Love To Eat Right

The differences

2012-01-16T23:45:00.000-08:00

The question will sooner or later arise, what is the difference between the US and Germany after coming back of almost 8 years in the US of A?

There are of course many differences and things I have noticed. I will start with nutrition and follow up with more cultural differences from there.

We have eaten out dinner a total of 3 or 4 times in 33 days. It was certainly possible that we ate out that many times in one week in the US. Germans don't eat out as many times, the question is does it make there lifestyle healthier? I cannot broadly answer that question yet, I will at least give it a try in a later blog. What I can answer is that grocery prices are a lot lower that includes, bread, meat but especially vegetables and fruit. A triple pack of bell peppers is for instance only 99 cents, I think one is lucky if you get one green bell pepper for that little in the US. Oranges and other citrus fruits are cheaper too, who would have guessed that, oranges don't grow in Germany, but they do in the US. Oh I almost forgot dairy products are cheaper too, yes you can by a nice piece of cheese, even specialty cheese without going bankrupt. I have been enjoying "Der große Bauer", a yogurt that has been around forever.

http://www.wall.de/de/spezialseiten/medialayer?bro%5B%5D=asset_id:1015

They continuously add new flavors. My new favorites are the kinds with cereal and fruit combined. I have to admit I do miss my favorite greek yogurt at times, well we could get it here, but everything Greek is very expensive in Germany. Not sure if that has to do with the bailout. And then there is of course candy, but I am not an expert ;). I see there are a lot more kinds of gummy bears at our house. Since I mostly stick to the high gravity dark chocolate, the price difference isn't actually that big, since Lindt is sort of expensive here compared to everything else. There are just not that many companies that offer 85% + Cacao dark chocolate. I have enjoyed some of the cookies, including one of my favorites the " Prinzen Rolle".

Beverages will deserve their own blog :).

Merry Christmas - Froehliche Weihnachten

2011-12-24T02:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to everyone, eat well, drink lots of water and enjoy some Christmas cookies!

Boone Camp Burrito Especial

2011-06-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here comes the recipe for the Boone Camp Burrito Especial:
Prep Time 20-30 mins

Ingredients (4-5 portions):
2 chicken breasts
1 can of black beans
1 cup of brown rice
1 can of pineapple
3-4 table spoons of BBQ Sauce (Sticky Fingers - Memphis Original is my favorite!)
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1-2 table spoons of Olive Oil
4-6 Whole Wheat/Multi-Grain Tortillas
1 table spoon of Salsa Verde

Optional Toppings:
Cheese (your choice, fancy shredded works best)
Lettuce
Sour Cream
Salsa Verde

Spices:
Sea Salt
Fresh ground Black Pepper
Chili Powder
optional: Frontera Kitchens - New Mexico Taco Skillet Sauce

Directions:
1. Prepare the brown rice
2.Cut the chicken into small strips
3. Clean and cut the pepper and onion into small squares
4. Cook the chicken with the onions and bell peppers in the olive oil, once the chicken is somewhat cooked, add the BBQ Sauce, the pineapple juice from the can and the other spices.
5. Drain the black beans and add them along with pineapple pieces to the mix
6. Let boil for a few minutes
7. Depending on your liking, you can either add the brown rice to the mix or add it to the burritos separately.

If you are preparing the meal for a bigger, diverse group, it works well to have everybody build their own burrito. Otherwise, you can pre-heat the oven, build the burritos and add cheese and Salsa Verde on top and put them on a flat pan and finish the meal in the oven @ 375 degrees for 5-7 mins.

Portion Size

2011-06-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

What is the ideal portion size? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Maybe you should! You can probably relatively easily answer that question by listening to your body.
It is easy, if you feel:
- full
- bloated
- sleepy
- nauseous
you most likely ate too much or too much of the wrong food. Just because a restaurant puts a whole bunch of food on your plate doesn't mean you have to eat it all :).

I have been looking for a good image to display the portion size, but realized that it would be beneficial if you would imagine it yourself. Think about your stomach and how big it is and that it already is full of liquids and previous meals that are being digested. Now look at your plate and think how much you can actually comfortably fit in your stomach without stretching it.

Does the burger, the fries and the soda or beer really fit?

How many slices of pizza can you fit?

