Dear Quads...

dear quadriceps,

yes- all 4 of you: vastus medialis, intermedius, lateralis and rectus femoris. i have been feeling as if we are in a love- hate relationship these past few weeks.

please do not mis-understand me... i appreciate the strength and power you all have been gaining. putting up with miles of riding, hill repeating and fast (relative here) running. the nice bronze shorts lines i don't really mind. leg definition too. and i know i have neglected you in wearing my Zoot compression tights because of the heat even though you have been sore and tired. but... will we ever fit into the skinny jeans again?

with love,

C

Oreo correction

on my post yesterday i used CalorieKing.com to find out the amount of calories, fat and sugar in 4 oreo cookies. however, after posting, i realized that i used a 'serving' amount of 1.2 g- which instead of one cookie, could have been two. i was thinking that 640 calories for 4 cookies was way too many calories. thinking about this led to my search today on the Oreo Cookie, Nabisco brand website. let me tell you- it is NOT easy to find out how many calories are in 4 cookies! the nabisco site has listed a serving of cookies to be 34g. there are 15 servings in a package. again this is leading me to believe that 2 cookies equals one serving. why can they not just give you a serving by cookie? from a health stand point, and the idea behind listing nutrition facts on any product, is to know WHAT and HOW MUCH you are eating! i really doubt whoever is busting out the oreo's is going to be 'weighing' them on their food scale because they are worried about calories!?! it is absurd and frustrating. regardless here are the corrected facts (or what i believe to me the corrected facts) on 4 oreo cookies:

320 cal

14 g fat

320 g sodium

50g carbs

28 g sugar

bottom line: choose a banana over 4 oreo cookies.

in the middle of this ridiculous search- i have never spent so much time looking up junk food- i found the ingredients- close your eyes if you LOVE oreos:

Ingredients: SUGAR, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON,

THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID),

HIGH OLEIC CANOLA OIL AND/OR PALM OIL AND/OR CANOLA OIL, AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL

,

COCOA (PROCESSED WITH ALKALI), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORNSTARCH,

LEAVENING (BAKING SODA AND/OR CALCIUM PHOSPHATE), SALT,

SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), VANILLIN - AN ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CHOCOLATE.

CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY.

to your health,

C

food for thought

i got an interesting email this morning from one of my clients. attached were the pictures, below, of different foods with their sugar contents. each block of sugar is representing 1 teaspoon of white sugar. while this gives a good perspective of amounts of sugar in foods- it is not quite accurate.

scroll through the photos. you will notice that 4 Oreo Cookies have less sugar then 1 banana. so on the bottom of the email i received it said "so i can have 4 oreos instead of 1 banana?" NOT TRUE! i did some research and you will see also you are WAY better off eating a banana. as you are any of the fruits listed below.

Banana:

72 calories

0.2 g fat

1 mg sodium

18.5 carbs

9.9 g sugar (from fructose- a natural sugar from fruit)

2.1 g fiber

potassium 250 mg

4 Oreo Cookies:

640 calories

28 g fat

680 g sodium

112 g carbs

4 g fiber

52 g sugar (white processed sugar)

to your health,

C

skip the sugar- skip the preservatives

the green smoothie.  i posted the picture of dr. oz and oprah as proof that i am not the only one that likes to 'chug' my daily greens!  i make my green smoothies in the vita-mix blender which pretty much juices the veggies and still maintains the fiber.  i prefer to make my own juices and smoothies because often the ones in the store have added ingredients.  a lot of time some sort of added sugar and acids to maintain freshness.  i prefer mine as clean and fresh as possible.  

take the recipe below and use any high speed blender or juicer.

simple green shake:

handful of laciano kale (remove stems)*

2 handfuls spinach

1/2 c. coconut water (can use regular water)*

2-3 ice cubes

- blend ingredients until smooth then chug!

*if using regular water you may want to add a few apple slices or 1/2 banana to cover up the bitterness of the greens.

*any dark leafy greens can be used and often i mix them up with whatever is in the fridge

i also prefer to skip pre-made hummus.  especially now that i know how EASY it is to make!  store bought hummus is made with a lot of canola oil, added citric acids and other flavor ingredients.  no thanks- keep it simple.  you can make hummus in any blender or food processor.

basil/garlic hummus:

1 can chickpeas (drain and rinse)

1/2 lemon juiced

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 c. chopped basil

1 clove garlic

splash of water if needed (too thick to blend)

-blend ingredients and enjoy with some fresh broccoli, cauliflower and carrots!