Spinach, one of the world's healthiest foods

A single half cup of cooked spinach (90 grams) contains a lot of nutrients - including many of the nutrients people need and often lack in their unbalanced diets. It makes a great way to rectify that problem by re-balancing your diet.

Note: 90 grams of cooked spinach is only 8 tablespoons.

vitamin K 493.6% of your Recommended Daily Intake

vitamin A 52.4% of your Recommended Daily Intake

manganese 42% of your Recommended Daily Intake

folate 32.9% of your Recommended Daily Intake

magnesium 19.5% of your Recommended Daily Intake

iron 17.9% of your Recommended Daily Intake

copper 17.2% of your Recommended Daily Intake

vitamin B2 16.2% of your Recommended Daily Intake

vitamin B6 13.9% of your Recommended Daily Intake

vitamin E 12.5% of your Recommended Daily Intake

calcium 12.2% of your Recommended Daily Intake

potassium 12.0% of your Recommended Daily Intake

vitamin C 11.8% of your Recommended Daily Intake

fiber 8.6% of your Recommended Daily Intake

phosphorus 7.2% of your Recommended Daily Intake

And many more nutritious things in a single half cup of spinach.

And if you're thinking "yuck", remember a half cup is only 8 tablespoons (or roughly 4 heaping tablespoons) - which means you get all that nutritional value from eating a mere 4 gulps worth.

Spinach is also high in antioxidants (which prevents / fights cancer, and slows down the aging process).

Spinach also fights inflammation of the digestive tract - so if you have problems with that region, this is a good food to be eating.

Spinach is especially valuable for fighting prostate cancer. And getting rid of constipation, and for fighting stomach ulcers.

According to various nutritional groups, they list spinach as being the world's most healthiest foods. Other groups list it in their top 5 or top 10 - the exact placement varies on the organization, but its constant presence in the top 'whatever' lists of healthiest foods shows that it deserves to be there.

Spinach also helps prevent osteoporosis. This is because it contains a combination of vitamin K, calcium, and magnesium - all three are needed for healthy bones.

Unlike other veggies, cooking spinach actually increases its health benefits. Half a cup of spinach is actually more nutritious than 3 cups of uncooked spinach. (Raw spinach is too hard to break down by itself, it needs to be cooked so the nutritional value is released.)

Blended uncooked spinach is another good way to eat spinach - it also breaks down the fibre and makes it more nutritious.

Baby spinach or smaller leaf spinach is the healthiest of spinach to eat.

A little spinach goes a long way. Add just a bit to your pasta for some extra flavour and reap the health benefits.

Gluten Intolerance Misdiagnosed

Time for some myth busting!

Here is an interesting factoid: The vast majority (approx. 92%) of people who claim they are intolerant to gluten are actually misdiagnosed. And always by people who were self-diagnosing.

For years many people - including scientists - thought that gluten was causing gastrointestinal distress to people who were intolerant of it, including people with celiac disease and people who don't have celiac disease.

But it did seem suspicious that there were so many people who did not have celiac disease who were claiming that gluten was giving them gastrointestinal distress

In reality gluten is a fairly harmless little protein.

Along came Peter Gibson, a gastroenterologist, who thought the number of gluten intolerant people was suspicious and decided to do a lengthy study, which he has published. The study is called "No effects of gluten in patients with self-reported non-celiac gluten sensitivity after dietary reduction of fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates."

In other words, people who claimed they were gluten intolerant and did not have celiac disease, had been misdiagnosing themselves and the gluten was having no effect on them whatsoever.

During his study only 8% of participants exhibited gluten-specific effects on their health. The other 92% of "gluten intolerant people" were completely unaffected by gluten.

Upon further investigation it was discovered that the 8% of participants who were effected ultimately had celiac disease and didn't know that they had it.

Now you might think, oh well, it is just one study. Maybe it wasn't that meticulous... Well as it turns out the study was so meticulous that Gibson collected the poop (all of it, not just samples) of all of his test subjects during the study. Each participant was fed a carefully designed diet for days so that the only food going in was carefully measured and controlled for the amount of gluten and FODMAPs* in the food. It was one of the most meticulous studies you will ever see.

So here is the real issue... If you think you are intolerant to gluten, have yourself tested!

Chances are likely you are in the 92% who thinks they are intolerant to gluten, but more likely have a food allergy to something other than gluten.

Celiac disease is a serious disease and you need to be tested to see if you have it. Don't just stop eating gluten because it is the latest diet fad and you think you "might be sensitive to gluten".

* For note taking purposes you might also wonder what are "fermentable, poorly absorbed, short-chain carbohydrates"... Well, they are Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides And Polyols”, better known as FODMAPs. They’re short-chain molecules you find in pretty much everything food wise. And their connection to gastrointestinal distress is pretty well established in medical science, being that they wreak ungodly fecal hell on those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.

In other words, the people who are misdiagnosing themselves just have irritable bowel syndrome. Which is pretty common apparently, and many people don't know they have it.

So really 92% of the time it is people with irritable bowel syndrome who are intolerant to FODMAPs who are claiming they are intolerant to gluten. The next time you meet someone with gluten intolerance, ask them if they got tested for celiac disease. If they don't have it, then they probably just have IBS and have been self-diagnosing themselves.

So there you go, myth busted.

If you think you have celiac disease, go to a doctor and get tested because it is a serious illness. Otherwise stop making such a fuss and pretending to have something you do not.

The Crisis of Enablers

Q

"Hello! How do I get rock hard abs when my wife keeps feeding me such tasty (and unhealthy) food all the time?

- Jamie F."

A

You are preaching to the choir buddy. If it is not the wife doing it, then it is often your girlfriend, your mother, your mother-in-law, or even your grandmother - they all seem to want to 'fatten you up' on purpose, as if that would somehow be healthier in their mind's eye.

There are a number of ways you can get those "rock hard abs" you are dreaming of, but it is going to require a lot of work, a great deal of self-control, and a few dieting tips never hurt either.

Here are some tips that will help you.

Healthy Diet Vs The Enabler Spouse

#1a. If your spouse is spoon feeding you things you know to be unhealthy start limiting your portion sizes. Yes, okay, eat some of their cooking - it tastes good and it is polite - but don't pig out on it. Same thing goes for anything being pushed at you from in-laws.

Case in Point - This past weekend I went to Catholic baptism and the party afterwards - which had a great deal of food. One of the relatives apparently thought I needed more food and brought me not 1, but 2 beers to quench my thirst - and he brought me an extra helping of pasta without me asking for it. I did eat the pasta, but I did not finish my rice or the beef patty. In this case not finishing my plate basically signaled that I did not want any more - he did try and come back offer me more food, but I had the unfinished food still on my plate so I had a valid excuse for not accepting his ever generous offer of fattening me up.

#1b. So take that as a lesson. If you don't finish your plate it will be easier to limit how much you are eating when people try to give you more.

