Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Filipino Recipes for the Weight-Conscious

South Beach Diet Recipe

We've always been known for our love of food, but for most people, that hearty appetite comes at a price. With our increasingly hectic lifestyles, there's hardly any time to exercise or get fit. Add to that the fact that Filipino cuisine tends to be high in fat and calories. Yes, it's great food, but you have to admit it's not exactly healthy.

South Beach Diet Recipe

But before ditching that adobo or taking out those South Beach cookbooks, here's some good news: there is such a thing as low-fat Filipino food. In fact, you can make any dish diet-friendly with just a few simple tweaks-without giving up any of the flavor. If all that eating is taking a toll on your waist, start eating healthier with these tips and 1. Make substitutions

South Beach Diet Recipe

One of the secrets to low-fat cooking is replacing common ingredients with low-fat alternatives. Start with your oil: most people use regular cooking oil, which is made from animal fat and very high in cholesterol. Use vegetable-based oils such as corn, canola, sunflower, or if you can afford it, olive oil. When making salads, replace mayonnaise with mustard or vinaigrette, and use fresh instead of canned ingredients.

South Beach Diet Recipe

A common problem with substitution is that they don't always work. You can't expect them to taste the same as the original, but they don't have to taste bad. It takes some practice and experience to know which ingredients will work together and which ones will not. Feel free to experiment-you'll learn from your mistakes and get the hang of it in no time.

Fish is a favorite replacement for meat dishes. Try this low-fat recipe in place of steak and meat chops.

Grilled Tuna Steak

Ingredients:

4-6 fresh tuna steaks

1 bottle of Italian dressing

¾ tsp salt

pepper to taste

Arrange the tuna in a large baking dish. Coat each steak with the Italian dressing and cover the pan. Marinate refrigerated for a few hours or overnight. Grill or broil the steaks until done (when the flesh flakes off easily). Season with salt and pepper before serving.

2. Always go fresh

You don't have to give up dessert altogether if you're watching your weight. Just choose the right desserts-avoid those rice cakes and creamy salads they serve at parties. Instead, use fresh fruits to make your own Filipino desserts recipes. For a little variety, try some of our native fruits such as lanzones, durian and langka. Mix your favorite fruits together and you've got a nice low-fat salad, perfect for those cravings in between meals.

Remember to get your fruits and vegetables fresh. It's very tempting to get canned or pre-packed food, but those tend to be high in calories and packed with preservatives, not to mention overpriced. Get your fruits and vegetables whole and slice them up yourself. That way, you can control your serving portions and cut them any way you like.
This is great if you like to make quick salads and sandwiches.

3. Grill what you can fry

Most Filipino recipes involve deep frying, sautéing, or other methods that involve cooking in fat. Most of the time, you can do without the frying and use healthier cooking methods. Try grilling pork chops or chicken instead of frying. It helps preserve the flavor and gives a rich, smoky aroma. It also sheds some of the fat off the meat, whereas frying seals it in and makes it even fattier.

Explore other cooking methods as well. Steaming, broiling, and poaching are all excellent methods for low-fat cooking. Their main advantage is that you can cook your food more evenly, a common challenge in frying. If you're new to the kitchen and don't know how to experiment, just look for Filipino cooking recipes that you can prepare without the oil.

4. Watch your portions

The reason some diets fail is that the serving portions are bigger than recommended. People tend to overeat when they know their food is low-fat. Don't follow the recommended portions of Filipino food recipes. If the recipe says it serves 6 people, it often means tiny servings that don't even feed half a person. Read the nutritional information on your food labels; their serving sizes are usually more accurate. you don't have to count each calorie every time you cook, but you should have a general idea of each ingredient's nutritional value. If the dish already has meat or something heavy, balance it out with lighter ingredients such as leafy greens.

Filipino Recipes for the Weight-Conscious

South Beach Diet Recipe

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Make The South Beach Diet Website Your Bible

South Beach Diet Recipe

If you are overweight and you feel the need to tug at your clothes and hide your body every hour of every day, it might be time to take some action and make life easier for yourself. Chances are that if you are as unhappy as is expected, you have already tried all the fad diets out there and surprise surprise, they haven't worked. This is because most diets encourage the elimination of food and not certain types of food which means that once you stop eating altogether, your body goes into starvation mode. It feels that it isn't getting enough to eat so it must hold onto the food that it does get and the result is that those numbers on the weighing scale will not budge after a certain point and you will definitely put on weight. Sounds like a nightmare, right?

