Foods to Burn Fat

It’s been said a million times by fitness experts and regular folks. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it, but I’ll bet you feel the same way as I do: I hate to diet.


Being a “foodie” by nature makes my distaste for dieting even stronger. I love food, and I won’t deprive myself in any way. When I need to lose fat I simply add foods into my diet while I drop others out. So instead of having a sweet potato with a piece of lean beef I’ll eat broccoli with the beef instead. That way, I’m not eating less food (in terms of bulk) but I’m getting fewer calories and more nutrients.

And that, my friends, is the KEY to fat loss: feed your body fewer calories but more nutrients. You see, nutrients are all those magical little chemicals that are found in vegetables, fruits, and lean protein. Nutrients feed your metabolism while promoting health. The amount of nutrients in a half cup of fresh blueberries far exceeds what’s contained in a baked potato, and it has only a fraction of the calories.

When people go on a diet they end up starving their metabolism which, in turn, causes their body to hold on to every spare ounce of fat. This is a hard-wired protective mechanism that kept us alive back when food was scarce. Now that food is widely available, this metabolic shift is nothing more than a hinderance that keeps you from seeing your abs. Simply substituting a white carb (bread, pasta, potato) with a half cup of berries will help promote fat loss.

High fiber foods are even better. Fiber really is nature’s fat burner since foods that have plenty of it satisfy your cravings and stabilize your blood sugar. In essence, you’ll eat less and feel satisfied for longer periods just by adding the following foods into your diet. Replace any white carbs with the following and you will lose fat:

Black beans (15 grams per cup)
Quinoa (10 grams per cup)
Raspberries (8 grams per cup)

For example, have quinoa for breakfast instead of toast. At lunch, eat black beans instead of a white potato. For dinner, eat a cup of fresh raspberries for dessert and skip the pasta. These simple steps boost fiber, reduce total calories, and feed your metabolism the nutrients it needs to stay running strong.

Another trick is to add spices to your food. This boosts the flavor of your meal and since spices are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet you’ll invariably boost your health along the way. Cinnamon and cumin, for example, are two of the best spices since they can help promote weight loss.

Breakfast is an especially important time to flood your body with nutrients so your metabolism will kickstart after going for hours without food. Here’s one of my favorite shakes to get lean.

Mix in a blender in 16 ounces of water:
1.5 scoops of protein powder (Sun Warrior protein is great)
1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup frozen mixed berries
2 teaspoons cacao nibs
1 tablespoon goji berries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

This shake is low in calories but it contains more nutrients than most people get in a day. And don’t worry about the spinach, you won’t even know it’s in there.

From Chad Waterbury - http://chadwaterbury.com/foods-to-burn-fat/

6 of the Healthiest Fish to Eat (And 6 to Avoid)

You probably already know that you’re supposed to be eating fish twice a week. Fish are a lean, healthy source of protein—and the oily kinds, such as salmon, tuna, sardines, etc.—deliver those heart- and brain-healthy omega-3 fats you’ve probably also heard you should be getting in your diet.


But then there’s also this concern about sustainability—and choosing seafood that’s sustainable.

So, if you’re like me, you often stand at the fish counter a little perplexed: what’s good for me and the planet?

Fortunately, Seafood Watch, the program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has combined data from leading health organizations and environmental groups to come up with their list "Super Green: Best of the Best" of seafood that’s good for you and good for the environment.

To make the list, last updated in January 2010, fish must: a) have low levels of contaminants—below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury and 11 ppb PCBs; b) be high in health-promoting omega-3 fats; and c) come from a sustainable fishery.

Many other options are on the program’s list of "Best Choices" (seafoodwatch.org). The Blue Ocean Institute (blueocean.org) also has sustainability ratings and detailed information.

6 of the Healthiest Fish to Eat

Here are 6 fish—that are healthy for you and the planet—that Seafood Watch says you should be eating.

1. Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)
   Many tuna are high in mercury but albacore tuna—the kind of white tuna that’s commonly canned—gets a Super Green rating as long as (and this is the clincher) it is "troll- or pole-caught" in the U.S. or British Columbia. The reason: smaller (usually less than 20 pounds), younger fish are typically caught this way (as opposed to the larger fish caught on longlines). These fish have much lower mercury and contaminant ratings and those caught in colder northern waters often have higher omega-3 counts. The challenge: you need to do your homework to know how your fish was caught or look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue eco label.
2. Salmon (wild-caught, Alaska)
   To give you an idea of how well managed Alaska’s salmon fishery is, consider this: biologists are posted at river mouths to count how many wild fish return to spawn. If the numbers begin to dwindle, the fishery is closed before it reaches its limits, as was done recently with some Chinook fisheries. This close monitoring, along with strict quotas and careful management of water quality, means Alaska’s wild-caught salmon are both healthier (they pack 1,210 mg of omega-3s per 3-ounce serving and carry few contaminants) and more sustainable than just about any other salmon fishery.
3. Oysters (farmed)
   Farmed oysters are good for you (a 3-ounce serving contains over 300 mg of omega-3s and about a third of the recommended daily values of iron). Better yet, they are actually good for the environment. Oysters feed off the natural nutrients and algae in the water, which improves water quality. They can also act as natural reefs, attracting and providing food for other fish. One health caveat: Raw shellfish, especially those from warm waters, may contain bacteria that can cause illnesses.
4. Sardines, Pacific (wild-caught)
   The tiny, inexpensive sardine is making it onto many lists of superfoods and for good reason. It packs more omega-3s (1,950 mg!) per 3-ounce serving than salmon, tuna or just about any other food; it’s also one of the very, very few foods that’s naturally high in vitamin D. Many fish in the herring family are commonly called sardines. Quick to reproduce, Pacific sardines have rebounded from both overfishing and a natural collapse in the 1940s.
5. Rainbow Trout (farmed)
   Though lake trout are high in contaminants, nearly all the trout you will find in the market is farmed rainbow trout. In the U.S., rainbow trout are farmed primarily in freshwater ponds and "raceways" where they are more protected from contaminants and fed a fishmeal diet that has been fine-tuned to conserve resources.
6. Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)
   Freshwater coho salmon is the first—and only—farmed salmon to get a Super Green rating. All other farmed salmon still falls on Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch "avoid" list for a few reasons. Many farms use crowded pens where salmon are easily infected with parasites, may be treated with antibiotics and can spread disease to wild fish (one reason Alaska has banned salmon farms). Also, it can take as much as three pounds of wild fish to raise one pound of salmon. Coho, however, are raised in closed freshwater pens and require less feed, so the environmental impacts are reduced. They’re also a healthy source of omega-3s—one 3-ounce serving delivers 1,025 milligrams.

6 Fish to Avoid

A number of environmental organizations have also advocated taking many fish off the menu. The large fish listed below are just six examples EatingWell chose to highlight: popular fish that are both depleted and, in many cases, carry higher levels of mercury and PCBs. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has also posted health advisories on some of these fish at edf.org.

