Negative Calorie Food: Fact or Fiction?

The term "negative calorie food" has been around for quite some time now, creating a good amount of confusion. 
Allegedly “negative calorie food” identifies certain foods that use up more calories in digestion, absorption and metabolism that they contain in the first place. In other words, calories from these foods are so hard for the body to breakdown and process, that their thermic effects are greater than their calorie values. This in turn could cause a calorie deficit, giving these foods a tremendous fat-burning advantage.  
If this assumption was true, eating these foods will cause weight-loss. The problem is that it’s not true. The calories your body burns in the digestive cycle are minuscule compared with the calories in the food itself1.

Black Carrot Cake with Greek Yogurt Frosting

Springtime is party time. Long sunny days and mild temperatures provide the perfect conditions for fun gatherings. It seems like any excuse is a good excuse to throw a party and invite friends and family over. In NYC, especially among “youngsters”, it’s all about rooftop parties (and neighbours complaining about noise).
I like being invited to those parties where you are asked to bring some food and beverage to share: potluck parties! They take some of the pressure off the host, and guests can bring their own flavor to the party.

Stay Hydrated!

There are plenty of hot days ahead of us and while it's always a good idea to stay hydrated, it's especially important when summer temps start rising. Whether you’re training for the NYC Marathon in Central Park, hiking some peaks or just going on a shopping spree in the street of Soho with your friends. 
Here are some tips for how to stay hydrated during the warm weather months.

Apple Crumble Muffins

I just found out that there’s a right way to eat an apple. I’m not talking about manners, but how to chomp on it so that you won’t waste half in the process. Essentially, I’ve just learned that I’ve been doing wrong what I considered to be a fairly common eating routine.
So, how have I (and you too) been eating an apple to this day? Down to the core. Holding the top and the bottom with the fingers. Chomping from left-to-right (or right-to-left) until reaching the “inedible” core.
But no, that’s not the way to do it.
The one and only way to eat an apple (according to my friend Ryan) is to pluck the stem and bite right through the top of the apple. Or from the bottom, you decide.
If you do so, you won’t even feel the core as you bite and you’ll eat it all...yes, all. It really works. You’ll probably discard (read this as spit out) the seeds and the little indentation at the bottom; but that’s how much waste you’ll generate.
The notorious apple core will be something you’ll show a picture to your grandkids saying “That’s how we used to eat apples back in the days.” No more apple core, what a strange world to live in.

Skinny Eggplant Parmesan

Oh hell yes this was good. Much much better than anticipated.
As with many popular dishes there are many bad ways to make eggplant parmesan (aka, eggplant Parmigiana). In a run-of-the-mill Italian restaurant or in almost every pizza parlor across the country if you order eggplant parmigiana you’ll get mushy slices of soggy, oily eggplant, slathered with greasy cheese and covered with a dubious tomato sauce.
Ok, this is the worst version possible. Besides that, there are many things where eggplant parmesan can go wrong.
This begs a question: if this get ruined so often why it is so popular? Because when it’s good, it’s awesomely good. Mouth watering good. That’s why it’s worth making.

Baked Eggplant Sandwiches

Last week I spent a lot of time waddling around the different Farmers’ market in the city; sniffing produce and stuffing eggplants, cucumbers, asparagus, tomatoes and a ton of other produce (I didn’t really need) in my shopping bag.
I guess I experienced some sort of compulsive shopping syndrome girls always talk about.
Whatever I was laying eyes on I had to buy; which in a Farmers’ market it’s kind of an ok thing to do. No actual risk of financially ruin yourself. Worst case scenario is that when you get home you realize there’s no space left in the fridge. Which is exactly what happened to me.

Coconut Oil Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I was on the fence about posting this recipe. Certainly you don’t need me to tell you how to make roasted sweet potatoes. You might need me tell you how to make stuffed whole wheat focaccia or why planks are better than crunches. Roasted sweet potatoes though, I think you can handle it on your own.

