Foods that Fight Aging

             

  The principles of eating for longevity are useful at any age. Whether you are young or old, you can take preventative measures in order to safeguard your health for the future. The key is a healthy diet and lifestyle full of foods that promote your health rather than detract from it. Avoid foods heavy in saturated fat and trans fat. Eat foods with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Here are some foods that will help you age gracefully.

·         Legumes – Chock full of complex carbohydrates and fiber, legumes help keep a stable blood insulin level. They have no cholesterol, and are packed with antioxidants and protein.

·         Watermelon – The antioxidants found in watermelon help repair the sun damage in skin cells.

·         Tomatoes – Tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which can reduce the risk of some cancers, and keep the skin looking youthful.

·         Cucumber – The skin of a cucumber is made from silica, which helps to build collagen in the skin.

·         Olive Oil – Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats (good fats) which actually lower your LDL cholesterol. It is high in antioxidants, which improves skin’s elasticity.

·         Nuts and seeds – Nuts and seeds are full of vitamin E, which helps to moisturize the skin by protecting cells against free radical attacks.

·         Broccoli – There is a compound in broccoli called sulforaphane that increases the activity of protective enzymes in our cells.

·         Salmon – The omega 3 fatty acids found in salmon help to reduce hypertension, lower triglycerides, and decrease your risk of heart attack.

·         Whole grains – Whole grains help reduce the risk of diabetes because of they take longer to digest and do not cause spikes in blood sugar.

·         Berries – Dark berries such as blueberries and raspberries are rich an antioxidants called anthocyanins which have been shown to slow the growth of certain cancers and improve brain function.

Eating Healthy On a Budget

               

 Have you ever thought that eating healthy is too expensive, and it’s more affordable to just eat fast food and other unhealthy convenience foods? It doesn't have to be that way. It’s true that healthy food tends to be more expensive than junk food, but it also goes further than junk food. It takes a little extra planning and preparation. 

Food that seems cheap, like fast food, actually adds up over time and takes a toll on your health. By adding a little more food preparation and planning to your day, you will save money on fast food that you end up buying out of convenience. 

Try to think of the days when fast food wasn't around every corner, and pretend like it’s not there.

1.       Start with your staples. Buy whole grain brown rice, 100% whole grain bread, oatmeal, lentils, beans, and whole grain pastas. If it is possible, buy these foods in bulk because they take much longer to spoil than produce. Buy dried beans and lentils, you get more for your money.

2.       Plan your meals a head of time. Cook a meal in a large quantity, say two or three servings, and save the left overs. This saves a ton of money on meals. Try cooking a stir fry of chicken, rice and vegetables on Sunday, so you have dinner for Monday and Tuesday.

3.       Eat more vegetarian meals. Not only will you save money, but will lower your intake of cholesterol and saturated fat. Eat beans, vegetables, and your choice of whole grain.

4.       Drink water. Filtered tap water does not raise your grocery bill like sodas and sugary juices do. If water is a little too plain, try making your own ice tea or lemon water.

5.       Eat eggs. These are one of the least expensive foods, but they are packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals.

6.       Make your own snacks. If you make your own granola bars, popcorn, or celery and peanut butter, you will find that a little bit of money goes a long way.

7.       Eat fresh produce that is in season, this usually means it is less expensive.

8.       If you cannot always afford fresh produce, frozen produce is the next best thing, and it is considerably less expensive.

9.       Use your freezer. Freeze bread, left overs, meats, and other things so you will not have to deal with food spoilage and wasting money. You can eat it whenever you are ready.

10.   Make small changes. Notice that instead of getting that four-dollar bag of cookies, you can use that money to buy a bag of apples or something healthy.

You will start to notice that junk food is expensive when you could be spending the money on real food. The least expensive produce tends to be carrots, celery, and spinach which are all great for snacking and lunch.

Is Your Partner Making You Fat?

Is your partner making you fat? A lot of us get comfortable in a relationship and can put on 10 to 15 lbs within the first 2 years. It’s easy to do so when you spend a lot of time together, go out to eat on the weekends, drink together, etc.

 Here are a few helpful tips to help save your weight before it breaks your relationship!

1.Try different foods together. Try cooking healthy meals together and experimenting with healthier options. Also, us women are generally shorter and weigh less than men which means we need to cut our portions way less than our significant other. 

2.You can be together but don’t always EAT together. Every time your partner eats or snacks, doesn’t mean you have to as well. Sometimes we eat if we see someone else eating and not because we are hungry. Eat when it is comfortable for you. 

