Optimum Results

The Difference between Simple Carbs (simple sugar) and Complex Carbs

Andy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:46:39 +0000

Carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients that provide calories in our diets. The other two are protein and fat. Carbohydrates provide most of the energy needed in our daily lives, both for normal body functions such as heartbeat, breathing and digestion and for exercise such as biking, walking and running up the stairs.
Carbohydrates are considered simple or complex based upon their chemical structure. Both types contain four calories per gram, and both are digested into a blood sugar called glucose, which can then be used to fuel our bodies for work or exercise.
Somehow, simple carbohydrates have become known as the “bad” carbohydrates, while complex carbohydrates seem to be designated as the “good” carbohydrates. But there is no real scientific or nutritional justification for these descriptions.
• Simple carbohydrates are digested quickly. Many simple carbohydrates contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals. Examples include fruits, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, molasses, maple syrup and sugar.
• Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and are usually packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Examples are vegetables, breads, cereals, legumes and pasta.
Most experts recommend that 50-60 percent of the total calories in our diet come from carbohydrates. The bulk of the carbohydrate choices should be complex carbs and most of the simple carbohydrate choices should come from fruits and milk or yogurt, which also contain vitamins and minerals.
Source: Lynn Grieger, RD, CD, CDE

What is whole grain and what kinds can you buy

Andy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:42:58 +0000

“Whole grain” means the grain still has all three of its original elements: the outer shell or bran, which contains fiber and B vitamins; the germ, which contains phytochemicals and B vitamins; and the endosperm (what a name), which contains carbohydrates and protein. The key is that they’re “whole” and not “refined,” by stripping away the bran and germ, which leaves you eating only the endosperm. These whole grains are also healthy for you because they’re absorbed more slowly than enriched or bleached flour and thus raise glucose and insulin levels less — keeping you fuller longer and slowing your digestion. Many refined products are enriched with the nutrients that are stripped out. While most studies support that these nutrients are just as good, doesn’t it make sense to eat the natural version if you can?
Made with: It may have a drop of whole grains, but unless it’s made entirely with them, you won’t reap all the potential benefits.
100 percent wheat: This means it could have some or a lot or no “whole” wheat.
Multigrain: This tells you nothing about whether the grains are whole or refined. Even if you’re getting 38 grains, that isn’t much good if they are all refined.
Whole grain: If the label doesn’t say “100 percent whole grain,” it may have many blends. Bad words to see: enriched, bleached, unbleached, semolina, durum, and rice flour.
Blends: “Whole-grain blend” means it usually doesn’t have much whole grain at all.
Good source: This means it has 8 grams of whole grains per serving or as little as 13.5 percent. Don’t confuse whole grain with fiber; 8 grams of whole grain may have less than 1 gram of fiber.
Source: ABC News- 1/9/07

How the South Beach Diet Works

Andy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:15:34 +0000

The father of The South Beach Diet is cardiologist Arthur Agatston, MD, director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach, Fl. Highly processed carbs, according to the South Beach theory, get digested too quickly. That makes insulin levels (a hormone the body makes to process sugars) spike. And once those fast-burning carbs are used up, your high insulin level makes you crave more food.
Cindy Moore, RD, a director of nutrition therapy at Cleveland Clinic and a former spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, discussed The South Beach Diet
Moore says the diet truly does meet several of the criteria for a healthy diet. It’s rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein, she says. Most importantly, it doesn’t leave out any major food groups.
Moore warns that during the induction phase, much of the lost weight is water weight. Losing this much water can throw your electrolyte balance off. So if you’re following the diet, it’s a good idea to work closely with a professional.
Despite the popularity of The South Beach Diet, Moore warns, there’s no one-size-fits-all diet. A professional can help you individualize The South Beach Diet to fit your health needs.
Source: Cindy Moore, director of nutrition therapy, Cleveland Clinic. Courtesy of WebMD: Live Transcripts

