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The 6 Worst Coffee Drinks

May 22

Posted by rykonas2002 in CARBOHYDRATES, CONSULTATION, EAT THIS NOT THAT, FAT, FITNESS, HEALTH, HEART, NUTRITION, SUGAR, WATER | No Comments

Coffee consumption has been linked to diminished risk of Alzheimer’s, better brain function, and even better memory. The fact is, coffee in its purest, blackest form is good for you. But that mix of chocolate, whipped cream, egg nog, and mystery syrup in your cup is not coffee. And it’s definitely not good for you. It sure is popular, though: Researchers studied coffee habits in New York and found that two-thirds of Starbucks’ customers opt for blended coffee drinks over regular brewed coffee or tea. The average caloric impact of the blended drinks was 239 calories. The regular coffee or tea, by comparison, was only 63 calories after factoring in added cream and sugar.

So even if you like your coffee sweet and light, you can strip away 176 calories every day, just by making this one swap—and shed a pound and a half a month. We’ve tracked down the worst dessert-in-a-cup crimes against weight loss, plus much healthier alternatives. Make these swaps to turn your neighborhood coffee shop of horrors into a tasty oasis of pick-me-ups—and stick with your new choices to keep the weight coming off.

6. #6: Worst Chocolaty Coffee Drink: Starbucks Double Chocolaty Chip Frappuccino with Whole Milk and Whipped Cream (venti)

520 calories, 23 g fat (15 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 350 mg sodium, 69 g sugars

Talk about double trouble. Within this chocolate calamity lurks three-quarters of your recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and as much sugar as you’ll find in 10 Rainbow Popsicles! Slash your calorie intake by switching to skim milk and cutting out the whipped cream. Knock the size down to a grande, and switch from the frappe to an iced mocha, and you’re looking at a drink with 350 fewer calories than when you started. Make a switch like that every single day, and you’ll lose about 6 pounds in two months!

Drink This Instead!

Grande Iced Caffe Mocha with Skim Milk (No Whipped Cream)

170 calories, 2.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans), 70 mg sodium, 28 g sugars

 

5. #5: Worst Seasonal Coffee Drink: Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Gingerbread Latte (large)

450 calories, 12 g fat (7 g saturated), 290 mg sodium, 68 g sugars

This holiday horror packs a whopping 68 grams of sugar (that’s as much as in three and a half Twinkies!) and almost a quarter of your daily calories. (Hope you weren’t planning to eat much today.) To enjoy the same chilly gingerbread coffee flavor, simply swap the latte for iced coffee and drop down a size. Suddenly, you’re looking at nearly half as much sugar and a far more digestible 270 calories. Read the rest of this entry »

7 Spices That Could Extend Your Life

May 20

Posted by rykonas2002 in CONSULTATION, EAT THIS NOT THAT, FAMILY, FAT, FIBER, FITNESS, HEALTH, HEART, NUTRITION | No Comments

Spice Up Your Life

Avoid an overflowing medicine cabinet by tapping into the healing powers hiding inside your kitchen cabinet. More and more modern-day research identifies what ancient healers have known for centuries—spices hold amazing healing properties. With many overflowing with natural compounds that deter type 2 diabetes, one of the nation’s fastest-growing medical problems, spices could serve as an economical way to save lives. The best part? They’re delicious! Enjoy!

Coriander

Superfood effects: Aromatic and medicinal, this spice has been shown to ease anxiety and help people sleep. It’s also an important spice for people living with type 2 diabetes. A 2011 study published in the Research Journal of Pharmaceutical, Biological and Chemical Sciences found coriander acted as a natural blood-sugar and cholesterol regulator.

Use it: Ground coriander seeds pair well with eggs, salad dressings, chili sauces, and guacamole.

 

Turmeric

Superfood effects: The curcumin compound in turmeric, a main ingredient in curry, shows promising cancer-fighting abilities in lab studies. A “cooling” spice, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that help thwart tumor growth and block biological pathways needed for melanoma and other cancers to flourish. In 2007, Chinese scientists found curcumin helps tamp down hormones needed for prostate cancer to take root in the body.

Use it: Pair turmeric with black pepper to seriously amplify its effects. Indian scientists found that adding the black pepper compound piperine to curcumin increased its bioavailability in humans by 2,000 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

Movie Stars’ 7 Smartest Power Food Picks

May 16

Posted by rykonas2002 in CARBOHYDRATES, CONSULTATION, EAT THIS NOT THAT, FAT, FIBER, FITNESS, HEALTH, HEART, MUSCLES, NUTRITION, PROTEIN, SUGAR, WATER | No Comments

Kimchi

Star Status: Oscar nominee and Les Miserables and Wolverine star Hugh Jackman is so enthusiastic about this traditional Korean staple that he cohosted an episode of the Kimchi Chronicles cooking show!