South Beach Diet Recipe

Instead of going through all that, what you should do is make the south beach diet a part of your life immediately. The South Beach Diet website will tell you that the diet is divided into three phases:

South Beach Diet Recipe

The first phase is the hardest and it lasts for 14 days. During these two weeks, you will have to stay away from such food products that are rich in carbohydrates, every kind of sugar and fruits and vegetables that have a high-glycemic index. The South Beach Diet website will also stress on the fact that while this phase is difficult to see through till the end, if you are brave enough to do it, you will be able to lose weight at a much faster rate.

South Beach Diet Recipe

The second and third phases don't have time limits on them. The second phase relaxes the rules which means that the weight watcher can eat most vegetables, fruits and grains but will have to stay away from carbs. The south beach diet website says that the third phase is all about maintenance, that is, maintaining the goal weight that the weight watcher has achieved. Naturally, this is a diet you have to follow for life but as long as you know what food to avoid and what to do, it shouldn't be that hard.

Apart from these details, the South Beach Diet website also focuses on the importance of picking the bad fats from the good fats and the bad carbs from the good carbs. That said, no matter which phase you are in, you can't consume saturated fats and you have to stay away from those foods that are rich in carbohydrates. In addition to that, you can't consume trans fats either. This means that your diet will largely consist of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish and lean meat.

It may not sound as exciting as tucking into a large bowl of rock road ice cream and munching on chips in the middle of the night but the south beach diet gets the job done- what more can you ask for? Just make sure that you do everything the south beach diet website tells you to do.

Make The South Beach Diet Website Your Bible

South Beach Diet Recipe

Friday, November 25, 2011

Hypoglycemia Low Carb Diet - How to Manage Your Hypoglycemia the Right Way!

South Beach Diet Recipe

Popular hypoglycemia low carb diet such as Atkins and South Beach may have led some people to believe that low carbs is the right way to go in managing your hypoglycemia. I beg to differ as such a diet can be FATAL for people with hypoglycemia and it will certainly NOT help you one bit in keeping your hypoglycemia under control.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Carbohydrates give us energy. They provide the necessary fuel for our body to function properly. Thus, our body NEEDS carbohydrates for energy. If you have tried low carb diet such as Atkins, you will know what I am talking about; you will feel sluggish, tired, sleepy and disorientated all the time.

South Beach Diet Recipe

The trick here is to not eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, but instead eliminate the "bad" carbs and keep the good ones.

South Beach Diet Recipe

"Bad" carbohydrates, more accurately known as simple carbohydrates or refined carbohydrates, are carbs that are quickly absorbed by the body, thereby raising sugar levels.

"Good" carbohydrates, also known as complex carbohydrates, take much longer time to be broken down and thus, release sugar slowly into the blood stream. This is the carbohydrates that you want in your hypoglycemia diet; carbohydrates that do not cause sudden peaks in your blood sugar level.

A few examples for complex carbohydrates are brown bread, vegetables and whole grains.

In order to recover from hypoglycemia, it is not necessary to remove carbohydrates from our diet. In fact, doing so can be detrimental to your health and aggravate your hypoglycemia. Carbohydrates should comprise more than 50% of your diet. The trick here is to remove the "bad" carbs and replace them with the good ones.

Hypoglycemia Low Carb Diet - How to Manage Your Hypoglycemia the Right Way!

South Beach Diet Recipe

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Diet Solution Program Books - Diet Solution Program Review

South Beach Diet Recipe

The Diet Solution Program is a series of books written by Isabel De Los Rios, a nutritionist and lifestyle coach. Let's get this out of the way - there are many books out there that sell false hopes and unhealthy gimmicks for losing weight - this is not one of them. The Diet Solution Program is not one of those popular crash diets like Atkins or South Beach. This program gives you the knowledge to create a healthy lifestyle that will help you lose weight and keep it off.

