Nutrition

Dressing:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
Cracked black pepper, to taste

4 boneless, 4 oz chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves
8 cups leaf lettuce or mixed greens, washed and dried
16 large ripe (black) olives
2 navel oranges, peeled and sliced
Directions
For the dressing, combine the vinegar, garlic, olive oil, onion, celery and pepper. Stir to mix evenly. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

It’s that time of year when Christmas parties pack the schedule and pack on the pounds. Since most Americans gain an average of 5-10 pounds over the Holidays, it’s just one more thing to stress out about. Most of us are already stressed out enough about getting all the right gifts, throwing the best parties, mailing those silly Christmas cards, decorating the perfect tree, attending all the necessary Holiday functions and making the rounds with all the family with out hurting anyone’s feelings. The last thing we need to stress about is our weight.

Do you despise dieting? Is it hard for you to control your cravings day after day? If so, you may be a good candidate for the Alternate Day Diet, described by Dr. James Johnson in his 2008 book. On Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, you can indulge yourself in absolutely anything. But on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you stick to a strict regime of low-fat yogurt, lettuce, fruits, and veggies.

The Alternate Day Diet is based on animal studies in which mice who were only fed every other day experienced incredible health benefits, including increased longevity. Since it would be difficult/dangerous for humans to do the same, instead of not eating, Dr. Johnson proposes that you ‘nibble.’ A typical M/W/F diet for him includes a protein shake, a salad, broth-based soup, and a piece of fruit – and that’s all you eat for one entire day. He takes in about 20% of his typical caloric intake on his dieting days. However, once you’re in the maintenance phase, you can eat about 30-50% of typical intake on your MWF dieting days.

Easy Ways to Incorporate Protein into Your First Meal of the Day

Power Packed Oatmeal

Add a scoop of Pro Blend Alpine Vanilla to a bowl of cooked steel-cut oats to pack in your morning protein. This makes for a complete meal to kick-start your day.

Muscle Mocha or Lifters Latte

Add ½ or 1 scoop of Pro Blend Mocha Cappuccino protein to your morning cup of joe for a low fat, low sugar café mocha. Or add the Alpine Vanilla to your black coffee for a creamy sinless latte.

Have you ever wondered what Sumo wrestlers eat to look the way they do? Recently, out of curiosity, I decided to do my own research and I was shocked at my findings. The Sumo diet looked a little too familiar.

First, Sumo wrestlers typically eat only two times a day, skipping breakfast to keep their metabolism low. This is also a common practice in America. Whether it’s a lack of time or appetite, many people skip breakfast. I don’t know about you, but the next time I’m tempted to skip breakfast I’ll picture myself as a Sumo wrestler.

The next rule for the overweight athlete is to nap after eating. Their secret to gaining weight is to sleep for at least 4 hours after each meal. Although most American’s don’t take 4-hour naps, we typically return to our office chair with little activity.

The easiest way to cheat on your diet starts out innocently enough. It’s a colleague’s birthday, an anniversary, or a night out with friends. You’re at a restaurant, and all of the dishes just look so good. How can you avoid the tantalizing pasta or sizzling sirloin and stick with a boring salad?

Don’t be miserable while your friends indulge. Order what you want, but avoid the hundreds of extra calories prepared foods will cost you. Order the HALF SIZE portion.

What it Takes to Lose the Weight and Keep it Off

The government estimates that $33 billion is spent on weight loss products and services each year. That is a lot of money, but with all that dough going towards losing weight, why are we still seeing rising numbers in obesity every year? Maybe the money is going in the wrong places. Fad diets and gimmicks are too numerous to count these days and without the right education on how your body responds to nutrition how are you to know what is going to work for you or what is healthy for your body?

Never fear, Lauren is here to help. First, I want to make sure that if losing weight is a goal of yours, you will always put health as your number one. You should never try to lose weight at the expense of your health. This means putting harmful stimulants into your body, not eating appropriate amounts of food, or trying to lose too much weight. A healthy approach will always turn out to be more beneficial than any superficial or overboard attempt.

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast known as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations. I’ve often wondered what was on their menu back then. Something tells me it wasn’t high-calorie stuffing and pumpkin pie.

