F Factor Cereal

Always on the hunt for high fiber cereal to munch on and especially ones without artificial sweeteners, I was thrilled to find F Factor Cereals at my local food co-op.

Created by F-Factor Diet guru, Tanya Becker, these cereals are loaded with fiber and none of the nasty fake stuff found in some brands.

I purchased all three varieties - High Fiber SKinnys, Skinnys n' Fruit and Mini Cinnamon O's with Raisins and Almonds.

All three are really great!

The Skinny's are just that - skinny strips of fiber filled cereal. I eat mine with unsweetened almond milk. They get soggy fast, but they are almost better that way!

The O's are crunchy, lightly sweetened yumminess that I've been slamming with cottage cheese for a filling, satisfying breakfast.

Do they taste like Cheerios or Honey Bunches of Oats? Um, hell no. But, the nutritional punch of a load of fiber makes them worth adding into your diet.

Learn more here: http://www.ffactorfoods.com/cereals.php

(Image from: http://ffactorfoods.com)

Curry Coconut Shrimp Stir Fry

Sometimes a girl has gotta scrape together a healthy meal with what's layin' around.
I was looking for something yummy that would taste "damn good" while helping to keep me looking damn good.
So, I came up with this delish dish. Enjoy!

Curry Coconut Stir Fry
Ingredients:
1 package uncooked frozen shrimp (I use Trader Joe's) THAWED
1/4 cup water
1/2 can Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk
1/2 onion
1/2 package baby carrots - chopped
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 cup peapods
1 cup sugar snap peas
1 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric

In a large stir fry pan or wok, heat coconut oil until it melts. Add onions and cook until they start to turn clear.
Add water, coconut milk, Bragg's and all spices and bring to simmer.
Add rest of veggies and cook for 3 minutes.
Add thawed, rinsed shrimp.
Cover and "steam" for two minutes.
Uncover and stir fry for one - two minutes until shrimp is cooked.

Spoon with sauce into bowl and enjoy! May serve over quinoa or brown rice or just eat alone.

Oldie, but look damn goodie Sunday

Need some motivation to not let your eating get out of control during the Super Bowl Game?
(Go Packers!!)
Then heed the advice of the always disciplined, Victoria Beckham:
http://lookdamngood.blogspot.com/2009/12/victoria-beckhams-three-bite-rule.html
(photo from: ppshop.co.uk)

Mayumi's Kitchen - Madonna Macrobiotic

The moment I heard that Madonna's long time Macrobiotic chef, Mayumi Nishimura was coming out with a cook book, "Mayumi's Kitchen," I contacted the publisher to receive an advance copy.

Kodansha International kindly sent me one and I immediately dove in.

The book is an interesting, quick read documenting Mayumi's path to becoming a macrobiotic chef to the stars and contains a wealth of macro recipes to follow, meal by meal, on her eating program.

The photographs are stunning and reel you right in to the allure of macrobiotic eating.

Initially, I had the intention of following the eating plan, but quite honestly, I found diving into the macrobiotic lifestyle a bit overwhelming.

Instead, I have been integrating pieces of the diet and individual recipes into my current diet.

Some great ways to start incorporating macrobiotics into your life are to eat small portions of brown rice, introduce a variety of sea vegetables into your life and limit sweets.

I especially enjoy Mayumi's Miso Soup with Daikon and Onion recipe.

Learn more and purchase "Mayumi's Kitchen" here:
http://www.amazon.com/Mayumis-Kitchen-Macrobiotic-Cooking-Body/dp/4770031106/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276442748&sr=1-1

(image from: amazon.com)

The Dukan Diet

Apparently, on May 13, 2010 the next big diet craze will be released in an English version.

Previously only available in France, The Dukan Diet promises forever slimness, if you commit to a strict protein only induction phase and a "protein only" Thursday for the rest of your existence.

According to my "internet research," the French have kept this diet "secret" for years, with only stars like Gisele Bundchen and Jennifer Lopez being privy to it's power.

An article from The Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1267106/The-ultimate-diet-The-French-kept-secret-years-Now-protein-rich-Dukan-Diet-coming-Britain.html)
shows this daily meal plan:

Breakfast: Coffee or tea (with skimmed milk and sweetener if desired), two small non-fat yoghurts or 225g non-fat cottage cheese, and one slice turkey, chicken or low-fat ham, or one boiled egg. snack: one small non-fat yogurt or 115g of non-fat cottage cheese.

Lunch: Crab sticks, chicken leg, poached salmon fillets or pepper steak with egg custard* for pudding. snack: one non-fat yoghurt and a slice of turkey.

Dinner: Prawns sauteed in herbs* and tandoori chicken escalopes* or moules mariniere and boiled beef and no-sugar vanilla creme*. Plus an oatbran pancake

So, is The Dukan Diet just another version of The Atkins Diet??

We won't know until the English version is released on May 13, 2010.

