Lynbrook | New Hyde Park | NY

Diet

Recipe of the Week: Moroccan Lentil Soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 ½ hours
Serves 12

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups chopped carrots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
  • 6 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 cups chopped cauliflower
  • 1¾ cups lentils
  • 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 cups chopped fresh spinach or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

 

Directions:

  1. Combine onions, carrots, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
  2. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 4 to 5 hours on High or 8 to 10 hours on Low.
  3. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in spinach. Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

 

Serving size: about 1¼ cups
Per serving: 153 calories; 2 g fat; 10 g fiber; 28 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein

Recipe of the Week: Slow Cooker Peasant Stew

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1.5 lbs
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 (10 oz) cans Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles, undrained
  • 1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (16 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • ? cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

  1. Rub the chicken thighs with cumin, sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook about 5 minutes or until browned on all sides.
  2. Pour undrained cans of tomatoes into slow cooker. Stir in onion. Place browned chicken on top and cook on Low for 3 to 4 hours. Add in the beans and cook for an additional hour.
  3. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

 

Original recipe can be found here!

Simple Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Cardio Session

“Cardio” is a great way to burn calories and keep your heart healthy. It could be as simple as walking on the treadmill for 30-60 minutes. However, if you’re just going through the motions, you could be wasting your time. Here are some tips to make sure you are getting the most out of your cardio exercise!

Yes, it is true that the longer you stay on cardio machine, the more calories you may burn. However, you can burn more calories in a shorter period of time by simply increasing your intensity. Whether it be increasing the resistance on a stationary bike/elliptical, or increasing the speed or incline on a treadmill.

The “fat burn zone” of cardio is said to be at about 60-65% of one’s estimated max heart rate. At this intensity, 40% of your calories burned will be from fat. This is a fairly low level of intensity and would have to be maintained to for a much longer period of time in order to have a substantial benefit. When you increase your intensity to 75-85% of max heart rate, only 25-30% of your calories burned will be from fat. However, because more work is being done you will burn more total calories and consequently more calories from fat.

Along with changing the intensity, try changing the type of cardio you do once in a while. The human body is great at adapting, and once it is acclimated the same form of cardio may not exhibit the same training effect. If you usually walk on the treadmill, try the bike, elliptical, arc-trainer, stair stepper, rowing, swimming… Try them all!

Finally, it is very important that you eat! Starving yourself before can deprive you of the energy needed to complete a cardio session and starving yourself after will hinder your ability to recover from your workout. In the long run, “starvation” will negatively affect your exercise goals by decreasing muscle and retaining fat.

On other hand, you must make sure you do not eat too much! Just because the elliptical says you burned 400 calories doesn’t mean you’ve earned yourself a 400 calorie meal. Firstly, the machines can only estimate calories so that number may not be 100% accurate. Secondly, weight loss comes down to energy in vs. energy out. So in order to lose weight, you must eat less calories than you’ve burned.

 

By Dave McCalla

Recipe of the Week: Egg Muffin Cups

Servings: 12
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup red pepper measured after chopping
  • 1 cup green pepper measured after chopping
  • 1 cup yellow onion measured after chopping
  • 2 cups baby spinach – roughly chopped measured/packed before chopping
  • 1 cup mushrooms measured before chopping
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 4 egg whites
  • Hot sauce (optional for drizzling on top)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a standard 12-slot muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in oil, red pepper, green pepper, and onion.
  3. Saute 5-7 minutes, or until peppers are tender. Add in spinach and mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes. In the last 30 seconds, add in minced garlic. Season with salt and remove from heat.
  4. Crack eggs/egg whites into a large 4 cup measuring cup and whisk together. Stir in cooked veggies.
  5. Pour the egg/veggie mixture evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch and eggs are cooked. Cool slightly and serve immediately!
  7. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. These may also be frozen. To reheat, pop them in the microwave until warm.

What is the 80/20 Rule for Nutrition?

Often times we tend to struggle sticking to a meal plan or being consistent with our eating. This can be attributed to an abundance of things such as: boredom, lack of discipline, scheduling, etc. A meal plan should be simple and not require you to torture yourself on a day-to-day basis. Yes, eating “clean” may require giving up some of your favorite treats- it requires diligence. However, it should also be something that you learn how to enjoy and fit into your everyday life. This is where the 80/20 rule comes into play.