Step into 2010 with Weight Loss Plans that Work

Andy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:07:03 +0000

As we enter 2010, people everywhere are gravitating more toward a lifestyle change as opposed to finding the next diet trend. There is an important reason why this is so. Diets don’t work. The medical explanation behind this is complicated and difficult to understand, but the gist of it is that when you begin a diet, your caloric intake is much less than normal. Because of this radical change, your body immediately responds with, “Help! I’m starving! I need more energy than this!” and begins using up stored calories.
Stephanie Nimberg, founder and personal chef of The Healthy Kitchen knows what it is like to be overweight. Throughout her teenage and adult life, Stephanie’s weight had always fluctuated. She’d find success following a diet program only to find her weight would be gained back a very short time later. After gaining 70 pounds and feeling unhappy with the way she felt and looked after the birth of her daughter, what finally changed her life was her effort to change her lifestyle. Creating a healthy lifestyle change, changed her life.
Stephanie lost 70 pounds in one year while creating and following The Healthy Kitchen lifestyle program and has kept it off while enjoying all of the foods she loves, including desserts. Her program is based on a low-carb eating style, which allows for other delicious foods that even include delicious creamy cheeses and lean cuts of juicy red meat — foods that may have to be given up altogether on other programs. The portions are hearty and generous, and the way she teaches clients to eat never leaves anyone hungry.
Clients of The Healthy Kitchen lifestyle program receive homemade, hand-delivered healthy meals, which are delivered fresh to their door twice a week. Aside from it being real food made from scratch, as opposed to processed and mass-produced dishes the competition tries to pass of as edible; The Healthy Kitchen is delicious, affordable, fresh, convenient and healthy. Individuals will lose weight and eventually maintain weight while improving overall health and appearance by simply adopting the lifestyle that The Healthy Kitchen allows.
Following The Healthy Kitchen Program helps people lose 6 to 14 pounds in the first two weeks, and best of all, there is no mess…the cooking and cleanup is done for you! Simply heat, eat and enjoy the homemade, healthy meals! This program is also more affordable than most of what the competition offers.
Stephanie has helped over 100 clients look and feel better about their appearances, not to mention feel more energized. Some of the things clients have mentioned they love best about the program are that they don’t feel hungry after or in-between meals, they don’t have to plan ahead and think about what to make and what a wise meal choice might be and that the portion control is allotted for them with generous portions of healthy, tasty food.
The Healthy Kitchen provides for each day, three meals, plus a soup, dessert and two snacks. Some of the amazing meals include breakfasts like their signature sugar-free, carb-free French Toast, Decadent Chocolate Chip Muffins and Turkey Sausage and Vegetable Frittatas; soups like French Onion, Chicken Tomato Vegetable and Cream of Celery; lunches like Beef Steak Salad with Feta Cheese, Ground Turkey Stuffed Taco Peppers and Honey Dijon Chicken Burgers with Swiss; dinners like Southwest Tilapia topped with Shrimp, Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan and London Broil with Caramelized Onions and Zucchini Wedges; and desserts like Peanut Caramel Crunch Ice Cream, Coconut Key Lime Pie and Raspberry Cream and Mocha Mousse.
For more information about The Healthy Kitchen, call 856-628-6627