#2a. Eat when you are hungry and do not eat when you are not hungry. This is an easy one to follow, in theory. The problem however is that many people have a tendency to crave snacks when they are bored. I am craving a snack right now while I am writing this, but I have the smarts to realize that I have spicy kimchi in the house. So I eat something spicy and suddenly I don't want to eat any more. Instead now I feel thirsty. And once I have drank something, I don't feel hungry any more.

#2b. Spicy snacks are good - especially healthy spicy snacks. However filling up with water and spicy food is not always a solution. But healthy snacks in general make a great solution.

#2c. Thus if your spouse is pushing a snack towards you and it is a healthy one - and you are hungry - then go ahead and eat it. If it is an unhealthy snack then try a small portion of it, provided you are hungry currently. If you are not hungry then say so. "I am not hungry right now." Easy. Their feelings will not be as hurt as you might think they are.

#3. Know what you are eating. Know your enemy. If it tastes good, find out what is actually in it so you have a better idea of how healthy or unhealthy it is. Vegetables or fruits, it is probably healthy. If it is covered in sauce, gravy, sugar-coated or syrup then it is probably unhealthy. Knowing what things are good for you and what things are bad is half the battle.

Exercising to get those "Rock Hard Abs"

#4. Don't do ab exercises if you cannot even see your abs under a layer of fat. Why? You will be basically wasting your time doing weightlifting exercises to build muscle, when what you really need to be doing is cardio exercises in order to shed fat off your entire body. You cannot lose fat through "spot treatment". Spot treatment works for building muscle, it does absolutely nothing for losing fat. If you want to lose fat, then you need to be doing cardio exercises.

#5. When it comes to cardio exercises the more intense, the longer the duration, the better they will be at shedding fat from your body. It is really all about burning as many calories as you can during your workout period - and the longer your workout is, the more intense it is, then obviously you will be burning way more calories. Thus running burns more calories than jogging, but if you can only run for short periods of time then jogging can actually burn more because you can jog for longer distances and longer periods of time because of the sheer length of time. Running for 3 minutes vs jogging for 10 minutes, which do you think burns more calories? The answer is jogging. So imagine how much more you will burn if you jog for 57 minutes and the sprint for the last 3 minutes?

#6. Learn how to alternate high intensity exercises with low intensity exercises. This is actually really simply. Walk for 3 minutes, run for 1 minute, walk for 3 minutes, run for 1 minute, continue doing this for 60 minutes total. What is the benefit of this? It boosts your heart rate dramatically and gets the Afterburn Effect going. If you can trigger the Afterburn Effect you can burn double the fat for your efforts. Your metabolic rate goes up, you feel energized, your body starts burning fat stores like crazy, you don't feel hungry as much. This is a great way to burn fat in a hurry.

#7. Pick cardio exercises that you love doing. eg. If you love bicycling, then you need to be doing that more often. Every day if you can. Find exercises that you love to do and then keep doing them as often as possible. For me, my favourites are archery, boxing and swimming. And in the winter I also enjoy ice skating. But for you? What are your favourites?

Sometimes the Biggest Enabler is YOU

#8. Learn to control your own cravings. Sometimes it is not the spouse or significant other or relative who shoveling food in your direction. Sometimes it is you that has lost control. This means you need to control your own cravings, learn to measure your intake of food - and learn to make smarter choices with what you are eating.

The real trick here is realizing that you have self-control and that it is not the cravings that control you. It is you who makes the mistakes of giving in to your cravings. You still have control, but many of us choose not to exercise that control. It is not like the bacon has you in an arm lock and is forcing you to eat the bacon. You can choose not to - and you can also choose to eat 2 or 3 pieces and then stop at that small portion instead of eating the entire package of bacon.

#9. When faced with a enabling crisis (whether you are doing it or someone is giving it to you) what you need to do is ask yourself what do you want more? That pound of crispy bacon stacked high between two slices of bread, in what is an unholy combo of carbs and grease? Or that body you've been wishing you had but have always lacked the willpower to go after it? You can choose to eat smaller portions, you can choose to exercise more, you can choose to make lifestyle changes - permanent ones - that ultimately benefit you in your goal. It is a choice.

#10. Don't blame others for your downfall. Nobody is force feeding you. Yes, there are family members and friends who act as 'agents of enabling', but they are not forcing you to eat the things placed in front of you. You choose to do that of your own free will.

Blaming them is just an excuse. You need to take responsibility for your own actions and then act accordingly. You are not overweight because someone else is forcing you to eat and not exercise enough. You are overweight because you make a choice to eat too much and then not exercise enough to burn off the extra calories.

And burning extra calories takes extra work.

Take responsibility.

Do the work.

Eat small portions.

Stick with it for longer periods of time.

Don't give up easily just because the process is more difficult than you thought it would be.

Find ways to make exercising fun.

Stop worrying about the food your family members or friends push in front of you. If you make the effort, you can eat healthy, lose the fat, and achieve real change.

And then once you can actually see your abs then you know you are ready to do ab exercises to make them stronger and "rock hard".

Catastrophe! How to get back on the horse after binge eating over the weekend

We all do it once in awhile.

We go away on vacation, often for Thanksgiving, Christmas or some similar family or friends oriented event, and we end up eating too much.

So what do you do about it and how do you recover from it?

#1. Moderation is Key.

Sometimes overeating is unavoidable, but if you know you are going to be overeating because Grandma keeps pushing cake at you and you are trying to avoid a third helping here is a handy thing to say:

"I already ate two. If I have any more I might burst."

At which point grandma will leave you alone and focus her attentions on fattening up the younglings.

Having the willpower to lie to your grandmother may take some effort, but your quest for moderation will not be stopped after the second helping. The cascade of sweets will wear down your willpower, so each time you sit down and eat your goal should be to limit yourself to no more than two helpings.

Two helping of Aunt Marjorie's pie. Two helpings of Grandma's cake. Two cookies from the tray of cookies your mother brought with her to the event. You get the idea.

And at some point you should start to fill full, at which point you should reach for the water - drink your fill of water, and pronounce yourself full.

When amongst friends it may be an even more glorious smorgasbord of junk food. Chips, pizza, chocolates, candies - like a junk food filled Halloween party. Your goal here will be to avoid becoming the Cookie Monster, crumbs flying in every direction, shovelling it in two hands at a time.

Same deal as before, eat your fair amount - then drink a large glass of water and then you should feel full.


#2. Plan Ahead to Prevent Over Eating.
There are ways that you can prevent the junk food from storing as long-term fat. Amongst the best preventative measures are...

-Eat a solid meal before going out.
-Eat a good sized portion of only what you have been craving...OR
-Try a *little* bit of everything.
-Avoid excess alcohol. It will just make you more hungry. Focus on water instead and stay hydrated.

#3. Don't Repeat Binge.

Okay, so you tried moderation and prevention, and possibly failed miserably. Or maybe you were successful. Even if you were not, no biggie.