However (bear with me, I’m about to make my point) what you might need is for me to tell you that there’s a better way to make roasted sweet potatoes and it involves virgin coconut oil.
Yes, roasting sweet potatoes in coconut oil changes everything. It takes this dish to a whole new level. The crazy-awesome-delicious level.
Let’s be completely real with ourselves: everybody loves roasted sweet potatoes, but coconut oil roasted sweet potatoes are THE REAL DEAL. No brainer.

Breakfast Like A King, Lunch Like A Prince, Dinner Like A Pauper

“Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Prince, Dinner like a Pauper” this adage by Adelle Davis (which is also rule #54 in Michael Pollan’s “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual”) delivers some valuable advice to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 
It stresses out the importance of front-loading the calories at the beginning of the day and decrease the intake as the hours goes by.
The rationale behind is that the human metabolism slows down as the day progresses and - furthermore - the chances of burning calories are fewer as nighttime approaches. 
Accordingly, breakfast should be the biggest meal of the day and dinner the smallest.

Kale Pesto

I’m dealing with a kale jungle kinda situation right now. It’s my undying love for kale that brought me to this “emergency”. You see, back in September I bought a packet of kale seeds at the farmer’s market. I was very excited at the idea of growing kale on my balcony. Too excited. In that state I didn’t care for reading the instructions printed on the back of the packet (1st mistake) and planted ALL the seeds in a large pot.
After a couple of weeks ALL of the seeds sprouted nicely. ALL of them. I definitely put a generous pinch of seeds in each hole rather than the required 1-3 per hole (2nd mistake). So there were LOTS of sprouts. LOTS.
Instead of thin them to one main sprout I just left them be (3rd mistake).
Then winter came; the sprouts stopped growing and I almost forgot about them. Better yet, I thought that they were never gonna make it through winter (4th mistake).
Oh man, I was wrong. As soon as spring began (like a month ago) the little sprouts started growing and grew, grew, grew, greeeeew. Like the magic bean in “Jack and the Beanstalk”.
Fortunately some of the sprouts died (they suffocated each other or something) but there is still a huge amount of kale growing a few inches everyday: the kale jungle.
To give you an idea, I’m harvesting a good ½ pound of it daily. Which is awesome. Don’t get me wrong. I’m saving loads of money and loving it.
The flip side is that I need to eat kale every day and need to be creative in kitchen in order to put this kale bonanza to good use (a kale salad won’t do it!)

Whole Wheat Focaccia With Cherry Tomatoes and Oregano

Turn of spring can only mean one thing…triathlon race season! There used to be a time, not too long ago, when triathlon race season didn't kick-off until the end of May. With the continued growth of triathlon, you can find a race pretty much any weekend of the year. But spring and summer is when the real action is.
Race season means, among other aspects, food boredom. Something very common for triathletes.
With a strict training and working schedule, food becomes little more than a source of fuel, and sticking to the same menu each and every day makes planning easier. Chicken, tuna, salmon, broccoli, greens, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal...the same thing over and over again.
I can’t do it anymore. I need options and that’s why I learned to cook and create new recipes.
Whole wheat focaccia has definitely become my favorite source of complex carbs. Breakfast or lunch, if I need to carb-it-up, focaccia is what I crave.

Hot And Sour Shredded Salad

Whether you share an apartment with roomies, or live in your own house with friends coming over for brunch Sunday morning looking for something to eat, this Hot and Sour Shredded Salad is a quick and easy recipe to win over any guest you have. Seriously, any guest. Whether vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, paleo, primal or (more likely) omnivore. This salad accommodates everybody. No-brainer.

Are You Exercising Too Much?

Exercising too much, is that possible? Yes, exercise overload is just as much a problem as not exercising at all. 
It is in fact well documented that doing a load of exercise can easily do more harm than good. If regular exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, taking it to the extreme may cause severe health issues. 
For the majority of people, who struggle to exercise, the thought of doing too much may seem ludicrous. However, overtraining is much more common than one could assume. At the beginning, it may be simple enthusiasm, but then the idea that you can’t take a break from exercising creeps into your mind and before you know it you’ll find yourself falling into exercise overload. The problem arises when you feel the need to exercise beyond normal level, or better yet, beyond your normal level. 
Here are some of the most common signs that you might exercising too much.

