Diet Advice You Can Easily Follow

Diet Advice You Can Easily Follow

You see them all the time—infomercials, emails, and Facebook posts that claim to have the secret to dropping those stubborn winter pounds so you look better on the beach this summer. They pitch a “breakthrough” diet or a metabolism-boosting extract. Often, it doesn't live up to the promise.



That’s exactly what we’re here to save you from. “A hugely important thing to remember is that there are no weight-loss 'secrets,’ ” says Alan Aragon, M.S., and the Men’s Health weight-loss coach. “Time, patience, and determination are required, along with owning up to the fact that it's a difficult process.” There are no tricks that can transform you into Cristiano Ronaldo, and thinking they exist only leads to discouragement and failure. 



So what does work?

The Advice: Remember basic math.

The Expert: Alan Aragon, M.S., Men’s Health weight-loss coach
To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume, says Aragon. Common sense, right? As most of us know, that simple rule can be hard to follow if your diet doesn't allow for your favorite foods. Aragon's solution: Plan “cheat days” where you can eat what you want, but plan ahead so you still end up with a calorie deficit for the week.

And while you want to incorporate exercise, don't over-rely on it. or you'll burn yourself out with endless cardio or gym sessions, Aragon says. Instead, have a plan and follow it consistently. If your nutrition and fitness schedule concludes with two days of pushing yourself to the limit, says Aragon, you're doing something wrong.

The Advice: Eat real food.

The Expert: David Katz, M.D., founding director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center
At the request of scientific publisher Annual Reviews, Dr. Katz pursued the question: What mainstream diet works best? He scoured through the options, from Paleo to vegan and much more. After weighing the pros and cons of each strategy, Katz found no clear winner. He did discover a helpful common pattern: Consuming real foods—or minimally processed foods, including plants—promotes health and prevents disease. “Focus on these foods and the nutrients will sort themselves out,” says Katz.

Need help sorting through processed products? With the help of top nutritional experts, Katz developed Nuval, a guide that calculates a food's nutritional score. The higher the number, the greater the health value.

The Advice: Eat foods fill you up.

The Expert: Christopher Mohr, PH.D., RD, president of Mohr Results in Louisville, Kentucky
Refined carbohydrates are foods from which the grain—and most of the nutritional value—is extracted when processed. Think white bread, pretzels, and plain pasta. They spike your blood sugar which then drops like a roller-coaster, making you hungry for more. Replace refined carbs with a cup of fat-free cottage cheese with fruit or wild salmon, Mohr says. The protein-filled foods will keep you fuller and prevent overeating, as well as helping you build and maintain lean-muscle mass. Choosing foods with 20 to 30 grams of protein and/or more healthy fiber is crucial, says Mohr.

The Advice: Strive for average.

The Expert: Mike Roussell, PH.D., Men’s Health nutrition advisor  
 Reaching for the middle doesn’t seem like the right way to approach a goal, but in this case, average is good. Trying to do too much too soon—losing 20 pounds of fat or gaining 20 pounds of muscle in a month—is a recipe for disaster, Roussell says. These aggressive goals lead to extremes in calorie-cutting and binging, called hyperbolic dieting, and produces unsustainable, short-term results. “Ask yourself—is my diet today the average of what I’d like it to always be? If the answer is yes, then you are doing it right,” Roussell says.

The Advice: Eliminate mindless munching.

The Expert: David Sarwer, Ph.D., director of the Albert J. Stunkard Weight Management Program at the University of Pennsylvania

“In our overly scheduled daily lives, we rarely pay attention to what we eat and drink throughout the day,” Sarwer says. Instead of running to the vending machine every time your stomach rumbles, plan out healthy snack breaks throughout the day. Trade a low-calorie snack bar for that bagel in the break room, or a handful of almonds to replace your afternoon bag of chips. The simple act of thinking about and controlling what you consume will work wonders. 

5 Mistakes You're Making in the Produce Aisle

5 Mistakes You're Making in the Produce Aisle

You're actually visiting your produce aisle. Congrats! That's an awesome start. But as any person who has ever sorted through a bin of mushy tomatoes knows, taking a trip to the supermarket and walking out with the best-of-the-best produce is definitely not a given.


Buying Produce Just Once a Week
You aren't shopping for dried goods here. Produce goes bad fast! And every day it sits around in your refrigerator or on your countertop, it loses a bit more of its nutrients. So shop for your fruits and veggies as close to when you plan to eat them as possible. Sure, that might mean making a few more trips to the store, but your grub will taste so much better—and half won't end up rotten in the trashcan.

