Move Those Feet!

In this seemingly eternal cold and flu season, there are many things we can do to protect ourselves from those nasty germs. There are even cold remedies that can help us feel better faster when those germs do manage to catch us. Exercise and healthy eating are vital in these long and cold winter months. But do you know what foods work best to protect you? Here are some facts that may surprise you and get you eating your veggies again.

Brussels Sprouts

I can hear you now: “Brussels sprouts? Yuck. Who eats those?!” But these little cabbages have big health benefits. They are particularly effective in supporting the immune system during the highly infectious winter months. In addition to their vitamin and mineral content, they contain disease-fighting phytochemicals including glucosinolates and antioxidant phenols. (No, I don’t know what those are either, but they sound good for you, don’t they?) Try preparing them steamed with chestnuts, a little butter, and turkey bacon for flavor.

Kale

Again, not the most popular vegetable, but this leafy winter wonderfood will help keep you healthy. It’s packed with vitamin C, providing your daily requirement in one large portion. This makes it a potent defender against colds and viruses. Try making a soup with carrots, corn, bell pepper, and kale.

Onions

Remember, this isn’t about staying popular with the opposite sex. It’s about staying healthy enough to be able to suck on a breath mint and mingle. These vegetables are as strong in healing power as they are in taste (and smell). They have powerful anti-inflammatory effects and nutrients that counteract respiratory problems at all levels. They also have antibacterial action that combats all kinds of infectious diseases. And be honest…who doesn’t love onion soup? If you’re not convinced, eat it with cheesy toasted French bread and get back to me.

Bell Peppers

Red, green, orange or yellow…whatever color you prefer, these versatile veggies provide nutrients to help you breathe freely. They provide a healthy serving of immunity-boosting nutrients including beta carotene and vitamin C. Together, these provide protection for the lungs from winter infections. Cut them into strips and dip in dressing, or try broiling them and mixing with walnuts and lettuce for a delicious salad.

So there you have it…four under-appreciated vegetables that can help keep you healthy as you navigate through another dreary Winter. Fresh or frozen, cooked or raw, whatever your preference this perfect produce will keep you healthy, strong, and ready for anything when Spring finally arrives!

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Did you wake up this morning to an image like the one above? If so, you probably didn’t get enough fiber during the day and you fell for that cake. It was calling you, after all.

Fiber is king in my book. It’s the key to a low glycemic load, because it acts like a sponge to soak up sugar. Therefore, fiber takes longer to burn in the digestive system and this slow burn helps to keep that metabolism going.

In other words, when you eat more fiber, you burn more calories. You burn calories when you digest your food anyway (thermogenesis), and a longer, slower burn helps you to burn calories as you eat. With that said, the number of calories burned through thermogenesis isn’t going to knock off that piece of chocolate cake you ate last night. That’s treadmill material.

But, fiber helps you to stay full longer, so it helps to reduce your appetite. If you had some fiber before you heard that cake calling you last night, you might not have been half as attentive. Speaking of sugar - fiber will help reduce insulin spikes, so you stay attentive instead of going up and down like a yo-yo.

Think beans. Beans contain a huge amount of fiber even though they contain a huge amount of carbs as well. But, beans contain “good” or “white hat” carbs that burn slowly after you digest them. Plus, they give you a good shot of protein that can help to satisfy that hunger longer. So, if you skipped breakfast, don’t head to the deli for a quick chocolate “pick me up,” although you’ll be tempted (if you’re anything like me). Instead, go for a cup of chili with beans and a salad for lunch and you may stay satisfied most of the afternoon.

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I confounded my Jenny Craig adviser by stating that I remained hungry after eating some of their meals. She replied that my hunger was “impossible,” but I couldn’t deny pangs for more food that were so annoying that they disrupted my workday.

I later discovered part of my problem was a lack of protein. It takes longer for the body to digest protein, much longer than it would take to digest carbs, fat, or a big bowl of lettuce. This digestion process helps a person to feel ‘full.’ So if you have a Jenny Craig pizza and salad for lunch, you might go for a cup of yogurt for dessert to help curb cravings for more food.

My favorite yogurt company is WholeSoy & Co., a business that produces yogurt from soy beans rather than from milk. The blueberry yogurt contains a full 6 grams of protein, and the vanilla carries 8 grams. The calories range from 120 to 160 among the flavors. Yes, the calorie count is high for yogurt, but you can’t beat the flavor. After all - the difference between this yogurt and milk-based nonfat yogurt is about 40 calories. You can burn that difference off with just five more minutes on the treadmill.

Plus, this company’s entire family of soy foods is certified vegan, certified Kosher and always dairy, casein and gluten free. And, I found this yogurt brand at my local Kroger, believe it or not! You can find a store that carries this brand near you through the WholeSoy & Co. site.

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Sure, it’s nice to be fit and conscious about what you put in your body. But holiday parties beg for a martini or two. The following tips will help you to minimize any ‘hangover’ effects you might experience.

1. Alcohol is dehydrating. Drink plenty of water before you go out, but don’t overdo it. I usually drink about four cups of water in the two hours before a party (yes, I find the bathroom as soon as I arrive at the party). I’ve discovered it also helps to drink a cup of water between drinks and to drink water as soon as I wake up in the morning (which I do anyway, to replace water I’ve lost at night). I’m also not drinking as much alcohol, since I’m counting calories. Those drinks will pack on the pounds!
2. Alcohol also will rob you of electrolytes. Fitness magazine suggests drinking coconut milk to regain some of that loss, and the magazine added the fact that coconut milk contains carbs for energy. But, you may reel when you see coconut milk’s calorie count at 552 calories per cup. Try a banana instead, because you can get your potassium there without the calories (602 mg of potassium and only 140 calories).
3. Don’t skip your morning coffee, even though it may smell and taste horrible. You don’t want a coffee withdrawal headache on top of your hangover. With that said, if you’ve wanted to cut your caffeine intake, a hangover may present a great opportunity to quit the coffee habit. You may be so hung over that you won’t notice the coffee withdrawal!
4. I have some friends who swear by this tip - they take two ibuprofen before they go out to that party. You can try this trick as well, but you might want to eat a piece of toast or something light so the ibuprofen doesn’t bother your stomach. If you forget to ingest the pills before you head out, don’t hesitate to take them the following morning if you need them.
5. Don’t mix drinks, because you’re overtaxing your system with a variety of toxins. And, avoid drinks that contain obscene amounts of sugar as well as alcohol (like sweet liquors, syrupy drinks, cola mixes, etc.). This combo will push your system over the edge and will increase your fat retention. Alcohol reduces the number of fat calories you burn, and it can increase your appetite for fatty, greasy foods.

Finally, the best tip on how to avoid a hangover might be to abstain from drinking altogether. Ask any recovering alcoholic…what you have in your glass is of no concern to the person who’s had two drinks or more. If you stay sober, you might be highly entertained, rather than be the one who’s doing the entertaining…

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