Healthy Gifts this Christmas!

I finally finished my Christmas shopping today and for the first time, books were all I got! I figured that clothes and gadgets sure can be fun, but books help us grow. Some of the books I got were about healthy eating for children, simple ways to cook healthier meals, baking your own cookies this Christmas as well as planning nutritious vegetarian meals! From all these, my favorite book was "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual" for Micheal Pollan - even snowy the snowman loved it, obviously!

When it comes to nutrition and food science, we hear many scientific terms that may seem unfamiliar and complicated to us; however, this book makes food and nutrition the easiest topic! Micheal Pollan divided the book into 3 sections: What should I eat, what kind of food should I eat and how should I eat? Now the food rules are simply listed from 1 to 64, with one rule on each page - quick, useful, witty and best of all, easy to retain! Pollan made it easier for us to see nutrition from a practical side and formulated his rules in a way that will certainly ring a bell long after we've read them!

Here are few rules that I loved

Rule # 2 - Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food.

Rule # 13 - Eat foods that will eventually rot!

Rule # 20 - It is not food if it arrived through the window of your car.

Rule # 24 - Eating what stands on one leg (mushroom and plants) is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl), which is better than eating what stands on four legs (cows, pigs, mammals)

Rule # 36 - Don't eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk!

Rule # 37- The whiter the bread, the sooner you'll be dead.
Rule # 57 - Don't get your fuel from the same place your car does.

The rules are simple and super smart! And retaining just 5 rules out of the 64 then adopting them is life changing itself. After all, having a healthier lifestyle can be achieved one step 'food rule' at a time. So get healthy useful books this Christmas - not necessarily Pollan's. Just make sure to make the best (and healthiest) out of your Christmas gifts this year!

Forget About Yearly Resolutions, Make It a Monthly Habit!

We may still have one month to New Year's Eve, but everyone around has already started thinking where the party is going to be! So resolutions are just around the corner! If you’re like most people, you don’t even think about making New Year’s resolutions anymore. I know it was exciting the first couple of times for me, but just like Pick the brain indicated, it becomes too depressing to feel like a failure when I couldn't stick to a diet, lose weight or exercise properly for a long time! Well, maybe it works out for the first month, but then it’s just too much of a commitment to handle every day, especially that we have dinners and parties everywhere in Lebanon! Well, here’s a way to have resolutions that stick. Pick the brain came up with an absolutely excellent idea last year to say goodbye to New Year’s resolutions and hello to monthly habits!!

Keeping a goal for for 365 days is pretty hectic! However, Pick the brain's smart idea is that if you can stick to a habit for 28 days, the habit becomes permanent. You no longer think of it as a difficult task for it just becomes part of you and your daily habits. 

So, how do you come up with 12 habits rather than 1 unachievable big resolution? Well, again Pick the brain was smart enough to break up that big resolution into 12 “mini-very-possible” habits? Let’s say your huge resolution – the one we tend not to keep – is to “lose weight.” So why not break this huge goal into the smaller steps that constitute it! Don't just say I want to lose weight because once khalto or teta invite us to that huge dinner and the food looks absolutely good, we'll overeat and ditch our resolution.

Instead, this year, I am committing to easier, more achievable goals! All I am going to do is commit to one thing at a time, for 28 to 30 days.  Here are the mini resolutions I am sticking to, some were originally in Pick the Brain's article, but you can find them helpful or you can make up your own!

• January: Only have low-calorie snacks, I'll have to read my labels for this resolution
• February: Drink skim milk instead of whole milk
• March: Exercise 30 minutes at least 3-4 times a week
• April: Bring my lunch to work instead of eating out (my mom will be happy!)
• May: Have whole fruit for dessert
• June: Perform 25 to 50 crunches before going to bed
• July: Have beans and legumes at least 3 times a week
• August: Have a salad before every lunch and dinner
• September: Eat fish, nuts, soy products and legumes instead of red meat
• October:  Skip the soda, alcohol or iced tea
• November: Switch my bread, pasta, kaak, toast and rice to whole grains (am7a kemle) instead of white and refined breads
• December:  Buy me some new holiday clothes to show off what I have achieved!!

One key thing to consider is to keep thee new habits realistic. Don't go putting impossible goals and overwhelming yourself too soon! You'll end up stressed about too many mini goal. Moreover, try to make these habits fun! Turn them into a challenge between you and your friends or siblings or even get a partner! I know my sis will be my partner and coach! When the next month comes, focus on your new goal. You don’t have to keep doing what you were doing the previous month, but you may find you want to, so be it! Long story short, small steps will help you reach your goals rather than large impossible ones! So Happy New Month!

Photos:

I can!

Comic

Smart Dining at Parties and Buffets!