What you need to do is don't do it again the following day (eg. The Sunday after the Saturday Pie Eating Contest). Your body stores extra fat over longer periods. If you only slip once in a while, it will be burned off easily with exercise because the blood sugar will still be in your blood system for 24 hours, and balanced by good nutrition and exercise you will be fine. However if you binge again a 2nd day then your body will start reducing your blood sugar levels by storing it as fat instead. So the trick on the 2nd day is to continue moderation as much as you can. Hopefully you are still full from the first day and this won't be too hard.

Honestly, there is also a psychological benefit to this too. If you're eating really healthy 90% of the time, eating "bad" food is psychologically GOOD for you. Why work out so hard, and monitor food intake, if you can't let loose once in a while and enjoy having a sweet tooth once in awhile? As long as your calorie input is less or equal to the output, you will continue to lose/maintain weight. Falling off the wagon (or horse) is a minor setback. It's only when you are eating more than you burn on average, over the course of the week, that you should be worried about losing results.

#4. Post Catastrophe Clean Up, aka Getting Back On The Horse!

Exercise. Burn fat the next morning. You will feel better about yourself in a hurry.

Drink lots of water and herbal tea. Give your body a flush. Liquids are your friend. Staying hydrated will keep the metabolism revved, and will reduce bloating. You may end up needing to urinate a lot, but every time you do your body will be ridding yourself of excess chemicals.

Calorie cycling. Calorie cycling is just a theory, it has yet to be proven, but it is a sound theory that involves tricking your metabolism into changing itself. The technique is very simple: If you have a heavy calorie day, cycle with lower calories on the following day. Basically, just eat lighter the day after you binged. (I do a similar thing whereby I have a high calorie day every Friday, and the rest of the week is low calorie days. This way I maintain higher energy levels, but only eat excessively on Fridays when I hang out with friends.)

Eat lots of fruit and veggies. Your body needs a dose of nutrients. Fruits especially, and vegetables have a high water content, and both contain: vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Fill up on good stuff.

NOTE

One or two days of eating badly isn't that big of a deal. You don't need to be alarmist about it. Just get right back on the horse and don't worry about it. Stuff happens and you can't let the small stuff get in the way of your big picture.

So if you eat a whole chocolate rabbit once a year during Easter, no biggie. You will make it up through smart diet and exercise during the weeks and months and years after the fact.

Carbs Reducing Strategies for Weight Loss

There are many different fad diets on the market that restrict food groups, or eliminate them altogether! While this is not an ideal way to lose weight, cutting back on certain foods, like carbs can help you to lose weight.

However cutting out carbs entirely is not going to help you either.

Why? Well let us first ask what are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are different kinds of sugars and when they are not burned by doing exercise activities they are stored as fat. If you don't use your carbs, then you end up storing them.

Thus many low carb and no carb diets focus on the idea of eliminating sugars entirely. The plan goes that if you reduce your intake of carbs / sugar, you will burn your fat stores instead.

Which is true, you do burn your fat stores - and your muscle - and your brain matter - and damages your internal organs. But what this plan doesn't account for is "carb crashing", wherein your blood sugar levels drop so low that your body starts to run low on energy and it cannot drain from your fat stores quickly enough, so instead you feel sluggish, tired and slow. And dumber.

If you've ever been on a low carb / no carb diet, then you know what I am talking about. Your body is basically shutting down and trying to use as little energy as possible, and to get energy it starts draining resources from muscle tissue, organs, fat stores, everything!

However there are ways to around this.

#1. Eat lots of vegetables.

#2. Combine your veggies with lean meat.

#3. Reduce grain products - rice, bread, etc. This doesn't mean you avoid such foods entirely. Simply that you reduce how much you are eating so you are not reliant upon sugars for all of your energy.

Your end goal here is to make sure you are consuming lots of nutrients and protein (veggies and meat), while simultaneously reducing how much carbs you are eating.

The end result is that you will lose weight gradually and healthily over a period of time.

As opposed to carb crashing, feeling physically horrible as your body cannibalizes itself, and making yourself slower, dumber and weaker.

So why do people complain about carbs so much?

Carbohydrates are very common, and often inadvertently overeaten because bread, rice, pasta and similar foods are considered to be staples in our modern culture. They are easy to store, easy to make, and cheap. Healthy foods - veggies and meat - always cost way more than a loaf of bread.

The concept of smaller portions of carbs, lots of veggies and a serving of lean meat just doesn't sound as appetizing to people who have been raised on mashed potatoes, gravy and fatty meats - which tastes amazing, but it would be a lot healthier if the meat was lean, the gravy was low fat, and the potatoes had other veggies (eg. peas) mixed in with it.

Here are 5 tips for reducing carbs in your diet.

#1. Make burritos but instead of wrapping in tortilla, wrap in a big piece of lettuce. This is similar to the Korean dish samgyopsal, which is BBQ pork wrapped in lettuce.

#2. Dip veggies into hummus or yogurt instead of bread.

#3. Reduce pasta portion by half, serve with lean, skinless meat or tofu, and vegetables.

#4. Have an open faced sandwich with one slice of bread. This leaves room for a side such as cottage cheese, salad or hard boiled eggs.

#5. When snacking, opt for carrot sticks, apple slices, or even a salad instead of reaching for the bag of chips.

If you have trouble dropping weight feel free to contact me for an in-person nutritional consultation.

Almond Butter and its Health Benefits

Beware!

If you try almond butter you might just fall in love!

Almond butter has the look and consistency of peanut butter but is a little darker (it looks like chocolate), and of course, it is made from almonds!

Almond butter is absolutely delicious and can be used in sandwiches with fruit, jelly, or just on its own. It can also be mixed into oatmeal, granola, flax meal, and even stir fry / stews.

In addition to the taste of almond butter, you may notice some interesting health benefits. eg. Like your nails became thicker, stronger and shinier. This is because almond butter is very high in vitamin E.

Here are the other benefits of natural almond butter and its vitamin E:

#1. Lowers cholesterol and prevents diabetes

#2. Contains heart healthy monounsaturated fats

#3. It makes a great "workout snack" for energy and protein.

#4. Contains good amounts of calcium, fiber, magnesium, folic acid and potassium

#5. Alleviates symptoms of BPH (enlarged prostate) in men.

#6. It makes you feel full for hours.

Plus it makes a great alternative to peanut butter when you need to pack a lunch (for your children) in a peanut-allergy conscientious environment. Many Toronto schools have banned peanut butter, so almond butter makes a great and healthy alternative.

However I want to point out that almond butter is not necessarily healthier than peanut butter. It simply has the health benefits of almonds, while peanut butter has all the health benefits of peanuts. They are both good for different reasons.

I recommend purchasing natural peanut and almond butters in order to avoid the hydrogenated oils many companies add to prevent the oil from separating. It just means you need to mix your butter with a knife and then stick it in the fridge, but once that is done it is no longer an issue.

