What Foods Are You Going To Eat When You're Hungry?

September 29, 2012

Food deprivation for 18 to 24 hours can happen to anyone. It can be imposed by your doctor before blood draws or surgery, or it can be self-imposed in case of extreme dieting, juice cleansing, religious fasts and, last but not least, of really busy working schedules.
In fact, whenever you’re skipping breakfast you’re actually fasting for a good 15 hours: imagining that you had dinner the night before at around 8pm and you’re having lunch on the following day at about 1pm.
When that happens you’re feeling so hungry that it borderlines starvation, and in this case which foods are you most likely going to reach for if you’re presented which different choices? How much of it are you actually going to eat?
A recent study suggests that you’re probably going to dive into starches first, maybe some proteins, and veggies, unfortunately, are going to be your last option.

On top of that, you’re likely to eat much more food than you would normally do.




Whole Wheat, Oatmeal and Raisin Muffins

September 27, 2012



I realized that the only muffins’ recipes I’ve posted so far were made with protein powder: double chocolate protein muffins, and pumpkin protein muffins. I don’t always bake with protein powder though; there are other several recipes for healthy muffins that I like to make.
This one, for instance, is amazing. A combination of wholesome ingredients to make some delicious muffins easy on calories. Packed with fiber, but with little sugar, and very little fat.




Do You Know Why Exercise Is Good For Mental Health?

September 26, 2012

We’ve said this times and times again exercise is good not only for the body but also for the brain. Studies across the board show that daily physical activity can also boost mental health. But what actually accounts for the association between exercise and mental health?


Lentil "Meatballs" With Light Pesto

September 24, 2012

Lentil "Meatballs" With Light Pesto
Talking about “meatless meatballs” is an oxymoron. One that is hard to justify.
As my niece told me: “How can you have meatballs if there’s no meat inside?”
To a certain degree I had to yield to her reasoning. If there’s no meat you should call them “[something]balls” not meatballs.
Two incongruous words paired together, what a headache to explain to kids. With these lentil ‘meatballs’ however the resemblance and taste to meat is so close that there’s no better way to describe them besides ‘meatballs’.
That’s why the oxymoron is justified. Just this one time.

Light Pesto

Always Scan The Ingredient List From Top To Bottom!

September 20, 2012

We talked about how important is to read nutrition labels on food, but that’s not the only thing you should look for. As crucial is to scan the ingredients list.
You’ll be surprised to see that some foods comprise numerous ingredients with weird and complicated names that more often should belong in a chemistry lab, rather than on your plate.
Here’s a few things to help you successfully scan the list...




Source FDA

The 80% Diet - 20% Exercise Rule

September 19, 2012

It is well established that when trying to lose weight a combination of both exercising and dieting provides best results.
Alone, neither of them is sufficient.
Some people are able to shed pounds just by cutting calorie intake, but the results are unlikely to last without some physical activity. Conversely, you can spend hours in the gym, but if you’re stuffing your mouth with high-caloric and unhealthy food you won’t go far.
To put it differently, both factors are necessary to achieve optimal weight loss.
Exercising without a healthy diet is futile, but an healthy diet is per se not enough.
However, it’s not always apparent how much these two factors plays in the weight loss equation.
In other words, how much should you exercise? How much you should restrict calories?

80% Diet 20 % Exercise Rule

Why You Need To Read Nutrition Labels More Carefully

September 18, 2012

In our quest to become healthier, one of the strongest tool we have in our hands are the nutrition facts labels printed on the food we’re buying.
They've often been the subject of criticisms, as some claim that they fail to provide enough information and that the data displayed can be misleading.
I
'd rather say: they’re there, let’s take advantage of them.
All we need to do is to learn how to read them correctly and with some common sense we are going to do a lot of good to ourselves.



Source FDA

White Bean Hummus

September 14, 2012


You know how much I fancy hummus. Since I mastered - what I believe to be - the ultimate hummus recipe, I make a batch almost every week.
Hummus is made with chickpeas, which are legumes. There are many other legumes that I adore though: lentils for instance, not to mention beans. So why not making hummus with other legumes?

