Live Healthy NYC: End the Year with a Pop

Live Healthy NYC: End the Year with a Pop: Have you heard about the "champagne diet"? The premise is simple- eat high quality, nutrient-dense tasty foods. Don't deprive yourself of c...

End the Year with a Pop

Have you heard about the "champagne diet"? The premise is simple- eat high quality, nutrient-dense tasty foods.  Don't deprive yourself of champagne and dark chocolate! If you eat foods that are good for you and you feel good about what you are putting into your body, there is no guilt.  

Don't go for the chocolate chip pancakes or fried eggs with sausage and toast for breakfast or the greasy cheese burger and fries for lunch. Instead, have an egg white and veggie omelet or oatmeal and berries for breakfast and a healthy green salad with chicken and grilled salmon with sauteed greens for dinner. Then you can feel good about the glass of champagne that you have with dinner.

I am not proposing downing a bottle of champagne by yourself in one evening or even increasing your alcohol consumption in order to loose weight. But, I am saying everything in moderation. A glass of bubbly has only 91 calories per glass! And allowing yourself the occasional indulgences as you attempt to loose weight is a good thing. 

Celebrate yourself and your family and friends. Bring in the new year with a toast for a healthy new year! And a healthy new you!

For more information contact me at Rachel@livehealthynyc.com

Live Healthy NYC: Yummy Holiday Cookies- A Sweet Treat!

Live Healthy NYC: Yummy Holiday Cookies- A Sweet Treat!: Want a great sweet this holiday season? My friend, Emily, who is very health conscious and a fabolous artist (check out her art and website ...

Yummy Holiday Cookies- A Sweet Treat!

Want a great sweet this holiday season? My friend, Emily, who is very health conscious and a fabolous artist (check out her art and website at www.emk-art.com) made these biscotti and they didn't last long in my house! Make them for yourself, your family and your friends! It's easy!!!!
Ingredients : 
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour(or you can use all whole wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped almonds
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c dark choc(optional)
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Directions :
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the nuts and fruit.
3. Whisk together eggs and the extracts. Add to flour mixture, stir until combined. 
4. With floured hands, shape dough into a loaf about 1 inch thick, 4 inches wide. Transfer to the baking sheet. 
5. Bake until risen and firm, about 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. 
6. Let the loaf cool about 10 minutes on a cutting board, then cut diagonally into 1/2" slices.
7. Arrange slices cut-side down and bake 10 minutes, then turn the slices over and bake until dried, about 10 more minutes.
8. Let cool on wire rack.

Live Healthy NYC: Eat Healthy, Exercise More and Have Better Sex

Live Healthy NYC: Eat Healthy, Exercise More and Have Better Sex: Have you found that it is especially hard during the holiday season to eat healthy? Holiday parties are overflowing with food and ...

Eat Healthy, Exercise More and Have Better Sex

Have you found that it is especially hard during the holiday season to eat healthy? Holiday parties are overflowing with food and drink. And, have you found it to be difficult to find time to exercise during your busy schedule. Where does 24 hours go? There never seems to be enough time in the day!

As the New Year approaches, the resolve to get healthier is at its peak! It is not an unfamiliar resolution!

So, before 2011 comes to an end and 2012 begins, why not start on your 2012 goals today! If you can find at least 15 minutes of exercise a day, you are off to a better start.

But wait, what about the 30 minutes of intense exercise that was once recommended by doctors to improve your health? Well, as it turns out, experts now agree that you don’t have to work out 30 minutes a day/5days a week. You can significantly upgrade your health by working out for less time.

But, the key is, you have to work out! If you are doing it right, it actually takes less time to achieve cardiovascular benefits. Any vigorous exercise, whether walking, biking, or running increases your blood flow.

This makes the move into the bedroom - as exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to your muscles, your mind and body feel more aroused! And the effects of your workout can last up to 30 minutes. So, grab your partner after your work out and have fun!

What better way to bring in the New Year!

Live Healthy NYC: Got the Sugar Blues?

Live Healthy NYC: Got the Sugar Blues?: Are you really addicted to sugar? Do you fiend for candy and other sugary substances? Did you know that sugar influences the same “feel-good...

Got the Sugar Blues?

Are you really addicted to sugar? Do you fiend for candy and other sugary substances? Did you know that sugar influences the same “feel-good” brain chemicals – including serotonin and dopamine as illicit drugs do? However, researchers aren’t quite ready to lump sugar in with heroin.

But, whether you call it an addiction, an eating disorder or simply a bad habit, there are signs of an unhealthy use of sugary foods. For example, if you miss your regular cookie fix, you can get low blood sugar symptoms. In lab studies, rats that binged on sugar had brain changes that mimicked those of drug withdrawal. When you eat a piece of cake (or candy bar, syrup, soda or table sugar) the sugar (a simple carb) is quickly converted to glucose in your bloodstream. All simple carbs are absorbed quickly and your blood sugar level rises and spikes. Your pancreas then releases the hormone insulin to move glucose out of your bloodstream and into your cells for energy. As a result, your blood sugar levels usually drop dramatically. So, that candy or cake fix sets you up for more bad eating! The high spike followed by the sharp low drop makes you feeling hungry again! Also, low blood sugar leaves you feeling shaky, dizzy, and searching for more sweets to regain that sugar high!

Starchy foods that are complex carbs (bagels, chips, pretzels, french-fries, white rice, white potatoes) can trigger the same surge and crash cycle of blood sugar seen with sugary foods.

If you try to change your diet dramatically, cutting sugar out cold turkey, it is not sustainable. Ultimately, you will go back to your old habits. If you wean yourself gradually, you can train your taste buds to enjoy foods that aren’t as sweet.

You don’t have to give up sweets, just get them from other healthy sources. Fresh fruit, low-fat milk, and yogurt can all satisfy the taste for sweet and they are packed with protein and calcium. It is interesting that simple carbs are also found in fruit, veggies, and dairy products. However, the fiber and protein slow down absorption and provide wholesome nutrients. 

Additionally, eat more protein. This is an easy way to curb the craving for sugar. High-protein foods digest more slowly, keeping you feeling full longer. Protein doesn’t make your blood sugar spike (choose lean chicken, turkey, quinoa, low-fat yogurt, eggs, nuts or beans). Also, fill up on high fiber foods as they give you more energy and don’t raise your blood sugar so there isn’t a hunger crash after.

Exercise doesn’t cure “sugar addiction” but it could change the way you eat in general. Did you know that people who get into an exercise routine start to feel better about themselves and are more likely to try another healthy behavior, like eating less sugar.

The truth about sugar and the substitutes- the little yellow or blue packets really leave you wanting more sweets. So stop reaching for it! Also, “natural” sugars, such as honey, brown sugar and evaporated cane juice are not really any better than white table sugar. Sugar is sugar. And it causes blood sugar to rise. And, while these natural sugars are unrefined and slightly higher in nutrients, if you eat too much, it will surely go to your hips! You should be eating no more than six teaspoons (100 calories) daily for women and about 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. Most Americans eat 19 teaspoons or more of added sugar! What are some of the “names” of sugar- agave nectar, brown rice syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, glucose, lactose, malt syrup, molasses, and sucrose. Be careful of the hidden sugar in bbq sauce, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and salad dressing. Get in the habit of reading labels and you will be able to filter out high-sugar foods before they get into the shopping cart! 

Make small changes by adding more fruits, vegetables, drinking more water, and using fewer processed foods.

When you first cut out sugar, you will go through a sort of withdrawal. You may feel tired, edgy, or listless. This feeling will be short-lived.

For more information and tips on how to tame those sugar cravings, contact me at Rachel@livehealthynyc.com