How To Keep Off Holiday Weight

How To Keep Off Holiday Weight - I have been wondering how to avoid holiday overeating and keep off the weight a lot recently and preparing myself for the oncoming barrage of excuses to stuff my face. I’m in New York right now and Christmas spirit is trying to break my belly. Today I ate big at lunch but cooled for the evening.

With todays one win under my belt, not over it thankfully, I think my holiday eating restraint is strengthened. I still ate some great food but did not over eat and have won’t be waking up feeling bloated and unhappy.

How To Keep Off Holiday Weight: My tips on how to avoid holiday overeating

Like everything the most important thing to get right is your mindset. You need to know yourself why you don’t want to overeat. The holiday is not a time to diet and it will be over in a few weeks but it is a time to still watch out for your general health and make sure as much as possible that you don’t pile any weight on. That will just make any weight loss goals after the holiday that much harder.

You need to give yourself a goals, keeping a stable weight, never feeling bloated, only having one plate of food, these kinds of things. You should aim to keep a strict healthy diet for the days you are at home to help offset some of the days when you may have a little more wine or less healthy food than normal.

The mindset thing is just all about knowing what you want and genuinely meaning it to yourself. You can fool others but you can’t fool yourself and that is why you need some level of commitment.

The idea here is to not lose the enjoyment of the holidays. You should eat all the nice food on offer but just eat little bits of everything and only take larger portions of the healthiest options and just eat small deserts.

Keep your alcohol consumption to a reasonable level. Getting drunk is the quickest way to allowing your goals to falter and you may end up pigging out. Plus alcohol, especially beer, is high in sugar and quite high in calories.

Chances are a lot of your friends want to keep their eating down this year too. Talking with each other and holding each other accountable (in a nice friendly way) could help you keep to the plan and stick on target.

It’s important to keep up exercise over the holidays. This will help balance out any overeating you do do as you will need more food for energy as it is. But also keeping an exercise routine helps with your other goals and gives you other aspects of your health to think about making it a more complete package in your mind.

How To Keep Off Holiday Weight On The big day!

When Christmas day comes (or any other major holiday day) I am going to differ on other people’s opinion here. I think you should wake up, eat some fruit, maybe a little yoghurt and then turn off the goals. Make it a one of, a day where you eat what you want, when you want. Sure still be careful with portions as you don’t want to be too full to eat some Christmas pudding and brandy sauce! The point is having one day of guilt free pleasure may be enough to keep the holiday sensible eating train on the tracks. I think It would be damn near impossible for you to put on more than say 1 pound of weight in a day (roughly 2500-3000 calories) and that can be quickly remedied by cutting an extra 300 calories from your day for the next 10 days. If you drink coffee with milk then it could be as simple as only drinking water for 10 days. If you have managed to be sensible and not put on any other weight over the holidays then it is more than achievable.

Good luck and send some my way too. - How To Keep Off Holiday Weight

Are Cold And Flu Old Wives Tales True? – Grandma, or even mom, or even you probably often rattle off cold and flu related wisdom like it is absolute truth. A sworn recipe, a certain cure, a strategic illness reducing poem! Old wives tales will always float around and of course some have some basis but some are a load of old….. wives tales.

Are Cold And Flu Old Wives Tales True?

Are Cold And Flu Old Wives Tales True

So lets take a look at a few of the old wives tales related to colds and flu and see if they have any basis.

You’ll catch a cold if you go out in this weather! – We catch colds from other people and it seems to be the fact that heat or moisture itself doesn’t bare down on whether that is more likely or not. Being out in the cold and rain is more likely an act of solitude, so it means you are actually less likely to be around the virus and thus less likely to catch it.

Take honey and lemon for sore throats – I don’t know the medical side of this but I know a few things. Vitamin C helps your immune system and lemon is high in that. Honey has been show to treat some burns more effectively than topical creams so there is no reason it wouldn’t help well on a sore throat, at least soothing. I know this mixture has always worked well for me.