3.Break out of the rut. It’s easy once you have been dating a while or married for some time to spend your free time going to the movies which means snacking extra, going out for ice cream, or having a late night snack. How about suggesting spending your alone time going for a walk, a bike ride, rock climbing, something active? 

4.Focus on your love life and ignore being tired! Your love life is so important and helps control your weight gain. It is actually proven, an active sex life leads to shedding those extra pounds.

Obstacle Course Training

Korrespondent Nick Davey and Lifetime Fitness Personal Trainer Tim Brumm one of Americas newest trends-Obstacle Course Training.

Cutting Sugar From Your Diet

                Today Americans consumes about 150 pounds of sugar per year. That is pretty horrifying when we consider that Americans consumed about 7.5 pounds of sugar per year in 1700. In our culture, it is easy to have dessert every day. In addition to sweets, sugar is hidden in unsuspecting foods, like crackers, salad dressings, or breads that are not even really supposed to be sweet. Soft drinks are the worst offender however, because a twelve ounce can of soda contains about eight teaspoons of sugar. It only takes four twelve ounce sodas to equal a quarter pound of sugar. Here is some advice on how to cut down on sugar.

·         If you get used to less sugar, you will be satisfied with less sugar. Try cutting sugar intake down slowly. And once you go from three teaspoons to one teaspoon or even one half teaspoon in your coffee, you will be satisfied when you retrain your taste buds. Don’t go cold turkey, just cut down gradually.

·         Use spices to flavor your food instead of sugar.

·         Try stevia, an all-natural herbal sweetener that is 30 times sweeter than sugar. This can be found in health food stores. Other sugar substitute are full of chemicals, so stick to what’s natural.

·         Drink way more water. Make it less boring by adding lemon, lime, berries, or soda water to it.

·         Check food labels. Avoid foods that have high fructose corn syrup. Look for the labels that say “no added sugar” or “Half the sugar” but just make sure these foods aren’t making up for the lack of sugar with artificial sweetener.

·         Set boundaries on dessert. Because desert is so abundant in our culture, we have to be more proactive about our intake of it. For example, try to only have it on weekends, or special occasions. If dining out is not such a frequent occurrence, only have it at restaurants. It seems so harmless, but it’s not something you should be having every day.

·         Try cutting your sweet drinks in half with unsweetened ones. Mix soda water or water with your juice or lemonade, or diet soda with your regular soda. Mix unsweetened tea with your sweet tea.

Go for a walk when you start to feel the sugar cravings. This will switch your focus and stop your cravings for sweets.

 Lindsey Croston

Kurriosity writer/editor

Low Calorie Salmon Recipe

Massage Therapy

I’ve been playing Aussie football here in the US for a few weeks now, and I definitely need a massage. Last week I landed on my neck, yes my neck, and it’s still sore.

I think it’s time I went for a massage, I was just reading that a massage can speed your recovery by an extra 50%. Massage therapy is also a great mood-lifter; I think all of us can agree on that one, every time I get a massage I feel great, and I vow to return sooner rather than later.

I was just reading about other major benefits of massage. Due to the fact that a masseuse sees more of your own skin than you do, and they spend their lives working with the human body, a masseuse has the ability to discover abnormalities on and under our skin. From skin cancer, to inflammation, even a tumor, massage therapy can be used as a means of detecting serious life-threatening issues. I guess it’s not just a way to relax then.

Core Training

Chicken and Asparagus Crepes

Prep time: 20 min 

Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
2 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill, chives or mint)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
8 store-bought crepes (about 9 inches each)
1 shallot, sliced
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into pieces
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Butter a large baking dish.
Combine the chicken, ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, 3 tablespoons herbs, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.
Spoon about 1/4 cup filling across the lower half of each crepe; roll up to enclose the filling.
Place the crepes, seam-side down, in the baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake until the filling is hot, about 15 minutes.
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the shallot and cook until it softens, about 1 minute.
Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes.
 Add the chicken broth, lemon zest and the remaining 1 tablespoon herbs and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
Divide the crepes among plates, top with the asparagus and sauce, and sprinkle with parmesan.

Nutritional Facts Per serving:

Calories 405; Fat 24 g (Saturated 14 g); Cholesterol 115 mg; Sodium 984 mg; Carbohydrate 19 g; Fiber 1 g; Protein 26 g