Obesity Report 2011

Adult obesity rates climbed in 16 states during the past year and now exceed 30 percent in 12 states, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011.

For the first time, this year’s report examined how the obesity epidemic has grown over the past two decades:

• Twenty years ago, no state had an adult obesity rate above 15 percent. Today, more than two out of three states, 38 total, have rates over 25 percent, and just one state has a rate lower than 20 percent.
• Since 1995, when data first became available for every state, obesity rates have doubled in seven states and increased by at least 90 percent in 10 others.

The report also highlights troubling racial and ethnic disparities in adult obesity rates:

• Adult obesity rates for Blacks were above 30 percent in 42 states and D.C. The same was true among Latinos in 23 states.
• Only four states had an adult obesity rate over 30 percent among Whites. 

If there is a glimmer of hope, it comes when you look at this year’s report in context with earlier editions. Back in 2006, RWJF and TFAH began looking at which states experienced statistically significant increases in adult obesity rates over the prior year.

• From 2006 through 2008, there were more than 30 states each year that saw increased rates from the prior year.
• Over the next two years, the number of states experiencing increases was in the twenties.
• This is the first time since the report started tracking year-to-year increases that fewer than 20 states had higher adult obesity rates.

--Be Our Voice & NICQ

Simple and Delicious Summer Recipes

Coconut Crusted Tilapia

Cari D. gave me this recipe, although she normally makes it with chicken.  Since I did not have chicken, I elected to use tilapia!  Tilapia is great, because you get fish oil, and its super cheap!  After baking, you can slice the fish for fish tacos (great with a little guac), eat it plain, put it on a salad, or anything else you can come up with!  They are also great warmed up, so feel free to make extra for the week and pack them for work or school!  You won't be disappointed!

I took a can of coconut milk into a shallow dish and added about a TBSP of hot sauce and the juice of 1 lime.  I placed 6 tilapia fillets into the dish and let them marinate overnight, although they really only need to marinate for an hour.
Then make a mixture of panko breadcrumbs and shredded coconut (approx 1:1) and add salt and pepper as desired.  Prep a sheet pan with aluminum foil if you are like me and like to make things easier for yourself.  Also, turn the oven to 400 degrees.  One by one, dip the fillets into the crust mixture until covered on both sides, then place on aluminum foil.  Bake approximately 5 minutes, then carefully flip the fillets.  Bake another 3-5 minutes or until fish is cooked.  Enjoy!

Peach Beach Drink

While I was in Atlanta with Cari D., we went peach picking - which I highly recommend!!  I got so many, that I couldn't eat them all before they were going bad.  So, when they were ripe, I cut them into cubes and froze them.  I decided to make a delicious beach drink that is so refreshing, it is perfect for any summer occasion!

To make 2 servings, take 1.5 cups of frozen peaches and place in a blender.  Add 2 shots coconut rum and ice.  Add about 1/4 cup coconut paste.  Blend.  ENJOY!!!

Balsamic Vinegar

I found an amazing alternative to salad dressing that is delicious on almost every salad imaginable - balsamic vinegar!  Seriously, I dare you to try it on your favorite homemade salad and tell me that it doesn't make you want to eat a salad at EVERY meal!

Let me know if you have any questions or would like any information on any recipes!

Special Recipe!

I visited Cari in Atlanta, GA this weekend. We made the most amazing and healthy dish!  Check it out!  It is super easy and fresh - perfect dish for summer.  If you are cooking for yourself or just for 2, you will even have leftovers!

Cari and Sara's Wonderful Creation!

 

 

1 lb asparagus

salt and pepper (to taste)

2 c Quinoa

goat cheese-4 oz

1/4 parsley

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

5 black olives

1 Roma tomato sliced

 

Asparagus olive oil salt and pepper on grill 2 min each and cut in half

Cook quinoa according to package directions

Place in medium bowl

Add red wine vinegar , olive oil, parsley, 1/4 c olive oil vinaigrette

Top w/ cheese, asparagus, olives, tomatoes

 

Olive oil vinaigrette

1/4 c Age Sherry vinegar

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Chile powder

1/2 c pitted olives

1/2 c olive oil

combine in blender

 

 

Wondering why you should drink water this summer (and ALL YEAR for that matter)?  Check out this website for information on water's many benefits: http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html

 

If you are one of those people that REALLY hates to drink water, chug a large glass when you wake up, before and after lunch, and before and after dinner.  When you are used to that, add a couple more throughout the day!

Re-instituting Blog Updates

Get excited!  Now that I am free from school for 6 months, I will be able to update this blog regularly...at least that is the goal.  Look for updates 2-3 times per week!

Looking for a great summer snack?  Try raw snap peas.  They come in a package pre-washed from the produce section at most grocery stores.  The are very high in fiber and in protein!  They are nice and crunchy and sweet!  If you cannot stomach raw veggies, try to dip the snap peas in some hummus!  My favorite is the spicy red pepper hummus.
Another great snack is a 100-calorie pack of almonds.  Emeralds makes packs of roasted almonds and cocoa roasted almonds!  So whether you are in the mood for sweet or salty, the packs have just enough to satisfy your craving.  I pack one in my purse when I do not know how long I will be out, so that I do not get really hungry and then eat something unhealthy!  I also keep them in my desk at work - just in case I need a little snack to get my blood sugar back up or get me through a rough meeting!

