Nimble Blog

Sweet Summer Corn Recipe

by Julie Smith

Strawberry Season’s Delightful Debut

by Julie Smith

•    According to the California Strawberry Commission, a serving of strawberries (about 8 strawberries) provides 160 percent of the recommended daily intake for vitamin C. Vitamin C has been associated with reduced rates of stomach, cervical, breast and non-hormone-dependent cancers.

•    Strawberries are in the fruit group with the highest antioxidant values.  The flavonoids, such as anthocyanins, quercetin and kaempferol, exhibit antioxidant properties that have been proven beneficial in suppressing cancer cells.

•    Strawberries are also heart healthy.  The heart-health benefits of strawberries are attributed to their high levels of key nutrients – Vitamin C, Folate, Fiber and Potassium.

“Oh no … another salad!”

Some of you know that I am not a huge fan of salads, so I understand where you’re coming from when you hear, “eating healthy” and start thinking “salads!”

The “salad diet” mentality began with the thought that salads must help with weight loss and good health since lettuce and other vegetables are low in calories and fat and high in fiber. Well, yes, they are all of those things, if you’re not adding other salad bar items into your meal. But, what if you’re adding baby corn, beets, cheese, nuts, dried cranberries, bacon bits, tuna with mayo, and dressing into the salad…still healthy? You’ll then be consuming some antioxidants, but you will no longer be eating a low-calorie, low-fat meal that you hope will assist you in your weight loss.

“What should I do then?” you ask. “I don’t want to eat a plain salad that’s going to leave me hungry for a REAL meal.”

Below are several tips on how to make your salad healthy and tasty. I’ve added in some additional tips if you’re ordering your salad from a deli or restaurant.

• Add fresh fruit like strawberries, apples, and/or mango. It’s a super tasty addition that will add flavor, fiber, antioxidants, and color to a somewhat bland base. You’ll need less, or no dressing when you add fresh fruit. A little balsamic or apple cider vinegar with freshly ground pepper should do the trick. Personally, fruit is the one food that makes me ENJOY salads.

• Do remember to ask if sugar was added to the fruit first!

• You can still add cheese to your salad, but make sure you choose the lower fat, lower calorie cheeses, like a goat cheese, and ask for very little (Stop them when you see it’s enough!).

• Only order one protein. You don’t need chicken, tofu, nuts, beans, etc. Which do you want today? Not only will choosing only one cut calories, but it will also give you the option to have more variety since you’ll want a different protein the next day.
• Make sure the nuts aren’t “candied” with sugar and be careful of how many you add!

• Choose the base you enjoy most. If you don’t like the base, you won’t eat the salad, or you’ll eat it but you will still want something else afterward. Do you like spinach, kale, romaine, or iceberg best? Choose any but iceberg because that’s just giving you such little nutritional benefits.

• Yes, vegetables are healthy, but if you’re trying to eat them to help drop the pounds, limit the high carb/sugar vegetables like peas, corn or beets. Choose high fiber veggies like broccoli, raw carrots and cauliflower instead.

Enjoy your meals, and feel light and healthy after eating them. To learn more, contact me for some recipe tips, nutrition guidance, and much more!

-Amanda Winters

Amanda is a health and fitness contributor for Nimble Fitness and the creator of the A+ Plan. Formed in 2003 to help motivate, inspire and help people achieve their goals, the A+ Plan has continued to expand its services and products to have something for everyone. Amanda Winters, founder of the A+ Plan, works with all ages of men, women and children nationwide, working via phone and Internet for those outside of the NY area. She has a B.S from the Fashion Institute of Technology and certification as a Holistic Health Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. With a lifetime of experience in food intolerance and fashion styling, and a passion for helping people look and feel their best through nutrition, psychology and fashion, Amanda is quite the unique expert. Find out more at www.aplusplan.com.

AMAZING A+ PLAN TRAIL MIX

The trail mix ingredients below are for vegetarians, vegans and meat eaters alike. These berries, chocolates, and seeds will give you a multitude of snack options. They can also be used as additions to your meals. You can get much of your necessary vitamins, antioxidants, protein, healthy carbs, fats, and fiber by adding these foods to a bowl of sliced fruit, a cup of low fat ice cream, or even cereal.

