Debra Wein Pic
Friday August 12, 2011
This Week's Topics
Recipe: Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers
Worthwhile Links
More Muscle, Less Diabetes
Move More All Day
Measure YOUR Metabolism!

Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers

 

Serves 4

 

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 onion, cut into wedges

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 egg

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce

1/2 cup bread crumbs

 

Directions

1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.

4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.

5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.

6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

 

Nutrition

191 calories, 3g fat, 1g saturated fat, 47mg cholesterol, 170mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate, 6g fiber, 10grams of protein.

 

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Worthwhile Links
 Find us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Visit our blog

Check out our award-winning 

Worksite Wellness Programs!

 

SNaC Byte Archive

 
 

 

Share SNac Bytes
Join Our Mailing List

Hello ! 

 

DW

Return of the Bubba Burger! It seems that there was at least one person who missed my tirade last year about the nutritional content of Bubba Burgers. A dear friend questioned the problem with eating a burger even though it says "100% beef". 

If there are no preservatives or additives, not even salt, why are 100% beef burgers on the "bad foods list"?, she wanted to know. Well, red meat, especially the kind that are used to make juicy, drippy, summertime hamburgers are full of saturated fat; the fat that raises your cholesterol and increases your risk of heart disease. 

 

One Bubba Burger, contains 15 grams of saturated fat and 35 grams of total fat. This is more than the amount recommended for an entire day and one burger has 420 calories. That may not seem like a lot, but throw on a slice of cheese, a bun, a few beers and some cole slaw/potato salad into the mix and you can have half your day's worth of calories at one meal.

 

People who say they need more protein and eat red meat are off base. This burger has just 25 grams of protein (compared with 35 grams of fat). This is a fat source, not a good protein source. If you are searching for protein, choose beef that is lean/extra lean or choose lean ground turkey or a yummy black bean burger (see this week's recipe). That's a healthy (and delicious) way to get in some protein and fiber at your next cookout

 

Have a healthy week!  

 ~Debra


More Muscle, Less Diabetes

 Woman Weight Lifting

Many people, especially women, think that weight lifting will leave them beefy and bulky. Without the addition of anabolic steroids, this is simply not true. The truth is that men and women alike, would benefit from regular weight training as it helps to increase metabolism and is one of the most effective ways to strengthen bones. A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, reported that the greater an individual's total muscle mass, the lower their risk of having insulin resistance, the major precursor of type 2 diabetes.

 

A healthy person's blood glucose (sugar) is maintained within a healthful, narrow range with the help of the hormone insulin. As a person develops insulin resistance, he loses the ability to maintain that healthful narrow blood sugar range; this is the beginning of diabetes. This new research is great news because it is the first study to show that increasing muscle mass to average, and above average levels, can lead to improved blood glucose regulation.

 

In this study, researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III. They gathered information on a nationally representative sample of 13,644 individuals. These participants had their insulin resistance measured and their muscle to fat ratio analyzed by bioelectrical impedance. The researchers found that after adjusting for age, ethnicity, sex and generalized and central obesity, each 10% increase in skeletal muscle mass was associated with an 11% decrease in the risk of having insulin resistance, a major precursor to diabetes.

 

Bottom Line: Give weight lifting a try! Two to three times is all it takes to see results and you don't even need to go to the gym. Try a few push-ups after dinner tonight and see how many you can do! Drop us a note on FB and let us know how many you did! 

 

Source: Relative Muscle Mass Is Inversely Associated with Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes. Findings from The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2011; DOI: 10.1210/jc.2011-0435.

Move More All Day 

 

So you went to the gym last night, banged out a few miles on the treadmill and went home and...sat until you went to bed and...lied down until you woke up and went to work where you...sat some more. More research is showing that those few miles on the treadmill can't undo all of the ill health effects of the sitting that most Americans do. Man Taking Stairs

 

Indeed, after reviewing recent literature, University of Missouri researchers contend that physical inactivity is the primary cause of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease. Even people who set aside time for exercise regularly, but are otherwise sedentary, may not be active enough to combat these diseases. In a recent study, researchers at the University of Missouri found that negative physiological changes are associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes in people who transition from high amounts of activity (greater than 10,000 steps a day) to inactivity (fewer than 5,000 steps each day).

 

Does this describe you? Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 percent of Americans have inactive lifestyles (they take fewer than 5,000 steps a day) and 75 percent do not meet the weekly exercise recommendations (150 minutes of moderate activity each week and muscle-strengthening activity twice a week) to maintain good health.

 

Bottom Line: Moving more is one of the best things you can do to ensure a long and healthy life. You may feel like you've done your part from the day after a good sweat at the gym, but how you spend the other 23 hours of the day may matter even more.

 

Source: University of Missouri-Columbia, news release August 1, 2011.

About Sensible Nutrition 

How is YOUR metabolism? 

 

Ever wonder if your metabolism 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 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, Muscle & Fitness, Shape, Self, Men's Health, Allure and Prevention and has appeared on Fox 25, Channel 56, Channel 5, New England Cable News and several radio stations.

 

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

SNac Bytes Footer