RECIPE: Bill’s Great Gazpacho

Posted by: Karen Bentley April 17th, 2012 Comments Off permalink


My car thermometer says it’s 84 here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire where I live, but it’s only April 17th!   We’re supposed to be having mud season and instead we’re having premature hot summer weather.   The unseasonable warmth inspired my husband Bill, who is a fabulous cook, to make up a batch of gazpacho for us.  He got this recipe from the Coconut Cove Cafe at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas.  This is a super easy recipe that requires no hard-to-find ingredients, cooking or special skills.

In addition to the option of serving the gazpacho as is, which is suitable for vegetarians,  you can also add a garnish of three grilled shrimp to each bowl and/or a fresh dollop of salsa.   No matter how you serve it, this gazpacho is really delicious.  It’s also low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie and sugar-free.  How good is that?

INGREDIENTS
1 English cuke, halved and seeded but not peeled, coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded, coarsely chopped
4 plum tomatoes
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 cups sugar-free tomato juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

DIRECTIONS
Put veggies into a food processor and pulse until desired texture is achieved.  My husband and I prefer the soup with a lot of chunky texture, but smooth is just as tasty.  Add juice, vinegar, salt and pepper and pulse again until blended.  Chill and serve.

OPTIONAL GARNISH (use any or all)
3 grilled shrimp per serving

Make a fresh salsa by combining

1/2 cuke, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 avocado, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

 

Breathe! A tool for stopping yourself from binge eating

Posted by: Karen Bentley April 16th, 2012 4 comments permalink


CLICK HERE to read my complete review of Susan Albers’ book, 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, which is posted at my StoppingNation blog.  I really like this book because it’s practical, doable and readable.  Albers has an upbeat, can-do message and she doesn’t fall into the trap of telling us one sad (as well as boring and predictable) story after another.  This one small distinction makes her stand way above and way apart from the pack of authors writing about eating disorders.

Albers says that people are afraid of doing breathing exercises because they aren’t familiar with the technique, and they think the breathing exercise will take too long.   Breathing, however, is a natural activity.  You do it constantly, without event thinking about it.   So there’s nothing special to learn.  All you have to do is pay attention to your breathing, and that’s not very hard.  Also, the breathing exercise only needs to be done for a very brief period of time, until the desired result is accomplished.  Remember, all it takes is one decisive moment to stop yourself from eating when you’re not hungry, and this is one way to do it.

Here’s Albers’ recommended breathing technique:

1. Sit or stand comfortably.
2. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose.
3. Hold that breath for a few seconds.
4. Pretend that you have a straw in your mouth and exhale a short burst of air forcefully through the small opening.  Blow the entire breath out in little spurts of air.  With each puff out, visualize blowing away your urge to eat — this is my advice. 
5.  Repeat steps 2 through 4 six to ten times.

 

60 Minutes – Sugar Is Toxic Video

Posted by: Karen Bentley April 12th, 2012 Comments Off permalink


In April 2012 Dr. Sanjay Gupta did a special 60-Minutes report on the serious health impacts from too much sugar (and other caloric sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup.)  This video examines the dangers of sugar from three different experts who have three different perspectives: 

Perspective 1) Caloric sweeteners are the underlying causes of metabolic syndrome, which is the common condition behind heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes.  

Perspective 2) Caloric sweeteners are addictive and share the same brain pathways as cocaine.  

Perspective 3) Sugar causes cancer tumors to grow, especially sex cancer tumors (breast, uterus, prostate, etc.). 

This is really must see TV.  Check it out here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n

 

RECIPE: Roasted Asparagus

Posted by: Karen Bentley April 11th, 2012 Comments Off permalink


Asparagus season is from April to May, and fresh, beautiful bunches of asparagus are available in every grocery store.  Some people call it the world’s healthiest vegetable.   It has about 3 grams of fiber per serving, which is an excellent amount of fiber, and it also has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.  Asparagus are low in calories, high in antioxidants, high in folate, potassium and magnesium.  I personally love asparagus, and I especially like them when they’re roasted because roasting brings out the natural sweetness. 