12 Tips for Weight Loss Maintenance

So you've lost weight? Congratulations! You've completed half of your goal, losing the weight. Now you need to keep it off.

Tip #1. Make lifestyle changes if you want your weight loss to be permanent. Going back to your old routine just isn't going to cut it any more.

Tip #2. Drink lots of water regularly. It keeps your body clean of toxins. Avoid caffeine, nicotine products and alcohol as much as you can. When with friends, stick to one drink if possible.

Tip #3. If you regain weight at some point don't go on a diet, instead change your eating/exercise habits so that you make permanent changes. Fad diets are temporary band-aid solutions. Never go on a diet with food/a plan you KNOW you cannot eat forever!

Tip #4. Take a cooking course. Learning to make more healthy foods at home and expand your knowledge of what you can make and eat will allow you to maintain your diet more easily by having a broader range of healthy food options in your repertoire.

Tip #5. Set a caloric intake maintenance range. Your goal now is to maintain your weight, not to continue losing weight or go back to your old ways. Set a range, practice it for a few months and check your results, and once you know that the range works stick with it. After several months it should already be a habit.

Tip #6. Avoid dining out. Unless it is a special occasion you should not be dining out. Restaurant food / ordering take-out is a very quick way to break your habits - worse if you get into the habit of eating out regularly.

Tip #7. Remember to snack between meals - healthy snacks like fruit, salads, nutty granola bars, etc. This was you won't be overly hungry and binge later. Binging = weight gain.

Tip #8. Keep exercising at least twice per week for 30 minutes. Just because you lost all the weight doesn't mean you should stop exercising. Pick your favourite exercises and keep doing them.

Tip #9. Get involved in more sports that you enjoy doing.

Tip #10. Try new sports or activities that you always wanted to try. eg. Archery, boxing, rock climbing, fencing, snorkeling, windsurfing...

Tip #11. Go outside on dates more often. Regardless of whether you are married or single, dating activities such as picnics, throwing a football around, long walks on the beach - now is your chance to enjoy your new physique.

Tip #12. Get a dog and take the dog for walks twice daily. The dog will keep you healthy and it will give you an excuse to go outside more often.

Again, congratulations on achieving your weight loss goal!

Also I want to note that you should avoid going further and LOSING TOO MUCH WEIGHT. That isn't healthy for you either. What you want to do is to maintain your ideal healthy weight. Not too much and not too little. Below is an example of what happens when someone becomes too obsessed with losing weight and loses too much.

Easy Hangover Cure

So you tied one on last night and now have a hangover?

Well the good news is that there is a hangover cure, and it is a relatively simple cure. Water + Green Vegetables + 1 Hour.

That is it.

Alcohol upsets your body chemistry and makes you dehydrated. Start by drinking a litre of water to counteract the effects of dehydration.

Next make yourself a BIG SALAD. Green vegetables such as lettuce, green peppers, broccoli, etc. Go ahead and add some salad dressing and croutons too if you want, those won't hurt. Feel free to toss some potatoes or red peppers or carrots in there too. The more nutrients (and the more variety of nutrients) the better. [Some people also swear by bananas as a hangover cure, so try experimenting with that too.]

The green vegetables works to detoxify your body and give you some much needed nutrients. You don't have to make it a salad, but making a salad is pretty quick and easy. You could also make a veggie smoothie - which might taste weird, but it will work the same.

For best results drink the water and eat green veggies soon after your bout of drinking, before you go to bed. If you go to bed without drinking at least some water you will wake up in the morning rather dehydrated.

You don't need to drink massive quantities of water or eat a massive salad. 750 - 1000 ml of water will be enough, and approx. two servings worth of salad will be enough.

The last component here is 1 Hour. Within an hour after eating and drinking you will feel dramatically better. Your hangover might not be gone completely, but it will be sharply reduced since you have counteracted the dehydration and toxins in your system.

You can achieve similar results by drinking water and eating a large breakfast. The effect will be slower because most breakfast foods don't do much to counteract toxins.

Myth Busting Caffeine

Large doses of caffeine doesn't really help as much as people think. Strong coffee for example, the water helps a little but it is offset by the caffeine which also dehydrates you. The caffeine will perk you up however, but it is basically just acting as a pain killer.

Thus if you have used a big breakfast plus strong coffee before in the past as a hangover cure, you know it is going to be a slow cure. It will work but if you want faster results plain water and green veggies will rehydrate you and get rid of the toxins faster.

How to Lose Weight while Eating in Restaurants

The problem with restaurants and eating out is that the average meal in a restaurant is so packed with calories that you are guaranteed to pack on the pounds if you are eating out in restaurants regularly.

Especially if you go to a fast food place like McDonalds where even the tiniest burgers are packed with hundreds of calories.

But it is possible to eat at restaurants and still lose weight. And I am going to tell you how...

#1. Soups.

Soups and stews are often overlooked on menus, when in reality they are often the healthiest things on the menu. A good veggie stew, with some chicken, beef or mutton in there will be a very nutritious and filling meal.

#2. Salads.

Salads can be very high on the nutrition - as long as you don't put too much salad dressing on there. Your best option is to eat your salad "vanilla", which means without any dressing at all on there. Just skip the dressing and you will be doing yourself a favor. Also skip the fake bacon bits (they're high in sodium).

#3. Vegan and Vegetarian Restaurants

Honestly, this is a great way to make sure you are getting a good healthy meal. Find vegan restaurants like Rawlicious in your neighbourhood. Toronto has several Rawlicious locations to choose from, but they also have locations in Markham and other towns near Toronto. There is also:

Blu Ristorante
Fresh
Paisano's Italian Garden Cafe
Kwality Sweets & Restaurant
Ho Su Bistro
Brar's Sweets
Freshly Made Catering
Mt. Everest Restaurant
Bistro Grande

So yeah, no shortage of Vegan restaurants in Toronto to choose from.

#4. Veggie Stirfry

If you see veggie stirfry on the menu then that is certainly an option. It will have a little bit of fat in there, but it will be mostly vegetables and will be a tasty option.

#5. Lean Meat

If you do opt for something on the meatier side of things aim for something has very lean meat in it. The leaner the better. Greasy bacon = Bad. A nice lean steak = Good. So if you see "steak and veggies" on the menu that is a good healthy option.

#6. Juice Vs Smoothies

Lets face it, wheatgrass drinks are not for everyone. I know wheatgrass is healthy, but I grew up on a farm and the stuff tastes horribly like eating weeds. And juice may seem like a healthy choice but is often packed with extra sugar. But if you see smoothies on the menu - eg. a mango smoothie - then you are in luck. Pick the smoothie!

CONCLUSIONS

Soups, salads, think veggies, lean meat and smoothies. Proof that you can eat healthy when eating out. You just have to learn how and practice some willpower when it comes to making smart and healthy menu decisions.

5 Healthy Snacks that help you Slim Down

Are you looking for healthy but sweet snacks to satisfy your ravenous sweet tooth?