How big of a steak, vegetables, and potatoes can you fit?

How big of a salad can you fit?

Does the ice-cream really melt around your dinner and will fit comfortably?

If have actually gone to the measures of eating smaller portions myself, it makes you feel much better afterward. It is ok to be done with dinner and have the feeling you could have eaten more. Your body will thank you in the next few minutes that you didn't finish your plate.

get that cheese

2011-03-28T05:25:00.000-07:00

Since winter is hopefully on its last leg and I am trying to get into race shape for the first tri of the year, might as well be swim suit shape :), I will be cutting cheese out of my diet for a few weeks. As many of you know, cheese is one of those things that I usually recommend to reduce if one is trying to shed off a few pounds. The reasons are very simple, cheese contains a lot of fat, which as we all know is high in calories and is complex for the body to digest.

Here is a funny video of some Brits trying to get the cheese

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOyQBSMeIhM

The history of the event can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper's_Hill_Cheese-Rolling_and_Wake

So here we go! No cheese for me for a few weeks. Try it, it really works :). I will have to admit that the first pizza without cheese is certainly something to get used to, but on the other hand I never had this full feeling afterward!

Eat your flavonoids!

2011-03-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

What are flavonoids? They are substances virtually found in all plants, giving them brilliant colors. They function as antioxidants in the human body and help prevent cells from being damaged. We particularly benefit from them in a sense of protecting our muscle fibers from rupturing during long lasting activities, such as a marathon or long distance triathlon events. Free radicals are increasingly produced over the course of a race, the flavonoids have a neutralizing function. They are further known to reduce inflammation.

Flavonoids can be found in all fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices. The content is generally higher in the colorful parts of the fruit i.e. the skins. An exception are oranges, the white pulpy inside contains the greatest amount.

Happy Racing

EAPNS: Are you a runner?

2010-12-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

Source:
http://www.impactlab.net/2009/05/31
/cherry-juice-eases-pain-after-running/

Is YES your final answer? Good, you should continue reading this blog.
   Not sure if it is the same for you, but I don't remember being sore from running when I was a teenager, maybe I was simply in better shape :).
   These days I find myself with heavy legs after a long run or a track workout. Tart cherry juice has helped me to reduce the post run pain.
   I know it sounds funny, but what is so special about tart cherry juice? Cherry juice has natural anti-inflammatory powers, which are also giving the cherry the bright red and pretty color. Cherry juice can be purchased as a concentrate. I have been taking 1-2 table spoons, added to a 12 oz glass of water after a run or other activities. Some sites refer to taking the juice 2x a day. You can obviously play with the amount you are taking. You can find several different research studies providing more scientific information regarding the reduced acidic levels measured in athletes taking the juice vs. placebos after a marathon or other running events.
Here is one, more recent article: Tart Cherry Juice Reduces Muscle Pain and Inflammation

Enjoy your run!

Food as joy and energy source

2010-11-24T06:15:00.000-08:00

One of my friends recently asked me, how he can achieve his goals for next years triathlon season including losing some weight.
Rule # 1: Don't beat yourself up over your current weight. Beating yourself up can lead to extreme reactions such as a diet, which is not sustainable and you will bounce back to what you were before. Plus it simply is too much pressure, we already have to deal with enough "stress" in our daily activities; family, work and our busy schedules.

Alright, now that we are done beating ourselves up, we can look at what we have been eating. My friend did a great job documenting and analyzing his nutrition, starting with breakfast. He realized a few things regarding his lunch and his dinners and at the same time found out that his percentages of crabs, protein and fat where off from where he thought they would be.

Before we start looking at what changes to make, we need to understand that food is there to be enjoyed and it isn't something bad. We usually sit down, have a good conversation over breakfast, lunch or dinner and indulge ourselves with a favorite meal. If you are rushing through your meal, you should probably consider taking a few minutes to sit down and eat!!

Without knowing, my friend probably feels tired and wants to take a nap after some of his meals. A reason for that may be that the meals consists of meat, some fried side dish and cheese. All of those foods are difficult for your system to digest. Ever cleaned a pot after preparing mac & cheese? Cheese is generally speaking high in fat content and its chemical structures are hard to break down, so is the fat your french fries and the meat your eating was cooked in, especially when eating out.

