Scrumptious Side Dishes

I'm always looking for different ways to spice up my meals, but without the added calories. Here are a few low-cal recipe ideas to add some pop to your plate. 

Parmesan Broccoli with Cherry Tomatoes

(serves 12; serving size is 1/2 cup; 25 calories per serving)

6 cups broccoli florets

16 cherry tomatoes, halved

3 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

*Steam broccoli, covered, for 6 minutes or until crisp-tender

*Transfer to large bowl and add remaining ingredients; toss gently to combine. 

Confetti Slaw with Poppy-Seed Dressing

(serves 4; serving size is 2/3 cup; 40 calories per serving)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup thinly sliced green cabbage

1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

*Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Add cabbage and carrots; toss to coat. 

Asian-Style Zucchini

(serves 4; 52 calories per serving) 

1 teaspoon butter

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch slices

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

garlic powder and ground black pepper to taste

*Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; stir in zucchini and cook until lightly browned.

*Sprinkle with soy sauce and sesame seeds. Season with garlic powder and pepper; continue cooking until zucchini is well-coated and tender. 

Taking the Heat

Summer is just around the corner (June 21 is the official first day), and that means sun, sun and more sun – especially for us Floridians. And while too much of a good thing can be harmful, there is at least one health benefit from the sun's rays: vitamin D. 

Your body makes vitamin D when you are exposed to the ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in sunlight. Generally, stepping outside for 5 to 30 minutes (without sunscreen) twice every week should do the trick, and if you plan to stay out longer, make sure to apply some sunscreen to avoid burning. If you're fair skinned, 10 minutes in the midday sun – in shorts and a tank top – should be enough to produce around 10,000 international units of the vitamin (the recommended daily dose is around 1,000 IU each day). 

Research has shown that vitamin D deficiency can cause an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even depression. And recent research suggests that low vitamin D levels may double your risk of stroke death. On the contrary, benefits of the vitamin include maintaining calcium balance, boosting the immune system, regulating blood pressure and protecting against diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer. 

So get outside and enjoy the season, it's good for you! 

Sweet Treats

I’m a dessert person. I always need a little something after my dinner to satisfy my sweet tooth, otherwise it just doesn’t feel complete. But of course, I try to stick with low calorie options as much as possible, and I’m always looking for something new. That’s why I got very excited when my friend pointed out to me today that Skinny Cow – the brand behind those delicious, low-calorie ice cream sandwiches – has come out with a new line of ice cream cups in a variety of flavors. Choose from the following fabulous flavors: 

Chocolate Fudge Brownie – Rich chocolate ice cream with fudgey chocolate brownie bits (150 calories; 2 grams of fat) 

Dulce de Leche – Low-fat caramel ice cream with swirls of caramel (150 calories, 1 gram of fat)

Strawberry Cheesecake – Cheesecake ice cream with swirls of sweet strawberry (150 calories; 1 gram of fat) 

Caramel Cone – Low-fat ice cream with a sweet caramel swirl and chocolate-covered chunks of crunchy cone (170 calories; 3 grams of fat) 

Cookies ‘N Cream – The classic low-fat vanilla ice cream with crunchy chunks of chocolate cookie (150 calories; 2 grams of fat) 

Is it dessert time yet? 

TGIF

Another work week has gone by, which means one thing... happy hour! But depending on your drink of choice, that can add up to a lot of extra calories over the course of an evening. Just so you're prepared, I've listed the calorie counts of some popular drinks below. Enjoy!

Red Bull and vodka: 177 (9.3 ounces) 

Captain Morgan and Coke: 123 (1.25-ounce shot of rum and 4 ounces regular coke)

Captain Morgan and Diet Coke (my personal fave): 75 calories (1.25-ounce shot of rum and 4 ounces Diet Coke) 

Bud Light: 110 (12 ounces) 

Michelob Ultra: 95 (12 ounces) 

Miller Lite: 96 (12 ounces) 

Gin and tonic: 143 (6 ounces) 

Cranberry and vodka: 133 (1-ounce shot of vodka, 4 ounces cranberry juice) 

Cosmo: 143 (6 ounces) 

Mojito: 172 (7 ounces) 

White wine: 77 (4 ounces)

Red wine: 85 (4 ounces) 

Daily Dish

I am a creature of habit in all aspects – especially the way I eat. I tend to eat the same exact thing every day for weeks at a time (except on weekends), and honestly never get tired of it. It's just easier to plan my meals and cook when I know exactly what I'm going to eat, when, how much, etc. 