Do You Know How Much Caffeine You're Drinking?

September 13, 2012

Judging by the line I see every morning at the coffee shop down the street from where I live, it seems that we’re a city, a country and maybe a world running on caffeine.
It would be actually fascinating to see what would happen if we took caffeine out of the picture for just one day. I don’t think much will be achieved, but who knows...
Anyway, this is not my point. My point is: do you actually know how much caffeine are you getting each day?
If you’re not sure, take a look at this infographic below.
It’s accurate and very accessible. You can find the original file here, along with a detailed explanation of how this infographic was created alongside the data collected. It’s too bad that there’s no reference to tea (especially green tea, which is my only source of caffeine), but the creators did an awesome job in displaying how much caffeine contain the most notorious drinks you can find today on the market.




The Iron You

Andy Murray, A Bikram Yoga Enthusiast

September 12, 2012

Have you watched the US Open final on Monday night? If not, you really missed on something because it was awesome.
Five sets in which the players battled like crazy on every single point.
In the end Andy Murray of Scotland overcame defending champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia in five sets which lasted over four hours and three quarters.
This is the first Grand Slam title the Scottish player has won in his career; but as many journalists have reported this is partially due because he has had the misfortune to be playing in the same era as three of the greatest players who ever played on a tennis court: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
However, in the last few months Murray seemed to be at the top of his game; reaching the final at Wimbledon, winning the Olympic gold few weeks after that and now triumphing in New York.




Spicy Turmeric Chicken

September 10, 2012

Spicy Turmeric Chicken


Lean meats, such as chicken and turkey, are an important component of an athlete’s diet as they are a readily available source of precious aminoacids.
Even if it’s crucial to differentiate what we eat so as to include also plant sources of protein; lean meats are always a handy thing to resort to especially after a kick-ass workout.
However, plain grilled chicken can get boring soon, that’s why it’s nice to have a quick fix recipe for cooking a tasty chicken.

Suggested Reading: Eating Animals

September 7, 2012

This book has been around for almost three years, and chances are you have already read it or heard of it.
If not, “Eating Animals” talks about the food industry with a particular focus on factory farming; providing a serious and
(unfortunately) horrific information of how livestock are raised in America today.
The detailed data presented is the result of more than 3 years of accurate research and it’s offered through the author’s own journey.
It reads like a novel, the narrative is captivating and at times funny; it’s well documented and gives factory farmers and animal activists a chance to speak in their own words.



It's Never Too Late To Become Healthy

September 6, 2012

Saying that it’s never too late to become healthy sounds always really cool. It’s the kind of motivational saying that anyone wants to hear. But have you ever stop and wondered what really “too late” means? Are there really no age limits when it comes to making changes in your lifestyle?
Apparently so, as a recent published research has concluded that even seniors and elderly people, aged 75 years old or more can greatly improve their health by living a healthy lifestyle.
The results of switching habits can be pretty dramatic as it can add 5 years to women’s life and an astonishing 6 years to men’s.




Whole Wheat Quinoa Bread

September 2, 2012


Another recipe, more quinoa involved. Yes, we have to get ourselves ready for 2013 (UN’s International Year of Quinoa). There’s no slacking off, we must learn how to incorporate quinoa in all our meals.
What about making some bread with quinoa?
Bread, real bread, it’s not that complicated to make, but it does take time. Not so much in the preparation but it has to rise for several hours. This quinoa bread is no exception. You’ll need a good 4 to 5 hours. Good news is that while the dough rises you have plenty of time to do other things.
I, for instance, scheduled my training schedule accordingly. I knew I had to wait around 1 hour between each step so I went for my 6 miles run during the first ‘rise’, took a yoga class during the second ‘rise’, and watched two full episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” during the third and final ’rise’ (I know, this is not so much exercising but I was worn off and wanted to be a couch potato for once).