15-Minute Chicken Cacciatore

I was in dire need for some good chicken, but not grilled chicken, I’m talking about tasty chicken. You see, I’m good at planning meals but not really when it comes to chicken.
In my mind chicken is a last-minute food, which means that when I’m clueless on what to eat (and have limited amount of time) I resort to chicken. A pan, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, a pinch of herbs and voila’ grilled chicken is served. Boring, I know.

Socca Wraps with Spinach and Stracchino Cheese

Let’s talk about socca. If you’re not familiar with this food, let me give you some facts about it. Socca is an unleavened pancake (or crepe) originally made using chickpea flour, water and olive oil; cooked in an open oven and seasoned with salt and pepper. Of course, it originated in Italy. All good things come from Italy. It’s usually sold in bakeries and pizzerias and cut into irregularly shaped triangular slices. However, contrary to most popular Italian fare, it’s naturally gluten-free (woot woot!)
I love it. I really do. That’s why I thought it was a genius idea to create a wrap made of socca. For a moment I felt like a rocket scientist, or Nobel Prize winner or something. Alas, that lasted only for a couple of minutes as a quick trip on the internet brought me back to reality as I discovered that socca wraps are a common street-food in the South of France. Pff....Frenchies, always cramping my style.

Green Pie With Ricotta

I’m sitting here in front of my laptop attempting to write about this green pie. I’m also IM-ing with my teammates about Sunday’s race, which is a bit distracting (a lot, actually).

In other words, I don’t have much faith in what I’m about to write and I have the feeling it would take me about an hour to draft two lame paragraphs to convey the following basic concepts.

This is a salty pie. Made with an olive oil crust to die for. It’s packed (literally packed) with greens (2 full pounds). A couple of free-range eggs and some fresh ricotta cheese. That simple.

But let’s take a step back. How about I tell you why I like this green pie?

First off it’s uber easy to make. It seems like a lot of work but it’s not. From the crust to the filling even my 10 year old niece can master this recipe.

I like that with just one slice you’re eating two serving of greens. Greens are good for you and this pie is loaded with them.

I also like that it’s a complete dish, in that it has all the nutrients you need. Which takes me to the next point, a slice of this pie and a couple of raw veggies on the side and lunch/dinner is served.

I now rest my case, but I’m sure there are a number of other valid points I can make, I just can’t seem to remember them right now. When I do, I’ll let you know.

Quitting Is Out Of The Question

There are only two things that may stop you from running: injury and attitude. The former is something that is (most of the time) beyond one’s control, but what about the latter? What about that voice between your ears that is telling you to stop, to give up?

You see, mental attitude is a huge factor in running; it’s the determination that makes you keep going when you feel you want to stop, to throw in the towel. In fact, a positive mental attitude is one of the most important things a runner needs.

We all have days when we wonder if it’s really worth it, and when we’re feeling so miserable that all we want to do is quit.
It’s precisely in those moments that you have to remind yourself of the importance of pushing forward.

Credit: Image courtesy of fitnesspo.tumblr.com

Running is a lot about self-belief. It might be after your first step or at mile 3, but at some point you’ll need to tell yourself “Damn, I can do it!” and not give in to doubt.

One of the biggest challenges in running is the gradual buildup of mental tiredness. When it hits you, that’s exactly when you need to keep focused and don’t let the negative thoughts cloud your brain, ignore them and keep going. It’s when things seem worst that you should not quit.

Mental toughness in running comes with experience and you need to work at it. Once you master it, it stands you in good stead to handle anything that comes your way, especially when you feel like quitting.

If you just started, it’s important that you set realistic goals.You need targets that challenge you, but don’t break you.

Feed your motivation by attaining constant incremental successes. It boosts your confidence and makes you feel that you’re moving in the right direction.

Also, it doesn’t help to be overly critical about how fast or how far you’ve run. Stay positive and look at every run as a new opportunity that was given you to become better at it.