Shopping at the Start of the Season
It's tempting to load up on strawberries, tomatoes, and watermelon as soon as they show their rose-y little faces in the supermarket. But it's better to hold off. "The first produce—especially fruit—of the season isn't necessarily the best to buy,". It will often be very expensive and won't taste as good as later-in-the-season varieties. If you're not sure if your supermarket's produce is good yet, ask if you can try a sample.

Buying Internationally
Where are your veggies from? If they're from overseas, they might not be as fresh as you'd like. "Usually, you'll get the freshest and best-tasting produce if you buy domestically or locally because it's getting from the farm to you faster,". If you don't have direct access to local farmers (think: farmers markets), checking the stickers on your produce for countries of origin.

Picking Pre-Sliced
If it's between buying some already-sliced pieces of watermelon and grabbing a whole melon you'll end up avoiding until it rots and you're forced to throw it away, then sure: Pre-sliced is better. But buying whole helps guarantee your produce is as fresh from the farm as it can be. Plus, produce’s skin, rind, whatever, is there for a reason: It protects the plant from deteriorating.

Not Knowing What's Ripe
You can't judge every piece of produce the same way. With some, you know they're ready to go based on color. With others, texture is the indicator. With avocados, it's about whether or not their stem falls out easily. 

Grilled Chicken Wings

Grilled Chicken Wings

                                                   

INGREDIENTS

• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano t
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 2 pounds chicken wings

PREPARATION      

• Combine garlic, oregano, rosemary, and oil in a large resealable plastic bag; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken wings, seal bag, and turn to coat. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Prepare grill for medium heat. Remove wings from marinade and grill, covered and turning occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, 15–20 minutes.
• DO AHEAD: Chicken can be marinated 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

8 ways to simplify your morning

8 ways to simplify your morning

 Between missing homework and breakfast battles, getting the kids to school on time can pose a serious challenge. But with a few simple tweaks to your morning routine, you can get out the door faster and reduce stress for everyone in the house.

Build a Breakfast Menu
Most families eat the same favorite meals over and over again. Why not make it official? Reduce your daily decision making and simplify your grocery shopping by creating a seven or 14-day breakfast schedule. For instance, serve scrambled eggs and toast on Monday or muffins and yogurt on Tuesday. You can do the same for lunch à la the school cafeteria. Create a calendar, post it in the kitchen, and follow it each day. Cook, eat, and repeat!

Pack Lunch Faster
Get a jumpstart on lunch-packing duty and set up a workstation stocked with the right tools. Make sure all of your frequently used items, such as sandwich bags and storage containers (stock up on multiples so a clean one is always available), are easily accessible and located near one another. Buy lunch boxes that are easy to clean and consider packing lunch the night before or storing sandwiches in the freezer a week in advance.

Create a "Destination Station"
Avoid hunting for objects at the last minute by dedicating a place to backpacks, school papers, mail, keys, purses, and chargers. If you don’t have a mudroom or laundry room, re-purpose a piece of furniture or install a row of sturdy hooks near an entryway. It doesn’t have to be perfect or fancy, as long as it's functional. Designate this place near the exit you frequent the most.

 Think Like a Child
Work with your children's habits and limitations. Any task kids need to do should be easy and obvious. Large hooks hung at an appropriate height are more likely to receive a jacket than a hanger in a tall closet. Stashing shoes by the back door instead of the upstairs closet could mean the difference between arriving at school before or after the bell rings. Make simple adjustments that cater to your child, and you'll save yourself time and frustration.

Start the Night Before
Establishing an evening routine can help you get out the door faster the next morning. Remember this: The more you do tonight, the less you'll have to take care of tomorrow. Run the dishwasher, bathe the kids, and straighten up the house. Tackle small tasks like choosing outfits for yourself and the kids, signing permission slips, and loading up backpacks. Before you hit the sack, imagine your future self in the morning and do her any favors you can.

 Go Low Maintenance
Simplifying your beauty regimen can add valuable minutes to your hectic morning. It could be time to bid farewell to a complicated haircut that requires multiple styling tools and expensive products. Maybe your closet is crying for a makeover that would reduce the time spent searching for an outfit. Or, perhaps all you need is to corral everyday cosmetics and toiletries into one go-to drawer.