Deprivation only leads to disaster but on the other hand, who says you can't eat healthy with your snacks???

The snacks below strike the balance between indulgence, portion control, and healthy ingredients. Even better, they're very quick and easy to make!

Five Healthy but Sweet Snacks

1. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Calories - 350

Great for an energy boost. Use 2 slices of whole grain bread. Slice half a banana (or less), layer on top of 1 tbsp (or less) of natural peanut butter (natural peanut butter contains no hydrogenated oils). Sprinkle with cinnamon or dark chocolate chipits if you want to add something special to it. For people with peanut allergies you can also get almond butter.

2. Yogurt Parfait

Calories - 150

A yogurt parfait can be just as good as ice cream on a summer day. Use 1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt. Slice 1/2 apple, sprinkle raisins, walnuts and a bit of flax meal. Speaking for myself, my favourite thing to sprinkle is granola. Don't have yogurt? Try cottage cheese instead.

3. Fruity Cottage Cheese

Calories - 200

High in protein, low in fat. Makes a good light meal. 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese, 1/2 sliced mango, raisins. *can also be substituted with yogurt! No mangoes handy? Use bananas, berries or apple slices.

4. Dried Fruit Trail Mix

Calories - 250

Great for energy, healthy fat and fiber. 1/4 cup dried fruit (apricots, strawberry, cherries), 1/4 cup almonds, and a sprinkling of raisins and shelled sunflower seeds.

5. Cereal

Calories - Approx 180 - 250 depending on brand.

A healthy cereal satisfies the craving for food, and is fortified with vitamins, and when served with skim milk adds extra protein and nutrients. My personal favourite is Kellogg's VECTOR cereal because it is chock full of vitamins.

I am also a big fan of VECTOR protein bars, which is a good quick protein snack. Both the bars and the cereal can be found at CostCo and similar bulk stores if you are looking to save a few dollars.

Vegan Smoothies and Rock Climbing

One of my personal hobbies is rock climbing. Thus when I found the video further below about an indoor rock climbing vegan who makes vegan smoothies and enjoys rock climbing, well, I just had to share it.

Now obviously freehand climbing (with no rope) is more dangerous, so I don't recommend it for amateurs. If you are new to rock climbing I suggest sticking to easy to climb areas, indoor rock climbing, or climbing with all the right gear and a friend who is an experienced climber.

As exercises go rock climbing is fairly frugal and isn't going to cost you a lot to get into it. Compared to a 1-year gym membership it is quite cheap.


Wow! That girl drinks a lot of smoothies!

Personally I add skim milk to my smoothies for the added protein and milky goodness. Sometimes I also make high protein smoothies by adding whey protein powder.

My favourite smoothies to make are strawberry / raspberry with vanilla flavoured whey protein.

Movember and Prostate Cancer

I just finished shaving off my beard - and my mustache.

I was tempted to grow a mustache for Movember (to raise awareness for prostate cancer and other male cancers), but I changed my mind because every time I have done so my mustache is so itchy it annoys me. (I even tried using conditioners and other things on it to make my mustache softer, but they don't work well enough to suit my needs.)

The Movember Foundation encourages men to be aware of any family history of cancer, to have an annual checkup with their doctor and to adopt a healthier lifestyle - all things which I heartily support for both men and women.

However since I am not growing a mustache myself I have instead decided to write a post - this one - promoting healthy food and some interesting facts / statistics.

The average person has cancer 40 times during their lifetime, the difference is that usually your body fights it off. As you get older however and toxins build up in your body the toxins make it more difficult for your body to fight off the cancer growing inside you. When it gets really bad the cancer becomes malignant and life threatening by shutting down one or more of your body's vital organs.

The connection between toxins and cancer growth in the human body are well documented. Alcohol, cigarettes, and other sources of toxins can build up the amount of poison in your system that leads to cancer.

So how do you get rid of these toxins?

The easiest and most effective way is through a healthy diet which includes lots of green vegetables. Foods like spinach, broccoli, peas, cabbage, lettuce, asparagus, brussel sprouts, etc. Other types of vegetables are also good, as long as they are high in alkaline.

Another thing that is super effective against cancer is Green Tea. A single cup of strong green tea has more alkaline than two cupfuls of broccoli.

Lastly you will want to avoid foods you know to be carcinogenic. Foods that are burnt for example contain carcinogens, so try to avoid eating meat that is burnt. Well done is good, but avoid any burnt pieces.

Which means that even if you cannot grow a great mustache like Tom Selleck, Burt Reynolds, Sean Connery, George Clooney, Hulk Hogan and others well then at least you can still eat and drink healthier - which in turn will decrease your chances of developing prostate cancer and similar cancers.

Want to learn more about this and similar topics?

Just Google something like green tea prevents prostate cancer and learn more!

Eat Simple, Eat Small, Weigh Less

I try to write a lot about nutrition on here because that is often the biggest Achilles heel that people are facing when their goal is weight loss.

However the problem I find with writing about nutrition is trying to NOT sound preachy. I don't like preaching to people because it feels like I am trying to convince them to do something they don't want to do.

In the back of my head I sometimes even imagine what a 12 year old version of myself would say. "Booo! I hate vegetables! Give me more bacon!!!"

And sometimes the 12 year old in me wins, and I have bacon maybe once per month.

But if you consider I eat approx. 90 meals in a month - and the vast majority of those meals are healthy meals - I would argue I am winning most of the battles - and therefore winning the war.

And that is the piece of wisdom I want to pass on to other people out there struggling to control their inner 12 year old. Yes, you can still have bacon. But try to make it part of a healthier overall meal (like making a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich), keep the amount of bacon you eat relatively small. And don't go back for more.

Now take that philosophy and apply it to many of your other more unhealthy meals that you might enjoy.

#1. Pile on the lettuce for every hamburger you make for yourself.

Or if at a restaurant, ask for EXTRA lettuce on your hamburger. Pile it on there! Same with other healthy veggies you enjoy, get more of those on your menu item of choice.

#2. Learn how to make FAST HEALTHY FOOD. Examples below:

Pita Pizza. Spread canned diced tomatoes on a pita and season as you like, with pepper, basil, oregano etc. Spread a thin layer of shredded cheese. Add the toppings of your choice. Jalapeno peppers, mushrooms, green/red pepper, spinach diced onions and mushrooms are a few suggestions. Bake at 350 F for 4 to 5 minutes.

French Lunch. At the grocery store grab a whole grain baguette or bun, cheese and red grapes. This small meal is loaded with nutrition: Fiber, anti-oxidant fruit, healthy fats and protein. Remember to eat just a small amount of cheese.

Egg Muffin. Microwave an egg for 1 min in a cup. Add to a toasted whole grain English Muffin with a bit of cheese, thinly sliced turkey (or veggie alternative) and tomato. Season to taste.