Understanding Plantar Fasciitis

Andy — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:48:46 +0000

Plantar fascitiis is the most common cause of heel pain, affecting approximately 2 million individuals in the United States each year. Clinical manifestation and diagnosis is well recognized based on physical examination and symptoms. This condition occurs along the long plantar fascia ligament, which is a fibrous tissue that spreads across the bottom of the foot connecting from the calcaleus (heel bone) to the proximal phalanges (toes). This structure takes tremendous stress with each step we take. Repetitive activation or irritation of the fascia can lead to mechanical overload and micro tears.
Risk factors which may predispose one to development of fasciitis include decreased ankle flexibility, improper mechanics of the foot, wearing incorrect shoes, being overweight, repetitive activities such as athletes participating in running and jumping. Other causative factors may include standing workers, sustained repetitive stress, and calcaneal heel spurs.
Typical presentation is heel pain that has been slowly progressive and most noticeable with the first step in the morning or after being sedentary for extended periods. Pain is often sharp or shooting with each step and a progressive dull ache throughout the day. If signs and symptoms are not clear, further diagnostic modalities or consulting with your health care provider may be warranted.
Conservative treatment is the mainstay for recovery. Recovery times may vary, however it is important to understand and adhere to a regimented treatment protocol to achieve success. Symptoms are often self limiting and resolve in 80-90% of people affected within 10 months. Initial treatment should consist of resting and icing. Icing can be performed by freezing a water bottle, soda can, or Dixie cup and rolling the heel over the cylindrical object. Exercises should include specific plantar fascia stretching multiple times per day (see below). Physical therapy has also become a common option to help guide this process and promote healing. Other treatment options for plantar fasciitis include massage, taping techniques, orthotics, and night splints. For more severe and chronic cases that are unresponsive to conventional treatment, casting, steroid injections, anti-inflammatories, and modalities may be utilized. Surgery is the last option for those who have failed all other treatment approaches.
Here are some take home points. Do not ignore your foot pain. If your signs and symptoms are consistent with plantar fasciitis, you will likely benefit from conventional treatment which consists of icing the sore heel, stretching and massaging the plantar fascia, maintaining a healthy weight, and using proper shoe wear. Please consult your health care professional to determine proper dosage and appropriateness of suggested exercises.
   Lindsey Welch is a licensed physical therapist at Strive Physical Therapy and Sports Rehabilitation in Moorestown, NJ. She treats a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders ranging from orthopedics to generalized low back pain. She holds a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the NSCA.

References:

http://www.plantar-fasciitis.org/. Accessed on December 13, 2009.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Accessed on December 13, 2009. http://zcoilblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/foot-stretches-to-prevent-plantar.html
Sanders, Mary E. On the Floor: Keep Trekking with Healthy Happy Feet: Understanding Plantar Fasciitis. ACSM’s Heath & Fitness Journal. 11(4): 29-32, July/August 2007.
Schippert, David W, DiGiovanni, Benedict F, et al. Recent updates in the management of plantar fascitis. Current Orthopaedic Practice. 20(2):130-135, April 2009.

Ground Turkey or Ground Beef?

Andy — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:42:06 +0000

Ground turkey usually contains fat and skin when it is ground. 3 oz. can contain triple the amount of fat than ground beef*. The full fat version of beef contains about 3 grams more fat and 100 calories more than turkey. However, lean ground beef actually has about 20 less calories and only 3 grams of fat total compared to 10 grams in ground turkey. Look for lean ground turkey, or stick with beef! Be careful with ultra-lean ground turkey as it is easy to dry out when cooking.
*Courtesy: Fitness Magazine 2/10

Overtraining Issues

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:47:07 +0000

Exercise is good for you, but sometimes you can get too much of a good thing! This point will be reached at different times for different people. Exercise should be tiring, but it should also serve a greater goal, and invigorate you over the long haul. If you are more exhausted and depressed than anything after a workout (any workout,) you may be overtraining. It is important to note that “training” can be anything from lifting weights at the gym, going for an occasional run, to setting a program to run a triathlon.

Some signs of overtraining are as follows*:

Decreased performance
Prolonged recovery time
Headaches
Loss of appetite
Extreme muscle soreness (lasting more than 2 days)
Stomach disturbances
Increased illnesses and injuries
Loss of sleep
Irritability and depression

Increased training due to an upcoming competition is understandable. It is also common to start a new routine, see great results, and then get too fanatical about sticking to the routine. However, if it is coming at the expense of your everyday life, it may not be worth it.

To avoid burnout, it is important to understand that taking a break once in awhile is OK. Listen to your body. If you start to see signs of overtraining, skip a workout or two, even if it is part of a program leading up to a competition. Also, gradually work towards a heavy training load. Work towards your goals smartly. Finally, don’t feel obligated to keep up with everyone else’s training schedules. Everyone has a different lifestyle, fitness level, and fitness goals.

In conclusion, train hard, but listen to your body. It is beneficial to moderate your workload from time to time. It may not seem like it immediately, but it will help you reach your goals more quickly than “working through it.”