WARNING: Be prepared for several tasty treats that will give you tons of energy!

Trail Mix Options – Mix and Match

1) Organic Dried Goldenberries:
Citrus-like flavor, high in antioxidants and Vitamin A

2) Organic Incan Berries:
Very tart taste, super chewy, Vitamin A rich, 16% protein

3) Organic Goji Berries:
Vitamins B and E. Unlike most foods, they contain all 8 essential amino acids

4) Organic Dried Mulberries:
Natural, sweet taste, high in iron, Vitamin C, calcium and protein

5) Organic Barberries:
Tangy taste, high in antioxidants and Vitamin C

6) Cacao Nibs:
Tiny pieces of a natural source of trace minerals, like manganese, zinc and copper

7) Cacao Beans:
Very bitter, magnesium rich (#1 magnesium source of all foods!), Omega 6 fatty acids, Tryptophan and Serotonin, higher in antioxidants than any other food

Dairy-free chocolate chips:
Adds some fun and hormonal craving balance to the mix

9) Organic Raw Cashews:
Magnesium, manganese, selenium and zinc for reproductive and immune health

10) Organic Raw Sliced Almonds:
High in Vitamin E, magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorous and fiber

11) Organic Shredded Dried Coconut:
Sweet taste, antifungal properties

12) Maca:
Assists the body in handling stress and anxiety, building immunity

13) Chia Seeds:
High in calcium, fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids

Personally, I like to make a mix of at least 5 of these items since I get bored easily. If your mix includes only nuts, it will become too high in calories and fat for a nicely balanced snack that will help you maintain or lose weight. Each item has unique characteristics, so mix it up!

-Amanda Winters

Amanda is a health and fitness contributor for Nimble Fitness and the creator of the A+ Plan. Formed in 2003 to help motivate, inspire and help people achieve their goals, the A+ Plan has continued to expand its services and products to have something for everyone. Amanda Winters, founder of the A+ Plan, works with all ages of men, women and children nationwide, working via phone and Internet for those outside of the NY area. She has a B.S from the Fashion Institute of Technology and certification as a Holistic Health Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. With a lifetime of experience in food intolerance and fashion styling, and a passion for helping people look and feel their best through nutrition, psychology and fashion, Amanda is quite the unique expert. Find out more at www.aplusplan.com.

America on Caffeine

Caffeine is a familiar drug, included in coffee, soda, chocolate, painkillers and other items. Today I’m specifically writing about caffeine in coffee, since so many Americans are addicted to this drink.

Every day, many Americans are going through this cycle:
Fatigue →Caffeine → Anxiety → Depression → Not sleeping well →Fatigue → Desire for more caffeine

Does this describe you? While some people can have six cups of coffee and seem fine, others will shake and exhibit mood changes with one cup. Studies have shown that as few as two cups of coffee per day can produce anxiety, insomnia, irritability, and dizziness. Even as much as a 6-oz serving (and you know you get at least 12-oz at a time!) can cause a reduction of brain function, recall and analysis. About the same amount of caffeine also depletes your body of calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, sodium, and chloride. Students think they do better in school when they have coffee? Employees think they do better at work with coffee in their system? Athletes think they do better after a few cups of coffee or sports drinks with caffeine? Think again.

Drugs like caffeine manipulate your body into thinking you need them, and then you end up desiring them every day. Coffee seems like a great choice, giving you energy and focus with great taste. But it’s not just stimulants you’re getting; it’s stress on your body. Caffeine stresses your adrenal glands, which are meant to help your body in emergencies, thus causing your body to work much harder than it has to. It also gives your body low blood sugar, mood and energy swings, fatigue, depression, and malnutrition. Caffeine can also cause sleep impairment, even if you’ve only had one cup in the morning.

Stop the cycle! Do you have diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, or are elderly? You have been identified as being a “very high-risk population” if you use caffeine. Alcoholics, children, pregnant women, insomniacs and those stricken with depression and/or anxiety attacks also have to be especially careful of the amount of caffeine they consume. With guidance, these people can learn how much their individual bodies can consume and be healthy.

