A Friend in the Kitchen

Why exercise? Why not!

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 20:16:30 +0000

Last August, Time Magazine ran a cover story titled “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” The author drove home the same point – over and over again – albeit separated by limited, but good, references to research that exercise increases appetite to make you eat more and want to rest more, therefore nullifying the calorie deficit necessary to lose weight. My first reaction to the article was, “Way to go, buddy. It won’t take much time for the reluctant exercisers out there to repurpose their sneakers.” I don’t doubt that excercising vigorously makes you hungry. I can personally attest to that. As my walking buddy is my witness, and co-conspirator, I/we have indulged in a pumpkin muffin after racewalking the 102nd Street to 59th Street loop in Central Park on a number of occasions. And I don’t doubt, exercise makes your body tired and you would perhaps be less likely to move around much for the rest of the day. It may be a sweeping generalization, but sometimes it happens.
However, the majority of research that says that exercise is beneficial to us, including for weight loss, maintaining weight loss and beyond. But before I get to that, let me tell you another reason that the Time article perturbed me. It didn’t account for the possiblity that people can make better choices. I think that we are smarter than just going straight from the gym to the blueberry pie without question. We can make better choices that nourish our bodies without sabotaging our hard work. I did, after a while, come to the conclusion that muffins were not the best post-exercise snack even if the store was conveniently situated between the Park and my neighborhood. Duh.
So consider these suggestions:
Drink water before, during and after your workout. The body sweats fluids that need to be replenished, so you need to replace the fluids by drinking water. Also, you might be reading your signals wrong: often, a pang of thirst is sometimes misread as hunger. Try drinking plain water before you reach for a snack and see how that feels.
Choose a better snack. It’s good to eat after exercise, but the quality of food can make a big difference. Choose a basic whole food rather than something processed. Fruits, vegetables or a protein source like an egg or nut butter. Your body might thank you for the good stuff by not storing it as fat.
Listen to your body. I consulted with fitness and nutrition expert Adam B. Cobb of FYCNYC, www.fycnyc.com, about the role of rest in exercise. Adam says, “If after exercising you find that you need to sleep or rest for the whole day, your body is trying to tell you something. First, you may need to find a more appropriate intensity or time frame for exercise. Second is that you may not providing your body with enough nutrient dense food and proper fluids every day. Fitness and strength are not synonymous with health. You get healthy at the meal table first.”
A few months after the article appeared in Time, it still weighed heavily on my mind. Luckily, it’s not the only thing I’ve read. The Nutrition Action Healthletter had an article in their December 2009 issue that describe seven reasons to exercise other than weight loss. They range from creating new brain cells to reducing risk for certain diseases. What’s not to like about that? If that wasn’t enough, a follow up article in the same issue enumerates nine more reasons to exercise such as lowering risk of type 2 diabetes or improving symptoms of depression. If the total SIXTEEN REASONS aren’t enough, look at the research of the National Weight Control Registry that follows thousands of people who maintain at least a 30 lb weight loss for more than a year. Exercising regularly figures prominently in the subjects’ top strategies.
So my friends, retrieve your sneakers from retirement. Find an exercise that you love and do it regularly. Drink water, choose your food wisely, rest and recover too. May you reap many benefits from it.

Better Sesame Noodles

admin — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:41:11 +0000

Sometimes I get cravings that I just can’t ignore, and sesame noodles is one of them. Restaurant-made sesame noodles are delicious, but drowning in what we all know is very caloric sauce. I make my own this way with “better” choices of ingredients, and limit the amount of sauce so that I get the taste, but control the calories. It still contains a bit of fat although I’ve chosen the good ones, but it gets me through the craving.

Noodles
1/2 lb. whole wheat, brown rice or any healthy grain thin spaghetti

Sauce:
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
4 Tblsp. Olive oil
1 Tblsp. Toasted Sesame oil
2 squirts Tabasco Sauce
1 and 1/2 tsp. Peanut butter
1/2 packet stevia crystals
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion, chopped – both white and green parts
1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks or with julienne peeler

Instructions
Prepare the sauce by combining the first 4 ingredients together first and then add the peanut butter, stevia, garlic and half the scallion. Cook and drain spaghetti. Spoon the sauce onto the noodles. Top with remaining scallion and cucumber. Enjoy! Serves 2-4.

What is To Your Health?

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:41:31 +0000

My friends and I talk often about how to improve our health. There’s a lot of information out there about it – what to eat, how to exercise, how to de-stress. Here, I’ll provide links to articles, websites and ideas about health.

What is Friend of A Friend?

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:27:01 +0000

You know when you see or experience something you love, you rush to share it with all of your friends? Well that’s what this page is all about. Here you will find products and services that I think are great for your kitchen, for cooking or just for life that I want to tell you about. Very important – here is my own store - A Friend in the Kitchen Store that features the things that you will need to stock your healthy kitchen! Visit often, as I will be adding to it all of the time!

What you will find in Recipes

admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:06:39 +0000

I love to cook not only because I get a wonderful sense of accomplishment each time I create a meal, but also because I have control over the ingredients I put in my dishes. On this page, I’ll share some recipes with easy instructions so you can make healthy dishes at home. You’ll see recipes for any meal, some for snacks, and others that will get you through major cravings in a healthier way. You will even see some of the recipes demonstrated in a video webisode! Stay tuned!