Cottage Cheese. A good sized portion of cottage cheese (3/4 cup is ideal), diced tomatoes, and chopped scallion. Add some pepper. It is high protein and you will feel surprisingly full! Still hungry? Eat it on a slice of toast or with a side of carrot sticks.

Sandwiches. Learn how to make some unusual and tasty sandwiches that maybe you have never tried before. Apple slices, tomatoes, berries and more can make for some interesting, fast and healthy sandwich alternatives. Best served on whole grain bread.

#3. Eat Healthy Snacks Regularly.

It doesn't matter if it is apples, veggies, oranges, grapes or whatever. My personal favourite is carrot sticks. Just stock up on your favourite healthy snacks and make them your go to at 10 AM, 2 PM, and 8 PM so you are eating healthy in between meals.

#4. Always remember the Small Portions Mantra.

You don't have to eat like a pig to fill yourself up. Try eating smaller portions and eat healthy snacks in-between meals. What you will learn over time is that you will eat less during the larger meals if you are eating healthy snacks in between. With time your stomach will also shrink in size and it will take less food to fill you up and mentally you will realize you don't need large amounts of food.

#5. Break your Cravings for Carbs.

Try going on a low carb diet for 30 days and see if you break your cravings. That means only eating small portions of bread, pasta, rice, sugary foods. In 30 days your cravings for such foods should be diminished. Your goal during this is to stabilize your diet by introducing more healthier food into your diet and using those foods as your source of energy instead of heading straight for the high carb / high sugar foods.

#6. Learn How to Grocery Shop Healthy

Eating healthy doesn't have to mean a trip to an overpriced specialty food store, surrounded by items you have never heard of. Your normal grocery store has everything you need. Healthy nutrition can start with the staples you have on hand, and foods that are readily available in the corner store. Eating healthy means you can eat more often, feel satisfied, and lose the weight you have been wanting to drop. All while eating healthy foods that you already enjoy - you just need to learn how to utilize those foods more and buy them more often.

Food Motivation Quotes

"You wouldn't choose to eat poison would you? So why would you choose not to eat healthy?"
- Charles Moffat

"I do the same exercises I did 50 years ago and they still work. I eat the same food I ate 50 years ago and it still works."
- Arnold Schwarzenegger

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating."

- Luciano Pavarotti

"Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people."

- Elizabeth Berry
"When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste."

- Laiko Bahrs

"It's bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician."

- Meryl Streep

"The bagel, an unsweetened doughnut with rigor mortis."

- Beatrice & Ira Freeman

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons."

- Alfred E. Newman

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are."

- Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 

Extreme Heat effects your Workout and Diet

When it gets super hot and humid in Toronto you're going to be sweaty, cranky and tired. So how do you beat the heat and still manage to eat properly and get a good workout?

Today we are going to do some ol' fashioned myth busting when it comes to exercise and eating healthy in the heat. And give you some healthy tips along the way!

#1. Is it really hot enough to fry an egg? No, not really. And seriously, would you even want to eat the egg? Stick to frying your eggs in a pan instead.

#2. Does the heat actually make you more tired? Yes. Heat is very draining on your body and it uses a lot of your active energy just to try and cool your body down. Which means if you have air conditioning you will be able to sleep better at night.

It isn't just the heat however - it is also the humidity. Which means a dehumidifier in your bedroom can also help you to sleep better. And better sleep = more energy the next day and less likely to binge on sugary foods to boost your energy levels.

#3. If you feel so tired that you are nauseous and dizzy (or suffering memory problems) you may have heat exhaustion or heat stroke, and you should get to some place cool immediately and drink some cool water. When in doubt call 911.

#4. However, heat exhaustion doesn't mean you should jump in a cold shower or a pool. The shock could knock you unconscious. Your goal should be to SLOOOOOOWLY lower your body temperature back to normal. So a dip in a cool pool - not a cold one - will help. A cool / luke warm shower is also good. Drinking lots of water (not too much all at once) will also help. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, they will just dehydrate you further.

#5. Avoid very large meals on a hot day. Binging on food will just make you more tired. Your body is already working hard to maintain your body temperature, so digesting a big meal will just put more stress on it. Aim for smaller, lighter meals - and eat snacks in-between meals.

#6. When running / jogging don't drink ice cold water. Instead drink cool water that is only moderately cold. The reason is because your body has to expend energy to warm that water up. The lost energy then makes you feel more tired than you would normally be. By drinking only moderately cool water you don't feel the energy drain as much but are still getting the cooling effect. Some marathon runners prefer to drink water which is luke warm / room temperature that way they are minimizing their energy drain as much as possible and only want the water for hydration, not for cooling them down.

#7. The more fit you are the less effect the heat will have on your body, this is true - but that doesn't make you immune to heat exhaustion, dehydration or heat stroke. If you start to notice symptoms of any of these three seek shade, a cool place and water.

#8. A handy trick is to exercise AFTER the sun goes down. You can download a smartphone app that will tell you when sunrise and sunset is in your area or check it online. (I personally use one which tells me sunrise, sunset, a detailed hourly weather forecast and the weather forecast for the coming week.)

#9. If doing any kind of weight training outside on a hot day it is best to have a partner if possible. Long list of variety of safety reasons. And the list grows longer if you are older and / or unfit. Exercise caution.

#10. Sweating a lot doesn't burn more calories. It just means your body is overheating and trying to cool down. If you feel too hot you won't be able to exercise as hard. You can exercise much harder in cooler conditions because your body doesn't have to expend so much water, sodium and energy trying to cool you down.

#11. Sports drinks like Powerade and Gatorade help. Why? Because in addition to the water they also replenish sodium and calories. Gives you more energy, and the sodium means you can sweat more - which in turn cools you down physically - which in turn allows you to exercise harder because you don't feel as hot.

#12. If you're tempted for a beer on a patio, try to stick to just one beer. None is better, but if you fall to temptation try to limit yourself to one and then have a glass of water with it. Same goes with coffee and other caffeine drinks. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrates you because you end up using more water from your body just trying to flush the toxins from your system. (Which is why you will feel the need to urinate later after drinking alcohol or caffeine.) Exercising immediately after having alcohol is not recommended, but if you do try to rehydrate yourself by drinking a fair amount of water before, during and after the exercise.

#13. Your body adapts over time to hot weather. It is why we get sunburns on our arms for example and later our arms become more resistant to sunburns. It is in our genetics that we adapt to summer by getting sunburns a couple times and by the time we have a good tan going we don't burn as easily - but you can still get a painful sunburn if you aren't careful! So use sunscreen, wear a hat and avoid long exposure to the sun.

#14. Your blood vessels and sweat levels also adjust to the weather. You will start craving more salty foods and this is normal - the sodium in the salt replenishes your ability to sweat and keep yourself cool.

#15. A health tip for women and men. Antiperspirants contain aluminum in the form of toxic chemicals like aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly - a chemical proven to cause lymph node and breast cancer in both women and men. If you are going to use an antiperspirant try not to use so much - or switch to deodorant instead.