Here’s a super easy recipe that anyone can make.  Consider doubling the quantity because it keeps for several days in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS
24 large asparagus (about 2 pounds). 
Extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Balsamic vinegar (Roa’s recommended)
Parmesan cheese block (for shaving)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the ends of the asparagus.  Peel the stalks with a potato peeler.  (This step isn’t necessary if asparagus are very fresh). Arange theprepared asparagus spears in a single layer on a large baking pan (one that has a rim).  Drizzle oil over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 18-20 minutes.  Turn once or twice until asparagus are evenly browned.  Remove from oven.   To serve, drizzle a little vinegar over the asparagus and garnish with Parmesan shavings.

 

Food Industry Corruption

Posted by: Karen Bentley April 11th, 2012 Comments Off permalink


When it comes to food, it’s every man and every woman for him or herself.   The government does a good job of keeping contaminants out of our food supply when they result in immediate sickness or death.  The government does not do a good job of keeping contaminants out of our food supply when they take a long time to make you sick or that are questionable.   This is why you have to think and make decisions for yourself.

It’s not that our government or the FDA doesn’t care.  It’s more that our government is out-flanked.  It simply doesn’t have the same manpower, cash or other resources that conglomerate-type food corporations have.  And, of course, our current cultural preference is to give corporations free rein.   This is all in the name of good business and good jobs.

Corporations exist for one purpose:  to make money, not to make you healthy or to produce the healthiest, most nutritional food products.   I’m not suggesting that it’s bad to make money.  That said, when money is the highest and most overriding food industry value, it leads to a degradation of our food supply.  This happens because short-cuts are favored and many decisions are based on corporate convenience and profit rather than health.  Slowly, one seemingly inconsequential small decision after another, our food supply is corrupted.

Corruption takes place in other subtle ways, too.  Instead of money passing directly from person to person,it passes to legislators in the form of campaign contributions.   This, of course, influences the laws that get passed or not passed.  Power gets passed around, too.  Corporate cronies become friends with special benefits from people in power.   Think of how Bill Clinton, just before he left office,  undid the Surgeon General’s cancer warning on saccharin (SweetNLow) as a corporate favorThen there’s the deal that Donald Rumsfeld (at the time he was the president of Searle) cooked up with Ronald Reagan to push through an unscientifically based approval of aspartame (Nutrasweet and Equal).  Aspartame is still the most controversial and contested substance that was approved by the FDA.  (For more detail on the aspartame scandal, click on the two video links below).

The bottom line.  You must develop the one skill that makes it possible for you to make a healthy food decision all by yourself yourself, without relying on numeric scores or marketing hype or anything else that eliminates the need to think. Always, always read the ingredients list on the back of the food product that you’re buying.  It’s the one and only place to figure out exactly what you’re putting in your mouth.  Be on the lookout for the three most harmful ingredients and then root around for another product that doesn’t have them.

1) trans fats, which are identified by the word hydrogenated
2) sugar or high fructose corn syrup when they’re listed as the first or second ingredient.  This ingredient position means there’s too much sugar in the product.
3) chemicals, especially aspartame and saccharine,and dyes.

Jim Turner’s Esq’s explanation of Rumsfeld’s role in aspartame approval
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oFG8eqJq8U

60 Minute Segment on scientific evidence against aspartame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn5slnNB8h0

 

New Benefits of Exercise: Special Report from Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter

Posted by: Karen Bentley March 27th, 2012 2 comments permalink


Having a hard time getting up off your butt.   Consider these surprising benefits about exercise from a special report in the Tufts Health & Nutrition April 2012 Newsletter.