This article is simply stating that we have to really monitor how much caffeine we allow into our bodies. This is a reminder to please be careful of your intake!

-Amanda Winters

Amanda is a health and fitness contributor for Nimble Fitness and the creator of the A+ Plan. Formed in 2003 to help motivate, inspire and help people achieve their goals, the A+ Plan has continued to expand its services and products to have something for everyone. Amanda Winters, founder of the A+ Plan, works with all ages of men, women and children nationwide, working via phone and Internet for those outside of the NY area. She has a B.S from the Fashion Institute of Technology and certification as a Holistic Health Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. With a lifetime of experience in food intolerance and fashion styling, and a passion for helping people look and feel their best through nutrition, psychology and fashion, Amanda is quite the unique expert. Find out more at www.aplusplan.com.

Get Closer To Nature With Your Food

The science of nutrition has become one of our great modern paradoxes. The more we learn about nutrition in the US, it seems, the fatter and sicker we get. In some ways, the last 50 years in our country has been a huge experiment in what not to eat. Why has that happened? And what can each of us do about it?

Scientists can’t necessarily explain why natural foods work so well, but they know that they do. There are piles of evidence now that the modified “foods” that have been created by food companies in search of greater profits do not support your system and in fact can do long-term damage. When whole foods are processed, food companies trade nutrients for longer shelf life. Unfortunately, adding a few vitamins doesn’t repair the damage done by processing. For more on this subject, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollen is an excellent resource.

The good news is that you don’t have to know anything about nutritional science to eat well. Just as you don’t have to know how every part of an engine works to buy a great car, you don’t have to know every particular of nutrition to feed your body well. As author Michael Pollen says, we human beings have been remarkably successful for thousands of years at deciding what to eat, without the help of nutritionists or the FDA. Nature’s taken care of that for you! Our bodies are designed to function optimally on whole foods.

If nutritional science is complex, daily nutrition can be very simple: the closer to nature your foods are, the healthier you’ll be! Here are some Nimble rules to eat by:

*Avoid canned and prepackages foods, including frozen meals and anything made to cook in a microwave

*Eat whole foods, organic whenever possible (if there’s any ingredient that you can’t pronounce or don’t recognize, don’t eat it!)

*Avoid the “white devils”—processed white sugar, processed white salt and white flour. These foods have been stripped of their nutrients, so they just represent empty calories to your system. Choose organic raw sugar, organic sea salt and organic whole wheat flour instead.

*Make the switch to cooking with olive oil—if you don’t use it already, olive oil is a healthy and great-tasting way to prepare a huge variety of dishes.

*Embrace variety—expand your repertoire of whole foods and try different combinations of meats, seasonal fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Enjoy!

-Keith Paine

.

You become the food you eat.

Lets keep it real simple today… The food you eat is what your body becomes.

Namaste
Daniel

My Cleanse Adventure …The End

It has been 3 weeks since I started this Cleanse Adventure. Once I found a cleanse I thought was right for me, I followed the direction, eliminating dairy, meats and caffeine from my diet for 3 days. I followed that with another 5 days where I stopped eating all together. My diet for those days consisted of some special herbal packets mixed with apple juice. I ate no solid food during this time. On my 9th day I reintroduced food into my body but started slow with simply grains, vegetables and fruits. On the 10th day I began eating solid food and have been back to a regular diet for almost 2 weeks. Here is a summary of my experience and the results that followed.

As you know, I was skeptical about putting myself through one of these. Now that it’s over I’m glad I did. When I started I weighed 207 lbs and had 14% body fat. On the 8th day (the last juice day) I had lost 6 lbs, weighing 201 lbs with 11.6% BF. This was a pleasant surprise as I did not consider weight loss to be one of my priorities. Today, almost 3 weeks into this, my weight has gone back up to 203 lbs but my body fat is down to 11%. That’s a total loss of 3% in 3 weeks -pretty awesome!  Mind you, I have been doing 40 minutes of cardio 3X a week along with some light strength training but this is the same exercise program I did before the cleanse. The difference is that my body is acting more efficiently and changing whereas before I was pretty stagnant and not seeing as much muscle definition. My metabolism has definitely been turned up a notch. The other really big thing I’ve noticed is how consistent my energy levels are throughout the day (and I’ve had some long days). I feel as fresh at 7am as I do after 1pm, all the way up to 9pm when I get home. This wasn’t the case before. I frequently needed naps after lunch and would have highs and lows throughout my day. My diet hasn’t changed much, but I have cut my portions down by 1/3. Out of everything, this seems to be the most noticeable change my body has made. Pretty impressive.