Food is everywhere during the holidays! In December and January, it’s a food fiesta everywhere! These couple of months seem to dump – delicious - food on you wherever you go and whatever time of the day it is! So, even though it’s quite a “health mess”, there is, in fact, lots of ways to control your calorie intake. They key is moderation and portion control! These helpful tips can help you during these holiday parties and dinners without totally depriving yourself or feeling guilty.

·        Try to maintain a regular eating schedule, starting with breakfast. Don’t skip meals because this lowers blood sugar levels and causes you to overeat the rest of the day to make up for those missed calories.

·        Balance party meals with other meals during the day. Eat small, healthy meals with fewer calories so that party foods won’t cause you to exceed your total calorie intake for the day.

·        Never go to a party hungry. Take the edge off your hunger by eating a healthy, filling snack (e.g. fruit, small peanut butter sandwich or low fat yogurt) beforehand so you won’t overeat at the site of the deliciousness.

·        Drink plenty of water throughout the day, including a glass before your dinner or party. It helps fill you up and offsets upcoming dehydrating drinks  like coffee or alcohol.

·        Take smaller portions, and eat only the foods you really like. Don’t go on wasting precious calories eating unpleasant foods because they’re just there.

·       Architect your plate: Fill half the plate with simple vegetables and a quarter with carbohydrates. The remaining quarter should be protein foods, which help you to feel full longer and help curb the carbohydrate cravings.

·        Enjoy the night and enjoy your food! Eat small bites, chew slowly, and savor each delicious bite. You will probably enjoy the food more, get full faster and won’t overeat.

·        Don’t drink your calories. Consume alcohol in moderation, if at all. Alcohol is full of calories, can increase your appetite and it reduces the number of fat calories you burn for energy!

·        Don’t hang out next to the buffet and before going back for seconds, wait 20 minutes for your food to “settle.” It takes that long for your stomach to tell your brain that you’re full.

·        Save calories by skipping dessert or choosing fresh fruit when it is available. Now if you want dessert, eat fewer calories during the meal and try to share one dessert with a friend!

Last but not least, get plenty of exercise! During holidays, most tend to ditch their healthy habits, eat like there’s no tomorrow and “slob” around! Remember, you gain weight if you eat more calories than you burn, eat your holiday fiesta and make sure to burn it off!

Christmas dinner photo

New Year’s Drinking Fiesta

New Year’s is a big deal in Lebanon! Actually, it’s a big deal everywhere. Spending time with friends and family is a great way to celebrate a new year coming, and for most of us, that means getting together and sharing dinner especially with a few cocktails. And yes, holiday drinking is enjoyable, but not for those of us who are trying to watch our waistlines because even few drinks can set that diet back!

All alcoholic drinks contain calories, whether we like to admit it or not, and for those living in denial that drinks are just like water, I hate to burst your bubble. Whether the calories come from alcohol containing 7 calories per gram or from mixers added like soft drinks, fruit juices, sugar or cream, they all definitely count!

So here are some tips to follow when choosing your drinks:

·         Keep your limit to no more than 1-2 drinks for women and 2-3 drinks for men. Actually, guidelines are 1 drink for women and 2 for men, but since these are the holidays, one more drink is OK as maximum.

·         Avoid mixing your drinks with sweetened mixers which only contain huge amounts of calories.

·         If you choose to go for a beer, choose a light one.

·         Drink out of tall skinny glasses.

·         Mix drinks with water or diet soft drinks since they don’t add extra calories. A can of regular soda can add 150 calories to your drink while a diet soda has around 4 calories total, but we’ll discuss these in few seconds.

·         Know the percentage of alcohol and calories in your drink.

·         Fill your glass with ice cubes and then pour your alcohol, this way you’ll get a smaller amount of chilly, diluted alcoholic drink.

·         Drink a glass of water between drinks for 2 reasons. One, to fill up, but more importantly to re-hydrate your body since alcohol can make you lose your body water.

 

Now let’s take a look at popular drinks you will have to face during that party! I gathered the most famous drinks, whether wine, beer, hard liqueurs, cocktails and their mixers we have in Lebanon.
 