Starve it - Not eating and just drinking water is quite common advice when sick. However your body needs to be performing well and depleting it of nutrients isn’t going to help that. It’s important when sick to pay extra attention to diet and get all your vitamins and minerals to help fight illness off.

Chicken noodle soup will make you right as rain – Soup is a great food to consume when sick. It’s easy on any sore throat and if made well can contain a lot of nourishment. Sure chicken based soup is great but any high nourished soup should do the same good.

Sneeze into your elbow – This is one of those new wives tales that is fast becoming old! The thing is, it’s totally valid. Coughing or sneezing into your hand only helps you spread your germs via your hands. Of course your inner elbow doesn’t contain a cold killing sweat but it is far less likely to touch things and spread illness!

Are Cold And Flu Old Wives Tales True, Over To You….

So what old wives tales were you always told and do they have any basis in truth? What cures and ideas have helped you through colds and flu and do you belive they worked or just were placebo effects?

Related: Heart-healthy foods

I look forward to hearing from you and thanks for reading. - Are Cold And Flu Old Wives Tales True

I’m not a medical professional so opinions in this article are my personal opinion based on my readings, always ask professional help if unsure on anythings.

Easy Snacks To Make For The Road

Road trips are awesome things to do with family or friends and even with rising gas prices they can be affordable things to do and one of the best ways to see your surrounding areas and beyond. Real America, Europe, Anywhere is seen when winding through backstreet roads, villages, small towns and even urban centers, stuff you don’t see on highways, planes or trains.

Gas stations, fast food joints and rest stop stores are to be found everywhere but if you decide to use these as your eateries of choice for snacking and quick lunches along the way you will find your wallet losing dollars and your belly gaining pounds very fast. Packing a decent selection of healthy snacks is essential for keeping everyone’s mood right and making the trip pleasant.

The instant choice is of course things like peanut butter sandwiches and potato chips. Don’t get me wrong, they are great snacks but not terribly original or healthy . Here are some easy suggestions for you.

Easy Snacks To Make For The Road

Cut fruit – Fruit like apples and kiwis are fine to just eat as they are but pre-cutting fruit makes it easy and quick finger food. So just cut it into bite sized pieces and store in tupper ware for the journey. Fruits prone to browning, such as apple, can be mixed with a little bit of lemon juice to help stop that.

Chickpea, lentil or any bean dip – Simply throw a few handfuls of cooked chickpeas or lentils or other bean into a blender, add a little olive oil, lightly fried chopped garlic, lemon juice and tahini and blend. Adjust garlic and lemon to taste and also add a little salt. Chopped carrots, celery or breadsticks can be used to dip.

Boiled eggs – Hard boiled eggs are a great quick snack. Of course only boil them for the day of use as they can go bad. Delia Online has some great information on perfect boiled eggs.

Refried bean, baby corn and cheese tortilla wraps – Get some corn tortillas and fille with a little refried beans (of course home made is best but purchased is ok) and add a few sliced baby corns, a little pepperjack or cheddar cheese and some baby spinach or similar salad. If people like salda add a little of that too. Make then and layer them into tupperware for storage on the journey.

Sweet potato cubes – Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2inch cubes, boil until tender, then let them cool. Coat with a little olive oil, thyme, salt and any other spices you like and back until crispy. Let them cool and then pack them as little sweet/savory snacks.

Spinach mushroom pitta pockets – Fry baby spinach with sliced mushrooms in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little salt. Garlic can be added too if you are a fan. Cooked until the liquid is gone and then stuff the mixture into wholemeal mini pita pockets with additional salad leaves to pack them out.

So there are a few of my ideas. Not as easy and quick as a bag of potato chips but definitely more interesting and should sustain you a little longer than the highs and lows of processed foods. Of course always take napkins or towels, tupperware for using like safety plates and plastic cutlery.