1.  Exercise may negate risk of Alzheimer’s.  Sedentary people who have a genetic risk of Alzheimer’s have  a greater risk of plaque build up in the brain.    Physically active people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer’s have no more plaque build-up than people who aren’t genetically at risk.   Or said another way, the genetic risk of Alheimer’s can be repressed through exercise.   
2.  Marathons are safe for your heart.   Ever since Jim Fixx, the author of The Complete Book of Running. dropped dead of running in 1984 there’s been a stigma about the elevated risk of death from distance running.   It’s true that deaths occasionally do occur, but after studying 10 years of data from over 11 million runners, the mysth of elevated risk has been fully debunked.   “Forget what you’ve heard about marathon runners supposedly dropping dead from a heart attack during a race.” 
3.  Leisure activities and on-the-job activities protect against heart attacks while watching TV boosts your risk.  Duh.  And who doesn’t know this already?  What I have to say to Tufts about this so-called surprising revelation is that we’ve heard it a thousand times already.   Give us something really new and newsworthy the next time.    The study also said that owning a car boosts your risk.  Come on.  We all own cars.  
4.  Cybercyling or racing on a stationary bike boosts your brain fitness as well as your physical fitness.   Seniors who do stationary bike racing show improvements in mental functionality and are 23% less likely to  be diagnosed with a cognitive decline.
5.  The combination of aerobics and weight training activities are the most effective physical activities for preventing or minimizing metabolic syndrome.   Both type of exercise are needed.  Not just one or the other.  
6.  Omega-3 fats enhance the effects of weight training.   Researchers are finding that omega 3 fat makes you stronger because fish oil plays a role in the plasma membrane and cell function of muscles.  That’s right all you fat phobics.  Fat is good for you.  Fat protects you.  Fat helps you to get stronger!   
7.  Just 15 minutes of daily exercise prolongs you life.   Increase your life expectancy  by three years and lower your mortality rate by 15% with only 90 minutes of activity each week.   Everyone has 15 minutes.  No more excuses! 

Bottom line:  In addition to making you look good and feel good, exercise keeps you young.  It keeps you thinking.   It keeps you alive. I wish this study group reported on the impact of exercise on making you happy, which is also well documented.    You don’t need a happy pill to be happy, you need an active body.

 

ATKINS ENDULGE SNACK BARS: 1 thumb up!

Posted by: Karen Bentley March 27th, 2012 1 comment permalink


Atkins Endulge snack bars are tasty, satisfying, affordable and easy.  Compared to other snack bars, Atkins is a smarter, healthier and more slimming choice.   It’s not that I love Atkins or any other snack bar food manufacturer.  Face it.  Snack bars are all highly processed foods made with a long list of unpronounceable chemicals and preservatives.   Keep in mind that processed foods are what got us into weight and eating trouble in the first place.  There’s nothing natural, healthy or wholesome about them, and this is why I gave the Atkins Endulge snack bar one thumb up instead of two.  That said, a snack bar can be a practical, handy form of nutrition and satisfaction that’s better than pigging out on whatever happens to be available. All things considered, Atkins Endulge is a superior snack bar choice.   Consider these advantages:

-AVAILABILITY:  Atkins Enduge is readily available at most large grocery store chains, drug store chains and at WalMart.  You don’t have to make a special trip to a health food store and you don’t have to pay shipping.
- AFFORDABILITY:  Atkins Endulge is affordable.  A 5-pack of snack bars at WalMart costs just $5.00.  That’s $1 a bar, which is as good as it gets.   Compare this to a 7-pack of Medifast bars which costs about $17.00, which is over $2.40 each plus waiting and shipping.
- LOW CALORIE:  Atkins Endulge is just 130 calories.  Most snack bars are around 200 calories or more.   It’s very hard to find a 100-calorie food that actually tastes good and satisfies, and Atkins Endulge does the trick.
- LOW SUGAR:  Atkins Endulge is just 17 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of sugar.  Most snack bars are at least 25 grams of carbohydrates, even the ones that claim to be high protein.   Luna, for example, (a popular health food brand for women) is 26 carbs and 11 grams of sugar.
-LEAST OBJECTIONABLE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERSAtkins Endulge is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda) and maltitol (a sugar alcohol).  Sucralose is a less objectionable artificial sweetener than aspartame or saccharine because there are less documented health problems associated with it.   Maltitol is a reduced calorie sweetener that’s typically found in sugar-free foods or no sugar added foods.   It’s okay so long as you don’t eat too much of it because a large dose of Maltitol works like a laxative.