But that got me thinking about an earlier post, where I stressed the importance of varying your workouts to avoid hitting plateaus, and realized that maybe my routine eating habits could be doing more harm than good. 

So I decided to do a little research, and here is what I found. 

Apparently it won't hurt you to eat the same thing every day, as long as you're making healthy choices. (Daily trips to Burger King don't count.) However, it's important to vary your diet as much as you can to make sure you're covering all your nutritional bases and taking in all the vitamins and minerals as you can. So maybe instead of your mid-morning apple, you can swap that out for an orange or pear or banana (you get the idea). 

One thing to note, however, is that it may be possible to develop intolerances to certain foods that you eat often. Unfortunately, food intolerances are highly individual and mysterious, and can be triggered by anything from emotional stress to environmental toxins, so it's very hard to predict. 

I figure that as long as I incorporate all the major food groups (fruits, veggies, whole grains, protein, heart-healthy fats, etc.) in my daily diet, I can just keep doing what I'm doing. 

Is Kosher Better For You?

As a Jew, I have a special place in my heart for all things kosher (especially anything found in a kosher deli). And apparently I'm not the only one. Much like my previous post that highlighted the fact that many non-Celiac Disease sufferers are opting for gluten-free products in their diet, I've also noticed a trend in the popularity of kosher products, even for those who have no religious connection. 

The idea is that kosher products are in some way healthier or more environmentally friendly. In fact, a recent study found that the top reasons consumers chose kosher products were "food quality," "general healthfulness" and "food safety." ("I follow kosher religious rules" came in sixth.) But this is not entirely true. 

While there are very strict guidelines that must be followed in order to declare something kosher, the rules do not specify how to raise the animals or what to feed them. So if you think you're eating an animal that was reared on organic grasses, you are probably mistaken. 

According to kosher "law," the animals must be killed by hand with a sharp knife drawn across the neck. From there, the lungs are carefully inspected and the meat is de-veined, soaked in cold water and salted before being rinsed. This salting and rinsing process can reduce the presence of certain microbes, such as salmonella. And the de-veining may help as blood can be a breeding ground for bacteria. But kosher meat processing has additional contamination risks as well – such as the use of extra-strong plucking machines (because steam or hot water cannot be applied to get rid of stray feathers until after the meat has been salted), which can tear the skin of a carcass and open up sites for infection. 

The bottom line is, while it may be more expensive, there's no real evidence that kosher meat is cleaner or healthier than non-kosher. 

Happy Birthday, Birth Control Pill! (Ironic, Isn't It?)

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill (on May 9, 1960, an advisory committee to the FDA recommended approval of the birth control pill, and it was approved 45 days later), I thought it was appropriate to clear up a few myths surrounding it. 

Myth 1: The Pill Makes You Fat.

While some women seem to gain weight on the pill, it isn't quite so black and white. Estrogen in the pill can make some women feel bloated, but this typically goes away. And water retention is also a common side effect, but that can often be reduced by switching to a lower dose pill. Studies have actually shown that women often start the pill during a time in their life when they typically gain weight anyway, giving the pill a bad rap. 

Myth 2: Long-Term Pill Use Can Affect Fertility.

Although some women may face a delay in becoming pregnant after stopping the pill, this is most likely due to the fact that they had irregular periods before starting it in the first place. In fact, fertility can return almost immediately after stopping the pill, and often times women may become extra fertile soon after going off the pill. 

Myth 3: It's Good to Take a Break from the Pill if You've Taken it for a Long Time.

There's no medical reason to back this up; however, doctors do advise reviewing contraceptive needs after 15 years of being on the pill or at age 35. 

Double Down Details

I know I'm a little late on bringing up this whole KFC Double Down topic, seeing as how it's been creating quite the buzz since its April 12 debut. This is mostly because every time I even think about the sandwich – strips of bacon, cheese and sauce sitting between two pieces of fried chicken – I can just feel my arteries clogging on the spot. 

But I do want to bring up one thing that has me scratching my head. According to KFC's website, the Original Recipe Double Down has only 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and 1,380 mg of sodium. I don't mean to make it sound like that's not an astronomical amount (because it is – especially the sodium), but if that's true, you're telling me that it is more "nutritious" than, say, Burger King's Tendercrisp Garden Salad (which has 670 calories, 45 grams of fat and 1,740 mg of sodium)?? I find that hard to believe. 

For a list of more fast food items that are supposedly worse for you than the Double Down, check out this website: http://consumerist.com/m/2010/04/10-fast-food-items-worse-for-you-than-the-kfc-double-down.html. 

