Coming Soon to a Menu Near YOU...

CALORIE COUNTS!
They've been popping up all over the place: in NYC, in California... And now they're going nationwide. You may not have heard, with all the hubbub about health insurance, but the recently passed health care legislation has laid down a new food-related law: As early as next year, ALL CHAIN RESTAURANTS with 20+ locations will be required to display calorie counts on menus and drive-thru boards. Plus, stats on vending-machine goodies will need to be displayed.  Like I have said many times, I never was big on the fast food chains, or ate a lot of processed foods even before I started eating healthy!  One of my main problems was eating way too many fats – bring on that cheese!  I only hope that this new law will help people make more informed decisions about what they consume!  No more feigning ignorance!  Look for the healthier choices- they will be looking right at you!

Until Monday – keep thinking veggies and protein!

Food and Moods…

OK, so I feel the difference with lack of exercise, it is truly amazing how I feel when I over indulge and I go off the healthy food wagon!  Sugar will make me goofy, carbs will make me crabby and lack of protein will leave hungry!  All these together will simply put me in a food coma!!!!  Unfortunately, and I hate to admit it, but it does happen, in a moment of weakness I have been known to chose the wrong battle! I deal with the guilt and regret, get over it and move on!  I know I have said this before, and I will most likely say it again, and I now live by it - I go meal-by-meal, no longer day-by-day! 

Exercise and Moods…

Wow!  I can really feel a difference if I miss a couple of days of exercise!  I am not sure if it is the guilt or just the fact that I do loose a spring in my step!  I don’t know how people who travel a lot do it.  I guess it is like everything else, you get into a routine that works for you.  I have learned traveling is quite stressful for me especially as of late, because I have made two short trips to the west coast in the last 2 weeks!  It’s always questionable about what to eat, when to exercise and all the compromising.  I made time to get to the gym wherever I was, but it was always about time and not the same workout that I would do if I were at home.  At least I got something in! On the “travel” days I got the airport walking in – I didn’t use the moveable walkways!  The hardest part was getting back home and getting back into my daily routine!  It usually took a day or two to get back in the swing of things.  The trips are behind me now and thank God - they didn’t land on my behind!

Smoothies…

When we were in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, we got my mom a stick blender, to get her on the vinaigrette band wagon, see blog 1/7/10.  Low and behold we experimented with smoothies!  Our first attempt was a success!  We had some fresh blueberries, blackberries and strawberries, fat free Greek yogurt, a few packets of splenda if you want it sweeter and to thin it out we added some fat free lactaid milk (for those of us who have become lactose intolerant).  They were delicious and filling.  The best compliment came from my father who doesn't like yogurt! Go yogurt, particularly the high-protein fat free Greek yogurt that is a great power boosting protein, bone building calcium and a great killer immunity promoter! 

I foresee a lot of refreshing healthy smoothies this summer!

Avocados…

I have re-introduced one of my favorite fruits into my diet!  Now that I have been maintaining my weight, I am slowly, cautiously and moderately bringing back some of my favorites! I will add an avocado to my salad with chilled jumbo shrimp, along with bell peppers, green onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, edamame with one of my oil free vinaigrettes, a nice lemon basil is mighty tasty! As nourishing as avocados are, remember they are also very high in calories and carbohydrates!

Nutritional facts…
Avocados are a good source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate and copper. Avocados are also a good source of potassium: they are higher in potassium than a medium banana.

Although they are fruits, avocados have a high fat content of between 71 to 88% of their total calories - about 20 times the average for other fruits. A typical avocado contains 30 grams of fat, but 20 of these fat grams are health-promoting monounsaturated fats, especially oleic acid.