Of course, instead of eating a snack bar, you can always pack an apple or package up 1/4 cup of nuts.  But for those of us who don’t plan ahead all that well, snack bars have a place.  When you look for Atkins, you can be sure of staying within sugar-free guidelines.   If Atkins brand isn’t available, root around for another choice.  Always check the calorie count and the ingredients list.  This is the one and only way to make an informed decision about what’s going in your mouth. Don’t rely on claims on the front of the package.  Many so-called protein bars, for example, are particularly misleading because they’re also high sugar and high carb.  

For more information, visit http://www.atkins.com

 

 

“Zero” is in; “Diet” is out

Posted by: Karen Bentley March 5th, 2012 Comments Off permalink


One day you’re in; the next day you’re out!  It’s all in a word.   Marketing studies show that guys don’t like diet products because they associate the term with girly drinks and girly foods, but zero is definitely in.  These days, however, even women don’t want avoidance foods any more.   All food and drink products with words like diet, low-calorie and low-fat have fallen out of favor, and aren’t selling as well as they used to.  The latest in these food labeling trends was reported by Datamonitor at the Weight Management 2011 conference.   

The term zero has less baggage for both genders.  Zero fat. Zero sugar.  Zero calories.  What could be better?  And, of course, zero is a brand new term, which is always a good thing.   Coca-Cola was the first to use the word zero in a big way with the introduction of their new Coke Zero product, marketed at young males.   In fact, Coke Zero is the biggest new Coke product launch in over 20 years.   Some people jokingly refer to this manly product as bloke coke.   There’s not much difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke, which is also known as Coca-Cola Light in some countries.   Chemically, they’re very similar.  Predictably, Coke Zero has zero calories while Diet Coke has 2.   Both are made with carbonated water, caramel color and aspartame, but the less important ingredients vary somewhat.  

I’m not a big fan of sodas, especially anything made with aspartame, so this is not an endorsemet for the Coke products or any other soda product.   It’s the change in terminology that interests me, and I thought you might like to know about it, too.

 

Smucker’s Natural Creamy or Natural Chunky Peanut Butter Gets Two Thumbs Up!

Posted by: Karen Bentley March 3rd, 2012 1 comment permalink


Smucker’s Natural Creamy and Natural Chunky Peanut Butters are a truly excellent peanut butter with a superior taste, an easy-to-spread consistency and no harmful ingredients have been added to it.  Most importantly, there’s no hydrogenated oil, the highly toxic, man-made trans fat that keeps peanut butter from separating into a solid and liquid.  (More about this in a minute.)

There’s also no caloric sweeteners like sugar, HFCS or molasses, common ingredients in other peanut butters, especially the ones that are most popular with kids.  I really like these two Smucker’s products and always seek them out.   Usually, it’s pretty easy to find one or both at the grocery store.  I’ve tried other natural products which cost a whole lot more money, and frankly, they just don’t taste as good or spread as well as the Smucker’s peanut butters. 

Peanut butter is a paste made from dry-roasted peanuts.  It was first introduced as a commercial product in 1948, and ever since then it’s been a favorite of mom’s and kids everywhere.  Why?  Peanut butter tastes good.  It’s inexpensive.  It’s quick and easy to use.  It satisfies.  And it’s highly nutritious.  In fact, peanut butter is such a rich and practical food it’s the primary ingredient in PlumpyNut, a food that it’s used to fight famine in third-world countries that are dealing with severe malutrition problems.

Peanuts are a legume (bean) and not a nut.   So technically, peanut butter is actually a bean butter, not a nut butter.   There are two big objections to peanut butter.  1) it’s high in fat and calories, and 2) some people are allergic to it.   The allergic population is very small, estimated at somewhere between 0.4 to 0.6% of the population.   Most of the time allergic sensitivity is not severe, but it can be life-threatening.   As for fat content, peanut butter is mostly monounsaturated fat, which is now widely regarded by many nutritionists as a desirable and protective type of fat.  Yes, a two tablespoon serving typically has somewhere between 190 and 200 calories, but these are calories that fill you up.   The best defense against overeating and pigging out is a full, satisfied belly.