In summary, I feel more energetic, less tired and healthier today than 3 weeks ago. I have lost 3% of my body fat and a total of 4lbs. I sleep well and poop regularly (Yea I know, “Too much information!”). Food tatse better and I have renewed motivation to work out more consistently. Those first 8 days were challenging but I am happy I stuck to it and finished (with the support of my wife, of course). For me, this was definitely an adventure that was worth every bowel movement (Sorry, I had to throw that one in). Thank you for coming along for the ride, now go out and seek your own healthy adventure.

….If you missed it, here is the rest of my cleanse adventure.

Sucker Punched By My Snack!

When you’re on the run, finding a healthy snack can be challenging. The other day, I managed to spot some trail mix hidden in a sea of candy bars and potato chips at the local deli. The bag was fairly small, labeled “Snack Size,” and contained a mix of peanuts, almonds and yogurt-covered raisins. It was a satisfactory choice considering my options. As I ate my snack, I wondered about the “snack size” labeling and what that meant. The first thing I noticed (in big bold letters) was the calories: 140. Next was the total fat, 8g, and then the sodium, 50mg. Not optimal, but manageable numbers. The carbohydrate total was 15g, of which 11g were sugar. That’s a little high, but again, manageable for a guy my size. Then something caught my eye that made me almost choke. Hidden in the second line from the top under serving size was the total servings contained in the bag, which was 3. That’s THREE, as in, “I just ate 420 calories and 24g of fat!” How could this be? The label clearly says, “snack size” on the front of the bag! I was duped.

Making the right food choices in our society, where we’re overloaded with options, is hard enough. Deceptive food labels make that choice even harder. Snack labels are advertisements, basically, with one goal: to get you, the consumer, to buy their product over the competition. The only way to really know what you are putting into your body is by reading the nutrition label, and as we’ve seen, even that can be tricky. We are ultimately responsible for our choices, of course, so the more knowledge we have when it comes to packaged foods, the better prepared we will be to make good choices.

Here are some tips to help you avoid my mistake and make a better-informed decision the next time you are looking for a snack:

1. Pay attention to the column called “%DV” or “Percent Daily Value.” Interpret it like this: Let’s say the food label for an energy bar says “60%” next to fat; that means you are getting 60% of that day’s entire recommended allowance of fat in one serving of the energy bar. And that’s only half the story. A typical energy bar is 2 or more servings. Eat that entire bar and you’ve just had 120% of your entire day’s worth of fat. That’s too much, and from a snack that took only 45 seconds to eat!

2. More important than the %DV for total fat is the amount of saturated fat. Unsaturated fats are healthier and more important for a well balanced diet. If its high in saturated fat, skip it.

3. Know your ingredients. The healthiest snacks are the simplest—they come from nature. An apple, for example, has one ingredient – apple. But there are many ingredients, found in all different kinds of snacks, which you should avoid. High Fructose Corn Syrup is an artificially produced sweetener that has no nutritional value. Other ingredients found in common snacks include sorbitol, mineral oil and carnauba wax–the same stuff used in beauty products like mascara, deodorant, and lipstick.

4. Avoid large amounts of these “bad” ingredients as much as possible: saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars. In contrast, try and maximize your total of the “good ingredients”–fiber, protein, and vitamins.

5. Not all carbohydrates are created equal. The higher in sugar and lower in fiber, the worse the carbohydrate is for you. Fruits, for example, contain simple sugars but also contain fiber, water, and vitamins, which make them a healthy choice. Muffins and candy, on the other hand, often have large amounts of added sugars and no fiber.