Streamline the Paperwork
Each evening, make a habit of assessing what papers have come home from school and separate them into one of four categories. Action papers require a step like a signature or a payment. Save informational papers for future reference. Decide if you want to display, archive, or toss artwork. Create a tray for “I don’t know” (ambiguous papers you’re not sure about). Keep an “I don’t know” pile for each child. When the tray is full of graded assignments, scribbles, and other unknown papers, sort through the stack and decide what to do. Address the ”action” papers as soon as possible, preferably in the evening.

Get Up Earlier
Nobody likes hearing it, but if you're consistently running five or 10 minutes late, maybe you should set your alarm back 15 minutes. If the kids are the first ones up, then you and your partner could try getting up before they do. You may be in for a rude awakening at first but, over time, you will probably be glad that you did.

Tim Love's Texas Chili

TIM LOVE'S TEXAS CHILI

Ingredients:

• 4 medium onions, minced
• 2.5lbs lean beef brisket or equivalent beef cut, rough chopped
• ¼ cup oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1tbs guajillo chili, ground
• 1tbs chipotle chili, ground
• 32oz San Marzano diced tomatoes, canned
• 1tbs cumin
• 1tsp salt
• 1tbs oregano
• 1tbs dry mustard
• 1oz tequila
• 1 can Lone Star beer
• 3oz red chili powder
• 2 cups beef stock
• 3 serrano peppers, sliced
• 20 tortilla chips, ground fine
• 1 package saltines

- Brown onions and beef in a large pot or Dutch oven
- Stir in garlic, serranos, oregano, salt, dry mustard, tomato sauce, tomatoes, tequila, beer, chili powder, and beef stock
- Wait 15mins, then add ground dry chilies and cumin
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2hrs
- Add ground chips and stir well
- Simmer for 30mins more
- Serve with saltines

Feeds 15-20 people, or one lucky person for an entire week

Roast Lemon Chicken

Roast Lemon Chicken

Ingredients

• 3 lemons
• 1/4 cup(s) unsalted butter
• 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
• 1 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon(s) (crushed) black peppercorns
• 6 clove(s) (large) garlic, crushed 

Directions

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees F. Zest and juice 1 lemon. Heat the lemon juice and the butter together in a small saucepan and set aside. Sprinkle the chicken cavity with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the crushed peppercorns. Gently slide two fingers under the skin of the breast and rub half of the zest and 1/8 teaspoon pepper onto the breast meat. Cut 1 lemon into quarters and place it and the garlic in the cavity. Tie the legs together with butcher's twine and season the outside of the bird with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Place on a rack in a small roasting pan, and roast for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Quarter the remaining lemon and place it in the bottom of the pan. Continue to roast, basting with a brush every 15 minutes with the prepared lemon butter, until the meat between the thigh and body (avoid touching the bone) reaches 167 degrees F -- about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let the chicken rest at least 15 minutes to allow the juice to settle before carving.

Kitchen Hacks to make things easier

Kitchen Hacks to make things easier

Use two plates to safely cut a lot of little tomatoes at once.

•  Lay the tomatoes you wish to slice in half on a small plate. Place another plate on top and then run a very sharp knife through the gap between the two plates, holding the top plate securely with your other hand. Voila! Tons of tomatoes cut at one time with all 10 fingers accounted for!

 Use a hot knife to slice cake perfectly

•  Run your knife underneath the hot water from the tap, dry it off with a towel, and then cut your cake. You may need to re-heat the knife a couple times throughout the process but it works like a charm, especially on thick, rich cakes

 Freeze broth in ice cube trays to keep a big container from going bad

•  Why food companies insist on selling chicken, beef, and veggie broth in 32-ounce containers may forever be a mystery. Instead of letting the rest of the broth go to waste, just pour leftover broth into an ice cube tray, freeze, and then store in an airtight container. Two cubes is about ¼ cup and the broth will always be ready when you are.

 Cut corn off the cob quickly and neatly by holding it steady with a bundt pan

•  Get out a sharp knife and a large bundt cake pan, and get cutting. The center of the pan will help you hold the cob securely in place and the pan will catch all the corn while you cut

 Open jars instantly with a bottle opener

•  Gently lift the edge of the jar’s lid until you hear the seal pop, and then unscrew like normal

Grilled Margarita Chicken

Grilled Margarita Chicken

3-5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast (washed and trimmed)

Zest of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
Juice of 3 limes (about ½ cup)
Juice of 1 orange (about ¼ cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, minced (seeded and deveined to reduce heat)
5 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 ounces Cuervo Gold tequila
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Place chicken in a resealable gallon size plastic bag.  Set aside.