South Beach Diet Recipe

The Diet Solution Program is easy to personalize to fit your body type. It's not a book that tells you what you can and cannot do. The program consists of nine books that take you step by step toward a healthier lifestyle, and helps you listen to your body so that you can better understand what it needs. For instance, do you feel sleepy or tired after eating a big bowl of pasta. By reading through Isabel De Los Rios's books I learned why this happens and how I can eat foods that I really enjoy that are also healthy.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Diet Solution Program Books:

South Beach Diet Recipe

Top 10 Nutrition Mistakes Keeping you Fat The Success Journal Metabolic Typing Test The Shopping List Recipe Guide Quick Start Guide Done for You Meal Plans 14 Days to a Sexy Body in 2010 All books delivered as PDF files

Diet Solution Review - Diet Solution Program Recipes

Whats even better, the program comes with two very useful cook books: The Shopping List and The Diet Solution Recipe Guide. The former breaks down common food misconceptions and shows how organic and real (not processed) foods that will help you lose weight and feel better. The Recipe Guide provides over 50 recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Isabel De Los Rios constantly reminds the reader to keep your food interesting! This recipe guide provides easy to follow recipes that are healthy and delicious. By making little changes to the food you eat you will not only be able to lose weight, you will have more energy throughout the day.

I like the fact that she offers a full money back guarantee, as well. It shows how much she believes in her product, and how well it actually works. I also like the attitude Isabel De Los Rios takes to losing weight. It's not like other books that scold you for being fat or try to baby you through the weight loss experience. The Diet Solution Program tells you to listen to your body, eat real food until you are full, and provides you with all the resources to make this happen.

Diet Solution Program Books - Diet Solution Program Review

South Beach Diet Recipe

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Avocado Recipe

South Beach Diet Recipe

I used to always shy away from avocados because of their bad reputation as being a 'fattening' vegetable. In one simple sentence I have written two false statements.

South Beach Diet Recipe

First of all, avocados do contain fat though most of it is monounsaturated, meaning that the fat is of plant fat origin, a natural fat, not animal fat and thus easily digested by the human digestive system. It's a "good fat" like olive oil. Though if over eaten, it can be somewhat damaging to the waistline.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Secondly, avocados are often referred to as vegetables though botanically speaking they classified as a fruit since they contain seeds, or in this particular case, a pit. Other members of the vegetable fruits are the famous tomato, cucumbers and bell peppers.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Now that I have unmasked some avocado myths, you may now savor this unique textured fruit with a healthy conscious.

Avo-History

Avocados were the first consumed by the Aztecs. Not so different from today's method of consumption, the Aztecs liked to mash the fruit then spread it on corn tortillas before devouring it.

They called it 'ahuacatl'. The Spaniards translated into 'abogado' and the French call it 'avocat' (also the same word for lawyer). Most likely, they were European attempts at pronouncing its native name.

But before making its way across the Atlantic, the avocado worked its way down south into Peru in the pre-Incan city of Chanchan. From Mexico, this green fruit made its way up through Texas and New Mexico. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that the avocado made its way over to California and planted its roots. Carl Schmidt planted many varieties of avocado trees in 1911 in California. Only one type survived the 1913 freeze. It was name the Fuerte, remnant of its Mexican roots meaning strong and vigorous.

Today 95 percent of all avocados grown in the United States come from California. With a large variety selection, California avocados are available year-round. Florida is also a large producer of avocados.

Avocado Mousse

This dish can be prepared minus the tuna without sacrificing flavor.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: none
Serves: 4
2 avocados 1 small can tuna, packed in water, drained 1 tablespoon mayonnaise 4 tablespoons sour cream (low or fat free) 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard juice from one lemon sea salt

Cut avocados in two lengthwise. Remove pit; scoop out flesh and place in blender or food processor. Save skins.

Add remaining ingredients, purée until smooth and creamy texture. Distribute mousse evenly into skin halves. Chill if not serving immediately.

Can be made a few hours in advance.

Avocado Recipe

South Beach Diet Recipe

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

How to Make a Thai Steak Salad

South Beach Diet Recipe

Steak is delicious when you pair it with salad but you can also use it as an ingredient in salad. The following Thai salad recipe is really good and it makes a big different which cut of meat you choose. Get the best piece of steak you can afford and this gourmet salad is sure to become one of your favorites. Take care not to overcook the steak. Medium rare is good and medium is all right but do not go beyond medium or it will not have such a nice texture.