1. Bluefin Tuna
   In December 2009 the World Wildlife Fund put the bluefin tuna on its "10 for 2010" list of threatened species, alongside the giant panda, tigers and leatherback turtles. Though environmental groups are advocating for protected status, the bluefin continues to command as much as $177,000 a fish. Bluefin have high levels of mercury and their PCBs are so high that EDF recommends not eating this fish at all.
2. Chilean Sea Bass (aka Patagonian Toothfish)
   Slow-growing and prized for its buttery meat, Chilean sea bass has been fished to near depletion in its native cold Antarctic waters. The methods used to catch them—trawlers and longlines—have also damaged the ocean floor and hooked albatross and other seabirds. At present, there is one well-managed fishery that is MSC-certified. EDF has issued a consumption advisory for Chilean sea bass due to high mercury levels: adults should eat no more than two meals per month and children aged 12 and younger should eat it no more than once a month.
3. Grouper
   High mercury levels in these giant fish have caused EDF to issue a consumption advisory. Groupers can live to be 40 but only reproduce over a short amount of time, making them vulnerable to overfishing.
4. Monkfish
   This strange fish resembles a catfish in that it has whiskers and is a bottom dweller, but its light, fresh taste made it a staple for gourmets. The fish is recovering some after being depleted, but the trawlers that drag for it also threaten the habitat where it lives.
5. Orange Roughy
   Like grouper, this fish lives a long life but is slow to reproduce, making it vulnerable to overfishing. As Seafood Watch puts it: "Orange roughy lives 100 years or more—so the fillet in your freezer might be from a fish older than your grandmother!" This also means it has high levels of mercury, causing EDF to issue a health advisory.
6. Salmon (farmed)
   Most farmed salmon (and all salmon labeled "Atlantic salmon" is farmed) are raised in tightly packed, open-net pens often rife with parasites and diseases that threaten the wild salmon trying to swim by to their ancestral spawning waters. Farmed salmon are fed fishmeal, given antibiotics to combat diseases and have levels of PCBs high enough to rate a health advisory from EDF. Recently, however, freshwater-farmed Coho salmon have earned a Best Choice status from Seafood Watch. There is hope consumer pressure will encourage more farms to adopt better practices

http://caloriecount.about.com/blog/partners/6-healthiest-fish-eat-6-avoid-b565291?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_20120426&utm_term=title2
By EatingWell on Apr 25, 2012 06:00 PM in Healthy Eating
By Brierley Wright, M.S., R.D., EatingWell.com

Low Calorie Ingredient Substitutions

Oil to Prevent Sticking
Non-stick cooking spray is the low calorie substitute that will keeping food from sticking to the bottom of your pans. Also, use as a substitute for the old grease-and-flour method when baking.
Butter or Oil for Baking
Applesauce or prune puree can replace up to half of the fat (butter, margarine, shortening, or oil) in baked goods such as cakes, brownies, quick breads, muffins, and cookies.
Sunsweet’s Lighter Bake, a product found in the baking aisle at the grocery store, can replace all of the fat and oil in baked goods recipes.

Oil for Marinades and Dressings
Flavored vinegars, such as balsamic, raspberry, and rice vinegar, add exciting flavor to salads and marinades, and are virtually calorie free!
Broths and stocks are also excellent alternatives for marinating meat and chicken.

Sour Cream
Plain, non-fat yogurt works great in casseroles, dips, dressings, as a topping, and anywhere else sour cream is usually used.

Eggs
Two egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute (such as Egg Beaters) can replace each whole egg.

Bacon
Turkey bacon, Canadian bacon, or lean smoked ham provides a lower-calorie substitute, retaining the smoky flavor that bacon is known for.

Light Cream
Combine equal parts 1% milk and evaporated skim milk, and use in cream soups and sauces.

Whole Milk
Reduced fat milk (2%, 1% or skim) makes a lower calorie alternative to full-fat whole milk.

Whipped Cream
Evaporated skim milk can be whipped with a little sugar and vanilla extract into a fluffy dessert topping (note: the milk and the beaters must be very cold, but not frozen, before whipping).

Sugar
Splenda is a sugar replacement product that performs well in sweets and baked goods, and is calorie-free. Use Splenda No Calorie Sweetener Granular for items like pie filling, cheesecake, and sweet sauce. Opt for the Splenda Sugar Blend for Baking in baked good such as cakes, brownies, and muffins. Although the Sugar Blend for Baking is half real sugar (therefore higher in calories), it provides a much more desirable outcome for baked goods than using the granular product. (Note: There has been some controversy over the safety of sweeteners such as Splenda. Depending on your personal preference toward sweeteners, you may or may not choose to use Splenda. About.com's Guide to Nutrition offers more information, about this sweetener.)

