Post Tagged with: "diet"

For many people, coffee is the most desirable way to start the day. In recent times, coffee tasting has become an art form much like wine tasting. This drink has a pleasing combination of taste with just the right acidity, body, finish, and aroma. That bundle of flavor and smell is arousing and tempting anywhere: at work, at home, on the streets–it’s just irresistible! Coffee’s benefits and drawbacks have been argued for decades, but lately many studies have revealed that coffee’s benefits might just outweigh the negatives. Here are some pro and cons regarding coffee consumption.

Coffee’s Benefits

Antioxidants Coffee is packed with antioxidants, which curb cellular damage through oxidation, prevent the inflammation of the blood vessels, and have powerful disease-fighting properties, such as cancer. Polyphenols or flavonoids, the type of antioxidants found in tea, cranberries, red wine, and chocolate, are also present in coffee. If you’re looking to increase your antioxidant intake, coffee is a step in the right direction.

Prevents Type 2 Diabetes Studies have shown that the Chlorgoenic acid found in coffee can prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Caffeine is known to raise blood sugar levels and highly increase energy expenditure in a short period of time; consequently, it increases your body’s insulin sensitivity, lowering the risk of developing this type of disease.

It’s feeling like summer, and you may be feeling like splurging on ice cream. Before you flag down the local ice cream truck, give this recipe a try. It will save you a lot of calories and fat–and it tastes great!

Skinny Summer Ice Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate or vanilla Live Rite protein powder
• 1 small banana
• 3 cups almond milk (This works better dairy milk for helping the ice cream to thicken.)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until consistent. Mixture should be thick and creamy, not lumpy.

2. Pour the mixture into a medium-sized metal bowl, cover with aluminium foil, and place in the refridgerator to chill for 1 hour. (Chilling the mixture before freezing allows it to reach freezing temperature faster once placed in the freezer, and it helps create a smoother ice cream).

3. Remove bowl from the refridgerator and place it in the freezer for 2 hours. Mix every half hour to create a “Mr. Softee”-style guilt-free ice cream in your favorite flavor!

For an extra treat, top with a healthy topping like crushed walnuts or chopped fruit.

Nutritional info: serving size = 1.5 cups; 325 calories, 2.5 g fat, and 17 g protein per serving.

Recipe by Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.

Who doesn’t love a Butterfinger candy bar? The salty/sweet crisp center covered in chocolate can be hard to resist. But we have a healthier, protein-packed alternative. Give this Live Rite shake a try, and let us know what you think!

Butterfinger Live Rite Shake

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop vanilla Live Rite shake protein
• 8 oz. almond milk (For more milk alternatives, read this blog post.)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar-free butterscotch pudding mix
• 1 Tbsp. reduced-fat peanut butter
• 5 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!

Nutritional info: 265 calories, 10.85 g fat, 21.34 g protein

Lucille Roberts Live Rite protein shake mixes are available at all Lucille Roberts gyms for $19.99.

Recipe by Dana Farrell, Lucille Roberts District Manager, New Jersey.

Everywhere I go, as soon as people learn I am in fitness, people ask me: “Can you just give me a diet?” Diets connote short-term periods of time. Diets are also something Americans tend to go “onto” and “fall off of” often. They are usually temporary, short-lived, unimpressive fads. Since we eat for life as a long-term plan, and since diets connote short-term plans, it seems reasonable that we should rethink the concept of “diet” completely. Instead of “diet”, I prefer the term “meal plan” because it’s a concept that doesn’t intimidate us when we think of following it for life.

Meal plans take into consideration each individual’s realistic goals, tastes, likes, dislikes, and daily life. One size does not fit all. For example, suggesting a meal plan that consists of breakfasts of quinoa-based waffles, low-fat yogurt with sliced and peeled fruit, and a flaxseed power smoothie may be nutritionally sound for one woman who offices out of home because she has a kitchen nearby, but suggesting that same breakfast meal plan to a woman who travels frequently on planes during the breakfast hour would be a recipe for failure. Cultural differences, medical needs, and lifestyle choices can also affect meal plans.

What follows are guidelines for developing a meal plan that’s right for you.

Who says you can’t eat chocolate-covered strawberries when you’re trying to lose weight? This snack recipe is one you can indulge in (occasionally) to satisfy your chocolate cravings while getting in some extra protein.

Protein-Packed
Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dark chocolate cut into pieces (Nutritional info for this recipe uses Lindt 70% dark chocolate.)
• 1 scoop chocolate Live Rite protein
• 6 strawberries cut in half

Directions:

1. Microwave chocolate until fully melted.

2. Stir in protein powder.

3. Drizzle over strawberries and enjoy–or, put strawberries in the refrigerator to allow chocolate to cool and enjoy later!