Again, it is about enjoying your food and providing your body with the energy it needs. Since it is hard to make changes to your diet without going through major cravings, I would suggest to have 2 days a week where you don't eat cheese and another two days (separate days), where you don't eat meat or fried food.

I will continue to provide ideas to slowly change your diet in a sustainable and enjoyable way, for it to become your new way of walking through your life - feeling good and energized after eating.

Enjoy your meal.

PS: Before every meal, have a glass of water. You are probably not drinking enough throughout the day anyway and it will take up some room in your tummy that would otherwise be consumed by the 20-30 % of food that shouldn't be on your plate to begin with! Don't fell bad leaving something on your table, even if your grandma told you not to :)

Hot Stone Massage

2010-11-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

Recovery and its importance for continuous improvement and health.

Source: http://www.peacefulmind.com/hotstones.htm

I have been getting massages over the past few years and they were mostly deep tissue and trigger point. At a recent massage, the massage therapist pointed out that I have big knots in my upper back and that it is hard to get them out with deep work and if I had given hot stone massage (Link source: www.Livestrong.com) a try before. I hadn't since I was a firm believer in deep work for years. As most of you know, nutrition is a huge part of exercising, racing and recovery. However there are plenty of other factors that you may want to consider to stay healthy, continue to improve your performance and enjoy your sport.

Having experienced hot stone last Friday, I have to say that it was a amazing; not only could I feel the knots being loosened up, but my whole body was very relaxed. You should give it a try, I can only recommend Cary Massage Therapy and Therapist Melissa Martin. You can schedule an appointment right here.

http://www.carymassagetherapy.com/

PS: I know this is not about nutrition, the hot stones are a little too big for micro nutrients :)

Off season nutrition #1

2010-11-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

The off season has by now started for most triathletes! I just took a month off myself, before I am getting back into it for next year's races. Most everyone treats themselves to foods they don't usually do :). One of my favorite daily comic strips "Frazz", has a good one for you:

source: http://comics.com/frazz/2010-10-30

Today's breakfast from the Outer Banks, NC Recipe: Chicken sausage, grits and more

2010-10-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

Today's breakfast is brought to you with lots of sunshine from the Outer Banks. This almost seems to have become my annual trip to the beach. Last year I was here with friends from Germany, this year it's just two of us. I get to cook some food, mostly breakfast. I hope you read the previous blog and found out about what one should eat for breakfast. Following that recommendation, we have been preparing solid, hearty and delicious breakfasts. Today's was a little different!!!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 hot chicken sausages (cooked beforehand)
1/4 cup of grits (original not instant) (prepared with milk)
1/2 an onion
a hand full of grape tomatoes
3 eggs
sharp cheddar cheese (2% if you want lighter fare)
sea salt/black pepper

Directions:
1. prepare grits (takes 10-15 min)
2. cook the sausages and cut in thin slices
in a good size frying pan:
3. chop up the onion and fy gently with some olive oil
4. add sausages and continue to fry until they get s a nice gentle brown surface
5. add grits and spread out evenly, mix in the onions and sausage
6. add grape tomatoes (cut in halfs), this will let the juices join your wonderful meal
7. add the three eggs, you can put them in a bowl and stir them up, or simply add them to the pan and mix everything up
8. add salt and pepper, you could also add some hot sauce to the dish, but I prefer to add that on my plate since not everybody likes hot sauce
9. mix and let the eggs cook at medium heat
10. add a layer of sharp cheddar cheese, let melt and then stir into the rest of the meal
11. depending on your liking, let the meal brown some in the pan, which gives the ingredients some more time to combine and develop their flavors together

Enjoy your meal!!

Eat lots - Early

2010-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about this subject for a while and came across this article. Since I won't be able to sum it up any better, I am just going to be lazy and reference it.
Lose Weight by Eating Earlier

Dark Chocolate

2010-09-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Now how does chocolate and eating right fit together? It can in small amounts :), especially if it is dark chocolate!