Related: Weird Roadside Attractions

I would love to hear any of your comments and ideas.

Thanks for reading - Easy Snacks To Make For The Road

Most Popular Craft Beers

Most typical bars sport only a few brews on tap and they are usually the p*ss water that tries to be called beer or lager. It’s like calling Sunny D fruit juice in my opinion. Luckily the rest of the world, and the USA are late but catching up very fast, have awoken to the realisation that if you want to drink Beer you should enjoy it can drink microbrewed craft beer and ales.

It has more love, care and of course flavour and you’ll never run out of new ones to try and subtle differences to argue with friends over. Craft beer is an awesome thing to get into!

So what are the most popular craft beers?

I would say it varies State to State in the USA as people tend to buy local for the most part when it comes to craft beer but Homebrewersassociation.org asked their Zymergy readers and came up with a poll which can be seen below.

(T indicates tie)

• 1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
• 2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
• T3. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
• T3. Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout
• 5. Bell’s Hopslam
• 6. Stone Arrogant Bastard
• 7. Sierra Nevada Celebration
• T8. Sierra Nevada Torpedo
• T8. Stone Ruination
• 10. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
• 11. Stone Sublimely Self Righteous
• 12. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine
• 13. Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
• T14. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
• T14. Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale
• T16. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
• T16. New Glarus Belgian Red
• 18. North Coast Old Rasputin
• 19. Bell’s Expedition Stout
• T20. Deschutes The Abyss
• T20. Left Hand Milk Stout
• T20. Odell IPA
• T20. Samuel Adams Noble Pils
• T20. Surly Furious
• T20. Troegs Nugget Nectar
• T26. Rogue Dead Guy Ale
• T26. Samuel Adams Boston Lager
• 28. Anchor Steam
• T29. Bear Republic Racer 5
• T29. Ommegang Three Philosophers
• T29. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
• T29. Three Floyds Alpha King
• T29. Three Floyds Dark Lord
• T34. Avery Maharaja
• T34. Dogfish Head Indian Brown
• T34. Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
• T34. Three Floyds Gumballhead
• T38. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
• T38. Lost Abbey Angel’s Share
• T38. New Belgium La Folie
• T38. New Belgium Ranger
• T38. Oskar Blues Old Chub
• T43. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
• T43. Great Divide Yeti
• T43. New Belgium 1554
• T43. Russian River Blind Pig
• T43. Ska Modus Hoperandi
• T48. Alesmith Speedway Stout
• T48. Dark Horse Crooked Tree
• T48. Green Flash West Coast IPA
• T48. Summit EPA
• T48. Victory Prima Pils

Do you enjoy any of these? I have had about 10-15 them and although I would have trouble compiling a list of just 20 I think it seems like an agreeable list.

Most Popular Craft Beers

Our other writer Emily used to work in a brewery in Vermont, a State that has the most breweries per capita of all of USA, and she has a great appreciation and knowledge of microbrewing and craft ales. You should read her summer recommendations over at the post Top Microbrews 2011.

So what is your favorite craft beer and why? Do you have any comments on the list, or anything else for that matter?

Thanks for reading – Most Popular Craft Beers

First Pilgrims Eat Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a large celebration that happens each and every year in USA and Canada with the Canadians celebrating in the 2nd monday of October and the Americans celebrating on the fourth Thursday in November.

Much of the original meaning of thanksgiving has been lost but most people know that it’s related to the celebration of the natives for the help they gave the pilgrims in Plymouth to survive the brutal winter. The Canadian holiday started off as a more typical harvest celebration that has since become more in line with the ideas of the American holiday.

According to Wikipedia here is what happened for the first thanksgiving:

The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three days, providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Native Americans. The feast consisted of fish (cod, eels, and bass) and shellfish (clams, lobster, and mussels), wild fowl (ducks, geese, swans, and turkey), venison, berries and fruit, vegetables (peas, pumpkin, beetroot and possibly, wild or cultivated onion), harvest grains (barley and wheat), and the Three Sisters: beans, dried Indian maize or corn, and squash. The New England colonists were accustomed to regularly celebrating “thanksgivings”—days of prayer thanking God for blessings such as military victory or the end of a drought.

