Debra Wein Pic
January 14, 2010
This Week's Topics
Recipe: Marinated Navy Beans and Zucchini
Strength Training Will Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
Being a Vegetarian Will Help the Enviornment
Is your metabolism keeping you from reaching your weight goal?
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SN Healthy Recipe
Marinated Navy Beans and Zucchini

 

 Dried dill just doesn't have the same punch; so don't be tempted to substitute it.
 
Ingredients
 
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt or soy yogurt
 1/4 cup mayonnaise or soy mayonnaise
 1/4 cup snipped fresh dill
 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
 1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon (optional)
 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice or more to taste
2(15-oz.) cans navy or other white beans, rinsed and drained
 1 to 2 dill pickles, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced (1 cup)
 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
 1 scallion, thinly sliced
 Dark green lettuce leaves for serving (optional)
 
Directions
 In large bowl, mix yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, parsley, tarragon if using and lemon juice until well blended.
 Add beans, pickle, zucchini, bell pepper and scallion and toss gently. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve over lettuce leaves or cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour.
 Nutritional Information
 Per serving: Calories: 223, Protein: 10g, Total fat: 8g, Saturated fat: 1g, Carbs: 29g, Cholesterol: 7mg, Sodium: 210mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugars: g
 
Source:  www.vegetariantimes.com
  
Hello friends...
Happy new year! I hope you all had a great holiday season and were able to take some time off and are now facing 2010 completely rejuvenated!
 
If you are lactose intolerant, you may want to check out a DWnew TV commercial talking about Valio's Real Goodness lactose-free milk, featuring...ME! Me in my new kitchen!  
 
I hope you will check it out even if you don't drink milk. Reps from CBS (WBZ-TV) contacted me because they were looking for a nutritionist in the Boston area to help them with the promotion as Valio (a division of Finlandia Cheese) is making a debut in New England and the US.
 
The commercial should air for the next few weeks on WBZ, during the morning news, Jeopardy, Judge Judy and The Office (Steve Carell, if you're listening... I'm a big fan).
 
Let me know what you think! Have a healthy week!
-Debra 
Strength Training Will Reduce Cardiovascular Risk

 Most people know that doing cardiovascular exercise (walking, swimming, biking) can help improve their heart health.  Cardiovascular exercise has been studied extensively for its role in decreasing risk for developing heart disease.medal  It is well known that physical activity plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its modifiable risk factors (obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol).  On the other hand, the heart benefits of strength training are only just beginning to be investigated.  The results, though, are promising.
 
Strength training is any kind of resistance exercise that works the muscles.  It can include weight lifting, exercise bands (resistance bands), Pilates, yoga or just basic sit-ups and push-ups. Below are the research results, to date, describing the known benefits of strength training:
 

  Obesity - Obesity is a major risk factor for CVD and other chronic diseases.  Research has shown that an increase in muscle mass resulting from strength-training may increase metabolism, and can contribute to weight control and an overall decrease in body fat mass in both older and younger adults.

 

  Insulin Resistance and Diabetes - Research his shown that strength training can improve insulin sensitivity in men and women who have insulin resistance and diabetes.

 

 

High Blood Pressure - A primary risk factor for development of CVD.  Strength training has been shown to significantly decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.

 
Bottom Line - Including strength-training 2-3 days a week, in addition to cardiovascular training, can help you to decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease.

 

Source:  Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2009; 54:3276-81

Being a Vegetarian Will Help the Enviornment

 People become vegetarians for a variety of reasons, some choose this lifestyle to improve their health by including more plant-based foods and others choose it because of their medaldesire to avoid cruelty to animals.  More recently, people are becoming vegetarian for environmental reasons.  There is proof that modern agricultural practices have resulted in polluted soil, air and water, eroded soil, dependence on imported oil and loss of biodiversity.
  
 Going "green" with your diet includes a number of choices, ranging from choosing local foods to lessen your carbon footprint (the number of miles food has to travel to get to your plate), to the amount of water and synthetic inputs used on various crops.  A diet high in animal protein also has a tremendous impact on the environment.
 
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently reported that livestock production is one of the major causes of global warming and air/water pollution.  In fact, livestock production contributes 18 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions - more than transportation!
 
Another study conducted by researchers from the Department of Environmental Health and Nutrition at Loma Linda University in California compared the environmental impact of a vegetarian vs. nonvegetarian diet.  The researchers only studied the effects of pesticides, water and energy use in California (not nationwide).  The study results showed that the nonvegetarian diet required 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more primary energy, 13 times more fertilizer, and 1.4 times more pesticides than did the vegetarian diet.  The biggest difference came from including beef in the diet.
 
Bottom Line: Vegetarians often have a lower risk for chronic disease, including diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure.  Following a vegetarian diet is also better for the planet.  If completely eliminating meat from your diet sounds unreasonable, try going meatless a couple of nights a week.  Also, instead of planning a meal around meat, try focusing on the plant-based items like whole grains, legumes and vegetables and think of meat as a "side."   
 
Source: Environmental Nutrition 2009; 32(10); 3

About Sensible Nutrition

Metabolism Measurements
 
Ever wonder if your metabolism is what is keeping you from reaching your weight goals? 

Let a Sensible Nutrition RD measure YOUR metabolism and tell you the truth! Call 781-741-5483 or send an email to [email protected] to schedule your appointment.

 
About Sensible Nutrition

Sensible Nutrition (SN-www.sensiblenutrition.com) is a consulting firm established in 1994 that provides nutrition and fitness services to individuals, universities, corporate wellness programs and nonprofit groups. SN's client list includes The United States Coast Guard, Blue Cross Blue Shield, EMC, Putnam Investments, Corcoran Jennison, Harvard Business School, Boston Ballet and Children's Hospital. For more information about our corporate wellness services, please check us out at www.wellnessworkdays.com 

SN services: One-to-one counseling, fitness counseling and training, group lectures, metabolism measures and more!  Let the Sensible Nutrition staff develop a nutrition program to help you finally reach your health and weight goals!Gift Certificates are available!

Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN, SN President and Co-Founder writes a regular nutrition column for the National Strength and Conditioning Association's  Performance Journal, has been quoted in Family Circle, Shape, Self, Men's Health, Allure and Prevention and has appeared on Fox 25, Channel 56 and Channel 5 news.

Contact us at www.sensiblenutrition.com  or 781-741-5483

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