Here is a recipe that I found online for an easy, summer burrito!  It is healthy and inexpensive.

15-ounce can black beans, rinsed (try to get low or no-sodium varieties)
3 tbsp prepared salsa
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 ripe avocado, pitted
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 cups shredded green cabbage
4 tortillas (try whole wheat - there are some really healthy sprouted tortillas at whole foods or you can try the "la tortilla factory" ones from normal grocers)

Mash the black beans, salsa, and cumin in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mash the avocado, onion, and lime juice.  Separating the contents of the bowls into fourths, spread a fourth of each mash on each tortilla.  Top with shredded green cabbage before rolling up the tortilla.  Keep a side of salsa for dipping!

I also want to encourage everyone to DRINK WATER this summer!  Try to drink your body weight in ounces every day.  This may necessitate a reusable bottle to carry with you at all times.

If there is anything you would like to read about or see on this blog let me know!

2 Months Later...

Wow...I cannot believe that it has been 2 months since my last post!
Well to get 2011 started off right, I have some updates for you.
SJM is looking great!  She has gone from a size 12 to a size 8 in just 2 months.  In January I gave her 2 new goals (since drinking water and eating lots of vegetables had become a habit for her): exercise (other than walking) at least 3 hours a week and eat at least one serving of raw vegetables a day.  Since she has started exercising, she has really toned up, and she looks great! 
Just because I feel like most people do not think that you can eat tasty, healthy, home-cooked food while in a time crunch, here are two different meals that you can make.  Both meals total 45 minutes!
This first meal takes a little bit longer than the second.  The first takes 30 minutes from start to finish... Tara and I created it at home last week...

SHRIMP, EGGPLANT, & PESTO QUINOA PILAF!

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant

1/8-1/4 c pesto

1 cup quinoa

Shrimp for 2-3 people (I used the mini shrimp)

1/2 c chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

black pepper

cayenne pepper

crushed red pepper

1-2 tbsp olive oil

optional: mushrooms

for topping: crumbled feta cheese



I start by turning the oven to 450 degrees.  Wash and chop eggplant into small pieces, about the size of a silver dollar.  Toss chopped eggplant in a bowl with 1/8-1/4 cup pesto, depending on the size of your eggplant.  Space out eggplant mixture evenly in a baking pan and put pan in oven (tossing eggplant occassionally throughout the process).  Cook quinoa according to directions.  Usually 1 cup of uncooked quinoa for 3-4 people.  Saute chopped onions on stove with olive oil until just starting to brown.  Add chopped garlic and shrimp.  Add thinly sliced mushrooms if you would like.  Add black pepper, a touch of cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. When eggplant is baked thoroughly, add to skillet and toss with shrimp mixture on low heat.  Place quinoa on plate on in a bowl and top with shrimp mixture and feta to taste.

This second recipe takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish!
CAJUN TILAPIA SALAD

Ingredients:
1 tilapia filet (mine was frozen)
salt-free cajun seasoning
romaine lettuce (or other lettuce blend)
1 roma tomato
1-2 green onions, chopped
salad dressing (I used a fat free, low-cal honey mustard)
feta cheese for topping
optional: chopped cucumbers (I just did not have any when I made it!)
optional: leftover quinoa for a side of delicious, healthy carbs to keep you full longer!

Turn oven to 400 degrees.  Coat filet with olive oil cooking spray and generously sprinkle cajun seasoning on top.  Place in oven.  Chop romaine lettuce (if necessary, but you can always buy pre-cut greens if you want to!).  Cut tomato into small chunks.  Chop green onion and cucumber if desired.  Top the greens with tomato, green onion, cucumber, 2 tbsp salad dressing, and feta.  When finished, filet can be placed on top of salad and topped with feta.
I like my quinoa warmed up, with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and 1/2 tbsp of butter!

Tip for the week:  eating healthy, portioned snacks goes a long way.  Try avoiding carb-filled snacks.  Instead, grab fruit, greek yogurt, soy nuts, light popcorn, or chopped fresh veggies!  My newest favorite snack is carrot sticks dipped in 1/4 cup of "refried" (low sodium & low fat) black beans! Delicious with the black beans warmed up!

Recipe Thursday - at least this week ;)

TAH had a hard day yesterday.  She has only gotten about 6 hours of sleep in the last two days, thanks to her classes.  Nevertheless, she managed to eat pretty well yesterday!  She got in her veggies and fruit as well as the majority of her water.  Random helpful hint for when you are tired: an apple is better at waking you up than a cup of coffee.  So, instead of running to the dehydrating drink, eat an apple! 

