Mediterranean Layered Dip

http://www.reallivingnutrition.com/recipes.aspx
Just click on the link to view the recipe and watch the video on how to make this easy layered dip.

Fall For A Pumpkin Smoothie(as featured in this month's "Prevention" Magazine)

It tastes like pie in a glass, and each 8-ounce cup offers 100% of the daily value for beta-carotene, an antioxidant that fights cancer. Whip one up: Blend 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup crushed ice, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Pour and drink!

PS: You can skip all that whip cream on the top. It is just makes the picture nicer. If you do add it, it will also add calories, add fat etc.

Nutritional info per smoothie: 162 cal, 5 g pro, 34 g carb, 2 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 0 mg chol, 4 g fiber, 55 mg sodium

Tuesday Morning Funny

The Glow Project Movie Trailer

Another documentary on the power of "positive thinking". I recently watched "The Secret" and I believe that is a movie worth watching as well.

How To Calculate Your BMI

This is a question that is commonly asked by people who want to lose weight. How many calories do they need to consume in order to lose weight?

Well, it all depends.

It depends on how much you weigh now, how tall you are, whether you are male or female, how old you are, and how active you are.

To determine how many calories you need to consume each day, you need to work out your Basal Metabolic Rate (or BMR). This is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day, which is something you hopefully don't do!

You can follow the formulas below to work it out yourself :

English BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

Metric BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

Now, to take into consideration what level (if any) of exercise you do, to determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

If you do little or no exercise : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you do light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you do moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you do hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you do very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Ok, so that's to work out how to maintain your current weight. There are 3500 calories to a pound, so over the course of a week you would need to reduce your calorie intake by around 500 calories a day if you want to lose weight.

There are of course "safe" and "unsafe" ways to do this. Starving yourself is NOT going to help you lose weight and keep it off, so it's important your intake is appropriate for your body type and your goals!

I am not a big fan of counting calories (but I am a "label reader")and I know it is important for everyone to know what their BMI is. It is also best to have a BMI anywhere between 19 and 24. You may need to keep track of your calories at first but once you get onto eating what is generally healthy, you will no longer need to keep track..you will just know. If you make good choices say 85% of the time and sometimes....15% of the time you don't, it will all work out in the end.

4 Rules For Youthful Aging

The Law of Thinking

Increase Energy Without Adding Weight

Article By: Nadia Rodman, RD


Ways to increase your energy without adding weight.


Whether you are trying to lose weight or just keep your energy levels up throughout the day, healthy snacks are important. Try not to let more than four hours pass without eating something.

Snacks that contain carbohydrates, fiber and protein will keep you fuller longer. Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source for your body and protein will help stabilize your blood sugar so that it won't skyrocket and then quickly crash. Fiber delays the emptying of the food from your stomach. This translates into sustained energy for you.

Here are some examples of energy sustaining snacks that contain carbohydrates, fiber and/or protein:

- string cheese and an apple
- celery with peanut butter
- yogurt
- peach and soy nuts
- slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter
- popcorn and string cheese
- granola bars
- cottage cheese and pineapple
- baby carrots and cucumbers with hummus dip
- grapes and light swiss cheese
- cereal with milk
- whole wheat crackers and cheese
- protein shakes
- smoothie made with fresh fruit and low fat milk

Take the hint from your snacks
Having carbohydrates, fiber and protein will stabilize your energy levels and keep you fuller longer. It is important to have a balance of these nutrients at most meals for health and weight management.

Another Video on Green Smoothies

I often grab one of these in the morning. It is an easy way to get your greens and a few servings of fruit in right away. As mentioned in the video, when your bananas are looking overripe,you can slice them up, throw them in a freezer bag and use them later to throw in the blender. You can do this with other fruit as well and for some it would help to dip them in lemon before freezing them. This will help to save them from turning brown and it would also add to the flavour of the smoothie.

Morning Green Smoothie

Reading Labels & Some Other Tips

From Medicinenet.com

It all starts in the grocery store. The foods you choose to stock your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer are the foundation for your diet.

Grocery shopping can be daunting. It can be overwhelming to try to choose the healthiest foods from among all the options that line every aisle. And new trends and choices pop up every day, from fortified foods to upscale gourmet.

To help you navigate the supermarket, here are some expert tips to help you read food labels and choose healthy products. We've also got a top 10 list of nutritious foods to add to your grocery cart.