Broccoli vs. Breast Cancer

Didn't your mother always tell you to eat your broccoli? Well, it turns out mom was right – but now for a very different reason than just being low-calorie and highly nutritious. 

A recent study conducted at the University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Center has found that an extract in broccoli – sulforaphane – can kill breast cancer stem cells, which drive a tumor's growth. By killing the stem cells, it actually stopped new tumors from forming. 

The findings are particularly significant because even existing chemotherapy treatments do not eliminate the stem cells of cancer, which means it's possible for the cancer to spread or come back. 

The study, which was conducted on mice and in human cell cultures, relied on higher concentrations of sulforaphane than can be ingested by simply eating the green veggie, but there are supplements out there. However, since the concentration in these supplements are not controlled or regulated, and clinical trials on actual patients haven't been done yet, researchers don't recommend adding the extract to one's diet yet. 

But hey, it's a start. 

Cardio Conundrum

I have always subscribed  to the "calorie in, calorie out" philosophy, which states that in order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in. And since I typically only have an hour a day to exercise, I want to make sure I burn as many calories as I can in that period of time – which typically means heavy on the cardio – to take advantage of that window, right? Well, maybe not. 

Although cardio does burn 10 to 12 calories a minute, compared to only 8 to 10 calories per minute with strength training, it's the weights that will give your metabolism a boost for up to an hour after your workout. Since your body is trying to help your muscles recover, it's burning an additional 25 percent of the calories you just burned during your workout. Plus, for every three pounds of muscle you build, your body burns an extra 120 calories a day with no extra effort. 

Another thing to consider is your target heart rate for fat burning. Technically, working at a lower intensity (such as walking, light weights, etc.) requires less quick energy, so your body is burning a higher percentage of fat rather than carbs. This is great for someone who is at their ideal weight, but wants to tone up. However, if the goal is to lose weight, a calorie in is still a calorie out, so a leisurely walk around the park won't do much. Confusing, isn't it? 

A great tool to help you keep track of your heart rate and overall calories burned is a heart rate monitor. I personally like the Polar products. Check them out here (www.polarusa.com) and find which one is right for you.

What Dreams May Come

There's nothing I love more than a good power nap. In fact, in college, I pretty much had it down to a science: 22 minutes was all I needed to recharge for the rest of the day. 

And as it turns out, I may have been unknowingly boosting my memory with each snooze. According to a new study done at the Center for Sleep and Cognition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, naps may boost your ability to process and store information, but only if you dream. 

The study followed 99 college students who were asked to memorize a complex maze on a computer. They were then placed inside a virtual, 3-D version of the maze and asked to navigate to another spot within it. After doing this a few times, half of the students took a 90-minute nap while the other half stayed awake and watched videos. Five hours later, all the students were given the maze test again, and guess what? The nappers did better than the students who stayed awake. And the ones who dreamed about the maze did especially well – 10 times better than the nappers who didn't, to be exact. 

And luckily for those who don't have enough time to take a 90-minute nap – like me – it doesn't even have to be a deep sleep to work. Researchers found that the students' dreaming and learning occurred after as little as one minute of non-REM sleep. 

In that case, I think we should all push for nap time at work. Who's with me? 

Acai: Super Food or Super Fraud?

For years, the acai berry has been touted as a "miracle fruit" that will help shed unwanted pounds when taken as a weight loss supplement. But although the Amazonian fruit does contain many beneficial properties, including antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy fats, it's not all that different than other antioxidant-rich fruits like blueberries, blackberries and red grapes. 

That's not stopping marketers, however, from continuing to make claims about the "super food" that have never been proven, such as the fact that it will help you lose weight, lower your cholesterol and boost your energy. In fact, Stephen Talcott, a biochemist and leading expert on the acai berry told the New York Times, "There is currently no scientific research to support a weight loss claim for acai fruit. Some companies are capitalizing on the fact that the acai berry is still mostly unknown to the broader public, and is sold as a miracle curative fruit from the deep, dark Amazonian jungle. It is doing nothing more than playing on consumer ignorance." 

That's for sure, as it's used in everything from diet pills to ice cream to skin care products. And make sure to check the ingredient list, because some items – including Snapple's Acai Blackberry drink – don't even contain the fruit at all. 

The truth is, acai is good for you. It's not going to hurt you. But it's also not going to be the miracle, cure-all fruit that marketers and scam artists would like you to believe it is. 

Ginkgo: Forget About It

For years, ginkgo biloba has been one of the most popular dietary supplements for brain health around. Ask my mother. For as long as I can remember, she would rarely leave the house without taking her "memory pills." Well, sorry mom, but you're going to have to find something else to keep that brain from aging. Because according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers have found no evidence that the herb reduces the normal cognitive decline that comes with aging. These findings come out just over a year after another study found that the herb doesn't prevent dementia and Alzheimer's either. 