These days Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to family and mixes in well with winter and harvest celebrations, which does make us feel a bit better in the pending doom of terrible weather but I do feel a little sad that a lot of the original meaning has been lost.

The original story about giving thanks to the natives may or may not be true but it’s certainly something people don’t give much thanks to these days. I would love to see towns inviting their native populations to become the center of a celebration and maybe even a recreation of some of the dishes and foods to help make the celebration and learning of the history more interesting.

This year I will be missing Canadian Thanksgiving but I usually attend a story telling session from Natives in Montreal. I will make it to USA Thanksgiving and will be enjoying it with family and probably trying to bring up ‘orignal meaning’ conversation around the dinner table at least once. I’ll also be bullied for not eating the birds or other meats as I am vegetarian and it doesn’t work too well with a traditional thanksgiving meal.

Related: Thanksgiving homecoming stories

What will you be doing?

Thanks for reading - First Pilgrims Eat Thanksgiving

Wikipedia source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Thanksgiving#Thanksgiving_dates.2C_2010.E2.80.932020

Morrisons Shoppers In Kent Offered Chinese Apples

A large supermarket from the UK Morrisons chain in Herne Bay has outraged shoppers in Kent, the so called garden of England for selling Chinese apples during UK apple season!

The Chinese apples of offer are Chinese Fuji apples and they have been prominently advertised at the front of the store for £1.27 per lb, cheaper than English apples available at the back of the store.

The store is located less than 1 mile from the nearest Apple Orchard, something that Kent is renowned for, and oddly, the cheaper Chinese apples had to travel around 5000 miles.

Morrisons Shoppers In Kent Offered Chinese Apples

I must admit I can’t understand, even with cheap labour and huge scale production, how a product that has to travel 5000 miles can still reach shelves cheaper than a product that has to travel 1 mile! However the Chinese manufacturers have pretty much managed to undercut every single market in the world with cheaper products and aggressive take overs of local industries.

People are supposedly outraged and up in arms over this but I dont fully understand why this has surprised everyone so much. I am sure a walk through an average Morrisons supermarket will bring up 100s of Chinese originated products and people don’t normally complain quite so much but somehow the humble apple has a place in the heart of Brits.

As much as I think people are being illogical in aiming their rage at this instance I do see it as a good thing. The UK is used to having apples and many products year round because we can get them from places like China and maybe if people protest enough Morrissons will cut out Chinese fruit and show everyone that if you want to eat locally then you have to eat seasonally, something we should all be doing more of.

This issue surrounding apples isn’t anything new either. According to a Friends of the Earth report from 2002 “More than half of the apples on sale in most major supermarkets at the height of the British apple season are imported”, how do you like them apples!

I am annoyed at this whole scenario but not at this one incident. I hope it does push a few more people to start thinking about the origin of their food and produce and how they can improve their shopping habits to rely less on imports and more on seasonal and fairly local products.

Related: Where are local farmers markets?

What do you think?

Chocolate  As Good As Exercise

Hurrah, the news we have all been waiting for, science has proven that chocolate is as good as exercise so get your running shoes, run to the shop as fast as you can and stock up on chocolate…… Wait, I didn’t mean that, the problem (I know, always a problem) is that the study that found the findings came from a compound found in cocoa and dark chocolate and the study was carried out on mice!

Dark Chocolate  As Good As Exercise?

Dark chocolate contains a compound called epicatechin and in mice it seemed to trigger similar muscle responses, particularly in the heart and skeletal muscles, to vigorous aerobic exercise according to the news story posted to Telegraph.