Dark chocolate compared to milk or white chocolate contains a higher percentage of cocoa, which brings along healthier fats, less sugar, more protein and more antioxidants. There actually quite a few good reasons to eat dark chocolate:
- lowers you blood pressure
- lowers LDL cholesterol (LDL=bad cholesterol)
- will increase your mood via the natural "anti-depressant" serotonin
- contains flavonoids, which is an antioxidant that aids strengthening the connective tissue of blood vessels

After all it tastes really good :); a small piece of dark chocolate and a cup of coffee gets me through my afternoon low !!

My personal favorite is Lindt Swiss chocolate.

5. EAPNS: No to sunburn - Astaxanthin

2010-08-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

It is a little late in this summer, but I thought this may still interesting for some of you, who choose to spend time in the sun, exercising outside etc. Astaxanthin is an antioxidant, which absorbs/reduces free radicals created by skin exposed to UV rays.

It can also reduce the pain and inflammation occurring with sunburn. The objective of course is to not get sunburned at all. Not to be mistaken, Astaxanthin is not a replacement for sunscreen, but sort of functions as internal sunscreen. I have been trying to find out if there are actual studies with regards to the SPF of Astaxanthin, but couldn't find anything. It reaches its effect after ~2 weeks of taking 4mg a day.

Some cites refer to increased protection against the sun and state the Astaxanthin is 500 times stronger than Vitamin E and 10 times stronger than beta-carotene, which in the past have been recommended to aid exposure to sun.

Astaxanthin

As many of us I am usually a little skeptical, when it comes to supplements, especially if there is so much different information available online, but no profound scientific studies. I am giving it a try and will let you know what my experience is. The antioxidant also shows significant other benefits. Just Google Astaxanthin + benefits and you will be surprised :)!!!

Where to buy:

http://www.astavita.com/astaxanthin.html >>Chris Lieto's main sponsor

The Vitamin Shoppe

For the science geeks amongst you: http://www.cyanotech.com/pdfs/bioastin/batl09.pdf

4. EAPNS: Meatless Monday

2010-08-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative to improve personal health and our environment. It is an interesting read and the website provides recipes.

As an athlete I am supporting the idea, at least from a personal health standpoint. The question remains, what day of the week should be the one without meat? This time of the year I usually have hard and long workout days on the weekend and I seem to struggle to get enough calories in on those days. Since it is a good thing to eat some fatty fish once a week, you could substitute your meat protein with fish on one of your weekend days. The earlier days of the week, or at least Monday is usually an easier workout day for most athletes and therefore seems to work with the initiative. One could argue against that and say you need a good source of protein the day after a hard weekend of training to rebuilt the muscular damages. Lets all remember that meat and fish aren't the only good sources of protein. I have talked about potato and egg as a great source for protein or legumes (lentils, beans....). It is also a good thing to add some vegetables to your meal that are high in antioxidants such as broccoli and fresh tomatoes. Don't forget the complex carbs, such as wheat pasta and off you go with a simple, but healthy and protein rich meal. Yes even the pasta contains some protein.
Recipe:
2 Tomatoes on the vine
Broccoli
1/2 an onion
1 jar of traditional pasta sauce
1 can of beans of your liking
1 lbs of whole wheat pasta

3. EAPNS: Post Workout Nutrition

2010-07-05T13:31:00.000-07:00

The theory behind refueling:

I have been struggling with that subject for a few days now and think I have found the right answers.

They are:

- Window of opportunity: Eat as quickly as you can after your workout. Ideally 10-15 mins after, but no longer than 60 mins.

- Simple Carbs

- Protein

- No fat

It doesn't seem to be very difficult, does it? The part I was struggling with were the simple carbs (sugars). In one of the earlier blogs I was preaching of the importance of complex carbs and how they are used to restore muscle glycogen and how simple carbs will not do the job. For immediate post work out nutrition that whole theory can be thrown out the window. Simple carbs are the way to go, ideally in liquid form. Liquids can be absorbed even quicker!

The reasons why simple carbs are better are twofold. They can be absorbed much quicker then starch and can therefore be transported to the muscles more quickly. In addition simple carbs will increase the low and depleted insulin levels. Insulin is the most anabolic hormone in the human body and is responsible for delivery of nutrients from the bloodstream into muscle cells. The higher insulin levels also speed up the synthesis of protein, which aids the rebuilding of muscle tissue. The amount of carbohydrates you should take in depends on your body weight and the duration of the workout. It is roughly 0.5 g carbs per pound or 1.2 g per kg. The suggested values per weight range at the figures provided seem to be the average. One site suggested to take in 1.6g/kg immediately after the workout and another drink 1 hour afterwards. .

