10 Minutes to a Healthier YOU - Reduce Fat Intake

Reducing your Fat intake can be easier ( and tastier) than you think...
The way you shop, cook, and prepare foods can really impact your fat intake. It may take a bit of discipline at first, but after a few weeks you'll have formed a new habit with very measurable benefits to show for it. Here are a few simple tips...

1. Substitute some or most of the oil/butter in cake and muffin recipes with unsweetened applesauce
2. Read labels...look at some of your favourite packaged foods...if there are more than 5 or 6 grams of fat per serving (and some of those serving sizes may be quite small, so be sure to read that info as well), then look for a lower fat version. For example, fat-free ham, lower fat cheeses, skim or 1% milk,
3. Cut down on your fatty favourites.  If burgers and fries visit your menu more often than once a week, just cutting out one of those meals will save you a lot of fat calories and a fat belly!
4. Love your meat?  Cut off the visible fat and remove the skin on poultry before cooking...the tempatation is thus eliminated! 
5. And....Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday....

Avocado and Pea Guacamole

Although avocado are one of the "good fats", you can still have too much of a good thing!  Your Super Bowl party guests are sure to gobble this tasty dip right up, even though it's lower in fat than the real thing! Serve with baked tortilla chips (or take some whole-wheat or corn tortillas and slice into wedges with a pizza cutter and toast in 250F oven) and lots of cut-up fresh vegetables. Yields: About 2 1/2 cups

• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1/3 cup store-bought medium-hot salsa
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 chopped tomato 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (Or cilantro paste)
• pinch of salt (if you must)
• garlic, hot sauce, to taste (optional)

1. In food processor (with knife blade attached) or blender, puree peas until almost smooth; set aside.
2. In medium bowl, with fork, mash avocado. Add peas and remaining ingredients to mashed avocado; stir until evenly mixed. Cover and refrigerate if not serving right away.

10 Minutes to a Healthier YOU - Reduce Sugar Intake

If you are anything like me, you have a sweet tooth.  I know many "experts" say to cut out sweets and sugar entirely, but I find I that if I make adjustments to favourite recipes (cutting down the sugar and/or replacing it with fruit), I can still have my cake and eat it too (so to speak!). 

Quick tip 1:  Take a favourite recipe and reduce the sugar by 1/4 to 1/3...even doing it gradually so your sweet quotient lessens. 
Quick tip 2: Use dried fruits or some dark chocolate and reduce the sugar so you still get some sweetness but with added fibre and nutrients.
Quick tip 3:  Use fruits like bananas, strawberries and applesauce to not only add sweetness but to replace some of the moistness that is lost when you cut down the fat and oil you use in recipes (more on that tomorrow!)
Here is a quick sweet treat as an example:

Ginger Oatmeal Cookies

I find this cookie delicious, and I think it would be a very nice "clif bar" type base. Try adding dried apricots, dried plums, or dried nectarines to make a heftier snack. I love these cookies! 

• 1 1/2 jars baby food (with bananas) (I'm not kidding!)
• 1/2 cup molasses (great for iron, but if you don't like it, use honey or brown sugar)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 c whole wheat flour (or gluten-free all purpose flour)
• 2 c oats
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ginger
• 3 tsp cinnamon
• dried fruit, if you like

Mix and bake at 350 F, 10-15 minutes. The above makes 21 cookies at 50 calories a pop.  

10 Minutes to A Healthier YOU - Exercise

Ok...you are have decided to incorporate some heart-rate raising exercise into your life...BUT...you have no equipment and little time and post Christmas...you're broke.  No problem (darn...there goes all the excuses!)...I bet you have a body and I bet you have access to stairs, a step or a little plastic stool for reaching into cupboards...(gotcha!)

Here is how it works....either go up and down the stairs, or step one foot at a time onto a step or stool (just alternate which foot goes up first every round) -

1 round = 30 sec of going up and down (speed will depend on your fitness level), then 30 sec of rest*

WEEK             1        2       3        4        5         6     

       

ROUNDS         5        7       8       9       10       10
PER SESSION

TIME (in min)   5       7       8       9       10       10

*If you are fitter, you can rest less and step/climb for longer 


So, what are you wating for now...you can fit this in anytime and just about anywhere!

Want some other 10 min cardio ideas?  Try these previous blogs...

http://getfitandfoxy.blogspot.com/2010/09/10-minute-cardio-workout-1.html
http://getfitandfoxy.blogspot.com/2010/09/10-minute-cardio-workout-2.html
http://getfitandfoxy.blogspot.com/2010/09/10-minute-cardio-workout-3.html