The 80/20 rule goes under the premise that if you are eating clean and healthy 80% of the time, then it is okay to be not so good or indulge a little the other 20% of the time. The 80% should include whole foods, vegetables, lean protein, and avoiding processed food. Now, this can be easily misconstrued; what the 20% really means is that it should be consumed once per week and not allocating 20% of each day to unhealthy foods. If you have about 21 meals each week (breakfast, lunch, dinner), maybe 3-4 meals are less healthy. Think of this as a more indulgent home cooked meal and not binging on fast food. This “20%” can also be called your “cheat meal.” Sometimes a well timed cheat meal can help you stay on track mentally.

A well timed cheat meal may balance the hunger hormones levels in your body, both of which are correlated with an increase in metabolism and aid in weight loss. One of these hormones, leptin is released into the body as you eat and leaves you with a satiated feeling. When leptin levels are low, ghrelin, the appetite hormone, levels are high. After you eat, ghrelin levels will drop as your digest, helping you feel satisfied. Another benefit of having a cheat meal may be that it gives you something to look forward to.

A meal plan is easy to stick to if you know that Saturday night you can indulge a bit for dinner. If you’re looking for a plan that you can stick to long term or trying to incorporate healthier eating, give the 80/20 rule a shot!

 

By Tyler Palmquist

Fad Diets v. Lifestyle Change

A “fad diet” is a weight loss plan that may over-promises results. These types of diets don’t result in long-term weight loss and are usually not very healthy. You may have heard of some of them or tried one; think of a liquid diet or controlled/limited carbohydrates.

Often times, people are willing to try anything that promises to help them lose weight- especially if it promises to be quick and easy. The main reason for these diets being that everyone wants to look or feel better; or maybe they are worried about developing weight-related diseases. Diets like these are appealing because of their quick fix instead of making the effort to lose weight through long-term changes in their eating and exercise habits.

Your lifestyle is composed of what you eat, how you manage your stress, how often you exercise and more. Lifestyle changes require you to alter these behaviors; whether it is restricting fast food or trying to get 10,000 steps a day. The key is that these habits are maintained as opposed to be a short term fix.

It is important to remember that healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. Fad diets often promise rapid results which may lead to unhealthy weight loss. Remember, it took time to gain that unwanted weight and it will take time to lose it. Limiting food choices without encouraging a balanced diet is not a healthy way to create lasting changes.

Here are a few simple tips for creating those changes:

  • Don’t skip meals- this includes breakfast!
  • Limit liquid calories- avoid sugary sodas, alcohol, and juices (swap for whole fruits instead)
  • Exercise on a regular basis- the best kind of exercise is exercise that you’ll continue, so choose an activity that you enjoy J
  • Increase daily physical activity- park farther away, take the stairs when you can, work up to taking 10,000 steps per day

 

By Louise Mills-Strasser

How Do You Get The Sunshine Vitamin In The Wintertime?

Vitamin D is important for our bodies, but how can we get enough during the winter months?

Research has linked Vitamin D to decreased rates of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression. Vitamin D levels in the body are not as much of an issue during the summer when people are going outside. However, during the winter months, people spend a lot more of their time indoors due to colder temperatures and snowy days. This often leads to a drop in the body’s vitamin D levels.

But how can you get Vitamin D in the winter? Go outside! Even when there is snow on the ground, you can still get enough sun to boost your vitamin D levels. When you’re outside, let as much skin show as you comfortably can- your face, neck, and hands can get some sunshine. Go outside during “solar noon.” This is the time of day when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. When you’re outside, use your skin as a cue. If your skin starts to turn pink, you’ve had enough. Keep in mind that you don’t need to spend hours in the sun. Even ten minutes a day can help boost the level of vitamin D in your body.

We live in an area where the sun shines enough in the winter that vitamin D supplements may not be necessary. However, especially with supplements, we need to ensure that we don’t get “toxic” on vitamin D. A better way to get vitamin D is simply by eating more of the foods rich in this vitamin. There are a handful of foods that can help boost vitamin D levels. Good food sources include fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, mushrooms, eggs, and vitamin D fortified foods such as milk. Wild salmon is a great source and just a small 4 ounce serving can give us more than enough of the recommend daily allowance. For those with dietary restrictions, any type of milk will do! Cow, soy, almond, and coconut milk are all vitamin D fortified.

Following these simple recommendations can help everyone enjoy the health benefits of vitamin D naturally not only during the winter, but all year long.