Rest if you must, but don’t quit, Remember that success is failure turned inside.

Michael Jordan once said:

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeeded.”

So keep at it, even when you feel that you have taken three steps back. Failing is part of the process but when you’re out there running, quitting is out of the question!

Red and Black Quinoa Tabbouleh

Tabouleh is a simple salad which hails from the part of the Middle East that covers Palestine, Lebanon and Syria.
It’s usually made with bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped parsley, mint, and onion seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. There are endless variations to bulgur, the most notorious one is subbing bulgur with couscous. Yotam Ottolenghi describes in his cookbook how during his career he has come across a million bastardised versions of this simple dish. Some of which were way out of line. The most common issue has to do with proportions. In this dish parsley has to be the star of the show alongside with mint (not the grains nor the veggies). Also, herbs need to be chopped very thinly (and with a knife not a food processor) so that they can properly release their flavors and volatile oils.

Running Is Only About You

Last weekend I went for a run in Central Park, something I never do. I prefer to stay downtown, cross the East River on the Williamsburg bridge and go from there.

For this one time, however, I went uptown on the Hudson River Park and entered CP from Columbus Circle @59th st.

“Whoa!” was my reaction as I entered the park and saw that tsunami of runners hitting the pavement. It was tad overwhelming, to be honest.

It was actually so jam-packed that I had to dart between people. A bumper-to-bumper situation, without the bumpers, of course.

As I was making my way through this massive wave of runners I noticed that there was a good amount of beginners. Which is cool, people hitting the road to get healthier. I like that.

However, I saw that most of them spent their time (and energy) twisting their heads looking at other runners instead of concentrating on their own run. As if they were under constant scrutiny by more experienced/faster runners. Which is such a stupid thing to do in the first place.

Being an experienced runner I feel like I need to share this secret: we (i.e., faster/experienced runners) do not give a “fat rat ass” about other runners; all we care about is our pace, heart rate, time and the distance we’re covering. Simple as that.

You run slower? We don’t care. Actually is not that we don’t care, we are just concentrating on our own run and we can’t be bothered to look around. That’s about it. We might get angry if you get in our way (well, really angry), but unless that happens, we’re cool.

Credit: Image courtesy of http://iloveart17.tumblr.com/

Stuffed Focaccia with Arugula, Feta and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Focaccia is an astronomically popular flat oven-baked bread, which can be topped with herbs or other ingredients. It’s very popular in Italy. If you happen to walk during lunchtime in the streets of Milan, Florence, Venice or Rome everybody is munching on focaccia. Well, almost everybody. You guys know that I tend to exaggerate.
It is usually seasoned with olive oil and salt, sometimes herbs, and may be topped with onion, cheese or vegetables.
Or, or, or, or it can be stuffed. Yes, it can be stuffed. The most popular stuffed focaccia has to be the “Focaccia di Recco” a focaccia with cheese that melts into your mouth and just makes your life better.

Indian Style Meatballs with Roasted Garlic Cream

Let's talk about ground beef... 

When buying ground beef, the rule of thumb is to buy the best quality you can afford. Organic and - if you can find it - grass-fed.
If you shop at a butcher (or a grocery store with a real butcher) you should have them grind the beef for you. Pick out a piece of sirloin or chuck (or half chuck - half sirloin) and ask the butcher to put it through their grinder. This is the only way to make sure that the ground meat you’re buying is the meat that went into the grinder.
It can be more expensive than pre-packaged ground meat, but the latter can be a hazard (food poisoning and E. coli cases resulting from bad ground meat are so frequent). On top of that you’ll know that the meat has not been sitting on the shelf for days, which guarantees freshness. Ground meat is subject to the greatest amount of handling, which increases the risk of exposure to contamination. If instead you the process happens right in front of your eyes you’ll know that how many hands have touched it. Right?

