Another Reason to Love Asparagus...

Asparagus is one of the best, natural artery-clearing foods around!  Asparagus works within the 100,000 miles of veins and arteries to release pressure, thereby allowing the body to accommodate for inflammation that has accumulated over the years. It also helps ward off deadly clots!

Until Monday - Keep thinking veggies and protein!  

Rice Cakes...

They may have been touted as the ultimate diet food during the low-fat/no-fat craze of the late 1980s and 1990s, but don’t be fooled. Rice cakes can have a glycemic index rating as high as 91 (pure glucose has a rating of 100), making it the kind of carbohydrate that will send your blood sugar on a roller coaster ride. This is bad for weight loss and for your health.

Forgetting the Basics...

With a plethora of YouTube videos, exercise books and fitness DVDs all around, it's easy to fall prey to a "newer is better" mentality. Cool gadgets and intense-sounding routines with never-before-seen exercise secrets can be seductive, but they pale in comparison to old standbys like squats, deadlifts, bench presses and pull-ups.

There are many variations of these lifts that you can apply to help counter the boredom that can arise from doing the same exercises all the time. But remember the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of your results are going to come from 20 percent of the exercises you use. Make sure the basics are your 20 percent foundation.

Metabolism Mistake: Not Washing Produce...

I confess - this is something we (Bob and me) have to get better at!  Pesticides are not just insect killers, they’re also endocrine disruptor's. Because the endocrine system controls metabolism, exposure to certain chemicals can increase appetite, stimulate fat cells, and cause a sluggish metabolism. Pesticide residue on produce (as well as any plastic packaging they come in) can throw off your hormone levels and even lead to weight gain.

The solution: Keep eating those fruits and veggies, but be diligent about washing everything, even “pre-washed” salad mixes and foods you won’t eat the rind of, such as cantaloupes and avocados.  Try submerging in a large bowl of water for one to two minutes, then rinsing under running water. Use a soft brush to scrub citrus and other foods with hard peels.

Moringa... 

Remember the moment when every runway regular suddenly became a supermodel? Now every healthy edible wants to be called a superfood. Which is why even that term likely doesn't do justice to moringa, a tree leaf that contains more nutrients and natural remedies than your body knows what to do with. Ancient warriors fueled for battle with the leaf extract, hot for the stamina and strength it gave them; and legend has it that Egyptian Pharaohs were buried with it to sustain them in the afterlife. Health-savvy Americans are the latest followers, thanks to the energy, immunity, and metabolism boosts moringa delivers.  Moringa has incredibly nutritious qualities—it has 3.5 times the calcium of milk and 4 times the vitamin C of oranges!   A recent analysis of the leaves found that moringa contains more vitamin A than carrots, more iron than spinach, and more potassium than bananas. It also packs as much protein as milk or eggs.

If you can get your hands on the fresh leaves (not a grocery-store staple yet, as they mostly grow in southern Florida and California), expect a lemony, peppery spinach taste.  Add to a salad mix or sauté.  I have got to find this stuff!  Love the name - morning - get your moringa!