South Beach Diet Recipe

You can serve this delicious dish over rice or lettuce and anyone who loves Thai food will love this because the Thai flavor is unmistakable. This recipe is cool and refreshing and ideal for a summer day when you want something cold but also meaty and satisfying.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Typical Authentic Thai Ingredients

South Beach Diet Recipe

This is an authentic Thai dish rather than one of those westernized Thai recipe so, if some of the ingredients are unfamiliar to you, go easy with them. Fish sauce, for example, has a very strong and salty flavor. This condiment is served with everything in Thailand but you might find the flavor unusual or the concept of adding fish sauce to a beef-based dish strange.

The mint is also unusual if you are more accustomed to western style salads but it really does give this recipe a fresh flavor and bring out the flavor of the marinated meat. You can tinker with the marinade, adding more sugar if you have a sweet tooth or more fish sauce if you think it is too sweet. This is an aromatic dish rather than a spicy one and a lot of Thai recipes would fit this description. The lack of spices means the flavor of the steak really stands out.

What you will need:

1 1/2 lbs steak fillet, 1 inch thick 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 chopped green onions 1/2 diced English cucumber 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup white sugar 1 tablespoons sweet chili sauce or red curry paste 1 cup lime juice 1 stick lemongrass in 1 inch pieces 1 head lettuce, in bite sized pieces 1/3 cup fish sauce

How to make it:

Stir the cilantro, mint, green onions, lime juice, lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, and chili sauce together in a bowl until the sugar dissolves. You can add more fish sauce or sugar to balance out the flavor if necessary. Grill the steak for about five minutes per side until it is medium rare or medium. Slice it into thin strips and add the meat and its juices to the sauce.

Stir the mixture and let it marinade for at least three hours in the refrigerator. Arrange the lettuce in a serving bowl and top it with the cucumber. Spoon the steak and sauce over the top and arrange the cherry tomatoes on it. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

How to Make a Thai Steak Salad

South Beach Diet Recipe

Monday, November 21, 2011

Diet Zone Recipes - Recipes That Fit Your Diet

South Beach Diet Recipe

There are many ways to create a diet zone for yourself that will facilitate lossing weight without losing flavor. A few simple ways is to simply replace high calorie fods with lower fat products, for example low fat or skim milk as opposed to whole milk. Another good diet zone recipe addition or better put, elimination is to replace high fat containing salad dressings with a low fat one or by using extra virgin olive oil and vinegar. Also broiling meats instead of frying them is an easy and healthy way to reduce fat intake.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Dieting zone recipes does not have to mean tasteless recipes. Following are a a few samples of delicious recipes which are sure to fit nicely into any diet zone recipe regime.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Breakfast:
Simple Diet Zone Breakfast recipe
Scrambled egg with ham and cheese and a fruit side

South Beach Diet Recipe

Ingredients for one serving

3 eggs. Separate 2 and discard yolks.
Sea salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces low fat cheddar cheese
1 ounce extra lean ham.
1 tablespoon low fat milk
1 orange
half a pear
4 ounces fresh strawberries

Instructions on preparation:

In a small bowl whisk the eggs, season with sea salt and pepper. Add the chopped ham and cook over medium heat the same as you would any scrambled egg. As the eggs are cooking cut and prepare fruit side.

Lunch
Tofo burger with avocado and strawberries

1.5 ounces of fresh avocado
One 4 ounce meat substitute patty of choice. Tofu/soy burgers are used in this recipe
2 slices reduced fat, whole wheat bread
1 slice of provolone cheese
1 tsp. Fat free mayo
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 cup fresh sliced strawberries

Warm burger and top with avocado and cheese. Spread mayo and mustard and serve warm with a fresh strawberry side.

Dinner
Recipe for roasted chicken with honey, rosemary and Dijon mustard

Serving for four @ 1/4 chicken per serving
Ingredients:
5 pounds of chicken
fresh ground pepper
Dijon mustard
Fresh rosemary, about 3 sprigs
quarter cup honey
juice of one lemon and zest
4 garlic cloves
one onion cut in ½

Oven is preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the chicken by first washing it with cold water, making sure to rinse the inside cavity. Using paper towels, pat dry well and season the bird with sea salt and pepper to taste. Set aside in a large roasting tray.

Remove the stems and croasely chop the rosemary. Mix mustard, lemon juice and zest with the honey in a small bowl. Add 2/3 of the chopped rosemary. Lightly brush the outside of the chicken with the honey/lemon glaze. Take the onion, half lemon, garlic and remaining rosemary and stuff deeply into the cavity of the chicken.

