Article Courtesy of Hungrygirl.com

	Be Proud! Be a Calorie Seeker!		Are You in CALORIE DENIAL? We learned some interesting things recently, and now we're sharing them. A while back, we reported on a study that indicated people in NYC are paying attention to newly posted calorie counts on menus and ordering smarter. Yay, right? Well, before you get all excited, check this out. A new study out of Yale found that out of 4,311 people who visited Starbucks, Burger King, Au Bon Pain, or McDonald's, only a ridiculously pathetic number of them (six... yes, SIX!) took the time to find out the calorie counts in foods before ordering. Granted, the info wasn't right in front of their faces on the menus -- it was posted on walls, printed in pamphlets, or available at computer stations inside the restaurants. But still -- SIX people out of 4,311 is 0.1%. POINT ONE PERCENT! That is sad, humans, especially co nsidering that a meal out can contain enough fat for three days if you're not careful. So what is it? Are people lazy? In denial? Unaware? Whatever it is, we need to do what we can to change that. Restaurants need to make it WELL KNOWN that their nutritionals are available. And everyone needs to remember to seek this info out when visiting fast-food joints. Don't be all "out of sight, out of mind" about it -- if you don't see the nutritional stats, ASK for 'em!

Chicken with Mint Raita*

Points Value per serving: 4
Serving size: 3-4 pieces of chicken with 3 lettuce leaves and 1/3 cup of Raita

Raita
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 small chopped seedless cucumber
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint or 1 tsp. dried
1 Tbsp. red-wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Chicken
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. chicken tenders
1 Tbsp. Garam Masala or curry powder (both found in the spice/international section of grocery store)
1/2 tsp. salt
12 hearts of romaine lettuce


1. To make the Raita, chop the garlic and salt until a paste forms. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the yogurt, cucumber, mint, vinegar and pepper.

2. To make the chicken, heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the chicken, garam masala and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about five minutes.

3. Divide the lettuce evenly among four plates. Top evenly with the chicken and serve with a small side of Raita.


-This recipe works with the Simply Filling technique.

-The chicken can also be grilled on the bbq when the weather gets warmer. Marinate the chicken in the oil, salt, garam masala and a small amount of yogurt for 1 hour prior to grilling.



*Source: Weight Watchers Magazine

Spring Gardening

for anybody who has been waiting for me to put up a new post, I'm so sorry for all delays!

I found an interesting article about growing vegetables and thought I would share this healthy and rewarding information with you. These are all planting from seeds. Although some of these say to plant before or just past the last frost, it's not too late!

Bell Peppers:

Start Seeds Indoors 8 weeks before the last frost, using 2-inch or slightly larger pots. Transplant outdoors after soil reaches 70-85 degrees.

Light: Full sun
Water: 1" perweek
Eat: 65-85 days


Carrots:

Sow directly in garden 2-3 weeks before the last expected frost.

Light: Full sun
Water: 1" per week, less as plant ,matures
Eat:45-85 days


Lima Beans:

Plant approx. 2 weeks after date of the last frost

Light: Full sun
Water: Soil should have good drainage and must be kept moist, but not soaked.
Eat: 7-30 days, based on soil temp.


Tomatoes:

Tomato transplants can be grown indoors from seed in 6-8 weeks. Move them to the garden 1 or 2 weeks after the last average frost date for area.

Light: Full sun
Water: 1"per week
Eat: 55-90 days


Lettuce:

Plant outside as soon as the ground is no longer frozen. Seeds will germinate when the soil temp. is as low as 45 degrees.

Light: Full sun
Water: even moisture
Eat: 40-85 days

Heart Health

In the Jan./Feb. issue of Weight Watchers magazine there was a very interesting article. It talked about valuable foods that improve your heart health. The heart is our battery that keeps us going. We need to care for it well.

Most of these are filling foods and those that are not will be low in Points Values. This is more proof that smart food choices are just as important as moderation. Poor nutritional choices won't put you on the road to good health even if you're within your points. Fill your day with filling foods and the long term benefits will last the rest of your life!



Salmon- twice a week, the farm raised variety. It is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids

Almonds-2 oz. a day of plain, nothing added. Blue Diamond makes a fantastic 100 calorie pack (2 Points) which can be found in the nut section of most grocery stores.

Oats-"The FDA approved oats as a cholesterol-lowering food in 1997, but a new review shows they may be even more powerful than previously thought"

Strawberries-Lowers CRP levels by up to 14 percent

Pomegranate-Studies show that the juice improves blood flow to the heart by twenty percent

Green Tea- Let steep for at least 3 minutes and do not add any dairy products to it. Promotes better blood flow and a healthier heart.