(image from:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dukan-Diet-Dr-Pierre/dp/144471032X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271946897&sr=8-1)

Oldie Sunday - 3 bites

Happy Easter!
Enjoy the holiday ... but, remember moderation today ...
Read this oldie, but look damn goodie for a portion control technique:
http://damn-ilookgood.blogspot.com/2009/12/victoria-beckhams-three-bite-rule.html

HCG Diet

I was reading one of my favorite blogs, http://celebrityfitnesstrends.com and saw a post on something I wasn't aware of ... The HCG Diet.

Apparently, JWOWW from Jersey Shore's uses it to lose weight and sells it on her website ... hmmmmmmm ...

Read the post here: http://celebrityfitnesstrends.com/index.php/2010/01/jersey-shores-jwowws-diet-secrets/

So, I did a little detective work on what exactly this HCG diet is.
According to http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/wellness/physical-fitness/weight-loss/hcg-diet1.htm:
HCG is a hormone found in pregnant women's urine and is actually one of the first signs of pregnancy. This is what pregnancy tests are based on.
HCG stands for "human chorionic gonadotropin" and is the hormone responsible for making sure a fetus gets the nutrition it needs regardless of the caloric intake of the mother.
It does this by releasing fat stores in the body.
Although JWOWW is selling homeopathic HCG drops on her website, traditionally the hormone is injected for a cycle of 26 to 43 days.
Dieters are instructed to consume only 500 calories of high protein, low carbohydrate foods. Allegedly, no hunger is felt at this extremely low caloric level due to the fat stores being released.
Um ... 500 calories?

My immediate reaction is that this is nothing more than a dangerous starvation, crash diet. I mean, consuming 500 calories a day - hungry or not - will lead to weight loss regardless of hormone supplementation.

Plus - the "G" in HCG stands for "gonadatropin" - meaning it causes genital development. I don't know about you, but I don't really want any further genital development ... that would be a scary price to pay for losing a little weight.

Additionally ... I'd be a little concerned with where exactly the HCG comes from that I was putting in my body.

Make your own judgement on this one ... but, HCG is one diet craze I'll be skipping.

(picture from: iStockphoto.com/TommL)

Oldie Sunday - Portion Control Reminder

We're three weeks in to the New Year ... how is your resolution doing?

If losing weight was on your agenda, here is a reminder from Victoria Beckham on how to control portion sizes:

http://damn-ilookgood.blogspot.com/2009/12/victoria-beckhams-three-bite-rule.html

Damn HE looks good - Robert Downey, Jr

Saw Guy Ritchie's epic "Sherlock Holmes" last night.

Fantastic film, quirky score, fabulous cast and holy shirtless Robert Downey, Jr!!

In a classic Guy Ritchie brawl, we are treated to a ripped Downey, Jr. bare knuckle boxing. Wow. Man looks fierce. He looks incredibly competent and believable in the action scenes. A lean, sinewy powerhouse.

According to an article on Men's Fitness UK, "To get Robert Downey Jr in shape to play Sherlock Holmes we did high-volume, low-intensity workouts to build his cardio levels and muscle endurance,' says Robert Downey Jr's legendary American trainer Brad Bose. 'I didn't want him to get huge, but he needed to be fit enough to do his own stunts. To achieve this we used a machine called the Vortex Perfect Storm, a free-standing multi-gym that has loads of attachments for cables and resistance.

'We'd do intervals on the Perfect Storm, hitting his major muscle groups from loads of different angles, then finish up with a climb on a Jacob's Ladder – an inclined climbing treadmill – to improve his cardio,' says Bose."
(http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercise/total_body/2728/robert_downey_jr_workout.html)

Clearly, it worked for him.

As for diet ... the internet has been circulating stories that Downey, Jr. got a "parasite" from a restaurant in Japan, causing him to lose weight. He was motivated by the sudden weight loss to keep it up. Translation - the man ate less and worked out smart.

Check out links for the equipment Downey's trainer uses:

www.vortexfitness.com
http://jacobsladderexercise.com

(picture from: http://www.mensfitness.co.uk/exercise/total_body/2728/robert_downey_jr_workout.html)

Victoria Beckham's Three Bite Rule

We are quickly approaching big holiday meal number two this weekend! (The first of which was Thanksgiving and the last will be New Year's Eve ...)

Hopefully, you've been staying fit and trim throughout the holiday season. This is always right around the time I start to lose my resolve a bit, indulging in Christmas cookies and too much champagne...

Well, fashionista, disciplined eater and devoted exerciser Victoria Beckham has a strategy to fend off holiday pounds without sacrificing your favorite foods or the social situations that go with them.

According to The Herald Sun (http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/victoria-beckham-adopts-three-bites-rule-at-christmas-to-maintain-size-zero-figure/story-e6frf96o-1225811404157,) Ms. Beckham is going to indulge in holiday traditional meals, but will only take three bites of each item.

I love it. What a great way to exercise portion control while not missing out any of the fun!

And who really needs more than three bites of a single item when there are going to be endless dishes to sample?? The first bite is always the best, the second is almost as good and by the third bite ... you know it's not going to taste any different after that, so move on to the next food!

I'm going for it!

Will you??

(photo from: ppshop.co.uk)