Women who wear antiperspirant regularly have significantly higher chances of developing lymph node and breast cancer. In contrast most men use deodorant instead, which doesn't prevent sweating and instead just masks the smell - and thus men have significantly lower chances of lymph node and breast cancer because they aren't using antiperspirants as much as women do. This doesn't mean men cannot get cancer in those body parts, it just means that most men don't use antiperspirant and thus have lower chances. A man who does use antiperspirant regularly will have the same chance of developing lymph node and breast cancer as a woman who uses antiperspirant regularly.

Also your body is going to sweat anyway. Swiping some toxic chemicals on your armpits isn't going to stop you from sweating from head, neck, chest, arms, belly, back, legs and so forth. In its efforts to cool your body down your body will simply sweat from all available pores anyway.

How to Make a Hearty Vegetable Soup in a Jiffy

Honestly the fastest way is to cheat. But you have to do it in a smart way.

Watch and learn.

How to Make a Hearty Vegetable Soup in a Jiffy

In a large pot mix the following...

#1. One can of meat/vegetable soup. In this case I am using Campbell's Chunky Beef soup.

#2. Add one cup of frozen vegetables. I did say jiffy didn't I?

#3. Add half of a can of chick peas (a big can of chick peas is 796 mL so put in roughly 400 mL and then seal the can back up and put in your fridge for later). Remember to rinse off the chick peas with water (hot or cold, doesn't matter) before adding to the pot.

#4. Spice to your tastes. I used parsley, basil, salt, and ClubHouse LaGrille Lemon and Herbs.

Cook to a boil, then lower to minimum heat and cover. Let sit 5 minutes, then turn off. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before consuming.

Total Time about 20 minutes.

RATIONALE

The combination of the soup can and spices ensure you get a very tasty soup. The added veggies and chick peas add a lot of extra hearty nutrients - chick peas especially are really good for you.

Nutritionists recommend chick peas for people who are trying to lose weight and / or gain muscle, the reason is because they are low calories (134 calories per 125 mL of cooked chickpeas) because they are ridiculously low in fat, and high in nutrients and protein (7 grams of protein per half 125 mL of cooked chick peas).

The beauty of chick peas is that they go really well in soup, require very little preparation (just rinse with water before cooking) and they are incredibly good for you.

Preparing Nutritious Meals with Little Time

Diet is a huge part of controlling your weight.

One of the most common obstacles is preparing healthy meals - and finding the time to do so. Many of us don't have the time to fuss over recipes in the kitchen. After a long work day many people are starving and don't want to spend the extra time chopping vegetables, cooking rice, etc - and thus reach for unhealthy fast food. It's completely understandable.

However I can give you tips on how to make better use of your time so you can food prepared in less time / optimizing your kitchen time, so it is there ready for you.

Tips For Preparing Meals / Snacks When You Lack Time

#1. Optimize Your Boredom

Even when you are really busy most of the time there will always be gaps in your schedule wherein you are bored and waiting for something else to happen. eg. The movie doesn't start for another 20 minutes, so why not chop veggies while you wait and then stick then in the fridge to stay cool.

#2. Rewatching Old TV Shows

Are you the type of person who loves rewatching your favourite TV shows and movies? Chances are you've already seen the show a dozen times and can recite the script - which means you can do other activities while watching it. (Note: You might just as easily use this time for exercising instead of healthy food preparation, both are good for.)

#3. Reading Time

Do you make time in your schedule for reading? Try an audiobook instead so you can listen to the audiobook while you have fun in the kitchen making healthy food.

Secondly, try reading some healthy recipe books for fun instead of the usual books you read for fun. They will give you more ideas for things you can make in the kitchen which take less time - or foods that can be made in advance and stored, making it easier to just warm it up later.

#4. Canned Soups and Stews

If you are going to make any kind of "fast food" at all I recommend healthy soups and stews. Open the can, pour in contents, add some extra chopped veggies (or peas, beans, pre-cut carrots), heat, stir continuously, cool and consume. Yummy and healthy!

#5. Peas and Beans

Seriously. They require no cutting. Just rinse with water and boil.

#6. The Sunday Night Action Plan

What do you do on your Sunday nights anyway??? Instead of relaxing and dreading Monday take ten minutes or so and create a work week meal plan. Aim to make something for dinner each night that will make good leftovers for lunch or even the following day's supper. You can even plan part of this in your head while driving or on the subway.

#7. Off from Work Early

If you get off from work early take that extra time to make a healthier meal. Plan for more time spent on a meal when you get off work early, and a really quick dinner when you get home late (soup and stew is great when you get home late).

#8. Make Food in Advance

Breakfast foods like Swiss Muesli can be prepared in advance and then stored. Certain kinds of soups can also be made in advance and stored (eg. Lentil soup).

#9. Ask for Help

It's so simple but if you have a teenager at home before you, ask them to chop vegetables. If they are too lazy to chop peppers then there is something wrong with them. You can also ask them to pick up healthy items at the grocery store, create the meal themselves (make a rule "You can make whatever you want as long as its healthy."

Nobody cares if the peppers look like they were cut by a blind woodcutter. Praise your teenager for a job well done.

#10. Use Frozen Vegetables

Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh - especially if they are flash frozen. The freezing process does remove a bit of the taste, but all the nutrition is still there. If you're not entertaining then its no big deal to use frozen instead. Canned beans, legumes and chickpeas are also handy.

#11. Invest in Appliances

Handy things to have: A rice cooker, food processor, vegetable chopper, hand blender, pressure cooker, and crock pot. Or even just a big old stew pot - good for making one big soup which lasts multiple days.

#12. Combine Your Exercise and Cooking Time

One of the things I like to do - and you may find this silly - is that I will boil something in the kitchen and then do a series of weightlifting exercises while I wait. This saves me time overall and helps build my appetite.

#13. Make Smaller Meals

If you get home and are feeling starved drink a glass of milk first (or juice). It will fill up your belly part way so you don't feel as hungry. Then make a small or medium sized meal.

If you get home and are starving chances are more likely you will want to make a BIG meal - and making a big meal takes more time. By making something smaller you are doing yourself a favour by eating something that is more balanced size wise - and saving yourself time in the process.

#14. Make a Quick Caesar Salad

Another thing to do when you get home and are feeling starved make a quick caesar salad. A handful of lettuce, some croutons, some pre-chopped carrots, a little caesar salad dressing and that will sate your hunger.

While you eat your salad you can make something else that is nutritious that goes with it, eating while you cook. Saves you time and guarantees that you are eating a healthier balance. Combine #13 and #14 and you can - drink a glass of milk, eat a quick salad, make the healthier meal while eating your salad - and you will save both time and feel less hungry during the process.

#15. Buy Fruits and Berries Regularly

For snacks try buying fruits like apples, oranges and grapes regularly. Berries are also great, especially with yogurt.