Scientists found that comparing the mitochondria effects in mice who were fed epicatechin for 15 days and mice who exercised for 15 days for 30 minutes on a treadmill gave pretty much the same the same results. This suggests that the compounds in dark chocolate could theoretically produce the same results as some exercise, awesome!

Of course mice that exercised and took the compound yielded the best results, now that’s what I like to hear!

The hope of the findings is that if humans exhibit similar effects, which has been acknowledged to be a “leap of faith” without further studies, then taking in the compound could help reduce muscle ageing.

Chocolate  As Good As Exercise, My Thoughts…

The health benefits of cocoa and when it is formed into dark chocolate has been suspected and known for quite a while now and various studies have shown good effects in humans. Of course chocolate in any form is high fat and high calorie so any large consumption (like anything) will likely not be a good thing even if the compound is proven to do to humans what it does in mice.

I love dark chocolate and a square a day at least is mentally healthy for me and hopefully it may be doing some physical good as well.

Do you eat chocolate at all as part of a healthy eating diet? What do you think about this study?

Thanks for reading.

Most Expensive Restaurants… I am going to look at some of the most expensive places to eat in this post for the stats hounds out there but this post isn’t totally about that. I wanted to write about what I think of expensive dining and the whole eating industry as a whole

Most Expensive Restaurants

Most Expensive Restaurants, are they worth it?

OK stat junkies, let’s start there and just take a peek at some of the astronomical prices you can pay to fill your belly.

5 of the most expensive restaurants in USA

• L’Espalier, Boston – Dinner alone starts at $75
• French Laundry, San Francisco/Bay Area – $240 plus tax
• Masa, New York City – Starting at $400 a person
• Alinea, Chicago – tasting menu is $195
• Canlis, Seattle – Around $75 per person without drinks

More can be found in the Forbes slideshow.

Nigel over at my other site The Random Forest takes a closer look at the Most Expensive Restaurants in USA.

5 most expensive restaurants in Britain

• Restaurant Gordon Ramsay – £107
• Waterside Inn – £107
• Le Gavroche – £95
• Pétrus – £95
• The Square- £87

More can be found in the Times article.

All I can say looking at some of these places is yikes! And apparently much more expensive restaurants can be found in Japan where a $1000 per person bill is not uncommon.

Most Expensive Restaurants Are Not Worth It……

That is quite a statement to make but I have my reasons. Looking up at these prices and reading a few reviews I am absolutely sure the experiences and food are amazing, a once in a lifetime experience for someone like me. If I did go I am sure I would have a good time but ahhhh the guilt. That is where I get hit. Not the guilt that I spent the money, or ate the expensive food but knowing how many people could have eaten for what I just paid.

Yesterday I grabbed some snack from an Egyptian fastfood place and also purchased falafels for a family begging outside. $4 fed me and a family of 6 for lunch. I know this isn’t typical but it felt nice to know I was able to give a little.

I have eaten in a lot of restaurants that fall into the medium expensive range (mostly work related) and always felt like a fish out of water. I don’t find myself enjoying luxury and excess and it feels like a waste even if the food is stunning.

My most enjoyable times have always been more about who is surrounding me and comfort food. A good quality medium priced Indian or Chinese restaurant a home style country kitchen or a vegetarian organic cafe surrounded by friends, some good local food and a bill that just makes me say ouch a little bit! Like a little poke from a pin rather than a stab from a samurai sword.

So why don’t we forfeit these crazily expensive restaurants, use the saved money to buy a few sandwiches and hand them out to beggars instead and then go find the best kept mid prices secret in town with a few of your best buddies. You will feel a much greater sense of achievement and happiness at the end of the evening! Well I think you will anyway.

Thanks for reading Most Expensive Restaurants, what do you think of my comments and how do you feel about it all?

You may be thinking I am just cheap! Or Maybe I am Frugal (check out this Yakezie article: Are You Frugal or Cheap?).

