Herb-Coated Halibut with Zucchini and Whole Wheat Couscous
Not only is this meal delicious, it's also incredibly healthy. A tangy herb paste coats both the fish and zucchini, which roast on the same pan. The entire meal is ready in 30 minutes – perfect for busy weekday dinners.
Servings: 4
Here's what you need:
- 6 scallions, chopped
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon chopped, peeled fresh ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 zucchini, cut into spears
- 4 skinless fillets firm white fish
- 1 cup dry whole-wheat couscous
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Throw the scallions, cilantro, mint, oil, ginger, coriander and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a food processor and pulse until a coarse paste forms. Season with pepper.
- Toss zucchini with 3 tablespoons herb paste in a bowl. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 5 minutes.
- Rub remaining herb paste onto both sides of fish fillets. Push zucchini to edges of baking sheet, and arrange fish in center, leaving about 1/2 inch between each fillet. Roast until fish is opaque and semi-firm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare directions. Serve fish and zucchini over couscous.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 354 calories, 10g fat, 29g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 32g protein.
Which Type of Eater are You?: #3 Party Binger
3. The Party Binger: Whenever you attend a social event where the main attraction is food, you eat without stopping. With all the distraction you quickly lose track of how much you've consumed and often stop only when it's time to leave.
- Stay more than an arm's length away from the buffet or snack bowls.
- Put only two food items on your plate during each trip to the table.
- Make yourself feel full by eating the big healthy stuff first, like broccoli and carrots.
- Remind yourself why you are at the party: first to socialize or to conduct business and secondarily to eat.
If you need help planning a more healthy diet, visit us at The Body Firm.
What type of eater are you? Type 1: The Meal Stuffer
Stay tuned in the next few days for more types of eating habits. In the meantime, visit us at www.thebodyfirmaz.com.
Each day you make well over 200 decisions about food, according to Brian Wansink, PH.D. in his book, Mindless Eating. Your weight is the sum total of your past food decisions.
According to Wansink, overeating can be greatly reduced simply by removing the cues in your environment that cause you to overeat. He goes on to explain the top 5 Diet Danger Zones and the solutions for each:
1. The Meal Stuffer: At mealtime you really stuff yourself. You clean everything off your plate, eat quickly and often go back for seconds. You consider yourself to have a “healthy appetite” and often feel uncomfortably full after eating.
- Use the Half-Plate Rule: fill half of your plate with vegetables and the other half with protein and starch.
- Use smaller plates and wait 20 minutes before deciding if you want seconds.
- Eat slower so your appetite can catch up with what you've already eaten.
- Don't place serving dishes on the table. Pre-plate your food and then put the rest out of reach.
Cancer Prevention Through Healthy Living
We all have been affected by cancer. Whether we know someone who has been diagnosed, or you have experienced it personally, it is a threat to millions of Americans. In speaking with many people who have cancer or other health concerns, they have found tremendous success in turning to a healthy lifestyle.
Cutting out refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods has been shown to support doctor's efforts in combating cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, there are many contributing factors to patients lingering illnesses. While it may take a conscious effort to change your lifestyle, it is surely worthwhile.
One interesting fact from the American Caner Society's website:
Does being overweight increase cancer risk?
Yes. Being overweight or obese is linked with an increased risk of cancers of the breast (among women after menopause), colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, and possibly other sites as well. Although research on whether losing weight reduces cancer risk is limited, some research suggests that weight loss does reduce the risk of breast cancer. Because of other proven health benefits, people who are overweight are encouraged to lose weight. Avoiding excessive weight gain in adulthood is important not only to reduce cancer risk but also to reduce the risk of other chronic diseases.
For help changing your lifestyle come in to The Body Firm today.
Photo Motivation
Having trouble with motivation? Try this technique:
- Go through your photo albums and find a picture of yourself in your best shape ever. It may be a photo from your college or even high school days.
- Now go through your photos and find a picture of yourself in your worst shape ever. You may have to go through old shoe boxes of photos, since this photo may not have made it into your photo albums.
- Place the two photos side by side. You at your fittest; you at your fattest. Study the photos. Remember what it felt like to be in great shape. Remember what it felt like to be in terrible shape (you may be living that right now).