Combine all ingredients, except chicken, in a small bowl or measuring cup.  Whisk to combine.  Pour the marinade over the chicken, seal and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 3-24 hours.  Turn chicken occasionally.

Preheat grill to medium-high.  Place chicken on the counter to come to room temp.

Grill chicken about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Serve and enjoy.

***  If you choose to you can make a 2nd batch of the marinade to serve on top.  In a small saucepan over high heat bring the marinade to a boil.  Stirring constantly boil for 2 minutes, reduce to simmer and cook until reduced by 1/3.  Serve over top of chicken for an extra flavor treat!

COOK'S NOTE:  You can also cook this in the oven.  Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Pour off 1/2 of marinade, add the chicken and remaining marinade to a 9x12 baking dish and bake for 60 minutes.

Homemade Mac 'n' Cheese

 

Everyone has their weaknesses — mine happens to be mac and cheese.

I’ve ordered it at hip restaurants, and I've made it from a box. Sometimes it’s excellent, but most of the time it disappoints. So, I embarked on a quest for the perfect homemade macaroni and cheese — a version that mimicked the creaminess of the boxed version, but with much better flavor and a more complex texture. After dozens of failed attempts, I stumbled upon the secret ingredient:

In a word: Velveeta.

I know what you're thinking, but if an ingredient or technique makes a dish taste better then I am all for it. The key lies in how much Velveeta you use — you certainly don't want it to overpower the dish. I came up with a recipe that you can make for your family, serve to guests, take to potlucks. I promise you, people will go nuts for it. But don’t mention the V-word. It’ll be our little secret.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese
 
Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, left whole
• 8 ounces Velveeta, cut into small cubes
• 8 ounces extra sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (do NOT use pre-shredded)
• 4 ounces gouda, fontina, or gruyère, coarsely grated
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 4 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced (optional)
Topping:
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat medium covered saucepot of salted water to boiling on high. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large saucepot, melt butter on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in flour. Cook 1 minute or until well combined, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. While whisking, slowly drizzle milk into pot (really, really slowly, it should take about 3 minutes to pour in all the milk). At first, the mixture will be really pasty and hard to whisk, but power through. Stop pouring occasionally to whisk away all lumps and whisk around edges. This is the key to a smooth base for your cheese sauce. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
4. Heat sauce to simmering on medium heat, whisking frequently and scraping bottom and edges of pot, making sure sauce isn’t sticking. Let simmer 1 minute or until thickened, whisking constantly.
5. By the handful, add cheeses to sauce, stirring and waiting until cheese melts before adding next handful. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, if desired. The sauce should be a smidgen saltier than you think it should be because when you eat it with the bland macaroni, the flavor will balance out. Remove and discard garlic cloves.
6. Add macaroni to boiling water. Cook for half the time the label directs; drain well and stir into cheese sauce. Transfer to 3-quart baking dish. Top with tomato slices, if using.
7. In med. bowl, stir together ingredients for Topping. Sprinkle over tomatoes. Bake macaroni and cheese 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and crumbs are golden brown. Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Smart Ways to Save on Groceries

Smart Ways to Save on Groceries


You can't afford to go food shopping without a plan in hand. With grocery prices higher than ever, it’s simply too costly to just start tossing items into your cart. Save more by shopping smarter, which means rethinking when and where you shop and how you use what you buy. Put these ideas into action to get the most for your money.
 
1. Shop alone. Too many hands make for long register receipts. Kids and husbands often coerce you into buying more than you want to, especially junk foods.

2. Buy only what you need. Most people load up on tomatoes, zucchini and peppers, put them in the fridge and then forget about them. Plan menus before you go, and buy only a few days’ worth of fruit and vegetables. You’ll be surprised how much money you save when you stop throwing stuff away.

3. Supersize. The best meat prices are on larger cuts, so have the butcher cut a large roast into steaks, stew meat and a small roast. Ground meat is usually cheaper in family-size packs; you can repackage and freeze it. Check the freezer section for large bags of poultry and seafood, too.

