Salad For Supper?

When you think of a salad, do you think of a cute little leafy way to say you’ve eaten something healthy to help alleviate your guilt for the big bacon burger that’s on its way? Do you think of a salad as an insatiable dish that leaves you hungry for something else?  It’s time to change your feelings about salads. Here are some deliciously healthy salad recipes that are filling enough to have for dinner.

Here are a few recipes to get you started:

Chicken and Cashew Salad

Steak and Potato Salad

Salmon and Feta Salad

Kale Pasta Salad

The idea is not to have a salad every night for dinner, but incorporating one into your weekly dinner schedule is a perfect way to add more greens to your diet.

Let us know what you think by commenting below! 

Fiber and Weight Loss

Beyond being a part of a healthy diet, fiber can help in in your weight loss efforts. Filling up on fiber can help you feel full for a longer amount of time, therefore causing you to eat less throughout the day.  Fiber has also been linked to managing diabetes, lowering cholesterol and limiting heart damage.

How Much Fiber Do You Need?

You should try to consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. It may not sound like a lot, but most Americans only consume about 15 grams per day or less.  Fiber can be found in most fruits and vegetables such as carrots, peas, broccoli, spinach and cauliflower.

There are many cereals and breads that have a good amount of fiber in them as well. Usually anything made with whole wheat or whole oats or bran will have fiber, plus these cereals tend to be natural and low in fat and sugar.

How Can You Eat More Fiber?

Think about adding garbanzo beans to your soup or salad, or add a tablespoon of bran to your cereal. Leaving the skin on fruits and vegetables can help to increase your fiber intake as well. The actual fiber content of each food is not that much so it’s good to eat more types and servings of fiber-rich foods each day.

Meat has no fiber, so consider eliminating it from some of your meals.

Add Fiber Gradually

It may take some time for your body to get accustomed to a more fiber-rich diet. However, if you want to lose weight and be healthy, give it a try.  Completely changing your diet overnight is not recommended. It may be a trial-and-error process to find just the right amount of fiber that works for your system.  However, in the end, you may be very pleased and even amazed at the positive role fiber plays in your dietary lifestyle.                                                      

Red, White and Diet Blues

It’s not a Fourth of July celebration without family, friends, fireworks and barbeque, right? And who doesn’t like or, in my case, absolutely LOVE barbeque? Yes, barbeque and all of its delicious accompaniments. Spaghetti, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, ok stopping now. When summer holidays come around it’s nearly impossible to avoid a cheat meal, especially when visiting friends and family, as you have no control over the menu.  However, if you’re truly dedicated to your diet, you can pack a healthier meal to take along with you to eat while your fellow BBQ attendees are licking their fingers and reaching for toothpicks.

 A lot of us prefer to indulge. In fact at that very first alluring whiff of the grill or even the sight of the smoke we’re thinking, “Yeah...well, I guess I’ll get back to my diet tomorrow.” And that’s ok, unless of course you have a medical condition that requires you to keep a diet that you should never abandon for any length of time. The point here is to not beat yourself up for having a cheat meal, just don’t let one not-so-healthy meal deter you from your fitness goals and lead to down a spiraling road to stagnancy.

So now that you’ve enjoyed that finger licking food and have read something that has made you feel a little less guilty about it, get back to your fitness and diet routine today. If fitness and healthy eating is new to you altogether, remember that every day is an opportunity to get started!

Some Key Points of Exercise

The goals of exercise include building strength and endurance, reducing body fat, enhancing movement of joints and muscles, and improving your sense of well-being. Some key points of exercise include:

• The U.S. Surgeon General recommends a “moderate amount of physical activity most, if not all, days of the week.”
• Most experts agree that you need at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day to improve your health and 60 minutes per day to lose weight.
• You know that you’re being physically active when your heart beats faster, your muscles contract and your temperature rises.
• Try to incorporate all three types of exercises into your routine; cardiovascular (also known as aerobics or endurance), weight (strength), and flexibility (stretch) training.
• Learn your target heart zone and exercise within that range.  The target heart zone is between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.
• Physical activity can protect your heart as well as lower your cholesterol, blood pressure and chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
• Make exercise fun! Choose activities that you enjoy.
• Avoid injury by varying your workout, warming up and stretching, cooling down properly and taking a day of occasionally.
• Drink plenty of fluids during, before and after exercise. This is important no matter what the temperature is outside.
• Some exercise is better than none and it’s ok to break up your 30-60 minutes each day into 10 or 20 minute intervals, or exercise 3 days a week if you can’t exercise more often.
• Have realistic expectations and recognize when you’re working too hard.
• No matter what your age, make exercise a part of your regular routine. 
• People lose 20-40% of their muscle mass and strength when as they age. Strength training throughout life can help prevent this loss.
• Starting out slowly and being consistent may be the best way to successfully make exercise a habit.   

Summer Grill Meals

Summer is finally underway which means use of your grill rises along with the temperatures.  Grilling is a fast and healthy way to prepare a meal.  It also allows for a variety of meals with a variety of foods to help you create a balanced meal.

Here are some recipes to get you started:

Grilled Mahi-Mahi and Asparagus  
You can also substitute for other fish like salmon, tuna, or cod:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mahi_mahi_asparagus.html

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Marinated-Greek-Chicken-Kabobs/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

Grilled Eggplant Salad
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-eggplant-salad-recipe.html


Grilled Vegetable Platter : 
http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/grilled-vegetable-platter

This recipe includes a great tip.  If you don’t have special grilling tools like a grilling griddle, just use a disposable foil pan (easy to find at a Dollar Store) and poke holes in the bottom to allow liquid to drain.
It’s no coincidence that all of these recipes include a vegetable.  This is a great time to sneak in some extra veggies into your meal.  Grilling helps to bring out their natural sweetness. So try some brightly colored veggies with your next grill meals and bump up your health at the same time!

Use your grill for dessert too.  

Here are some additional recipes to help satisfy your sweet tooth:

Grilled Peaches with Honey Cream
(Don’t have cardamom on hand? Replace it with cinnamon!)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-peaches-honey-cream

Pineapple Berry Hobo Pack 
(If you can’t find crystallized ginger, substitute with ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger):
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/desserts/pineapple-berry-hobo-pack/
Marinated Grilled Apples with Mint
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/marinated-grilled-apples-with-mint