called "satiety value".

The little green nuggets also offer the most nuts per serving - 49 kernels per ounce, compared to 23 almonds, 18 cashews and 14 walnut halves. And, since they're usually sold in the shell, they take longer to eat. So, you'll eat slower, will feel full quicker and will most likely eat less!

You can still find pistachios in some vending machines, but they're also available at your local grocer - sometimes with different seasonings. Dieticians recommend adding them to your oatmeal or making a trail mix out of them.