From About.com - http://lowcaloriecooking.about.com/od/lowcaloriebasics/tp/LowCalorieSubstitutions.htm

RECIPE - Skinny Mashed Cauliflower (instead of potatoes!)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Ingredients

1 large head (~ 6 cups) cauliflower, cut into pieces ( if the head is small, you might need two)
1 (10 oz) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoon reduced-fat butter
3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
½ teaspoons salt
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

 

Instructions

1. Add the cauliflower to a medium-size pot. Pour in chicken broth, cover and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 10-12 minutes.
2. Add the hot cauliflower to a large bowl. Mash well with a potato masher. Mash in the butter, sour cream, salt and pepper, until a smooth consistency.
3. Add to serving bowl and serve warm. This can be made a day before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

Makes 6 servings (½ cup each)

 

Healthy Benefit

Cauliflower is high in fiber, vitamin C and some iron.

  

 

Weight Watchers (old points) 1
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 2

SKINNY FACTS: for ½ cup serving
69 calories, 2.8g fat, 4g protein, 9g carbs, 4g fiber, 299mg sodium, 4g sugar

 

Original recipe from Skinny Kitchen - http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/ow-carb-cauliflower-mashers-no-potatoes-necessary/

RECIPE - Baked Kale Chips

Ingredients

• 1 bunch (about 8 oz) kale 
• 1/2 to 2 tsp olive oil (just enough to barely coat the leaves)
• Salt, to taste

Tips

• Other greens can be used as well - spinach, chard, choy, collard greens, beet greens, mustard greens, turnip greens etc... Use your imagination!
• Other Seasoning Ideas: seasoned salt - garlic, onion, celery, barbecue, mediterranean, etc.; seasoned pepper (with lemon is good); spices like chili poweder (with lemon is good), curry, Greek, Italian, etc.; nutritional yeast; parmesan cheese; tamari or soya sauce (with or without wasabi or hot sauce); lemon or lime juice; different flavoured vinegars (with or without salt) - cider, malt, balsamic, wine or create your own; flavoured oils - garlic, truffle, chilli, or create your own; dill pickle juice?
• When using liquid seasoning it may take the chips a little longer to crisp up - keep a close eye on them... 

1. Preheat Oven 300F. Wash the leaves well.
2. Dry them with paper towels. Or those who have a salad spinner can use it.
3. Tear the leaves from the hard stem and hard ribs.  You can be meticulous and tear the leaves in uniform pieces or do a rough tear.
4. Place in a bowl and toss with the oil until just barely coated then add seasonings and toss until coated once again...
5. Arrange them on parchment paper lined baking sheets making sure not to overlap. Parchment paper is especially useful when using liquid seasoning. 
6. Bake them for around 15-20 minutes or until crisp. Keep a close eye on them so they don't turn brown (which the thinner leaved greens are more likely to do). Cool them for few minutes before enjoying these crunchy health bites.

They get pale green from the dark green once baked.  Make sure to bake a huge batch, since they're quick and easy to make and they're very popular!

Original recipe from Chef In You - http://chefinyou.com/2012/02/oven-baked-kale-chips/

The Golden Rules

1. Choose a wide variety of natural, unprocessed foods. A thoughtfully prepared whole foods diet will leave you feeling enriched, not deprived.
2. Buy organic - especially for the produce most heavily treated with pesicides as well as dairy products and meat.
3. Shop locally and eat seasonally. Check farmers' markets for produce at its peak, which will be more flavourful and healthful.
4. Think of fruits and vegetables in terms of the rainbow; if you eat a range of colours, you're assured of getting all the essential nutrients.
5. Limit salt intake; salt can increase your risk of hypertension and heart disease. Season with fresh herbs, spices, or lemon or lime juice instead.
6. Buy grains, nuts, and seeds in bulk, from a store with a rapid turnover, and replenish often.
7. Choose cooking oils that contain "good" monounsatrated and polyunsaturated fats, such as olive oil and neutral-flavoured canola r safflower oil.
8. For cooking, use organic, low-sodium broth in cartons, or make chicken and vegetable broth from scratch and freeze small batches.
9. Plan ahead and shop wisely. If a salad calls for half a package of tofu, use the rest in a stir-fry.
10. Fill halv you rplate with vegetables, one quarter with whole grains, and one quarter with lean protein.

From the book Power Foods from the editors of Whole Living magazine.