·         Wine in 114 mL as a serving size

Type	Calories per serving
Red	85
White	80
Rose	88
Sweet	105
Cabernet Sauvignon	88
Chardonnay	88
Light	50
Sherry	128

·         Beer in one bottle, around 340 mL as a serving

Type	Calories per serving
Regular	150 to 160
Light	90 to 110

·         Hard liqueur with a usual serving of 43 mL

Type	Calories per serving
Bourbon	98
Brandy	98
Gin	104
Rum	84
Scotch	105
Whiskey	104
Kahlua	161
Tequila	100
Vodka	100

·          Mixed drinks

Type	Serving Size	Calories per serving
Frozen Margarita	240 (1 cup)	404
Champagne	114 mL	91
Sangria	240 mL	169
Gin and Tonic	240 mL	195
Bloody Mary	240 mL	196
Screwdriver	240 mL	210
Bacardi Breezer lemon Light	1 bottle	96
Creme de Menthe	58 mL	250
Cosmpolitan	150 mL	327
Martini	150 mL	322
White Russian	170 mL	374
Tequila Sunrise	58 mL	75
Daiquiri	58 mL	112
Baileys Irish Cream	43 mL	108
Manhattan	58 mL	178
Black Russian	58 mL	162

·         Mixes

Type	Calories per serving
Red bull energy drink	110 per can
Mineral water	0
Perrier	0
Diet soda	0
Regular soda	150 per can
Tomato juice	25  in 114 mL
Dr pepper	100 per can
Bloody Mary mix	25 in 114 mL
Nestea Iced tea lemon	86 per can
Orange, pineapple, grapefruit, apple	60 in 114 mL

One more thing that could come in handy is this equation:
Calories in your drink = (milliliters / 28.4) x (% of alcohol x 2) x 0.8.

Let’s say you are drinking 50 mL of whiskey that has 40% alcohol (as indicated on label) thus Calories in that drink = (50/28.4) x (40x2) x 0.8 = 112 cals!
Or let’s take Arak; 70 mL of this 80% alcohol!
thus Calories = (70/28.4) x (80x2) x 0.8 = 315 calories!
So now you have actual information that will definitely help you assess whether your drink is high in calories or not. But know that even though you hear that alcohol has benefits, they just go down the drain once you exceed the guidelines we talked about earlier! 

Moreover, keep in mind that it is best that some people avoid drinking alcohol even in big parties such as New Year’s. These include women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, children and adolescents, people with specific medical conditions and people taking medications that may interact with alcohol.



Coffee or a cold shower will not eliminate alcohol from your blood; time only clears it, so it’s best to stop drinking 2 to 3 hours before you drive. But if you feel dizzy just sleep over wherever you are or hand in the driving responsibility to a non-drinker.
Never drink and drive!

Marbled Chocolate Bark With Mixed Nuts

It’s Christmas and New Year’s time, practically, the season of delicious food! Now most people worry about gaining weight because of the irresistible yummylicious sweets offered all over this season! So I decided to hunt down something edible and delicious for this season. Looking around in A box of kitchen blog, I found this delicious recipe of marbled chocolate bark with mixed nuts!

It’s incredibly easy to make, quick and the best part of it, nutritious!

The ingredients you’ll need for a 24 x 18 cm baking pan are:

· Dark chocolate, 50 g

· White chocolate, 90 g

· Unfried, unsalted, unsweetened nuts (almonds, cashew, macademia, pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.), 80 g

· You can also try adding mixture of dried fruits, crackers, biscuits, etc.

Nutrition facts:

Dark chocolate - 70 % cocoa - is rich in antioxidants, has a positive effect on one’s circulatory system, has iron, magnesium, manganese, a bit of vitamin K, zinc and riboflavin! Whereas white chocolate contains calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin and vitamin K. Keep in mind that both types of chocolate contain saturated fats so moderation is a MUST!

As for the mixed nuts, go for the unsalted, unsweetened version of them. They are rich in “good” fats: mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, lots of vitamin E, magnesium, manganese and some riboflavin, calcium, copper and phosphorus!

Preparation:

·         Place the mixed nuts in the processor and blend till the consistency you desire. I prefer the nuts to stay crunchy to the taste so keep them coarse – not very finely chopped, yet not too coarse.

·         Now break the chocolate bars into small pieces and place them in SEPARATE microwaveable bowls. Don’t cover them with any plastic wrap to avoid water coming from the steam. Heat them for 1 minute.

·         After 1 minutes heating, take out the bowl and stir the softened chocolate with a spoon and check if it needs more heating.

·         Line a baking pan with parchment paper, no need to butter it according to Arudhi

·         Place dollops of dark chocolate randomly on the pan. Then, place dollops of white chocolate on remaining spaces.

·         Now, get your rubber spatula and swirl the white melted chocolate within the black. Watch out to over mix the chocolate to keep a marbled color. The more you mix, the less marbly they get.

·         So it’s time to sparkle the nuts on your chocolate. Gently push down the loose nuts so they stick well onto the chocolate.

·         Place in the fridge for around and hour and a half to allow the mixture to stick altogether.

·         After it sets, slowly dislodge the bark from the paper.

·         Break the nutty-marbled-chocolate into chunks and serve!

So instead of gulping holiday sweets full of saturated fats and refined sugars, go for these healthier snacks!

This delicious recipe and mouth-watering photos are all courtesy of A box of kitchen.