Cherries-Can lower your risk for heart disease by lowering CRP levels

Dark Chocolate-Improves blood flow to the heart and therefore lowering the risk of heart attack

Thank you to my friend and colleague Irving Zangwill for sharing this article with his own members. I thought it was well worth repeating to all of you. The summary of this article is that lasting weight loss can't happen with just exercise or just diet (By "diet", I refer to daily nutritional intake, not deprivation). Changes in diet promote more activity and then work together to make a healthier you!

Diet versus Exercise for Weight Loss

Karen Collins, MS, RD, CDN
American Institute for Cancer Research

With excess weight a greater problem than ever, the question of whether changing eating habits or exercise is more likely to produce weight loss is vital. A new study confirms the overall research findings that dietary change specifically eating less fat produces more weight loss than changes in exercise. But it also shows that changes in one kind of behavior may help promote changes in the other, especially among women.

Many studies have compared weight loss resulting from changing diet versus increasing activity. Most often, weight loss during programs focused on dietary change produced two to three times greater weight loss than programs focused on exercise.

However, it’s long-term results that matter for our health. One analysis of many such studies showed that by one year after the end of these programs, there was no significant difference in the weight status of participants. This raises the question of whether people can maintain changes in exercise more easily than changes in eating habits. The answer, of course, almost surely depends on individual preferences as well as how unpleasant or enjoyable the attempted diet or exercise program was.

We become overweight when we consume more calories in food and drink than we burn up. To lose weight, we need to shift that balance and burn up more than we consume. We can accomplish that by consuming fewer calories, burning more, or both. Cutting calories doesn’t necessarily have to mean going on a “diet.” It can just mean avoiding or limiting one or more foods high in calories from fat (such as high-fat meat, cheese, or snack foods, or too much added fat), lots of sugar (like sweets or sweetened drinks), or alcohol. Cutting calories can also be accomplished by reducing our portion sizes, or by eating smaller portions of those high-calorie foods and filling up on larger portions of low-calorie vegetables and fruits.

Objective analysis shows that cuts in calorie consumption add up faster than increases in exercise. Studies show that a combination of smaller portions and changes in what we eat can easily add up to reduce calorie consumption by 500 daily, whereas burning an extra 500 calories daily can be a daunting target.

In this new study conducted at the University of Minnesota, moderate or substantial drops in dietary fat were linked to weight loss in overweight and obese men and women, regardless of how much they changed physical activity. On average, these successful program participants decreased the number of high-fat foods they ate by five to ten servings a week. In women, even substantial increases in exercise were not enough to produce weight loss if they did not decrease fat consumption. Men, however, were able to lose weight through increased exercise alone. This might be because the men were able to burn more calories in exercise than women, or might reflect either some metabolic difference or a problem in the study’s ability to detect changes accurately.

For men, the effects of exercise and dietary fat seemed to have independent effects on the amount of weight lost. For women, although exercise alone was not a successful weight loss strategy, at each level of dietary fat reduction those who increased exercise − moderately or substantially − lost more weight than those who changed activity less.

Whether exercise changes metabolism to allow more successful weight loss, or whether its stress-reduction benefits allow more consistent progress in changing eating habits, this and other studies show that both increasing exercise and decreasing calorie consumption clearly seems the best weight-loss choice for everyone.

Here's the finest fat free brownie on the planet! "No Pudge" makes 4 flavors; original, cappucino, mint and rasberry. It's 2 points for 1 decent sized brownie and easy to make. There's even a recipe to make one brownie at a time, if a whole pan is unmanageable! It can be found in either the brownie section or in the health food section of most grocery stores.

8 PM Hungry Monster

It's 8:00 at night. The kids are in bed, phone calls have been returned, bills have been paid, the couch is calling and so is the refrigerator.

This is the time that many of us get "hungry". We associate relaxing with treating ourselves to some tasty treats. It's our only time to ourselves. We've been running around all day and we deserve it, right? This is our emotional self telling us that our stomachs are hungry.

There are several ways of tackling this situation.

-We can distract ourselves by redirecting our focus. Here are some options:
~Exercise
~Close the kitchen, lights off, counters and sink clean
~chew gum
~brush your teeth
~get into bed and read
~do your nails
~drink some water

-We can plan ahead by having healthy options available:
~Munchable fruit, like grapes or strawberries w/FF cool whip
~FF SF pudding
~FF or LF ice cream
~94% FF popcorn
~WW bars or snacks
~FF SF hot cocoa
~yogurt
~WW smoothie


So, just remember...hungry comes in a variety of forms. Boredom, stress, celebration, dehydration, or actual hunger. It's our job to assess the situation before we feed a non-hunger situation.

My challenge to all of you is to recognize what your body is telling you,as well as what your feelings are telling you. Listen carefully and follow through!