Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit

We may get a chuckle when we think of the silly children's song involving beans but the nutritional benefits of beans are nothing to laugh at. Beans, or legumes, as they are also referred to are nutritional powerhouses. Beans are high in protein, fiber, antioxidants, iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. Research has indicated that consuming beans 4 times per week can reduce the incidence of heart disease by 22% over people who had beans only once per week. Beans are also a great protein source for diabetics. Since beans are digested slowly, they have less of an impact on blood sugar and can minimize the spike after a meal. Beans have also been linked with a decreased incidence of certain cancers and help to keep us full, thus aiding in weight control. Ok, it is great to understand some of the health benefits of beans, but how do we prepare them and what are some ways to incorporate them into the diet? You can purchase dry or canned beans. Nutritionally, there is not much of a difference between the two apart from the sodium content. Canned beans tend to be higher in sodium but this can easily be "fixed" by simply placing the canned beans in a colander and rinsing under cool water for a few minutes. This essentially "washes" the sodium off the beans. There are many ways to incorporate beans into the diet: Toss on salads, throw into soups or stews, mash and use as a thickener for recipes, add to casseroles and roll into burritos to name a few. Don't forget about Hummus. This is just mashed up chick peas with added spices. Hummus can be used as a dip and also in place of condiments on sandwiches and burgers. I have a few clients who use hummus in place of mayo in their tuna salad! Use your imagination! Try to incorporate beans into you diet several times this week! Your body will thank you! Here is a great BEAN SALAD recipe I adapted a few years ago - Toss 1 can chick peas, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can black beans and 1 can corn in a colander and rinse under cool water for a few minutes. Place in a large salad bowl. Crush several cloves of garlic in to the mix and add 1-2 tbl of fresh lemon juice. Add about 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar to the mix. Toss and add fresh snipped parsley to the salad. I tend to go heavy on the parsley and vinegar and light on the olive oil, you may want to experiment with how your family likes it. I usually try to make the salad a day ahead of time as the flavors meld nicely over time. Enjoy!

To Snack or not to Snack? That is the question...

Many people ask me if it is better to stick to 3 meals a day, or incorporate snacks into their daily routine. Snacks mid-morning and mid-afternoon won't make you gain weight (depending on what you choose). They DO help keep your blood sugar levels moderate so you don't experience that 'tired afternoon crash' or binge eat at meals due to hunger. Low-fat dairy, unsalted nuts, whole fruit, hummus and whole wheat crackers or carrots make portable snacks. Aim to combine lean proteins with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats to keep your belly full and brain in high gear!

Are You Addicted to Sugar??

Really? How can someone be addicted to a food? That is impossible... Really? Is it? Right now I am conducting a 30 day Sugar Challenge with the LEAN TEAM! We have signed on to try to avoid sugar in all its forms for the month of October. I have done this before with clients and am here to say - YES, one can be addicted to sugar. Research has indicated that sugar can be more addicting than cocaine or heroin. It is a hidden addiction as it is acceptable. No one is going to put you in jail for eating a chocolate bar or having a handful of jelly beans, but that does not minimize the detrimental effects sugar can have on your body. Excess dietary sugar has been linked with many medical conditions from the obvious Obesity and Diabetes to Heart Disease and Cancer. Over the next few weeks I will be blogging on sugar - how to identify it in foods, substitute for it in recipes and also how to eliminate it if you are truly addicted. Stay tuned for more. If you feel like you may have an issue with sugar or have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, diabetes or insulin resistance, feel free to contact me and we can discuss how to deal with these conditions. Watch out for the candy corn.... Noreen Gallo MSRD