Hottest Hot Sauces – If you love spicy food, chances are you’re curious what the hottest of hot sauces are. Hot sauce can not only make bland meals more interesting, but it is also good for you and your digestion. Some people even attribute hot sauces as a way to curb your appetite and lose weight.

Hottest Hot Sauces

Hot sauces are commonly made from chili peppers, vinegar, oil, water and sometimes beer. The element that makes these sauces spicy are known as capsaicinoids. The hottest sauces are actually made from capsaicin extract. If you’re curious about how spiciness is measured, a hot sauce’s heat is measured by the Scoville Scale, which considers how many units of capsaicins (or heat) are present in a pepper or sauce. To give you an idea, Tabasco ranks 2,500 heat units on the Scoville Scale.

So what are the Hottest Hot Sauces out there?

Blair’s 16 Million Reserve – This hot sauce ranks 16 MILLION heat units on the Scoville Scale!

The Source – from Original Juan Specialty Food is 7.1 million heat units.

Mad Dog 44 Magnum – 4 million heat units

Da Bomb The Final Answer – 1.5 million heat units

I think anyone who goes for Blair’s 16 Million Reserve is a bit crazy. To give you an idea of how hot that sauce is, police grade pepper spray is 5.3 million heat units.

My father loves hot sauce and I do too. I had a strange habit of carrying a bottle in my purse for awhile, I just wasn’t getting enough any time I’d go out to eat. My tolerance for spiciness is decent, but nowhere near some of my Indian and Mexican friends. They can eat food I can barely smell without my eyes watering.

Do you like hot sauce? Would you try any of the world’s Hottest Hot Sauces?

Looking for other fun food articles? Check out these No Bake Desserts and $5 Summer Dishes.

No Bake Dessert – No one wants to bake in summer, even to make the most delicious desserts. Turning on your oven can be just brutal in hot months– the heat can linger for hours and in the end it’s just not worth all the sweat. That doesn’t mean that you and your family can’t enjoy delicious treats, however.

Some of the best summer desserts are no-bake, which are ultimately more refreshing than cakes and cookies. The key to a good summer dessert is something simple, cold and somewhat refreshing (fresh, hydrating with some vitamins).

No Bake Dessert

Below is a list of some great No Bake Desserts to consider making for you and your family in the upcoming hot months:

Smoothie-Pops

Popsicles are a great summer treat, however some of the store bought ones can be full of artificial dyes and flavoring. It’s also a little too much sugar to be healthy. I like making smoothies and then freezing them. You can get a Popsicle mold at many dollar stores or even the supermarket.  Or you can use an ice-cube tray with toothpicks.

Mix in a blender: yogurt, fruit & juice of your choice. Pour into Popsicle mold and freeze. Enjoy.

Fruit Salad

Okay, this might be the ultimate obvious no-bake dessert, but most people don’t get enough fruit in their diet. Making a big fruit salad and keeping in the fridge is a wonderful, healthy treat.  You can also make it into a parfait by pouring the fruit salad over granola and yogurt.

*Tip: sprinkle lemon juice over fruit salad to keep fruit from browning.

Chocolate Cherry Clusters

No bake cookies are actually pretty easy. The only trick with a lot of them is melting chocolate on the stove top without burning it. The key is to melt the chocolate in a bowl floating over a pot of boiling water. For this recipe melt 10 0z. bittersweet chocolate in a bowl over boiling water (stirring) for 3 mins before removing. Mix chocolate with 3 cups cornflakes and 1/2 cup dried cherries in a bowl. On a cookie sheet covered in wax paper, spoon out cookies. Put into fridge until hardened. Keep in fridge until all have been eaten. Use melted chocolate and other fruits, nuts, cereals for refrigerator cookies of  your taste.

There are a lot of No Bake Desserts for you and your family to enjoy this summer. What are some of your favorites?

Looking for other fun food tips for the summer? Learn more about the world’s Hottest Hot Sauces.

http://frugalzeitgeist.com/hottest-hot-sauces/