Broccolini

Broccolini--what is that?  This was my first reaction when I saw a package in the produce section.

As it turns out, Broccolini is a cross between broccoli (no surprise) and Chinese kale (this was a surprise), both of which appear on lists of Super Foods.

Broccolini's long, thin stalks are not woody, like broccoli and asparagus, and are completely edible.  A 3 oz. serving, about 8 stalks, has 35 calories and offers 130% of a day's worth of vitamin C, 30% of vitamin A, 8% of potassium, 6% of calcium and 4% of iron.

Nutrition Action Healthletter suggests sauteeing broccolini with sliced garlic and a little oil form a bottle of sun-dried tomatoes then topping with some chopped sun-dried tomatoes.  It can also be roasted and steamed.

The vegetable is also known as baby broccoli and asparation.

Source:  Nutrition Action Healtletter, November 2009, p. 16.

Holiday Eating Help

Family gatherings, celebrating with friends, office parties--the holiday season is upon us!  This is a fun, loving time of year.  And it can be very challenging to those of us who are trying to live healthy.  I have a few suggestions to help enjoy celebrations with family and friends without burdening ourselves with guilt.


Don't skip meals on the day of a special occasion!

• Keep to your normal eating schedule, preferably healthy meals with a snack in between; be sure to consume lean proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats each time you eat.
  
• Skipping a meal will cause you to store proportionately more body fat the next time you eat and, since you'll be extra hungry, you'll  likely over-eat and store even more fat.
• Skipping meals also slows your metabolism, causing you to burn fewer calories and store more fat.

Eat some protein and healthy fat before diving into the sweets, treats and alcohol.  This will slow the absorption of the carbohydrates, keeping your blood sugar more steady and hindering extra fat storage.

Alcohol is a carbohydrate.  Choose vodka over other spirits and avoid mixes full of juices, sodas and creams.  Wine is a nice alternative as well, and tends to be sipped more slowly.

Protect your workout schedule.  If you have a day when you are just too busy to go to the gym or don't have time to perform your complete workout:

• Go for a walk, even if it's a short one.
• For a simple, full-body workout, perform these exercises in a circuit:
  
• squats
• push-ups -- if you are unable to do a full-body push-up, go on your knees or place your hands against a wall or table top instead of the floor
• a back row with tubing (inexpensive and easily found at Target and sporting goods stores).
•  Complete as many circuits as you can.

Sleep well to keep your stress levels down; higher stress causes higher fat storage.
 
Don't try to loose weight during the holidays.  The most realistic (and sane) goal is to maintain!

Enjoy the people you're with and have a fun and tasty holiday! - Jeanie

Reduce Breast Cancer Risks

As October Breast Cancer Awareness Month closes, I'd like to pass along this information.

To limit your risks of breast cancer, essentially you need to control your estrogen levels to limit or slow cancer cell growth and boost your immune system to fight disease.

Achieve a healthy body composition

• Extra body fat produces more estrogen which can stimulate cancer cell growth in the breast.  Estrogen levels tend to be lower when you are at a healthy weight, and loosing weight will lower the risk of developing breast cancer.

Exercise regularly

• Activity helps control body weight, lowers estrogen levels, and supports your immune system.

Eat a healthy diet

• Good nutrition helps attain a healthy body composision, supports normal estrogen levels and boosts your immune system.
• A daily healthy diet includes at least five servings of vegetables and fruits, three servings of whole grains and restricted consumption of processed meats.  Also, be sure to limit saturated fats, so stick with lean meats (including lean red meats that are not seared when cooked) and fat-free or 1% dairy products--some people prefer to consume hormone-free meats and dairy as well.
• A couple of things to consider:  green tea has been found to slow breast cancer growth by protecting cells from damage and premature aging (I recently heard three cups a day suggested), and vitamin D3 can stop cancer cells from dividing (try 1,000 to 2,000 IUs a day).
• Eating to stabilize blood sugar levels, as promoted by Venice Nutrition, and myself as a nutrition coach, helps to keep your endocrine (hormone) system in balance.  If you're interested in more information, please see the Venice Nutrition link listed under My Favorite Sites--or contact me! (click on: My complete profile (in the upper right corner)).
  

Limit alcohol consumption

• Limit yourself to one alcoholic drink per day to help your liver regulate blood estrogen levels. 
  

Don't smoke

• Research shows that smoking increases the risk of developing breast cancer.

Please know your own risk factors and keep up to date with regular screening with mammograms and breast exams at your annual check-up!  --Jeanie

10 Super Foods!

One of my favorite nutrition sources, Nutrition Action Health Letter, has named 10 super foods:

• sweet potatoes
• grape tomatoes
• fat-free or 1% milk
• broccoli
• wild salmon
• crisp-breads by wasa
• microwavable quick cooking brown rice by Uncle Ben's (my personal favorite is Trader Joe's frozen pre-cooked brown rice--it microwaves perfectly!)
• citrus fruit
• pre-diced butternut squash
• spinach and kale

Interested in more of this kind of information?  Check out their website listed under My Favorite Sites--Jeanie