12 Fat-Burning Machine Breakfast Options

 

Breakfast on the Fat-Burning Machine program includes many options. In the left column of the graphic is three options to begin building the base of your breakfast meal. The second column gives topping ideas. The third and fourth columns are options for added fats and carbohydrates. On some days you may choose to have only the main course and toppings. On other days you may add a fat option, without added carbohydrates. On other days you may want added carbohydrate and no added fats. On mornings when you are extra hungry, you may decide to have the main course, toppings,…Read More »

Vegetable Chips – Are They Healthy?

 

Today’s added sugar food is from Sprouts Farmers Market – Roasted & Salted Mixed Vegetable Chips. People may think that roasted veggies must be healthy, it’s vegetables! Surely no one would add sugar to vegetables, right?

Not so fast.

The eighth ingredient, by weight, is fructose. Sugar.

In every serving size that is a ¾ cup, there is one teaspoon of sugar (fructose) added.

Never assume that sugar is not in a processed food unless you look at the label and verify….Read More »

Energy Drinks and Junk Food May Pose Unique Dangers to Teen Development

 

I think there should be a skull and crossbones marker on energy drinks and junk food. I doubt any manufacturer will agree with me, but I suspect many parents will.

Any parent of a teenager will tell you that teens are still developing in many ways. In a word, they are immature. The concern is the effects of additives and junk food on developing brains and bodies.

High consumption of one additive, in particular, taurine, has been linked to adverse effects on learning and memory in young and adolescent mice. For females, there is also an increase in alcohol consumption. Of course,…Read More »

5 Things to do When the Holidays Become Overwhelming

 

I guarantee that if you do these five things today, you can lower stress.

  • Take just one deep breath. Hold for a count of one-thousand-one. Exhale slowly. Out goes some stress and unrealistic expectations. Gone.
  • Relax your forehead, neck and shoulders. Imagine removing all tension from all muscles in these areas.
  • Jot down three things that are great in your life. Don’t just think about them, write them down. There is magic in putting pen (pencil) to paper. Trust me.
  • Recall one good thing you’ve done for someone else in the last 24 hours. Could be a compliment, a phone call, just listening, a…Read More »
  • Chicken Pesto Chimichurri Over Sautéed Spinach

    This is one of the great recipes from the book, Become a Fat-Burning Machine. I often get “yummy!” comments about the recipe.

    Ingredients

    2 chicken breasts

    4 cups spinach

    ½ onion

    1 tablespoon olive oil

    1-2 tablespoons Chimichurri Sauce

    2 tablespoons tamari

    ¼ cup pine nuts

    2 tablespoons chevre

    ¼ cup milk

     

    Preparation

    Salt and pepper chicken breasts and grill 6 minutes each side.

    Slice onion and sauté in olive oil in a saucepan.  Add spinach and pour tamari over greens.  Cook on medium heat just until spinach wilts.

    In a separate saucepan, place chevre and milk on low heat and whisk until incorporated.

    Toast pine nuts in oven at 300 degrees for…Read More »

    Just 5% Body Weight Loss Cuts Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk

     

    What does 5% weight loss look like?

    If you currently weigh 150 pounds, losing just 7.5 pounds may help reduce your breast cancer risk. At 190 pounds, losing just 9.5 pounds is 5%. For round numbers, let’s say that if you weigh some 150 to 200 pounds, losing some 7.5 to 10 pounds can cut your risk for breast cancer. This is a relatively small weight loss range that results in tremendous benefits.

    The numbers come from research that looked at 61,335 postmenopausal women between the age of 50 and 75 who had no history of breast cancer and had normal mammography…Read More »

    Wine Glass Size Influences Consumption

     

    In an interesting experiment, researchers found that by increasing the size of a wine glass – while keeping the actual serving size of wine the same – it resulted in an increase in sales of nearly 10%! So just by increasing the glass size, sales and consumption increased. Why does glass size increase consumption? Is this because people ordered more glasses of wine, feeling like they were getting a bargain? Is this psychology part of our recent “super-size-me” mentality? Why have we been trained to think and feel that more is better?

    Certainly, affordability and social factors influence our wine…Read More »

    Chimichurri Sauce

    Chimichurri is an herb-based condiment that has roots of origin in Argentina and Uruguay. It is often served on top of or alongside grilled chicken, grilled steaks, roast beef, roast pork and pork sausages. It is made from parsley, garlic, salt and pepper in a base of olive oil and vinegar. Some versions add dried oregano; a pinch of hot pepper; others add chopped cilantro or a bit of chopped onion. The amount of garlic in each recipe varies from a few cloves to a whole head.

    The recipe below is from Danielle Polansky and is in the book, “Become a Fat-Burning Machine.”

    Ingredients

    1…Read More »

    What are Sugar Alcohols?

    Contrary to what the column title may suggest, a sugar alcohol is neither a sugar nor an alcoholic beverage. They are white, water-soluble solids that can occur naturally or be produced industrially from sugars. They are used widely in the food industry as thickeners and sweeteners. In commercial foodstuffs, sugar alcohols are commonly used in place of table sugar (sucrose), often in combination with high-intensity artificial sweeteners to counter the low sweetness. Common sugar alcohols include glycerol, erythritol, threitol, arabitol, xylitol, ribitol, mannitol, sorbitol, galactitol, fucitol, iditol, insitiol, volemitol, isomalt, malitol, lactitol and maltotetraitol. Xylitol is perhaps the…Read More »