Antonio Sini

Nimble Nutrition Approach

Here’s some of Nimble’s simple nutrition rules:

1. If it’s white and it’s been commercially processed don’t eat it! This means white flour, white sugar and milk processed by pasteurization or homogenization. If you do consume dairy, choose Certified Organic whenever possible.

2. Check food labels. If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it!

3. Steer clear of drinks with added sugar.

4. Processed food is not your friend. The longer a food’s shelf life, the greater risk to your health.

5. When it comes to meats, choose organic and free-range whenever possible.

6. Use 100% unprocessed sea salt to season foods.

7. Drink quality filtered water.

8. Use the 80/20 rule- if you’re on point with your health choices 80 percent of the time, your doing a pretty darn good job.

My Cleanse Adventure / Part I

I keep hearing about these cleanses – how they’re good for you and how they have helped people with all sorts of issues – from losing weight, to curing cancer!

When I hear “cleanse”, I picture some new-age spa where a woman in a white lab coat leads me into a room decorated with pictures of Buddha. She orders me to undress and put on a hospital robe (you know the kind). Next thing I know I’m laying on my stomach with some guy named Bjorn about to put a double latte frappuccino someplace I don’t care to publish. The other vision I have is of some (already too skinny) celebrity drinking a weird concoction of lemonade made with cayenne pepper …eeww.

You could say my idea of a cleanse is slightly skewed but I did find a great explanation on Wisegeek.com. This is their definition – “A cleanse is a health regimen designed to remove toxins from the body. Some cleanses target the entire body, while other focus on specific organs such as the liver, kidneys, or skin. In most cases, a cleanse requires a temporary radical change of diet, although some cleanses are designed to help people transition to a healthier diet. Many proponents of natural health engage in regular body cleanses to improve their health and treat underlying medical issues. Cleanses are also used as a weight loss tool in some communities, while others engage in body cleanses as a spiritual activity.”

That sounds pretty good but now the question is… Do these cleanses actually work? Do they do what they claim? Follow me on this adventure as I research the different cleanses and their claims. I’m going to pick the one I think is best and try it for myself. Let’s see what the fuss is all about and if these “toxin removers” really work. Stay tuned!

…follow the entire adventure here.

My cleanse adventure part III

After a lot of research, I found a cleanse I’m ready to try. It’s from a company called Blessed Herbs. The funny thing is that I didn’t find this one on-line. Blessed Herbs never came up in any of my Google searches. This cleanse was recommended to me by a few friends who had actually done it themselves. I was having trouble deciding which cleanse to try because all I kept finding was crap. I went to the blessedherbs.com and within 2 minutes I was sold. They have pictures of customers and the crap (literally) that was flushed out of their system.  Besides the funny testimonial, the information on the site came across as genuine and very knowledgeable. Their products are all-natural, and claim to be gentle on the body, which makes sense to me.  On top  of that, their ingredients are certified organic. Now, I don’t want to hype up this company too much. I have no idea if their stuff is going to make me sick or what, but they did give me a good first impression.  That’s  important.  Let’s see what happens.

I received my package and read the directions. This is how it’s going down…
I start with 3 days of pre-cleansing, where I cut out meats, dairy, fried food and …caffeine. (Ugh!). In addition, I’ll need to reduce the amount of food I eat each day so by the third day I’m eating hardly anything. (This is going to hurt). I will also be taking these pills which are supposed to help me poop regularly. They say I need at least 3 good bowel movements per day before I start the actual cleanse. I have to figure out how many pills I need to take every night to have my 3 regular bowel movements. Lucky for me I’m already pretty regular because these pills are big and not easy to swallow. After the pre-cleanse I will be on a strict liquid diet for 5 days. Every three hours I must drink a mix of apple juice and a packet of the “blessed herbs.” This will be all I am allowed to consume for those 5 days. I also need to drink lots of water and continue to take “my number” of poop, pills.

Ok, seriously …what the heck have I gotten myself into?  Don’t forget to come back for Part IV, where this “Cleanse Adventure” truly begins.

…follow the entire adventure here.