Protein is generally 50% of the carbs and can therefore range from 0.6g/kg to 0.8g/kg. Sources for carbs can be sports drinks, juices etc or fruit; bananas work well, they contain 25-30g of sugars. As far as fat goes, immediate recovery nutrition doesn't need to contain fat and it is probably better to focus on sugars and protein and get your healthy fats as part of your regular meals.

A few examples of recovery drink of my choice are Walmart's alternative to Slim Fast or Mass XXX from GNC, which contains complex carbs and is better for secondary refueling 1-3 hours after the workout.

Alrighty off to a short run with drils and in the pool for some more drills!!!!

Rediscover Yogurt - Fruit + Yogurt= Perfect Snack

2010-06-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since the last blog, as things have gotten busy and the nice weather draws me outside for training, the time to dedicate to the blog pretty much dissipated. I cannot promise much as far as how much I will be writing over the next few months, since the triathlon season is reaching its peak.
Rediscovered Yogurt:
Ever since I moved to the US about 6 years ago and probably even before then, I pretty much wasn't eating yogurt. Part of it was that I didn't like the flavor of fat free yogurt. I have recently rediscovered yogurt, with a different viewpoint and positive experience of its taste. Instead of normal (mostly fat free) yogurt, a friend pointed out "Greek Strained Yogurt" from Fage. It is very creamy and smooth and has a little bit of a salty flavor to it. It comes in 3 different fat content categories, where I prefer the 2 % option. There are obviously pros and cons to each version, in general I eat yogurt as a snack in between meals or as a dessert and therefore try not to consume too many calories from fat. It is however important, especially for snacks, to add some calories from fat, since a the body needs fat and b the meal/snack will last much longer and you will prevent heisshunger (ravenous appetite). Snacks should generally have similar nutritional contents as meals, just in smaller doses. If you only eat fruit, you are providing you body with a lot of sugar, which will drive up your insulin levels quickly and are also digested very quickly. If you eat fruit and a yogurt that contains some, fat, you are not only adding fat, but your are adding valuable protein. Voila, here goes your complete meal :).

Image Sources:

Left: http://www.fageusa.com/NutritionChecklist.aspx

Right: http://www.mehc.ae/images/temp/fresh_fruit.jpg

2. EAPNS: Carb loading 1: Simple and complex carbohydrates

2010-04-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Endurance athletes talk about carb loading all the time :); everybody has a different approach prior to race day. Carb loading prior to race day can be up to a weeklong routine, or just a few days. I will talk about race prep carb loading in a different blog.

One of the things only few people think about is that carb loading needs to occur all the time, it is one of the most important elements of recovery and continuous training efforts. Carb loading simply means that you are replenishing your sugar depots in your muscles and your liver. Those are the main sources that can store glycogen, there is also some stored in your blood, but those sugars are maintained continuously by calorie intake and insulin production. The energy stored in those depots is recalled, when working out, not only on race day.

What kind of carbs/sugars can be stored in your muscles/liver?

There are essentially 2 types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are small molecules, such as sugar (glucose), fructose (sugar in fruit and fruit juices). lactose (sugar in milk), galactose (monosaccharides) and two sugars bonded together. Simple sugars are easily digestible and are perfect for quick energy replacement during workouts and races. Excess simple sugars are easily converted into fat.

Complex sugars or starch are simple sugars bonded together in a long chain. They are not as easily digestible, but are the source of glucose stored in our muscles and liver. The fact that complex carbs take longer to be digested leads to the effect that they are not as easily converted into body fat.

It is recommended to keep the intake of simple sugars as low as 10% of you daily carbohydrate intake.

How much energy can be stored in muscles and the liver?

Muscles are the main storage of glycogen, one can store anywhere from 200-500 grams of glycogen, which translates into 800-2000 calories. Some athletes have shown storage of up to 2700 calories stored in muscle. Long term training will result in greater storage depots in muscles as well as the amount of muscle mass of course. However, greater muscle mass will also means that your body burns more calories at any given time.

The liver can store 60-120 grams of glycogen, which equals 250–500 calories.