My mom is not alone, however. Ginkgo has been used for more than 1,600 years to promote mental acuity, and Americans spent $107 million on the herb in 2007 alone. In its place, try exercising your mind a little by learning a new language or doing crossword puzzles. Like they say, if you don't use it, you lose it. 

How Sweet It Is

I'll admit it, I'm addicted to Splenda. Every morning I have a bowl of oatmeal with two Splenda packets mixed in. And many afternoons I enjoy a nice chai tea latte from Starbucks with another two. Not to mention all the sugar-free items I buy that are sweetened with the sucralose-based sweetener. 

I mean, no calories and 600 times sweeter than real sugar? Talk about having your cake and eating it too. But of course, if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. 

Splenda, along with other artificial sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin, have been under fire for years for possible health risks, and have been tested and tested and tested, with both good and bad findings. And when I interviewed West Palm Beach-based weight loss specialist Dr. Gloria Hakkarainen last week, she didn't have the highest opinion of sucralose (or any other unnatural sweeteners for that matter). She did recommend Truvia, which is an all-natural/no-calorie sweetener made from the stevia plant. While it doesn't quite satisfy my sweet tooth like Splenda does, I'm trying to get used to it. Doctor's orders. 

To the Xtreme: P90X

As I mentioned in my first post, I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of my P90X system to arrive. Well, it finally did, and I had the pleasure (and pain) of testing out my first two workouts this weekend. 

If you're not familiar with P90X, it's basically a set of 12 DVDs with different sweat-inducing workouts on each. And the theory behind its effectiveness is muscle confusion, "which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus," according to the website. 

I did the Chest & Back workout plus the Ab Ripper X workout on Saturday, and the Plyometrics workout on Sunday. And damn, I am sore. The Chest & Back workout was mostly a combination of different push ups and pull ups (you can modify those with resistance bands), which was a challenge for me because I rarely do either of those exercises. And Plyometrics – a mix of jumps, lunges and cardio moves – was probably the most intense of all 12 DVDs and supposedly bridges the gap between speed and strength. The only downside I can foresee is that it might get a little bit boring working out alone every day for 90 days (I'm used to taking classes at the gym surrounded by others to motivate you), but hopefully host/personal trainer Tony Horton's cheesy jokes and non-stop banter will be enough to keep me entertained. I'll keep you posted. 

Have you tried P90X? I'd love to know your thoughts. 

Breast News I've Heard All Day

Have you ever heard of HALO? And no, I don't mean that dorky science fiction video game. I mean the HALO Breast Pap Test, which apparently is a preventative test that women can take to assess their risk of breast cancer. I had never heard of it before, so when I visited the offices of Dr. Gloria Hakkarainen in West Palm Beach yesterday (to interview her for a completely unrelated subject) and saw the funny-looking machine, I was interested in learning more about it. 

Dubbed the "pap test for the breast," the machine basically works like a breast pump of sorts, suctioning your breasts for about five minutes. If there is no production of "nipple aspirate fluid," or NAF, that means that you are at normal risk – not elevated risk – for developing breast cancer. If you do produce NAF, but there's no presence of atypical cells in it, then you are at slightly higher risk for developing breast cancer compared to someone who did not produce NAF. And if you produce NAF with atypical cells, this means that you are at an elevated risk for developing breast cancer. This does NOT mean that you have breast cancer or that you will develop it in the near future; however, you should be more vigilant and proactive in monitoring your breast health. 

While this test does not take the place of routine mammograms and breast exams, it's comforting to know that, as women, we have more opportunities for prevention than ever before. 

Learn more about HALO at www.paptestforthebreast.com. 

Gluten Free: Not Only for Celiac Sufferers

We recently wrote a piece on Celiac Disease for our May "Top Docs" issue, highlighting some of the little known facts about the autoimmune disorder. For example, did you know that even the tiniest amount of gliadin (the gluten protein responsible for the side effects in Celiac sufferers) can cause a severe reaction, including diarrhea, bloating or even anemia and osteoporosis due to vitamin deficiency caused by malabsorption? Yikes. 

And due to the increasing awareness of this disease, there has been an influx of gluten-free products hitting the market, including pastas, breads, cereal, baked goods and more. I should know, because although I am lucky enough not to have the disease, I do actually have a slight sensitivity to gliadin (as evidenced by the ALCAT blood test I took a few months ago through the Center for Medical Weight Loss, which tested my body's reaction to more than 300 foods, chemicals and other substances). 

