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| Tuesday, March 09, 2010 |
| Red Wine Helps Women Maintain Their Weight |
This morning is a glorious morning indeed. For one thing the weather is almost back to normal in South Florida and I can wear Capri pants without a jacket. But most importantly, research has finally shown that drinking wine in moderation doesn’t make women gain weight over time. Dr. Lu Wang’s research team from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston looked at 19,220 women over 39 years of age who were within their normal BMI (body mass index) range (18.5 to 25) for a period of 13 years. They found that women who drink wine, especially red wine, on a regular basis gained the least amount of weight over time compared to non-drinkers.
During the 13 year study, 41.3 % of the women became overweight (BMI 25 to 30) including 3.8% who became obese (BMI above 30). Non-drinking women gained the most weight, but as the alcohol intake increased to one glass a day, the weight gain decreased. The good news for Mediterranean diet promoters is that women who drank red wine gained the least amount of weight. I cannot quote the exact details of the study yet but what I can do is share my experience with you.
As a promoter of the Mediterranean diet and someone who lives this lifestyle as much as I can, I drink wine on a daily basis and mostly red wine. But last spring I decided to stop drinking in an attempt to get ride of the 5 extra pounds I have been carrying for the past year. So I didn’t drink at all. I tried some non-alcoholic wines, which tasted the same as grape juice so I avoided them. I drank sparkling water with a few drops of Angostura bitters when I went out and that was fine. My eating habits remained the same and so did my habit of not exercising. During those three months I didn’t loose one pound! And all these years I convinced myself that if I didn’t drink I would be a twig. What a relief when I heard about this study.
Here is my take on this. It’s all about moderation. When we drink wine with our meals it’s all about the enjoyment. We eat slower, we sit at the table longer, we are more relaxed and we will slowly finish the wine without having the desire for a dessert. We compensate; if we have wine, we don’t have desserts. It’s the Mediterranean lifestyle where eating is a joy that we share with others. It’s not sitting at a bar after work pounding sweet martini concoctions and stopping at the drive thru afterwards. It’s about having a glass of wine after work followed by a nice dinner comprised of small portions of freshly prepared foods followed by a salad indicating the end of a satisfying meal. Drinking wine is a way of life. For other people it’s chocolate or others need some kind of fried food or their favorite “junk” or whatever treat.
So ladies, if you avoided wine just because of the 100-125 calories per glass it contains but you have a sweet treat or crackers and cheese when you get home; you may want to rethink it. Maybe the glass of wine (one) would give you much more guilt free enjoyment compared to whatever else you were using to unwind.
Cheers! Or as we say in French, Santé, which means to your health. Maybe they knew it all along?
Peace and Love,
- Josée
Related Articles
Sensei Talks: Mediterranean Diet & Colorful Foods for Better Health
Sensei Talks: Mediterranean Diet Saves Lives
Sensei Talks: Mediterranean Diet and Diabetes
Sensei Talks: Mediterranean Diet to Reduce Depression
Labels: Josee, Women's Health
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posted by My Sensei @ Tuesday, March 09, 2010   |
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| Monday, March 08, 2010 |
| Eat Clean to Get Healthy & Lean |
My clients are always looking for the right diet to help them get healthy and fit. Many of them are willing to try fad diets, low calorie diets or whatever else they read about. Often times I just recommend eating clean. Many people haven’t heard the term clean eating, but once I explain it, it makes perfect sense.
Clean eating isn’t just for people who are already fit or exercise regularly. Everyone can benefit from it. It can help you lose and maintain weight and look and feel great. Of course, changing your diet is one of the biggest obstacles in improving your health but clean eating is easy and can quickly become a habit. It can be hard to give up some of your favorite foods, but you might find you feel and look better without them.
So, what is Clean Eating? Simply put, it is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and complex carbohydrates. The plan eliminates the most popular foods in the U.S. diet including: processed snacks, high sugar snacks, foods with hydrogenated fats, foods with preservatives, and any other foods with man made ingredients. Many people unknowingly have an addiction to sugar, flour or fast food. When they stop eating it, they may experience cravings. Therefore, starting to eat clean can be difficult. It does take some dedication since it may be difficult at first. Here are the basic steps to Clean Eating:
- Eliminate refined sugar. Many snacks, processed foods and fast food items have refined sugar.
- Include a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables.
- Cook your own meals.
- Eat 5-6 times per day.
- Drink water throughout the day.
- Include a complex carbohydrate at meals.
- Maintain healthy portions.
- Limit saturated fats and trans fats.
- Eliminate processed foods.
- Eat fresh lean protein.