4. DIY and save. While the marinated roasts or chicken breasts in the meat department may look tasty, you pay a high price for all that liquid and seasoning. Instead, soak chicken breasts or inexpensive cuts of meat in lemon juice or Italian salad dressing for a few hours before cooking, or freeze in plastic freezer bags with some marinade. Instead of buying chicken nuggets, bread your own chicken strips to cook or freeze for later.

5. Don’t over-purchase. Just because an item on sale will save you money doesn’t make it worth buying dozens. Limit yourself to a reasonable number of boxes, bottles or cans of any one item in your pantry, fridge or freezer at a time. Many products expire before you’ll ever use them, and stores typically run sales on specific items periodically, so you can replenish later. A lot of people shop for a snowstorm when it’s really not necessary.

6. Say so long to snack packs. Single servings of cookies, chips, crackers and juice may be very convenient, but they’re no value on a volume basis. If you buy sandwich bags or use small containers to create your own snack packages, not only will you save money, but you’ll also have more control over how much—and what—your kids eat.

7. Weigh your choices. When purchasing prebagged produce, such as apples, oranges or potatoes, put several bags on the scale to find the heaviest. Sometimes they can vary by as much as a pound.

8. Go generic. In many cases, generic and store-label food and household items are identical to or as good as name-brand products. Cereals, crackers, chips, napkins and paper towels are usually dependable and cost 20 to 30% less; stick to name brands for ketchup and pasta sauces.

9. Compare cost per pound or cost per unit. Be sure to check the unit cost. Sometimes the “economy” size isn’t always the best bargain, especially when a smaller size is on sale.

10. Make friends with the butcher. Ask him what day of the week and time they stock the “reduced for quick sale” area. You’ll get substantial savings, sometimes $2 a pound or up to 50% off.

11. Check out the chicks. A roasting chicken is merely a large fryer, relabeled and sold at a higher price. Don’t pay more for a different label; find the biggest fryer for roasting.

12. Think ahead. Proper preparation can turn would-be waste into a fresh new meal. If your family never finishes that last third of lasagna, for instance, cut out a third before serving and freeze it.

13. Invest in a second freezer. You’ll save big on meat by stocking up on specials.

14. Shop with leftovers in mind. Some foods are perfect for an encore performance the following day, especially if you can present them differently.

15. Learn when to leave leftovers behind. Not all meals are as appealing on day two, so don’t buy more than you can eat in one sitting. For instance, fish or dressed salad just isn’t as good the next day, so buy and prepare just what you need.

16. Count on discount and clearance stores. Merchants such as Big Lots frequently offer cut-price groceries and paper products.

17. Visit price clubs with a friend. Take a supply of boxes, bags and resealable containers, and split purchases that you both want, especially items like fresh fruit and spices.

18. Buy the Wednesday paper. That’s the day newspapers typically include a food section where supermarkets advertise sales.

19. Cut corners on clipping coupons. Check out websites that offer printable manufacturer coupons. (To find, type “grocery coupons” into your search engine.)

20. Stock up on local, in-season fruits and veggies. Markets may import out-of-season produce from other countries, but the price usually reflects the airfare. If you’re going to cook the items, then freezing in-season produce saves you money.

Healthy foods on a budget

Healthy foods on a budget




Want to fill your plate with delicious, healthy foods without breaking the bank? Good Food on a Tight Budget—the first of its kind—lists foods that are good for you, easy on your wallet and good for the planet.

Environmental Working Group’s health experts have chosen them based on an in-depth review of
government surveys and tests for nearly 1,200 foods.


BEFORE You Shop
■ Plan and save. Make a meal plan and shopping list . Use the food you have and the deals you find in store ads and coupons.
■ Add more fruits and vegetables to your meal plan. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables. You can get your 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for about the cost of a bus ride in most
cities.
■ Add beans and lentils to your meal plan. Pick beans and lentils instead of meat for 2 or more dinners every week – lots of protein for less money.
■ Skip processed foods like frozen pizza, cookies and soda. They usually cost more than fresh, healthy food. Canned foods are convenient, but eat fresh or frozen when you can to lower your
exposure to toxic chemicals.

AT HOME
■ Cook and freeze large batches. Save money by cooking at home more and eating out less. Store food properly and throw less away.
■ Grow your own. You can buy seeds with SNAP dollars. You don’t need a backyard, just some containers, a sunny window and a little soil. Community gardens are often free. Try cherry tomatoes and lettuce first.




Check out www.ewg.org/goodfood