Your body generally uses mostly liver glycogen over night, which means that a good breakfast with supplements can easily replenish liver glycogen. I will write about that subject separately as well.

Image source: http://www.all-creatures.org/recipes/images/i-pasta-penne-rigate.jpg

Carbohydrate foods:

Simple Sugars:

- Table Sugar

- Cakes, pastry, biscuits

- Fruit (the calorie content of fruit is generally low and fruits contain fiber, which slows down the digestive, which reduces the amount of excess calories stored in form of body fat)

- Juices

- Soda

- Jam

- Chocolate/Candy

Complex Sugars:

(Food in it’s most natural form i.e. whole wheat etc)

- Bran

- Cornmeal

- Oatmeal

- Whole wheat pasta, regular pasta

- Brown/white Rice

- Potatoes

- Wholemeal breads

- Wholegrain cereals

- Legumes: Peas, Beans Lentils

What have we learned?

Reduce the simple sugars in your daily diet. Carbohydrates are fuel for your body, if carbohydrate stores are low exercise will seem like a real effort! Not only on race day!!

1. Endurance Athlete Performance Nutrition and Supplements Blog: Advanced Cheese

2010-03-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is the first blog of a series that will specifically talk about Endurance Athlete Performance Nutrition and Supplements (EAPNS). I have been reading a book written by Dr. Feil, which unfortunately is only available in German, most of the information provided will be inspired by the boo. Today’s blog is a little out of sequence, but there was a specific need to extend on my favorite subject “CHEESE”.
It took me a while to find a real good reason to eat cheese; cheese contains Chromium. Thus far I have only found out that there are differences in how much they contain, Edamer and Gouda (95 micro grams/100g) seem to be high on the list, as well as American Cheese. Other sources list all cheeses at 56 micro grams/100g. The daily needs of Chromium for adults are 35 microgram for men and 25 microgram for women, athletes and diabetics tend to have higher daily needs. The reason therefore is that Chromium is an essential nutrient that helps the body use sugar, protein, and fat. Daily intake beyond 200 micrograms can lead to health risks. A blog that specifically talks about Chromium will follow. On a side note wine and beer also contain considerable amounts of Chromium :).

Here are some facts about cheese:

The fat content in the cheese impacts the flavor of the cheese, the community of cheese connoisseurs thinks that the fat content should be between 20-30% for ripened cheeses.

The biological value of protein in cheese is generally not as high as that in milk. Reason being is that the higher valuable whey protein is excluded in the process of cheese making. However, there are some repined cheeses that have up to 15 % whey protein, whereas most other cheeses only have 4-6% whey protein. On the plus side, ripened cheese also has a greater digestibility compared to milk (96-97% vs. 92%). Vitamin A and Calcium are of course valuable and should be considered as something positive when eating cheese.

If you would like to find out more about protein in cheese, here is an interesting article from www.dairyforall.com

3. Recipe: Tuna with Peach Salsa, Eggplant over Cuscus

2010-03-06T18:54:00.000-08:00

Cook time: 15 min, prep time 20 min

3-4 entree servings

Ingredients:

1 pound sushi grade tuna

1 large eggplant

1- 1 ½ cups of whole wheat cuscus

Lemon pepper

Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Peanut Oil

Italian Seasoning (salt free)

Sea Salt

Peach or Mango Salsa

Red Wine

Directions

Prepare the marinate for the tuna, take 4 table spoons of olive oil, 2 table spoons of balsamic vinegar and add the lemon pepper. Add the tuna, the longer the better, 15 min minimum.

Cut the eggplant in ½”by 1” pieces, gently cook/fry in a frying pan, add the Italian seasoning and some sea salt. Brown the eggplant, be careful that you don’t overcook it. It start falling apart. The eggplant will take the longest from all three main ingredients, depending on how rare you like your tuna.

Heat up 1 ¼ cup of water in the microwave (2 min) and add the cuscus and some sea salt. Stir the cuscus when initially adding it to the water; let sit for 5 min.

Add the peanut oil to a frying pan, turn on high. Be careful the smoke point of peanut oil is lower than some other oils. Add the marinated tuna and cook to your liking.

Serve on a large plate, pour some Peach or Mango Salsa over the eggplant/cuscus.