- Limit or avoid alcohol.
If the steps sound familiar to you, that’s great. You might already be thinking about eating clean. Basically you should be trying to eat healthy foods in their most natural state. Of course everyone wants to eat cake on their birthday or have a cocktail at a party, so I recommend eating clean 80% of the time. If you can start eating clean or cleaner, you will most likely see some changes. You may lose weight, feel more energetic and look younger and brighter. If you exercise, eating clean can really help you get the most out of your workouts and increase your fitness. You can get more information on clean eating by checking out Clean Eating Magazine or reading some of the previously written Sensei healthy eating or diet blogs. Give clean eating a try and see how it improves your health and wellness.
- Lauren
Related Articles
Sensei Talks: Ask the Experts – What do you do to stay thin?
Sensei Talks: Is it healthy to eat small frequent meals?
Sensei Talks: The Best “Diet” Available
Labels: healthy eating, healthy tips, Lauren
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| posted by My Sensei @ Monday, March 08, 2010 |
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| Friday, March 05, 2010 |
| HVP Flavor Enhancer Sparks Massive FDA Recalls |
If any of you are like me, you may be starting to develop some serious concerns about the safety of our food system. It seems every time you turn around the FDA is announcing yet another food recall.
The latest massive recall involves HVP or hydrolyzed vegetable protein. HVP is used as a flavor enhancer in many processed foods including soups, sauces hot dogs, seasoned snack foods, dips and dressings. According to Jenny Scott, senior adviser to the director at the Office of Food Safety at the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the recalled HPV is “likely to be in thousands of food products”.
The original recall was sparked when investigators for the FDA discovered the presence of Salmonella Tennessee on processing equipment at a company called Basic Food Flavors Inc out of Las Vegas, Nevada. Basic Food Flavors Inc manufactures HVP. Apparently there have not been any reported illnesses, but the FDA is taking precautionary measures to prevent outbreaks like we’ve experienced in the past.
The FDA has said that risk of illness is low because most of the foods containing the HVP would be cooked after the ingredient was added, destroying salmonella. However, we encourage you to follow the updates on this recall and continue using safe food handling practices including proper washing, storage and cooking. Check out FoodSafety.gov or Fightbac.org for more information on safe food handling.
For a complete list of product recalls click here.
Just one more reason to avoid processed, packaged items and to eat whole foods instead!
- Lauren
Labels: Breaking News, Food Recall, Lauren
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| posted by My Sensei @ Friday, March 05, 2010 |
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| Eat More Fiber to Boost Your Immune System |
Although we are nearing the end of the “typical” cold and flu season, most of the country, including us poor folks here in South Florida, continue to experience less than desirable weather. A handful of my friends are recovering from a nasty head cold and if I had to put money on it, I’d guess that people are going to continue to get sick even though we are now into March.
For that reason I wanted to share the results of a new study out of the University of Illinois. Researchers are claiming that soluble fiber, found in foods like oatmeal, citrus fruits and beans, helps to reduce inflammation associated with obesity-related diseases (diabetes, heart disease, etc.) and strengthen the immune system. According to Gregory Freund, a professor in the University of Illinois’s College of Medicine, “soluble fiber changes the personality of immune cells – they go from being pro-inflammatory, angry cells to anti-inflammatory, healing cells that help us recover faster from infection”.
The study gave two groups of mice identical low-fat diets except that one contained soluble fiber and the other contained insoluble fiber. After six weeks on the diet researchers induced illness in the animals by giving them a substance that caused their bodies to mimic a bacterial infection and mice in the soluble fiber group got noticeably less sick and recovered sooner. Wow! The study is set to be published in the May 2010 issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity and will also be available online.
Of course more research needs to be done to see if the same thing will happen in human subjects. However, we already know fiber (soluble and insoluble) is good for us…so if eating more of it helps boost our immune system then that’s just a bonus.
More on Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber is found exclusively in plant foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes. The best sources of soluble fiber are citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruits, prunes (dried plums), pears, apples, beans and lentils, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, oatmeal, barley and flaxseeds. In addition to potentially boosting your immune system, soluble fiber can also help lower cholesterol, keep off unwanted pounds by promoting a sense of fullness and help control blood sugar.
Tips to Increase Your Intake
- Try oatmeal with chopped apples (leave the skin on) and cinnamon.
- Mix some ground flaxseeds into yogurt, cottage cheese or a smoothie.
- Throw some beans on your salad, make a bean burrito or try a lentil or bean soup.
- Try orange or grapefruit slices in your salad, mix them with cottage cheese or enjoy alone as a snack.