When I found this out, I immediately hit up Whole Foods, which carries an extensive array of gluten-free products. And honestly, they're not half bad. My favorite is the Enjoy Life Soft-Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies (130 calories/4.5 grams of fat/2 grams of fiber for two cookies). But I'm always up for suggestions... 

Also, for more info on the ALCAT test, see Gold Coast's "Balance" page from the January 2010 issue, or visit the Center for Medical Weight Loss at www.cmwl.org.

Shifting Gears

I took a spin class last night for the first time in, I don't know, four years. And wow... I am feeling it this morning. (Who can get comfortable on those seats?!) But more than that, it quickly made me realize how important it is to switch up your workouts. I was getting bored with my standard kickboxing/jogging/weight training routine and wanted to add something new. But I never thought it would challenge me the way it did. I was out of breath around song number three, and it didn't help watching the pregnant woman to my right and the 65-year-old man to my left cruising along like it was a leisurely bike ride around the neighborhood. 

Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." This certainly applies to your workouts. You'll never break through plateaus or achieve the results you want by sticking to the same routine. 

So here are a few suggestions on how to switch it up:

1. If you typically stick to cardio, try incorporating 2-3 days of weight training into your workouts. The more muscle you build, the more fat you'll burn throughout the day by doing nothing at all.

2. If you belong to a gym, take advantage of the variety of classes they offer (kickboxing, spinning, yoga, pilates, step, boot camp, dance, etc.). Try a different one each day to enhance muscle confusion. 

3. Change your playlist. Sometimes it's as simple as the music you're listening to that can affect your intensity. 

4. Timing is everything. If you're feeling tired and sluggish after work, your workouts will undoubtedly suffer. Try waking up early for a run before work and it'll leave you energized for the rest of the day. 

5. Turn it into a game. See how far you can run in five minutes. Or bring a friend along for some friendly competition. The more fun you make it, the easier it will be. 

Healthy Beginnings

As writers and editors, it's about time us Gold Coast magazine staffers hit the blogosphere. Each with our own area of "expertise," we plan to give you an array of information – sometimes useful, sometimes useless, but, hopefully, always entertaining. 

My personal passion is – and always has been – health and fitness. (I even lied about my age when I was 12 to join a gym – the minimum age was 13 – and have been a dedicated workoutaholic ever since.) Trust me, it doesn't show. But I'm trying... and will continue to do so until I find what works for me. And until then, I'll take you all along for the ride: testing products, trying new workouts (my P90X system is en route to my doorstep thanks to eBay), modifying my diet, etc. But mostly, I'll just be researching and learning more about the world of health and wellness like I always do (check out Gold Coast's "Balance" page every month), and sharing my findings with you in a more timely manner.

One such topic that's been on my radar for awhile now is the "glycogen window."  This is the "window of opportunity" after a workout where the body can convert carbs into muscle glycogen at two to three times the normal rate. I actually wrote about it in our "Balance" page last year, but have yet to truly test it out for myself. 

According to the expert that I interviewed – Jupiter-based ACE-certified personal trainer Kelly Hardersen – the window lasts for about 30 to 60 minutes after a strenuous workout, and we must eat high glycemic index foods that break down quickly during digestion. The Glycemic Index rates foods on a scale of 0 to 100, depending on how your body's sugar levels respond to the food. And when I heard the phrase "high glycemic index," I was immediately confused. Typically, we are told to stay away from high glycemic index foods such as white bread, soft drinks and candy bars because they increase the body's sugar levels rapidly, leaving you hungrier sooner. 

So my response to Hardersen was, "So what you're telling me is, if I eat a donut after my workout, it's actually beneficial?" Here's what she said: "Although I'd NEVER tell any of my clients to eat a donut after a workout, that's actually very close to the truth. A high glycemic carb really only has a place in our nutrition plan during this 30-60 minute window of opportunity post exercise. So, in fact, a bad carb becomes a good carb during this time frame." 

Hardersen recommends drinking a whey protein shake (liquids are digested much quicker than whole foods) with extra added dextrose (a type of sugar) after your workout. She suggests consuming somewhere between 0.25 to 0.50 grams of carbs per pound of body weight from dextrose (a 150-pound person should consume 35 to 75 grams). 

You can order dextrose powder online from Amazon.com and Bodybuilding.com, among other websites. As for the protein shakes, I've heard Myoplex is the "whey to go." (Get it??) But I'm open to suggestions. What do you think is the best/best tasting protein shake around?