Power-Food Perks: Nearly every Korean meal features this spicy fermented dish that almost always features cabbage and sometimes other veggies like cucumber and radishes. It’s loaded with immune-boosting properties that promote better digestive health. And get this: In 2005, Seoul National University researchers found that a majority of chickens fed kimchi extract in their study recovered faster from bird flu!

Miso Soup

Star Status: Mother Nature Network reports that Oscar-nominated actress Anne Hathaway traded in pizza and other junk food for the a vegan diet plan that included the likes of miso soup and other plant-based picks to comfortably squeeze into the skin-tight Catwoman costume in Dark Knight Rising. Read the rest of this entry »

The 7 Best Stress-Fighting Foods

May 14

Posted by rykonas2002 in CARBOHYDRATES, CONSULTATION, EAT THIS NOT THAT, FAMILY, FAT, FIBER, FITNESS, HEALTH, HEART, NUTRITION, PROTEIN | No Comments

Your dietary dilemma: Instantly gratifying your anxiety-induced urge to eat won’t help you keep your cool, but neither will skipping meals altogether. The solution? “On a stressful day, you don’t have to be a nutritional star,” says Heidi Skolnik, nutritionist for the New York Giants. “You just don’t want to make an already bad day worse.” Here’s how to make it better, and keep stress whipped into submission all day long.

7. When You’re in Gridlock : Gridlock adds half an hour to your commute.

Stress antidote: A Starbucks skim-milk chai latte and half a bagel with cream cheese. The carbohydrates in the bagel provide energy, and they’re balanced by protein from the milk in the latte, which makes you feel alert. And both items are portable.

6. When You Have a Big Presentation: The IT guy never reserved the PowerPoint projector for your departmental presentation.

Stress antidote: Milk, hold the coffee and sugar. Stress may lower your levels of serotonin, one of the body’s critical stay-calm chemicals. But milk contains whey protein, which Dutch researchers found can help boost tryptophan, one of the building blocks of serotonin, by 43 percent. Read the rest of this entry »

Your “Happy Hour” Herb Garden

May 13

Posted by rykonas2002 in CONSULTATION, EAT THIS NOT THAT, FAMILY, FITNESS, HEALTH, NUTRITION, RECIPES | No Comments

Herb gardens dedicated to cocktails may be trendy, but where I was raised, cocktail gardens were called mint beds, which are still as common in the South as kudzu. Today, cocktail enthusiasts have gotten creative in what we grow and how we present our herbs.

Container gardening is really a must to keep the herbs from going invasive. Pots also allow for portability indoors during colder temperatures, and, on a shallower note, they can just look pretty as a grouping. Spring’s last frost is my cue to begin planning my summer cocktail garden, using either seeds saved from last year’s incarnation or new small plants nabbed as soon as they’re available.

Even without alcohol, all of these herbs jazz up practically any beverage or dish. At parties, I guarantee guests will be delighted not only by the clever presentation of herbs, but also by the fun elixirs resulting from your creative and hospitable efforts.

 

Mint

‘Kentucky Colonel’ is the king of cocktail mints, being soft, creamy, and sweet with a hint of lemon. Branch out on occasion with chocolate, lavender (with a floral accent), and lemon (more citrusy) mints. Lightly bruise the delicate leaves into juleps and mojitos to release their flavorful oils and play around with pairing mint with melons, berries, peaches, and ginger. Added as a syrup (syrup recipe at the end of the slideshow), mint gives any drink a sweet and sprightly kick. Just don’t skimp on garnishing glasses with it.

Grow it: Mint thrives in containers. Buy some seedlings at your local nursery, and in spring, plant them in a container that you can place in a partially shaded or sunny spot.

 

Basil

Sweet basil has the fullest, sweetest, most complex earthy flavor, and lemon basil has strong lemon undertones. Use it in drinks that normally feature mint (a basil julep can be a pleasant surprise), but also try it in tequila- and rum-based drinks, like margaritas, daiquiris, planter’s punch, fruity martinis, and gin or vodka gimlets.

Grow it: Aim to have about three pots of basil, since you’ll use a lot. Buy a packet of seeds and plant eight each in Read the rest of this entry »