Spicy Sweet Potato Burgers with Lemony Greek Yogurt and Avocado

Nothing get on my nerves more than hearing somebody saying “OMG, I’m such a sweet potato person, they’re so yummy and healthy!”.
What does it mean to be sweet potato person?
That if you look at yourself in the mirror you see a sweet potato? That among your peers you’re considered a sweet potato? That you eat only sweet potatoes?
In my humble experience, it usually means that you discovered recently (very recently, maybe yesterday) that sweet potatoes are a healthy food and you just need to speak it to the world. An attempt to assert that you’re a healthy person and that you know a whole lot deal about it. Bah...
For this one time you’re justified though...sweet potatoes are an awesome food so you might as well call yourself a sweet potato person. As long as you promise to really make them one of the staple food of your diet.

Suggested Reading: Salt Sugar Fat (How The Food Giants Hooked Us)

The food industry is a manufacturing business with just one goal in mind, design products to please consumers’ palate.
Don’t picture it in your mind as something similar to a cook, in his kitchen, trying to perfect a recipe. Think of it, instead, as more of a chemist in a laboratory performing experiments and meticulously mixing flavors in an attempt to reach that perfect balance, the “bliss point”. That perfect combination of ingredients that will send taste buds buzzing and that eventually will makes us come back for more.
As you flip through the pages of “Salt Sugar Fat” you’ll learn about how Food Giants maneuver around the boons and drawbacks of sugar, salt, and fat in order to make us consume their products, and consume them a lot. The competition for our grocery dollars affects what's in the food we eat and, as a consequence, affect our waist size and health.
Food industry’s approach is so meticulous and scientific that it has been capable of substantially altering the our desires, perceptions and expectation towards food. Without even noticing it, our taste buds have been reprogrammed to make us crave for more sugar, fat and salt.

Homemade Sourdough Bread

Sourdough is the original "100% guaranteed" truly natural bread. There’s no commercial yeast in it, it's made only with flour, water and natural yeasts from the air.
I’ve tried several times to make sourdough bread in the past but failed on every single occasion.
I gave it a last shot two weeks ago, following Jamie Oliver’s recipe. And this one this time I’ve finally cracked it.
Baking sourdough bread has to be one of the coolest things ever. Witnessing day after day the starter coming to life through the natural fermentation of the flour. When it's baking time, the incredible aroma of bread (real bread) permeating the apt. Yes, I fell love in love with sourdough bread.
The loaf came out beautifully, crunchy on the outside, chewy and moist on the inside, as per Jamie’s words “Sourdough is the ultimate loaf.”
Sourdough bread is packed with precious nutrients. It has nothing to do with mass-produced breads that are grossly degraded in nutrients and choked with sugar, preservatives and additives.
Sourdough bread comes from the natural fermentation of gluten contained in the flour. When gluten is properly fermented it becomes healthy for human consumption. When it is not it’s potentially one of the most highly allergenic foods we eat.
Correctly fermented wheat contain 18 amino acids, complex carbs, B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium, and maltase.
Sourdough bread is the healthiest form of bread you can possibly dig your teeth into. Are you ready for journey?

Eat Food Not Edible Foodlike Substances

This is one of the my favorite quotes from Michael Pollan’s Food Rules.
It focuses on the importance of eating real, whole food over any sort of junk food or food like product.

Heavy processing of food - which improves shelf life and palatability - also removes nutrients, adds chemicals and makes food more readily absorbable, which might be a problem for insulin and fat metabolism.
That’s why you should try to avoid heavily processed foods, labeled by Michael Pollan as “edible foodlike substances.”

"They’re highly processed concoctions designed by food scientists, consisting mostly of ingredients derived from corn and soy that no normal person keeps in the pantry, and they contain chemical additives with which the human body has not been long acquainted. Today much of the challenge of eating well comes down to choosing real food and avoiding these industrial novelties1."

___________
References

1 Pollan, Michael (2009-11-24). Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. New York

Black-eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Cakes With Greens

I bought a can of black-eyed peas a while ago and every time I would open the kitchen's cupboard I could feel them staring at me; with their judgemental look, as if they were saying “You haven’t got the slightest idea of what to do with us, that’s why we’re still here, covered with a layer of dust.”
I knew that I had to take action asap. No way a bunch of canned peas was going to get at me.