My cleanse adventure part IV

Today is day 4 of my cleanse. Actually, it’s the 1st day of the liquid-only portion. I’ve been preparing for this the last three days by eating a little less and completely eliminating dairy, meat and coffee. My head was pounding for a solid 12 hours the first day! …but I was expecting it. I drink 24oz of coffee almost every day, so I knew my body would let me know it was not happy. Yes, it hurts, but the good thing about coffee withdrawal is that it only lasts a day or two. Then it’s like you never missed it…for me at least.

Restricting my calorie intake was way harder than I anticipated. I like to eat. Although I was supposed to eat 1/4 of my normal calorie intake on that 3rd day of my pre-cleanse, I probably ate more like 1/2 of a normal day. I figure since I’m not eating meat or dairy (which take several days to fully digest) I would be fine.

Tomorrow I eliminate all food.  Boy I can’t wait.  Not!

….follow the entire adventure here.

My Cleanse Adventure / Part VII

Here are my notes from the 3rd day of fasting…

Last night I got the most restful 8 hours of sleep I can remember. So restful that I slept through my alarm and had to call in late. When I woke up I felt pretty good but by 9am I was disoriented and moving slowly. My wife pointed out that my knees were dry and ashy. I have to remember to drink more water. I must also note that my body has a chill I can’t shake. I felt it last night too and had to turn down the ac – much to the dismay of my wife.

10:00am – 4:00pm
I’ve been pretty irritable all day today. My mind keeps wondering and I have trouble focusing on work. I’m also going to the bathroom every 45 minutes to poop or pee.

6:00pm
As the day wore on my body adjusted. My bowel movements became less frequent and smaller. I also felt less fatigued and only mildly irritable. The one thing that is annoying is the constant urinating. I think I’m peeing every 15 minutes.

9:00pm
So my wife asks me to make her a cup of tea. I walk into the kitchen and there, sitting on the counter, is a piece of smoked turkey sausage left over from dinner. I swear she’s trying to set me up! I stare at this thing while I prepare my wife’s tea. Temptation is grabbing hold of me and I can’t resist… I pop that bad boy in the microwave and peak over my shoulder to make sure the wife doesn’t see. “Honey, everything ok?” she asks. “Yes dear, I’m just heating up the water” I reply.  (Microwave Ding) I pick up the sausage, take a whiff and sink my teeth into it. You know when you feel like your doing something really bad? Thoughts of the last 3 days flash through my mind. I chew a few times, savoring the flavor. C’mon man, how could I give up so easily? Guilt starts to set in. I take another bite …mmmm. I’m still chewing. This is the most delicious GRRRRRRRRRRR…… “Antonio what are you doing?” D’oh! My wife had snuck up behind me and was now looking at me with pity and disappointment. She didn’t have to say another word. I spit out the pieces in my mouth and threw away the rest.

10:00pm
“How’s your tea sweetie?” I ask. “Good. How’s your juice?” she replies.

….follow the entire adventure here.

Rehydrate with fresh smoothies!

by Jolene Harrison.

Summer is here! That means looking for tasty ways to get more fluid into our bodies, especially in warm weather when we spend more time outdoors hiking, swimming, golfing or just goofing around at the beach. As an alternative to plain water, why not cool down your internal thermostat and stay energized in the scorching sun with homemade smoothies? The first thing you’ll need is a blender. Next, get yourself over to your local farmers market and stock your fridge with seasonal fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and peaches. Take one cup of ice, one cup of skim milk (soy milk, nut milk or yogurt will work too), one cup of fruit, and blend together for an amazingly refreshing smoothie. It sure beats boring water and the natural sugars will pep up your step while the phytonutrients found in the fruit skin will keep your skin healthy and young.

Try these great smoothies for a refreshing change:

Cooling Tonic

1 cup of ice
½ cup strawberries
½ cup peaches
2 slices of peeled cucumber
4 mint leaves
Pinch of raw cane sugar
Splash of lemon

Exotic Elixir

4 Tbs Brazilian nut milk, or Almond milk
½ cup of water
1 banana
1 cup of blueberries
1 Tbs grated ginger
Pinch of cinnamon
1 Tablespoon of honey, maple Syrup, or agave nectar
1 scoop green powder
*option to add a ¼ cup of fresh squeezed juice for added sweetness