Set to bake and baste the bird approximately ever 15 minutes. Bake for about one hour, until the all juices run clear and the internal temp reaches 180' degrees. Serve hot.

Diet zone recipes are great tasting and good for you as well! Bon apetite.

Diet Zone Recipes - Recipes That Fit Your Diet

South Beach Diet Recipe

Sunday, November 20, 2011

What is the Importance of Eating Artichokes?

South Beach Diet Recipe

Consider your body a machine for a moment. Just a moment though, you can see the importance of eating healthy. All the fuel this machine gets is from the food you eat. Just as a machine wouldn't run optimally with low grade fuel, neither does your body. For that reason, it is thus clear why we need some sort of fuel to make us healthy. For healthy individuals, these can be anything that has high nutrition content. At the top of our list are vegetables like artichokes.

South Beach Diet Recipe

What are artichokes? Artichoke originated in the Mediterranean countries and was a popular delicacy at Roman feasts. It is now grown in many hot areas and is an important crop in parts of California. A good artichoke will have a nice color, well closed centre leaves and be without bruises or blemishes.

South Beach Diet Recipe

The base should be without any tendency to woodiness. Artichoke is often eaten raw as well as cooked, but cooking artichokes in an aluminum pot causes discoloration and blackening. Like other plants in the thistle family, to which it belong, the artichoke contains some therapeutically valuable oils which have a strong stabilizing effect on the human metabolism. There are lots of different recipes out there that will have you cooking artichokes in many different ways, but if you want a simply way cook them you only need a large pot of boiling water. In this case, simply salt the water, dump the vegetables inside of it, and cook them until they are slightly tender. Otherwise, you may find other methods that are more appealing.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Essentially, preparing these vegetables is a lot like preparing any other type of veggie. All you really need to remember is not to overcook them. This means that you can steam, broil, and even grill them as long as you respect their cooking time. In fact, while most people have no trouble cooking them, almost everyone is confused when it comes to eating them. If you have ever seen this vegetable on a menu, but you are not sure how to eat it, here is one simple technique: take each petal off, place your teeth on the "meat," and allow your teeth to slide off of the meat grasping the insides.

While it may seem time consuming, cooking artichokes (and eating them) is well worth it if they are in season. Also, you may come across a lot of recipes that use the actual "choke" part of this vegetable. If you are going to make one of those recipes, be sure to take off all the small, fuzzy, parts that could literally cause you to choke. Other than that one caution, these veggies are worth all the trouble in the world for just a few moments of delicious pleasure.

You can serve these vegetables with a bit of melted butter, or you can eat them with lemon and olive oil. Either way, give them a shot - you will soon discover a great new vegetable that is heavenly to dine upon. Look for ones that are free of brown spots and are covered with lots of green leafy vegetables.

What is the Importance of Eating Artichokes?

South Beach Diet Recipe

Saturday, November 19, 2011

How To Find Reliable Diet Information

South Beach Diet Recipe

If you are planning to lose weight, you will find an abundant supply of advice on how to do so in the World-Wide-Web. Among them, diet information is probably the easiest to find. Many online authors have touched on that subject and you may find valuable information that isn't available elsewhere. If you are interested in finding the most effective diet, offers are found in sites that charge fee for membership purposes. The information found in these sites often came from qualified nutritionists and doctors which makes them reliable.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Be advised however that some of the diet information available online are only advisable for certain people. For instance, programs that have been proven by fitness experts will not work or may even be dangerous to diabetics or other people with similar illnesses.

South Beach Diet Recipe

Some articles persuade consumer to try a particular diet without warning them of the possible medical complications that may result from that particular diet. Some sites on the internet offer help and inspiration. They will help you design a diet plan that suit your situation and allow you to communicate with those who have diet information that can help you.

South Beach Diet Recipe

I advise that you talk to your physician about diet information before you embark on a weight reducing mission. Your doctor is in the best position to give you advice on what program will fit your situation and not complicate any medical condition that affects you. Dieticians or nutricitionist are adept at the practice of giving diet information. They can determine the menus that will be most helpful to you and your family. They also have knowledge on food supplements or vitamins that can help your health.

Being cautious with any diet information you come across with can be the difference between improving your health and being hospitalized. You should realize that there are shortcuts to losing weigh. Eating the right food and exercise are still the most effective way of being healthy.

How To Find Reliable Diet Information

South Beach Diet Recipe