Ready is a wonderful, easy, relatively quick and healthy dinner. We had a glass of Amos Malbec with it, it turned out really well J!

145 lbs SUGAR

2010-02-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

I went to the coffee shop this afternoon to get myself a Medium Mocha, no whip. I had just finished a 2.45 h ride and needed to get some calories in my system. I walked over to the milk and sugar stand and there was this not-skinny girl topping of her coffee with sugar. She was holding the sugar dispenser over her cup circling around , must have been at least 7-10 s. To say the least, she is well contributing to the 145 lbs of sugar the average American consumes a year. Now lets makes this a little bit more visible, you can build a figure who is roughly 5'6" inches and normally built with that amount of sugar, by the time July 4th comes around, you have eaten half of the poor thing.
Reality is that there are some of us, who eat probably up to 200 lbs of sugar, since others eat considerably less.
For this upcoming week, look at the sugar you take in.

Obesity campaign "Let's move"

2010-02-13T12:59:00.000-08:00

Since the US has now officially decided to spend money against childhood obesity, maybe even blogs like this one can get a share of the money. I have previously drawn conclusions based on the size of people i have seen in certain states and their legacy. For instance Wisconsin to me seemed to be one of the states with the highest obesity, part of that was supported by the fact that there are a lot of big people in WI and that they love their cheese. Now that I have looked at the Obesity rate by state (Source WSJ), I have been proven wrong. I am not even sure how to interpret these numbers, it looks like a few southern states are in the highest ranks, which could be explained by the fired foods.
Ultimately the problem seems to be spread around the whole country!!
Solutions:
1. Eating Out:
Don't eat out as much and cook healthy meals at home with only little trans fat.
Pro: You can loose weight by still enjoying the foods you like, by the simple fact that the preparation itself makes it a lot healthier. For kids that will mean that there dinner will include veggies and all the other things that are good for you. Side Note: Have you ever looked at a kids menu? Chicken tenders and fries, or whatever the restaurant calls it. If you can find veggies on a kids menu let me know :).
Cons: We all love to eat out, it is so easy. The US services economy would be in big trouble if only half of the US decided to not eat out anymore.

2. Portion Size:
Reduce the amount of food you eat.
Pro: You can still eat the things you enjoy, but have to cut back on how much you enjoy.
Cons: This means we have to discipline ourselves, which is way to hard. We already have to do that at work and in the rest of our private life.
Side Note: Even the FDA has recognized the issue. I find this rather humerus portion size (Source: New York Times)

Ok, I have to move now, running 10 miles this morning was just not enough :)

Cholesterol lowering foods

2010-02-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Here we go again, the annual physical came back with too high LDL-Cholesterol. The letter in the mail suggests regular aerobic exercise. For some people that may be the issue, for others it may not be. So what else can be done? Even for already healthy eaters, there are more things that can be done. Soluble fiber is the number 1 of the bad cholesterol lowering foods, now what is that. Fiber 101.
Oatmeal and oat bran is followed by nuts and in third place for LDL lowering foods are fish and omega 3 fatty acids (didn't we just have those a few days ago in another blog???). This information and more can be found under (Source): http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol/CL00002

Food for thought

2010-02-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

Food for thought, what does that really mean!! Well, I guess there is more than one meaning. The commonly known one is a catalyst, which makes one think about a subject. The real food for thought is also referred to as brain food. Walnuts not only look like little brains, but they are also known to be a great brain food. They are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids.
Here is some more healthful information:
http://nutritionwonderland.com/2009/06/some-food-for-your-thoughts-nuts-part-1/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99

What does Heinz 57 Varieties do for you?

2010-01-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

Friends don't let friends eat Ketchup!!! Where is that saying coming from? A lot of us whether tall, large or small like our ketchup. It just goes well with fries, eggs or other foods. Besides that fact that it tastes good, there are certain health benefits.

Lycopene is one of the good things found in tomatoes, it becomes more bio-available if the tomatoes are cooked. Ketchup on the other hand contains a lot of sugar and salt, which offset the health benefits. A good alternative to ketchup are tomato sauces and other cooked tomato foods (Source:Wikipedia Ketchup-Nutrition).

Image Source: http://www.heinz.com/our-food/products/ketchup.aspx