Five Superfoods worth Eating

So-called Superfoods are called that because they are extremely healthy for you and good for balancing your diet out so you store less fat, burn more calories, and achieve a great nutritional balance.

1. Berries

Blueberries especially are packed with antioxidants. They prevent all kinds of disease and are known for creating age-defying skin. They have high amounts of vitamin C, E and B, and a ton of minerals. Strawberries and pomegranate also rate high. Buy frozen blueberries and mix into oatmeal or mix with low fat / zero fat yogurt. Berries go well with almost everything.

My favourite? Strawberry milkshake with fresh strawberries.

2. Beans, Peas and Pulses

Low in fat, high in protein and fiber, beans, peas and pulses are incredibly healthy, versatile and make a great entree on their own or as part of your favourite pasta dish, soup or new culinary experiment. Black beans go great with burritos, chickpeas are nice spiced, and almost any bean tastes great made into a heated or cold salad with some tomato and corn.

3. Broccoli and other Green Veggies

Broccoli is particularly notable for being nutrient dense, containing vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium, folate and vitamin K. Frozen greens are just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. Frozen spinach is really convenient if you like spinach. No picking through the stems and spoiled pieces, just heat and cook!

4. Nuts and Seeds

Use nuts and seeds in your cooking, for snacks and even healthy baking of oatmeal cookies. Many people are wary of nuts and seeds because of the high fat content (which to be fair, is Omega-3 fat so you want that anyway), but in moderate doses, they are full of fiber, protein, Omega-3's, vitamins and minerals. Raw almonds and walnuts are proven to reduce the risk of heart disease, prevent cancer, diabetes and they give you great hair and nails! The best seeds are sunflower and pumpkin when it comes to the nutritional value.

5. Oats

Oats! The breakfast of champions! Filled with protein, fiber, Vitamin E, thiamine, copper, magnesium, potassium, zinc and many others, oats have amazing health benefits: Reduced risk of coronary heart disease, lower cholesterol, and they keep you full for a very long time! I personally like my oatmeal as a cookie with granola mixed in, but that is just me. Homemade Oatmeal Granola Bars!

BONUS SUPERFOODS!

You weren't expecting just five were you?

6. Green Tea

Although all tea have antioxidants, green tea is less processed and has more flavonoids (the antioxidants). Green tea has been reported to assist weight loss by increasing the metabolic rate. Green tea has also been shown to reduce gum disease, prevent kidney stones, and reduce the risk of stroke and cancer.

7. Tofu and Soy

Packed with protein, minerals, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acid. It's known to prevent cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and ease menopausal symptoms. It also makes a great dairy alternative if you are lactose intolerant.

8. Orange Veggies. Carrots, Squash and Sweet Potato

Very high in beta-carotene. These antioxidants boost cell communication and strengthen the immune system. They protect the eyes from degeneration, and ward off cancer and heart disease. They also contain a ton of useful vitamins and minerals your body needs anyway!

9. Yogurt

Plain, no fruity stuff, and with live bacteria. Just don't leave it in the sun or a hot place for a long period or it will go bad. Yogurt heals the digestive tract, lowers cholesterol, boosts the immune system, clears skin and fights osteoporosis and arthritis. It's high in vitamin B6 and B12, in addition to calcium, magnesium, zinc and potassium.

Hot Dogs are Bad for You - But how bad are they?

Everyone knows hot dogs, cigarettes and greasy food is bad for you.

The Questions

How bad are hot dogs?

Is it possible to buy a healthier hot dog?

The Answers

Hot dogs aren’t nutritious – not even remotely. They’re made of processed meat and cholesterol-raising saturated fat and sodium.

The good news is if you read nutrition labels, you can find some hot dog wieners that are easier on your waistline and arteries. They're still not healthy, but they are better than the junk you are currently eating.

The average beef or pork hot dog (38 grams or kid’s size) contains:

110 calories
4 grams of saturated fat
350 milligrams of sodium

That is before the hot dog bun and any condiments.

“Jumbo Size” franks (75 grams)

approx. 230 calories
9 grams of saturated fat
740 milligrams of sodium

Shopsy’s All Beef Quarter Pounder (113 grams)

310 calories
11 grams of saturated fat (half a day’s worth)
1,120 milligrams of sodium (nearly a day’s worth for adults)

Indeed most hot dogs, buns and sugar-filled ketchup and other condiments are pretty bad for you. They raise your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers in an hurry. The heavy intake of processed meat – such as wieners, sausages, bacon, cold cuts – has been directly linked with a greater risk of colorectal cancer. So unless you want a doctor probing your bottom you might to avoid processed meats.

Also cooking meat to high temperatures (e.g. grilling hot dogs or frying bacon) forms heterocyclic amines, compounds shown to cause colon tumours in animals. Doing that with processed meats such as wieners also contain sodium nitrite, a preservative that helps prevent botulism food poisoning and gives cured meats their characteristic red colour, well its basically cooking your chemicals before eating them.

During cooking nitrite can also react with compounds naturally present in meat to form nitrosamines and nitrosamides, several of which cause certain cancers in humans and animals. Some weiner companies add sodium erythorbate (a form of vitamin C) to processed meat to inhibit this conversion and help minimize the risk - so they know their products are harmful, but they are trying to minimize that particular risk a bit... but what if the hot dogs you are buying don't contain vitamin C?

Even if you switch to chicken or turkey wieners you’ll still save saturated fat in the hot dogs. However most chicken or turkey wieners contain no more than two grams of saturated fat per serving so that at least is reducing the fat content. However it will still have lots of sodium.

Butterball Turkey Frank (56 grams)

470 milligrams of sodium, one-third of a day’s worth.

In contrast veggie dogs made from soy protein have no saturated fat and are much lower in calories than their meat and poultry counterparts. But they're still relatively high in sodium. However veggie hot dogs contain ZERO sodium nitrite.

Yves Veggie Cuisine Veggie Dog (46 grams)
60 calories
1.5 grams of fat (from canola oil)
390 milligrams of sodium

There are some companies which sell beef, pork or chicken wieners without sodium nitrite - including Life Choices Foods, Schneider’s, Maple Leaf and Loblaw - but you need to check the label to be certain.

Also, just a warning if you reading any labels that say "organic" or “natural” hot dogs, they often have similar or even higher levels of nitrites than normal hot dogs.

THE BIG TIP

Read the nutrition labels and don’t make hot dogs your regular fare this summer. An old fashioned hot dog once in awhile won't kill you, but eating them constantly will surely give you cancer.

Try to choose a wiener (38 grams) with no more than three grams of saturated fat and less than 400 milligrams of sodium and zero nitrites. At least then you are minimizing your risk.

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables each day, especially roduce rich in phytochemicals called flavonoids such as berries, cherries, red grapes, apples, citrus fruit, broccoli, kale, onions – are known to alter the harmful effects of heterocyclic amines that form during grilling. So try to eat a balanced diet when you are not eating hot dogs.