SJM is STILL raving about how good she is feeling from eating loads of veggies and drinking more water.  She told me today at lunch that every day she wakes up and immediately notices a difference in how she feels.  Her face is continuing to heal, and it almost looks like new, thanks to the antioxidants!  Today for our lunch I made turkey burgers.  It was the first time I made them; they were DELICIOUS, EASY & CHEAP!!!  Try to find a recipe that doesn't use mayo!  If you would like the recipe I used, let me know!  I combined a few.  On the turkey burger, I placed sliced tomatoes, romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, sliced red onion, and provolone cheese.  I served the turkey burger on a whole wheat bun with roasted asparagus on the side.

Helpful Hint of the Day:   Make eating healthy easy!  Prepare to-go containers of vegetables and fruit for when you are craving a snack.  Keep unhealthy food out of the house! 

Recipe(s) of the day: Judith asked about a recipe for sauteed vegetables.  I found two of them.  One of them is more basic and the other is Asian-inspired.  Hopefully these help!

Basic Sauteed Vegetables: feel free to substitute whatever vegetables you want!

Ingredients:

• 7 asparagus spears, cut 1 inch long
• 2 carrots, cut 1/2 inch long
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut 1 inch squares
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, in bite size pieces
• 1 stalk celery, cut 1/2 inch long
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut to equal size as celery
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (powder)
• 2 tablespoons basil
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• Pam cooking spray  

Directions:

1.  Spay Pam in large heavy skillet add vegetables then add spices.
2.  Cook over medium high heat about 4 minutes stirring often.
3.  Add wine and cover for 3 minutes more, stir once every minute.
4.  Remove from heat to stop cooking and serve on warmed plate.
5.  Don't cook too long covered as this will create to much steam thus releasing the water soluble vitamins into the air instead of into your body.

Adapted from: http://www.food.com/recipe/great-sauteed-vegetables-17537

Asian-inspired Sauteed Vegetables: You can also substitute vegetables on this recipe!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce, reduced-sodium
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 whole pepper(s), jalapeno, minced
• 1 pounds asparagus
• 3 cup(s) peas, sugar snap, trimmed
• 1 1/2 cup(s) pepper(s), red, bell, strips
• 3 whole onion(s), green, chopped 1 cup
• 2 teaspoon oil, dark sesame
• 2 teaspoon ginger, fresh peeled and minced
• 3 clove(s) garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped

Preparation

1. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside. Snap off tough ends of asparagus; cut into 3-inch pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add peas, bell pepper, and onions; set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add vegetable mixture; stir-fry 3 minutes.
3. Add hoisin sauce mixture; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until thick and vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro.

Adapted from: http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-recipe/asian-vegetable-stirfry.aspx

Tuesday's Pretty Pictures & The Perils of High-Protein, Low-Carb Diets

TAH had a little trouble yesterday, because of a large amount of school work that kept her up until 6AM!
I am waiting to hear back about her day.  I do have a picture of her yummy lunch:

Yesterday went very well for SJM.  She has been maintaining a high water intake despite the fact that she lost her main water bottle.  Way to persevere! She bought a full cart of groceries for the first time in a LONG time.  See below:

So, last night she made a large plate of sauteed veggies that looked extremely tasty from the pictures!  Here is the timeline of photos...

Take 1.

Take 2.

Take 3. Now THAT looks good :-D

Helpful Hint of the day:  I need to take a detour from simple hints.  I want to tell you how important veggies combined with a high water intake are to a healthy, trim figure.  High protein, low carb diets are NOT healthy, especially for women, for a number of reasons: 

*First and foremost, they are nearly impossible to maintain.   Yes, the weight will come off initially, but there are not many people who can or should maintain this diet for a long period of time.  Therefore, what is the point of losing the weight, just to gain it back again?  I see no point. 

*Second, it is very harmful for the body.  When a person consumes 30-50% of their daily food from protein, the body goes into "ketosis."  Ketosis causes the body to feel less hungry by burning fat stored in the body, because it no longer has sufficient carbohydrates to burn for energy.  It all sounds good so far, right?  The problem is that ketosis leads to health problems, like kidney failure.

*Kidney failure is very likely from a high protein diet, because protein tends to be harder for the body to digest.  It puts a lot of strain on the body to break down a large amount of proteins, especially animal proteins (which is typically eaten by those dieting with this plan).

*High protein diets, especially those that contain a large proportion of animal proteins, are likely to cause high cholesterol.  High cholesterol has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack & stroke.

*High protein diets can also lead to osteoporosis.  Having a large proportion of protein in the diet has been known to cause excess calcium excretion in the urine.  Losing this essential calcium leads to osteoporosis.

*The risk of cancer is much higher for those who consume a high protein diet.  High protein diets miss out on the dietary benefits of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains, which are key to carcinogen elimination & a healthy body.  It is well-known that the risk of cancer can be dramatically decreased by getting 80% of your daily food intake from fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.  So much for that high protein, low carb diet!

Information derived from: http://women.webmd.com/guide/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets

Veggie Recipe of the Day:

Delicious Spaghetti Squash

Total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons sliced black olives (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.
4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spaghetti-squash-i/Detail.aspx