Label Reading Tips

The first thing you'll see is the label on the front of the food package. Manufacturers can say most anything they want on the front label (to get the real story, see the Nutrition Facts panel on the back). Here are some terms you may see there, and what they really mean:

Fortified, enriched, added, extra, and plus. This means nutrients such as minerals and fiber have been removed and vitamins added in processing. Look for 100% whole-wheat bread and high-fiber, low-sugar cereals.
Fruit drink. This means there's probably little or no real fruit, and lots of sugar. Look for products that say "100% Fruit Juice."
Made with wheat, rye, or multigrain. These products may have very little whole grain. Look for the word "whole" before the grain to ensure you're getting a 100% whole-grain product.
Natural. The manufacturer started with a natural source, but once it's processed the food may not resemble anything natural. Look for "100% All Natural" and "No Preservatives."
Organically grown, pesticide-free, or no artificial ingredients. Trust only labels that say "Certified Organically Grown."
Sugar-free or fat-free. Don't assume the product is low-calorie. The manufacturer may have compensated with unhealthy ingredients that don't taste very good -- and have no fewer calories than the real thing.
Here are some key phrases you'll see on the Nutrition Facts panel on the back of the package:

Serving Size. Portion control is important for weight management, but don't expect manufacturers to make it easy for you. Pop-Tarts, for instance, come two to a package. The label says one serving is 200 calories -- for "one pastry."
Calories and Calories From Fat. This tells you how many calories are in a serving, and how many of those calories come from fat. Remember that this information is for one serving as defined on the label.
Nutrients by Weight and Percentage of Daily Value (%DV). This shows how much of each nutrient is in one serving, by weight in grams and by %DV. This symbol refers to the recommended daily allowance for a nutrient based on a 2,000-calorie diet (some nutrients, such as sugar and protein, don't have a %DV). Fats are listed as "Total Fat" and also broken down so you can see how much is unhealthy saturated fat and trans fat.
Vitamins and Minerals. Vitamins and minerals are listed by %DV only. Pay particular attention to vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron; most people don't get enough in their diets.
Ingredients. They're listed in order from the greatest amount to the least. Experts offer a rule of thumb: the fewer the ingredients, the better.

Top 10 Foods to Put on Your Grocery List:

Here are some foods that experts say should be on any health-conscious shopper's grocery list:

Tomatoes. These juicy, red fruits are loaded with the antioxidant lycopene, which has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in women.
Low-fat proteins. Good sources of lean protein include seafood, skinless white-meat poultry, eggs, lean beef (tenderloin, sirloin, eye of round), and skim or low-fat yogurts, milk, and cheeses. Some research has indicated that a diet moderately high in protein can keep hunger at bay, and thus help you lose weight.
Whole grains, oats, and fibrous foods. Fiber helps your digestive tract work properly and lowers cholesterol levels while keeping your belly feeling full. Whole grains also contain antioxidants, are fat free, and are easy to fit into your diet.
Berries (red and blue), including grapes. Berries are loaded with vitamins and minerals, as well as phytochemicals with cancer-fighting properties. Red grapes, in the form of one glass of red wine daily, may even reduce the risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. (If you're a nondrinker, check with a doctor before starting.)
Nuts. A handful of almonds, cashews, pecans, or walnuts provides fiber, vitamin E, and healthful, monounsaturated fats. Just watch your portion size; these nutritious nuggets are high in calories.
Fish and fish oil contain omega-3 fatty acids that can reduce the risk of heart disease by protecting the heart against inflammation. The Canadian Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, or sardines at least twice a week.
Unsaturated fats such as olive, canola, and soybean oils are the best kind of fats.
Low-fat dairy products provide plenty of calcium to help keep bones and teeth strong, are a great source of protein, and may even enhance weight loss, according to some research.
Vegetables are a healthful eater's best friend. All veggies, except avocadoes, are fat-free and loaded with disease-fighting phytochemicals.
Legumes (like pinto, garbanzo, kidney and black beans and lentils) are underrated. The lowly bean is naturally fat free and loaded with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, especially iron. They add few calories, but keep you feeling full.

Official Trailer For The Austrailian Directed Documentary "Food Matters"

I have not seen the full version of this documentary yet. It was just released in May, 2008. I did watch an interview featuring the director of the documentary and he talked about some very interesting topics regarding unhealthy food or fast food and the ever increasing multi billion dollar pharmaceutical industry.