Recipe:  

Chickpea and Date Tagine

Ingredients 

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, diced (2 cups)

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 15-oz. cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup whole-wheat couscous

1 cup pitted dates, halved

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 10 minutes or until starting to brown, stirring often. Stir in garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon, and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, chickpeas and 1/4 cup water; simmer 10 minutes. 

 

Many women and some men, spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on beauty products for their faces. New research is showing us that the answer to beautiful skin may be at the grocery store, not the department store.

Researchers from the School of Psychology at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland investigated the effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on both skin color and perceptions of healthy skin. Thirty five participants (without makeup, self-tanning agents and/or recent intensive UV exposure) had their diet and skin color recorded at baseline, at three weeks and at six weeks.

They found that at the six week mark, those who increased their fruit and vegetable intake were judged to have healthier skin and were perceived as more attractive. On the flip side, those who ate a diet lacking fruits and vegetables were judged less attractive due to the skin's paleness.

The researchers concluded that these benefits were from the carotenoids (beta-carotene and lycopene) naturally found in fruits and vegetates.  

Bottom Line: We know that upping our fruit and vegetable intake can be good for our health and waistlines, now it seems that eating more produce can make us more attractive. These positive results were seen after eating about three servings of fruits and vegetables per day, so dig in!

With many time strapped families, dining out has become a large part of everyday life. Although convenient, the servings we get at a restaurant are usually two to three times larger than we need to satisfy us, yet for many of us, leaving food on the plate is a cardinal sin! Investigators from The University of Texas at Austin wanted to know if they could change the perceptions of women who dine out frequently so that they could still go out and enjoy their food, just in smaller portions.

Thirty five healthy women aged 40 to 59 took part in a six-week program called Mindful Restaurant Eating, a weight-gain prevention intervention that helps develop the skills needed to reduce caloric and fat intake when eating out. Even though the focus was on weight maintenance, the researchers found that participants in the intervention group lost significantly more weight (about 3.7 pounds) and had a lower average daily caloric and fat intake.

So what does it mean to eat mindfully? The women in the study performed mindful eating meditation exercises during weekly sessions. Each session included content related to weight management when eating out and activities to help make the best choices while eating in a restaurant. If you're interested in eating mindfully at home, or while at a restaurant, check out this handy exercise.

Source 

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 nutritionist@sensiblenutrition.com 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, the 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 Training 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.