Nutritional info: 354 calories, 16.69 g fat, 18.22 g protein

Lucille Roberts Live Rite protein shake mixes are available at all Lucille Roberts gyms for $19.99.

Recipe by Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.

If you haven’t yet planned an exotic trip, the taste of a ripe papaya will definitely take you on that tasty journey. The earth is abundant with natural foods that help you lose weight and look healthy. This is one of the finest foods good for your health and especially for your weight loss journey.

Papaya is a pear-shaped fruit with a butter-like consistency and has a discrete sweetness. In comparison with mango, which is also sweet and meaty, the papaya fruit is more massive and is one pound in weight. Its sweet, buttery flesh carries powerful nutrients: it is rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals like calcium, iron, and phosphorus, which act as great boosters for your metabolism. These metabolic boosts cause your body to consumes fat deposits more quickly to generate energy. And of course, loss of fat cells leave you with a leaner and more toned body.

This smoothie recipe is ridiculously easy–and delicious! I use rice milk because I’m vegan, but it’s also great for those who are lactose intolerant, who suffer from seasonal allergies (welcome to New York), or who want to hop on the rice milk bandwagon. There are various milk substitutes, like soy, coconut, almond, hazelnut, and even sesame seed (often consumed by raw food fans). I chose rice milk for this recipe because I’ve yet to hear of anyone with a food allergy to it.

Vegan Starlite Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice milk
• ½ banana
• ½ cup strawberries
• ½ cup canned pineapple
• ½ tsp. raw sugar (optional)
• Several ice cubes
• 1 straw

Directions:

Put it all in the blender (except the straw, obviously) and blend until smooth. Pour into a tall glass. Then enjoy an all-natural smoothie that, even on the rainiest day, will make you feel like the sun is shining.

Calories: 227 without adding the raw sugar, 235 calories with the sugar

Recipe by Sharon A. Gordin, personal trainer at Lucille Roberts Forest Hills.

This skinny root beer float recipe has all the old-fashioned taste of a real root beer float but with much less sugar and lots more protein.

Skinny Root Beer Float

Ingredients:

• 1 can diet root beer
• 1 scoop vanilla Live Rite protein
• 1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 4 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy!

Lucille Roberts Live Rite protein shake mixes are available at all Lucille Roberts gyms for $19.99.

Recipe and photos by Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.

domestifluff.com

Soup is almost always a healthy meal choice. It’s filling and usually minimal in calories (unless it’s prepared with heavy cream or cheese), so it’s great for low-calorie diets. Even with warmer spring days, there are always a few that are chillier and even rainy. So, warm up–and shape up–with this chunky tomato soup that puts Campbell’s to shame!

Ingredients:

• A few cloves of garlic, chopped
• Olive oil (or if you’re feeling adventurous, sesame seed or truffle oil)
• 1 can of pureed tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen fire-roasted.)
• 1 can of  diced tomatoes (Again, Muir Glen fire-roasted has a nice, robust flavor.)
• Spices of your choice: rosemary, cilantro, or dill
• Cumin (Optional–this gives the soup a smokey flavor.)
• Dash of freshly ground sea salt
• Dash of freshly ground pepper

Note: It’s better to use organic ingredients, as they aren’t peppered with pesky pesticides. Plus, they tend to retain vitamins.

Directions: 

1. In a large saucepan, sauté the garlic in the oil of your choice.

2. When the garlic is translucent, add both cans of tomatoes over low to medium heat (so the soup doesn’t burn).

3. Stir in the fresh herbs, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Recipe yields 2.5 cups (one large bowl of soup).

Nutritional info: Serving size = 1 cup, 167 calories, 5.6 g fat, 2 g protein

Recipe by Sharon A. Gordin, personal trainer at Lucille Roberts Forest Hills.

We often get asked which vitamins women should take every day and in what quantities. These are the recommended daily values for adult women. Click on any of the nutrient names to learn more about what foods contain them.

Fruits and veggies are high in vitamins and minerals!

Vitamin A – 2,310 IU

Vitamin C – 75 mg

Vitamin D – 600 IU

Vitamin E – 22.4 IU

Vitamin K – 90 mcg

Thiamine – 1.1 mg

Riboflavin – 1.1 mg

Niacin – 14 mg

Vitamin B6 – 1.5 mg

Folate – 400 mcg

Vitamin B12 – 2.4 mcg

Biotin – 30 mcg

Pantothenic acid – 5 mg

Choline – 425 mg

Diet Tip by Ilise “Baker Babe” Reilly, manager of Lucille Roberts Jamaica.