WHY DIET IS A 4 LETTER WORD

If you take the T off of diet what does it spell? DIE! Negative! Anyone who has worked with me knows that I will not give them a diet. I don't have a sheet to hand out that tells you what to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I won't slap your hand if you have a bowl of ice cream and I won't necessarily pat you on the bat if you eat salad. I have had clients lose 20, 30, 40 plus pounds having a few dove chocolates every day and I have also helped clients completely give up sugar and white flour when that is what they have chosen to do. Re- read that - I said that is what THEY have chosen to do - not me for them. The point here is that I truly believe that diets are not one size fits all. What works for you, may not work for me and the diet in the magazine at the checkout at Walmart may work for Kim Kardashian, but not for a regular girl like me from Windham NH. You need to find what clicks - the term I use with my clients is to get them into their GROOVE. A way of eating that you can follow about 80-85% of the time and not feel deprived. A diet that helps your body slowly gravitate toward a healthy weight that it feels comfortable and can stay at. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be blogging about small changes that you may be willing to make that will direct you towards a healthier way of living! TO your health - Noreen Gallo MSRD

Join Private Facebook Group on Clean Eating!

I will be starting a new private Facebook group for people interested in getting a little more support in their quest towards clean eating. My hope is to get a group of followers that will support each other with ideas, tried and true recipes and general tips on how to clean up our diets and take them to the next level. If you are interested in joining, friend me on Facebook and we will get started. Noreen Gallo MSRD

Sugar - How Sweet it is????

Easter had come and gone but are the jelly beans chocolate eggs and malted milk balls still hanging on? To our bodies that is? We love sugar! There is no getting around it. Research shows that on average Americans consume about 142 pounds of sugar a year, translating into about 700 calories per day from added sugars. Combine sugar with fat and together they add up to about 35% of the calories in the American diet. People ask me every day why it is so hard to cut back on sugar? My answer is - because for many of us, sugar is addictive. There has been research done in rats that indicates that sugar may be as addictive as cocaine. Yet we continue to eat and drink it every day even though it has been linked with diabetes, obesity, cavities, heart disease, cancer and the list goes on. What can we do? Obviously going cold turkey and cutting all added sugars out of the diet is the solution. BUT - can we do that? My answer is probably not and if we can, how long can it be sustained. My approach is to work with people to first, become aware of where sugar is in our diet and cutting back and substituting as much as possible ( and I don't mean with fake sugars here, they will be the topic of another post!) You can start with cutting back on sugary drinks - this accounts for about 43% of all consumption of added sugars. Sodas, sports drink, specialty coffees and fruit drinks to name a few. Second - READ LABELS! Become familiar with ingredients that are the same as sugar. News flash, honey, brown sugar, raw sugar all are metabolized just like sugar in our body. A good rule of thumb when reading a label is that for every 4 grams of sugar on the label this equals 1 teaspoon of added sugar. Take a hard look at your kid's sports drink and see how much sugar it contains! Third - become aware of hidden sugars - catsup, bbq sauce, crackers, breads etc.. may all be sources of hidden sugars in your diet. The longer you can go with cutting back on sugar - the easier it will become. I am not saying this will be a piece of cake (oops, sorry, no pun intended!) But you can do it! Your body will thank-you! To your health - Noreen Gallo MSRD

Sports Nutrition - It makes a difference!!

Although the white stuff is flying outside right now, Spring is just around the corner. This is a time when many of us get the itch to be outside and moving! A time to re-focus on fitness and getting in shape. Finding the right combination of strength and cardio workouts is very important, but unless we make smart choices in the food department, it will be difficult to see the results we want! Without a doubt, what you eat and when you eat affects your athletic performance. A proper combination of carbohydrates, protein and fats can have a tremendous impact on how you feel during your workout. Next thursday I will be presenting a seminar focusing on sports nutrition at the Windham Pilates Studio. I will be covering such topics as pre and post workout meals and snacks, how to lose weight and maintain energy while keeping up with your exercise programs, fluid replacement and much more. Contact, the studio to sign up and feel free to contact me with any specific question you may have. I have seen many clients make huge strides in their athletic performance with some simple, basic changes in their food plan!!

Enjoy the snow - Noreen Gallo MSRD