What is interval training and is it right for me

Andy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:37:12 +0000

Interval training is any type of exercise that alternates bursts of high end intensity with intervals of average intensity for the entirety of a workout session. Intervals can also include alternating types of exercise and even types of cardio for more efficiency and less boredom. This type of exercise can be applied to almost anyone looking to up their efficiency during a workout session. Intervals can alternate between and cardio and strength training or can alternate sprinting and walking. There are many ways to incorporate interval training in between these two ideas. If you think about it, a weekly exercise program is an extended interval program; cardio on Monday, weights on Tuesday, etc… Newer studies are starting to surface that show that interval sprint training can not only improve long distance running performance, but can reduce actual overall training time. So you get more with less!

Let’s look at this from the regular exerciser’s perspective. How can this help? If you plan on spending 60 minutes at the gym strength training, how much of that time is spent in between sets, waiting to recover for the next set? If you plan on hitting the treadmill, how long can you run at a high speed without tiring and having to stop? With interval training, you can combine the two workouts. So in the same hour you would take to lift weights, you can add 20-30 minutes of cardio as an active recovery. Lift lighter weights with much less breaks in between sets (30 seconds max) for about 10 minutes. Then jump on the treadmill and run for 10 minutes. Repeat this two more times and you have completed 30 minutes of cardio without getting exhausted by going all out for 30 straight minutes and you have also completed 30 minutes of almost non-stop strength training. This will either give you additional rest days in your workout week, or more time to work towards your goals.

The following is just a sample cardio/strength interval to follow. Please make sure you are integrating this into your program so that it fits your goals. If you would like help designing your own personalized interval training program, contact us via e-mail or phone, and I will be happy to help.

5 minute warm up on treadmill
10 minutes of strength training (Sets of 15 reps each) (Each set below should be followed by 30 second rest)
- Front Raises followed by Biceps Curls. Repeat.
- Push Ups followed by Triceps Dips. Repeat.
- Back Rows followed by Triceps Push Downs. Repeat.
- Chest Flyes followed by Side Raises. Repeat.
10 minutes of cardio on treadmill.
- 30 seconds at a fast jog. 90 seconds at an intermediate walk. Repeat 5 times.
10 minutes of strength training.
- Squats followed by Hamstring Curls. Repeat.
- Alternating Lunges followed by Plank for 30 seconds. Repeat.
- Leg Press followed by Calf Raises. Repeat.
- Leg Extensions followed by Abdominal Crunches. Repeat.
10 minutes on treadmill.
- 30 seconds at a steep incline, moderate walk pace, followed by 90 seconds of level incline at a moderate walk pace. Repeat 5 times.
5 minute cool down on treadmill followed by stretching.

Almond Crusted Chicken Fingers

Andy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:25:57 +0000

Instead of batter-dipped, deep-fried nuggets, we coat chicken tenders in a seasoned almond and whole-wheat flour crust and then oven-fry them to perfection. With half the fat of standard breaded chicken tenders, you can enjoy to your (healthy) heart’s content.
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INGREDIENTS
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Canola oil cooking spray
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)

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COOKING DIRECTIONS
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Step 1
Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.

Step 2
Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

Step 3
Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.

Step 4
Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.
NUTRITION INFO

Calories: 174
Carbohydrates: 4g
Fat: 4g
Protein: 27g

Greek Yogurt versus American Yogurt

Andy — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:06:03 +0000

Greek yogurt owes its difference in texture to a process that slowly strains the whey (liquid) from more traditional yogurts. This not only drains much of the runniness out of the yogurt, but it causes a more tart taste. By draining the whey, the carb content is cut in half, as is the dairy content for the lactose intolerant. Additionally, you will get roughly double the amount of protein in Greek yogurt than in American yogurt. Due to the heavier feel and higher protein content, Greek yogurt should make you feel more full as well. One note of caution: try to buy low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt as the fat content will be higher than regular yogurt as it is thicker.
Both are good snack choices in the low-fat form. Be careful to avoid the regular yogurts that come in whipped dessert flavors like banana cream pie. To achieve these flavors, much of the calories come from added sugars, and much of the health benefits of natural yogurt is removed to maintain a low calorie product.