Getting All The Nutrients Without Consuming Too Many Calories

When trying to control calories while balancing the diet, some foods can be especially helpful. Foods that are rich in nutrients relative to their energy content.

It is well established that some foods deliver more nutrients than others do for the same amount of calories, as they have a higher nutrient density.
Those nutrient dense foods give you the "biggest bang for the buck." You get lots of nutrients, and it doesn't cost you much in terms of calories1.
Let’s take for instance ice-cream and fat-free milk. Both supply calcium, but milk is much more calcium dense than ice-cream. The latter having over 300 calories per cup versus 80 calories for a cup of milk2.

Nutrition Science Should Be Taken With A Grain Of Salt

On this little space we like to call “TheIronYou” we talk about food, nutrition and health, almost on a daily basis. We create recipes that are supposed to be good for you. We discuss about the ultimate superfood landed in grocery stores. We point out the latest researches made by scientists. Often, we just ramble about what goes through our minds.
Whatever that might be, there’s one thing we want to stress out: when we talk about nutrition science keep in mind that it's a relatively young science still surrounded by much uncertainty.
So whenever you’re reading about “this is good for you”, “this is bad for you”, “if you eat this it will kill you”, “if you eat that you will live forever”, don’t take it for granted but process it into your mind with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Credit: Image courtesy of University of Aberdeen

Cauliflower Crust Cheese Pizza

I must come clean. I’m having too much fun making cauli crust pizza and it’s starting to become an obsession. Thing is, I’m fascinated by how well the cauliflower crust holds and how good it is.

It’s not only about the looks, I love flavor too. It’s just so delicious!
I really wonder why cauli crust pizza hasn’t become a big hit yet. Everybody seems to love it. There’s definitely room for taking up a paleo pizza business...
Plus, while you’re munching a slice you know you’re getting a full serving a cauliflower. On top of that there’s no gluten, low carbs and very few calories. Now, that’s rad!

30-Minute Chicken Tikka Masala

Spices and aromatics are the very heart of Indian cooking. Flowers, leaves, roots, bark, seeds and bulbs are used in endless combination to produce an infinite variety of flavors: sweet, sharp, hot, sour, spicy, aromatic, tart, mild, fragrant or pungent. 

Masala is a term that identifies a mixture of spices, that can be either a combination of dried spices or a paste made from a mixture of spices and other ingredients.
Chicken tikka is traditionally small piece of boneless chicken baked using skewers.
Chicken tikka masala is therefore a dish of roasted chicken chunks (tikka) in a spicy sauce (masala). The sauce is creamy, spiced, orange-colored and delicious!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Nothing says carbs and fats quite like Mac & Cheese. If I have to picture in mind a dish that has no veggies in it, I go for Mac & Cheese.
Pizza at least has some tomato sauce, a burger has lettuce, tomatoes and it’s served with fries on the side, a hot-dog has relish and onions (that’s some veggies, ain’t it?) Mac & Cheese is just carbs and dairy fats, that’s about it.
No wonder Mac & Cheese never makes it to the healthy food list.
Too bad, because we all had our moments with a steaming hot bowl of Mac & Cheese (I’m thinking college after party...anyone?).
In other words, completely renouncing to Mac & Cheese makes life a little more miserable, certainly less tasty. I don’t know about you, but I still need/want Mac & Cheese in my life.

Baked Green Rice Balls

When I cook brown rice I have a tendency to go overboard. It all begins with soaking brown rice overnight to make it germinate. A reasonable person would soak one cup (maybe two) at a time.
The road I take is far from reasonableness. I usually empty the whole 1lb brown rice bag into a bowl a cover it with water. Damage is done.
But it’s only 24 hours later, when it’s time to cook it, that I suddenly realize my mistake. You see, 1lb of uncooked brown rice turns into a full 2 lb of cooked brown rice (maybe even more?). And what the heck am I going to do with that humongous amount of cooked rice?
As much as I like brown rice, it gets boring pretty quickly. 
Fortunately, there are many uses for leftover rice. One of my fave has to be baked rice balls. A simple, quick, healthy and d’lish recipe. An absolute winner!