When shopping for a peanutbutter, it’s essential to check the ingredients list.   This is the one and only place to see if hydrogenated oil has been added to the product.   As I mentioned above, these two Smucker’s products don’t contain any hydrogenated oil, but Jif, another Smucker’s product is loaded with it.  Jif is also made wwith sugar, palm oil and molasses.   So you absolutely have to shop around, and you simply can’t count on a brand or a particular food manufacturer to be consistent.

Man made trans fats are harmful because they’re designed to make a product unnaturally hard.  The reason peanut butter made with hydrogenated oil doesn’t separate is because it has this hardening agent.  Imagine what happens to the cells in your arteries and in your body when they’re constantly exposed to a hardening agent.   Yup, they get hard.  Just like the peanut butter.   And when your cells get hard they become less permeable, and they can’t do their work.  Sure, it’s okay to eat a product made with hydrogenated oil once in a while, but danger creeps in when you eat it every single day or frequently, like many kids do with peanut butter for lunch day in and day out.   

Yes, the two Smucker’s Natural peanut butters separate, but so what.   It’s not a reason to complain.  You always want your peanut butter to separate!   This is a characteristic you must look for.  Go to your pantry or refrigerator right now and check whether or not the peanut butter is separated.  If it’s not separated, look at the ingredients list to see what’s in it.  Any peanut butter made with hydrogenated oil should be thrown out immediately.   Then go get the Smucker’s products.  

 If you want more information about the Smucker’s products, here’s a link to their website:
http://www.smuckers.com/products/category.aspx?groupId=2&categoryId=11

 

Paula Deen is NOT a Badass

Posted by: Karen Bentley March 1st, 2012 1 comment permalink


Paula Deen recently announced she has type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disorder where there’s too much sugar in the blood and where the body can’t process the excess sugar.    My article linked below chronicles Deen, her new drug deal with Novo Nordisk, and the current statistics about diabetes.  Research is just beginning to conclusively show that chronic, excessive sugar consumption is directly linked to type 2 diabetes.  The reason we’re so slow getting the message about the harmful, toxic effects of sugar is because until recently all the attention has been on dietary fat.   Even now, our government and public health organizations are still clinging to the idea that fat is the bad guy in the diet. Dietary fat, however, is not the primary reason there’s excess sugar in the blood.   When you eat sugar through your mouth, you end up with sugar in your blood.   Too much sugar in through your mouth = too much sugar in your blood.   There’s nothing hard or complicated about the association between sugar in the diet and a sugar disease.

Paula Deen is no badass.   Like everyone else, she reflects the prevalent beliefs of our fat-phobic culture, which stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that sugar, sugar relatives, and foods that quickly convert to sugar are the major the culprits in our diet that lead to metabolic syndrome, obesity and poor health.   Again, like everyone, she also embraces the idea that a drug is the handy solution to every problem.   Unfortunately, Victoza (the name of the drug made by Novo Nordisk) does not cure type 2 diabetes.   It just makes it possible to go on doing what you’re doing and live with it.   As you’ll see, the statistics about type 2 diabetes are skyrocketing, and there’s no end in sight.  Don’t lament your genes, wring your hands, or blindly join this unaware crowd.  Educate yourself by reading my exclusive article published by Blogcritics:
http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/paula-deen-poster-child-for-type

 

  • About Karen Bentley

    Karen BentleyI'm the creator and director of The Sugar-Free Miracle Diet System, a weight loss program that's specifically designed to stop out-of-control eating. I've been working in this field since 1998 and have helped over 3,000 people to break free of the reliance on food for non nutritional reasons. Recently, my stopping program has been expanded to address all out-of-control behaviors. Read More
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