- Make a decision. Do you want to continue living your life in bad shape? Or will you shake off past failures and do what it takes to achieve the body you once had?
Share your two photos with us. We will help you get back to the great body that you once had.
The Domino Effect
Regular exercise makes it easier to eat healthy. Just as healthy eating makes you more likely to exercise.
It's the domino effect. When you begin to make a positive change in one area of your life other areas will soon follow.
Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.
Would you like to get that domino effect started in your life? Visit our website today for a fitness program that will quickly transform your body.
Quinoa Breakfast Bowl
You've probably heard of quinoa - it is hailed by some as the new super food. It's high in protein (12%-18%) and contains a balanced set of essential amino acids - this means it's a surprisingly complete protein. It's also high in fiber and iron. And, as if the edible seeds didn't have enough going for them, NASA is thinking about growing it in space.
Quinoa is quite possibly the perfect thing to have for breakfast to start your day off on the right foot.
Servings: 1
Here's what you need:
- 1/2 cup quinoa, cooked in water according to instructions on package
- 1 Tablespoon golden raisins
- 1 Tablespoon date pieces, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon pecan pieces, chopped
- Dash of cinnamon
- Dash of nutmeg
- Drizzle of pure maple syrup
1. Top cooked quinoa with raisins, date pieces, pecan pieces, cinnamon, nutmeg and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 344 calories, 5g fat, 59g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, and 12g protein.
For more nutritional tips, check out our website at www.thebodyfirmaz.com.
Vacation Tip #4: Eat Natural Sweets
One of your biggest enemies when it comes to vacation weight gain is...sugar.
The average modern person consumes 46 teaspoons of sugar every day. The average person on vacation consumes even more than that.
Even though sugary calories taste great, the sweet pleasure comes at a high price. Here's what I mean:
- Sugar creates false hunger (as a result of the insulin rush and then ensuing plummet in blood sugar levels), which causes you overeat.
- Sugar promotes aging (due to the advanced glycation end products, or AGEs, that occur when insulin levels are consistently elevated as a result of eating too much sugar). Sugar has even been dubbed the negative fountain of youth!
- Sugar weakens your bones -making you vulnerable for osteoporosis, and weakens your teeth - making you vulnerable for cavities (both due to the calcium being pulled from your bones and teeth in order for your body to process sugar).
- Sugar in excess is stored as fat (after your liver has no more room to store it, sugar is converted to fat and deposited on your belly, thighs, hips and the backs of your arms).
So instead of eating that ice cream cone or chocolate éclair, satiate your sweet tooth with a piece of juicy fruit.
Prepare for your vacation at The Body Firm.
Vacation Tip #2: Get Moving
It's easy to spend vacation days sprawled out by the pool, but the inactivity will quickly add up to extra pounds.
Choose to be active and you'll burn calories all day long while indulging in fewer unnecessary snacks. The following ideas will get you moving:
Go on a brisk walk each day of your trip. You'll see new sights while burning off excess calories.
Always take the stairs rather than the elevator. Talk about bonus calorie burning!
Go on a jog in the mornings before your daily activities, or jog in the evening after the day winds down.
If your hotel has a pool, swim a few laps each day. Swimming is a fun way to get in a full body workout.
If your trip takes you to a place of natural beauty then go on a hike. Even while hiking at a slow or moderate pace you'll burn plenty of calories.
Play some sports - beach volleyball, a game of hoops, Frisbee, or bike riding are all great ways to have fun while keeping fit.
For more fitness ideas, visit www.thebodyfirmaz.com
What Does the Ideal You Look Like?
Take a moment and imagine your 'ideal you'.
What does the 'ideal you' look like? How does the 'ideal you' spend their time? Who would the 'ideal you' spend time with? What would the 'ideal you' accomplish? The distance between you and your 'ideal you' is created by laziness.
When faced with decisions, big or small, do what your 'ideal you' would do, rather than taking the easy way out.
(I'm pretty sure that your 'ideal you' is a client of mine...:)
Contact The Body Firm today for your free consultation at www.thebodyfirmaz.com