Spaghetti With Greens and Cherry Tomatoes

All spaghetti is not created equal. There is spaghetti with meatballs, spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti with alfredo sauce and there is MY RECIPE for whole wheat spaghetti with greens and cherry tomatoes.
Is there a difference? I believe there is. A huge one. Mine is better, much much better.
Not just because I made it (although that’s a big part of it), but mostly because mine it’s healthier, much healthier.
It’s actually more of a “greens and tomatoes with pasta” than “pasta with greens and tomatoes”. Which is a good thing: less carbs, more veggies. Lots of veggies.
That’s the way we roll over here, the healthy way.

Make Activity Part Of Your Lifestyle...

New research at Oregon State University suggests the health benefits of small amounts of activity – even as small as one- and two-minute increments that add up to 30 minutes per day – can be just as beneficial as longer bouts of physical exercise achieved by a trip to the gym.

The nationally representative study of more than 6,000 American adults shows that an active lifestyle approach, as opposed to structured exercise, may be just as beneficial in improving health outcomes, including preventing metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

Credit: Image courtesy of Oregon State University

The Importance Of Breaking A Sweat

There’s a great quote by Isak Dinesen that says “The cure for anything is salt water - tears, sweat, or the sea.”  I truly believe in it.  

If I’m in a bad mood, or I can’t seem to wrap my mind around something, breaking a sweat clears up my mind, getting rid of that negative feeling.
Going for a run, swimming my heart out, hopping on my bike, killing it in a Bikram Yoga class; whatever that might be, sweating always work (for me).
It’s not only about mental health though; sweating is a necessary part of helping maintain balance within your body. It also helps detoxification, strengthen the immune system, and boost mental awareness.
That’s why it’s so important to break a sweat from time to time, or better yet, daily.

The Best Millet Cakes

I bought a package of millet a while ago and it has been sitting in my kitchen cabinet for months. I really didn’t know what to do with it.
Thing is, millet is a healthy seed. Gluten-free, highly alkaline with lots of fiber, iron, B vitamins, and precious nutrients such as manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium.
I wanted so badly to include it in my diet but didn’t where to begin with.
Last week I finally muster up the courage and began experimenting. To make a long story short, I tried baking muffins with it but it was an utter disaster. I made some sort of porridge/oatmeal; it was so bad it nearly ruined my whole day. I made a bread with millet which was kind of good, nothing too exciting though. Yes, millet is a toughie to cook.
I was ready to throw in the towel but then I went to Cafe’ Ghia in Bushwick, Brooklyn (NYC) for brunch where I had some amazing millet cakes. I dissected them and tried to identify all the ingredients; made a mental note and went home experimenting.
It took me several attempts but in the end I aced it, or at least I think so.

Green Soup With Quinoa

I’m a big fan of one-bowl meals. If I were into politics, I would found a party that would stand for one-bowl meal. Protein, vegetables, and good fats combined altogether to make something healthy and delicious.
I don't think I'll ever get tired of one-bowl meals. Give me a bowl, a spoon, and a good mix of vegetables and protein, and it’s all going to be good.
That’s what this green soup with quinoa is all about.
Simple, quick and satisfying; a reliable go-to recipe at the end of a long day.
Lots of greens (spinach and kale to be precise), some potatoes, spices and lots of quinoa to bind everything together.

Vegan Vanilla Biscotti

This biscotti is what I like to think of as a Hole in One recipe. I know, golf jargon. There’s a valid justification for this though. You see, sometimes it takes several tries to come up with the recipe you’d hope for. But with these vegan vanilla biscotti? I got exactly what I wanted on the very first try. That’s why the use of the “Hole in One” expression seems appropriate. Golf jargon is justified.
Other times I’ve perfected a recipe only after so many attempts that I would have to define it as Batting Cage kind of recipe. You try, and try, and try and just when you're about to give up, something good comes out.