May 21, 2012 | 3:25 pm

What Your Body REALLY Wants!

Posted by Sima Cohen

Being overweight is not a problem. It is a decision. One good or bad decision can have a dramatic ripple effect on the rest of your life. Anything that has the power to change our mental discipline can, and will, eventually have an effect on the decisions we make. Losing a loved one, a painful break-up, divorce, being laid off, having children, infidelity, big lifestyle changes, or trauma can derail a person’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being, and can cause him or her to make decisions that have powerful consequences.

A decision leads to action, which leads to the reality you experience, good or bad, fat or skinny. If your reality is flower-print mumus, type 2 diabetes, and a love affair with the pizza delivery guy, chances are, it’s time to make a different decision.

Winston Churchill said, “The Americans will always do the right thing… after they’ve exhausted all the alternatives.” Well… haven’t you? You’ve tried Atkins, gone on the latest celebrity detox, counted calories and carbs and “points”, or gone the gym for four hours a day, every day for six months. That’s dedication! But none of it worked. Why not? The list is long, if you’ve got time. It costs a lot of money, takes a lot of time and energy, it’s boring and unhealthy, you’ll feel incredibly deprived, it feels like a second job, it’s just not sustainable, and all you’ve ever lost is your sanity.

Common sense would support the idea that if you eat less food, you’ll lose more weight, or that if you exercise more you will burn more calories and lose more fat. But our bodies don’t work this way, and neither do our brains. At least not in the long term. Our brains are driven by pain and pleasure. We want to avoid pain, and we want to experience pleasure, and we seek it out automatically and subconsciously.

When we don’t get adequate protein, dopamine levels drop significantly and we experience a mental fog. Many people believe that if they severely reduce their carbohydrate intake or remove them altogether, their body fat will be broken down when they exercise. Instead they are lowering their capacity to burn fat, and ultimately destroying their metabolism. The body will break down muscle to try and form carbohydrates, which raises stress hormone levels and causes carb cravings.

My advice to you is to make a new decision and end the struggle by feeding your body what it wants: a combination of lean protein, healthy fat, and complex high-fiber carbohydrates. For more tips, information, and weight loss products visit www.ExpressHomeTrainer.com.

May 11, 2012 | 7:14 pm

Healthy Mother’s Day Treats

Posted by Sima Cohen

Mother’s Day comes just once a year. Show your mother how much you care by bringing her a delicious and healthy breakfast in bed. One that has all of the flavor and none of the guilt! Here are three to choose from, and none of them take longer than 20 minutes to prepare!

“Perfect” Parfait (Serves 1) Prep time: 5 mins., Cook time: 0 mins.

1 C non-fat or low fat Greek yogurt
½ C mixed berries
1 tsp. honey
¼ C low sugar granola

1. Start by pouring some of the berries into a short glass. Top with ½ C of yogurt, followed by a little bit of granola.
2. Continue until the glass is full or all ingredients are used. Serve.

Skinny Protein French Toast (Serves 1) Prep time: 5-7 mins., Cook time: 10 mins.

2 egg whites and 1 egg yolk (substitute for ¾ C liquid egg whites, such as Egg Beaters)
2 slices whole wheat bread
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp. agave
Cinnamon
½ grapefruit

1. Start by whipping the eggs or egg substitute. Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon and protein powder and continue whipping.
2. Dip the bread in the egg mixture, coating on both sides.
3. Lightly coat a skillet with cooking spray and brown each slice of bread over medium heat for 1-2 minutes each side.
4. Pour agave over toast and serve with grapefruit.

Egg White Crepes (Serves 2) Prep time: 3 mins., Cook time: 10 mins.

½ C whole wheat flour
3 egg whites
½ C low-fat milk
1 tbsp. omega-3 spread
½ C frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained
Pinch of salt
1 package sugar substitute

1. Whisk the wheat flour, egg whites, milk, salt, and omega-3 spread together in a large bowl until smooth.
2. Spray a skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium heat.
3. Pour half of batter into skillet and tilt back and forth until batter covers the bottom of the skillet. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is golden brown.
4. Flip the crepe upside down and place half of the berries on top. Cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Fold crepe in half and remove to serving plate. Sprinkle half of sugar substitute on top and serve.
6. Repeat 3-5 for second serving.

0 Comments — Leave your comment

May 7, 2012 | 3:28 pm

What’s Fake and What’s Real?

Posted by Sima Cohen

We all need food. Not because it tastes good or because it makes us feel good, but because it provides vital nutrients and energy for our bodies. Food has one true purpose: to keep us alive, healthy and functioning; to provide us with the fuel and body rebuilding nutrition we need to avoid illness and death. We believe things should be simple, and being smart means avoiding things that will lead us down that dangerous path.

The first and easiest way to do that is to avoid boxed foods, junk foods, fake foods, or foods that are altered during processing. Junk foods contain very little real food. They’re usually composed of hydrogenated fats, chemicals, preservatives, and white flour. Canned breakfast drinks, sugary cereals, donuts and soda are prime examples. Fake foods such as bacon bits, dehydrated soups and instant coffee are composed primarily of chemicals, and oftain contain gum and sugar fillers. Processed foods are made from real foods, but have been put through chemical processes and infused with preservatives. They are often cooked at very high temperatures, which destroys any vital nutrients, and are loaded with sugar, salt, stabilizers and color enhancers. Yuck. Processed foods are also altered and stripped of nutrients through a process called “refining”. White bread is a prime example. These foods fill you up with useless calories, but provide no vital nutrients. Instant oats, white sugar, and white rice are also refined foods.

As if that weren’t enough, these processed foods are also preserved, and salt is one of the top preservatives. You’ll notice this rampant in canned foods and bread, but also in beef jerky, canned teas, jam, and hot dogs, among other foods. Diets high in sodium are linked with heart and kidney disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and weight gain! The bottom line is that once a food is altered from its original state, it has lost all of its real value to the human body. So, to keep it simple, follow my #1 principle:

READ THE INGREDIENTS. I believe that if you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t eat it. Stick to food with ingredients that you recognize.

0 Comments — Leave your comment