From what I understand, a person’s social standing determined the food they ate. The best food was placed closest to the most important people at the table. Instead of sampling everything, people just ate what was next to them.

Although the traditional Thanksgiving meal typically includes a big turkey or ham, we eat more side dishes than meat. The seventeenth century meal would have included a lot more protein from meats like deer and wild fowl.

So, you did it – you finally busted through that frustrating plateau, achieved a new personal best, or fit into those skinny jeans. That’s great, but the battle isn’t completely over – you’ve got to maintain your new physique. Unfortunately, that’s a lot easier said than done over the holiday season. Everyone complains about the binge-friendly family celebrations, calorie-laden holiday treats, and booze-heavy office parties, but it’s time to do something about it. This year, take control of your eating habits – and chances are, you’ll have an even more memorable holiday.

1. Stay active! Of course you’ll pack on a few pounds if you overindulge in homemade sweets and spend a ton of time in front of the tube. Yet tons of normally fit, active people fall prey to this cruel holiday tradition each year. Just because your routine is a bit different doesn’t give you an excuse to skip the gym. By setting a schedule – and sticking to it – you’re setting yourself up for success. With time off work, you may even be able to fit in MORE gym sessions. Go for a run while cooking a side dish, or while the prized Thanksgiving turkey roasts. Make a deal with yourself that you will squeeze in one hour of physical activity per day.
2. Involve the whole family. Visit a farm and chop down your own Christmas tree. You can start a new tradition and get exercise walking around and inspecting all the different pines. Take a weekend ski trip, or just visit the local ice rink. Even if your family members have health complications or problems that prevent them from partaking in more high-impact sports, you can always try to take a walk around the neighborhood (caroling, anyone?). After all, every little bit counts!

We all know what a nuisance the common cold can be. For over 60 years people have thought that Vitamin C was a great defense. In fact, Vitamin C’s popularity in treating the common cold rose greatly in the 1970’s when the Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling stated its effectiveness based on an earlier trial. But the question remains that whether or not there is any evidence to support the efficacy of Vitamin C?

One of the greatest treasures I received after my grandmother died was her recipe box. Recently, I was thumbing through all the recipes and noticed an odd number written on the top of some of the cards. All the sudden it hit me, the number reflected the calories for that dish.

One recipe, Salmon-Broccoli Bake, had the numbers “1600” noted at the top of the card. Another recipe for Overnight Coffee Cake had “3700 cal” written in my grandfather’s handwriting. It’s funny how the smallest thing can bring back certain memories.

We’ve discussed the benefits of raw food before, but I’d like to devote a little more time to the raw food movement. The push to eat all-natural, unprocessed, organic foods has taken hold of many dejected dieters. Unlike other fad diets, in which the weight piles back on the second you stop dieting, the raw food diet is a movement and a lifestyle change.

As you all know, after we have engaged in high-intensity physical exercise our muscles are all but depleted of glycogen. Glycogen is typically the primary stored fuel source we use to push us through these workouts and also aid in our recovery so we can repeat our efforts next time. New research recorded recently has shown that athletes who ingested caffeine combined with their post workout carbohydrate drink had 66% more glycogen in the muscles up to four hours after finishing exercise than those who consumed a carbohydrate drink alone.

In order for us to be ready for the next workout, ‘re-fueling’ is paramount. However, if we can store a little more fuel in our muscles it can only result in us being able to give more effort in our activities and for longer period of time. That being said, if we are able to increase glycogen uptake in the muscles this can do absolutely no harm in our goals to increase muscle size long term either.

We’ve talked on MyFitTribe before about how salads purchased in restaurants or at the drive-through are rarely what they appear to be, but I was shocked when I saw the cold, hard numbers. In the latest Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine review of fast-food and sandwich chain salads, only TWO out of 34 sampled salads checked out and received full marks on a five-star nutritional scale for fiber content and low saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calorie levels.

An estimated 30-35% percent of the population suffer from a certain type of food intolerance, and those who are suffering from that intolerance aren’t always identified the first time around. The most common culprits we usually think of are lactose, wheat, gluten, artificial colorings and preservatives. However, what would you say if I told you that it was fruit and some types of vegetables and grains?