- Have broccoli in an omelet, stir-fry or pasta or enjoy raw as a snack dipped in hummus or low-fat dressing.
Experts suggest aiming for 30 to 35 grams of total fiber a day (soluble + insoluble).
- Lauren
Related Articles
Sensei Talks: Healing Foods
Sensei Talks: Foods That Fight Inflammation
Sensei Talks: Boost Your Immunity
Labels: healthy eating, Immunity, Lauren
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| posted by My Sensei @ Friday, March 05, 2010 |
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| Thursday, March 04, 2010 |
| Are You Buying Used Underwear? |
I apologize in advance for the subject matter of this post and the grossing out that will inevitably ensue. You have been warned!
A few of the morning shows have been reporting stories about previously worn clothing ending up on store shelves. Not such a big deal, right? I know I return clothes every now and then. Sometimes that dress I thought I looked like Kim Kardashian in at the store doesn’t look quite the same at home. It happens. But when we’re talking about returning used underwear, that’s where I draw the line. Yes, that’s right. Underwear, worn by other people, gets returned and goes back on the shelves in a matter of minutes. Then you buy and wear them. Gross!
The Today Show and Good Morning America sent out undercover shoppers who returned underwear they’d bought after removing the tags. Hidden cameras revealed that the employees returned the items to the store shelves without any questions. Say what? Aside from the sheer nastiness of this whole thing, there are also health implications to think about. The Today Show’s microbiologist, Peter Kmeick, explains, “Fecal material would be the most concerning substances. You could have bacteria, viruses, fungi. These are things that one person would be able to transfer to another inadvertently through the garment.” Lovely, isn’t it?
I’m seriously considering making my own underwear, you guys. I picked up some sewing skills in Home Ec, so I think I can do it. If you’d rather not fashion your own undies, I highly suggest you wash them (and all of the clothes you buy) before you wear them. And for those of you who are returning used underwear, please stop. If I want your fungi and viruses, I will ask for them, thanks.
- Eunice
Labels: Breaking News, Eunice, Recent Research
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| posted by My Sensei @ Thursday, March 04, 2010 |
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| Wednesday, March 03, 2010 |
| Dancing with the Stars |
On Monday night the new line-up for the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars was announced. Some names that caught my attention included Pamela Anderson, Olympic gold medal winning figure skater Evan Lysacek, Shannon Doherty (better know as Brenda from 90210), Jake Pavelka from the most recent season of The Bachelor and the famous mom of eight, Kate Gosselin.
As the contestants were revealed I couldn’t help but wonder who out of the group was going to be the next big weight loss success story. Every season participants gush over how much weight they’ve lost and how they’re in the “best shape of their lives” after participating in the show. Last season it was Kelly Osbourne and before that Marie Osmond. What are their secrets you might ask? Pressure to look good in those skimpy costumes? Extreme dieting with celebrity trainers and nutritionists to shed the pounds?
I hate to break the news folks, but the answer is simple…it’s the dancing! Even if most of these celebs didn’t change a thing about their diet they would still see improvements in their body and fitness level due the hours upon hours of dancing in rehearsal.
Dancing is arguably one of the best methods of exercise for weight loss. By combining movement in all the major muscle groups, dancing provides significant cardiovascular benefits and burns tons of calories. The position of your body when doing dance moves, including: holding your head up, shoulders back, ribcage in, etc., all dramatically alter your own perception of your body and the way others perceive you. With regular dancing you can see changes in your body composition (think long, lean muscles) and improvements in your body image, confidence and appearance.
Even if you’re not into the whole ballroom thing, dancing can still be a great way to burn calories and relieve stress because it’s one of those activities you can do just about anywhere. In the family room, at the office (just be sure to close the door first) or anywhere else you have some good tunes and a little space to move. Whenever Josee and I need a little energy boost we just crank up Love Generation and let loose in our office for a few minutes.
So next time you get bored with your workout routine or are just looking for something fun and different, think about signing up for a dance class (ballroom, ballet, hip-hop). You can also try a class at the gym like Zumba, buy a DVD online or check out what your cable offers ‘On Demand’. These days the choices are endless. Be sure to let me know how it goes!
- Lauren
Who do you think the next Dancing with the Stars weight loss success story will be? Stay tuned…the season premier is March 22nd.
Related Articles
Sensei Talks: Do you want to dance?
Sensei Talks: Bollywood Dance
Sensei Talks: Dancing with the Stars
Labels: Exercise, Lauren, Weight Loss
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| posted by My Sensei @ Wednesday, March 03, 2010 |
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