Healthy Fast Food Alternatives

Excerpted from Yahoo Health and written by:  David Zinczenko, Matt Golding
Restaurant food doesn’t have to be bad for us. Oh sure, much of the time it is: The monstrous portion sizes you’re served are often spiked with added sugars and dangerous fats, and with misleading names that suggest that you might even be getting something healthy and nutritious. Fat chance. And the scariest part is that today the average diner in this country underestimates his or her caloric intake by up to 93 percent when eating out—meaning you’re probably eating twice as much as you think!
Make a Burger Healthy
Burger King Whopper
680 calories
40 g fat (11 g saturated fat, 1.5 g trans fasts)
1020 mg sodium
A hamburger smothered in the wrong sauce can instantly sabotage your meal—and your weight-loss goals. At 160 calories a schmear, BK’s mayo is the worst in the fast food world. Replace it with barbecue sauce to instantly save 17 grams of fat. Ketchup and mustard are also better picks than mayo and secret sauces—no matter how “special” they may be. Make these swaps and save 160 calories and 17 grams of fat.
Make Pizza Healthy
Pizza Hut Two Slices Supreme Pan Pizza (12′)
620 calories
32 g fat (12 g saturated fat)
1,440 mg sodium
The caloric-blow of pizza depends on two things: crust and toppings. Want to be thin? Always opt for thin crust. As for what to put on your pie, nix the pepperoni. Heavy on sodium and fat, just four little discs can add 108 calories to your Pizza Hut slice. Pick toppings like spinach, ham, and pineapple not only to cut calories and fat content in half, but also for hefty doses of vitamins and minerals that help ward off cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Make these switches and save 260 calories and 20 grams of fat.
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April 1, 2009 | Filed Under Health Tips | Leave a Comment 

Asian Grilled Pork Chops

This recipe serves:  4   
Preparation time :   5 minutes
Cooking time :   10 minutes

Ingredients
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt,to taste
freshly ground black pepper
4 center cut pork loin chops, about 1/2 inch thick
Cooking Instructions
1. Mix the oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, mustard, salt and pepper, and brush on the pork chops. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Preheat the grill.

3. Grill the chops for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. Let the chops rest on a plate for 1 or 2 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 chop

Calories 195

Protein 17 g

Total Carbohydrate 1 g

Sugar 0 g

Total Fat 13 g

Saturated Fat 3 g

Monounsaturated Fat 8 g

April 1, 2009 | Filed Under Healthy Recipes | Leave a Comment 

  • Tip of the Month

    June 2010

    Abdominal Workouts: Frequency, Intensity, and Duration

    Over the past 15 years, there has been countless advice on how to “properly” train your abdominals, or core.  There isn’t a fitness magazine out there that doesn’t publish a different abdominal workout each and every issue.  Opinions and research may change over time, but there are a few things you should look at before you alter your workout with each Fitness Magazine you read!
    First of all, it is important to know what your overall fitness and health goal is before designing a strength program for any body part, especially the mid-section.  For overall fitness, it is smartest to treat your abdominal muscles as you would any other muscle group.  The tried and true guidelines for most exercise programs is to work specific muscles to fatigue within a 30-60 second set time limit (intensity and duration,) while giving the worked muscle group at least 24-48 hours of rest (frequency) before working it again.  The amount of sets you do in a given workout (frequency again) can vary from as little as 4 sets to up to 12 for the average workout.  The science behind these theories is sound.  While exercising, pushing your body significantly past the 60 second mark without fatigue generally incorporates aerobic energy, thereby not stressing the muscles most efficiently.  And rest is necessary so that your body can properly rebuild the muscle fibers that you have broken down.  Additionally, you want to be at 100% energy levels for your next workout!

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  • Recipe of the Month

    June 2010

    Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

    This healthy update of a traditionally rich ham-and-cheese breakfast strata is made lighter primarily by losing a few egg yolks and using nonfat milk. Gruyère cheese has a delicious, nutty aroma and flavor, which means that with the relatively small amount in this recipe you still get a big impact. To finish the makeover use nutritious, fiber-rich, whole-grain bread instead of white. The results: plenty of flavor, half the calories and one-third the fat of the original.

    4 large eggs
    4 large egg whites
    1 cup nonfat milk
    2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)
    4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)
    1 cup diced ham steak, (5 ounces)
    1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
    3/4 cup shredded Gruyère, or Swiss cheese
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