Yoga Circle

I'm very excited to announce that yoga will now be offered at the studio.  We have a host of experienced and talented instructors.  If you've never tried yoga, now's the time!  I've provided contact information at the end of the page if you have any questions.

The following information is provided by Tracey:

Our Yoga Circle is expanding and I am honored to announce a few new teachers who will join us in May.

Karen Mischke will be teaching a Yoga Nidra class May 8th. Yoga Nidra is a meditation as well as deep relaxation practice. It will be helpful to bring your mat a bolster and a blanket or two to this class.

Tomoe Natori will be joining our circle on a regular basis sharing her sweet knowledge of Kundalini Yoga begining May15th.

Komal Kumar will be teaching a Hatha Yoga class May 29th. Komal has recently moved to our area and we are excited to have her as a part of our community.

Class will be from 9:00 - 10:30 am and the price will still be $8. You will be able to purchase multiple classes at one time which will be valid for all Yoga classes at this location. Thank you for being a part of this wonderful ever expanding yoga community!

May Schedule:

May 1st ~ Tracye (Inspired by Anusara Yoga)

May 8th ~ Karen (Yoga Nidra)

May 15th ~ Tomoe (Kundalini)

May 22nd ~ Wendy (Hatha Yoga)

May 29th ~ Komal ( Hatha Yoga)

Questions?  Contact Wendy Henderson at wendy@mysticsagemassage.com or Tracey Lederer at tracyelederer@hotmail.com

Earth Day!

Today is the day to consider small changes that add up to big changes in our environment.  So while I was perusing a report on the types of beverages consumed by Americans and saw that soda and fruit drinks were still king in the beverage department, the good news is that bottled water was second.  Now back to Earth Day, while drinking more water is a good thing what about all those empty water bottles?  We've all heard the statistics about how if we put the water bottles end to end we could circle the earth so many times, or travel to the moon, or whatever, the point is the empties are piling up. So my small contribution is to remember my water bottle and stop using the paper cups in the studio. 

There's many other ways to lessen our impact.  Here's a cite for us to learn about how to reduce our energy costs and usage; and recieve monetary incentives to do so:  http://www.rechargecolorado.com/  There's also rebates for replacing our old appliances for new ones with the EnergyStar seal.

Let's celebrate Earth Day everyday...

100% Juice - Too much of a good thing

In a large study that followed over 71,000 nurses over 18 years examined the incidence of type II diabetes and correlated it with consumption of fruit, vegetables and fruit juice.  While consuming fruit and vegetables led to a lower risk of diabetes, consuming fruit juice had a significantly greater risk of diabetes.

Another large study out of China found that those who drank 2 or more glasses of juice a day had a 25% greater risk of diabetes.

So if you're drinking juice for your health (or giving it to your kids), you might re-consider.

Eat fruits, drink water!!!

Best source of omega-3's from fish

Just put out by Seafood Watch, here's the list of best sources of omega-3 fatty acids (at least 250 mg based on consuming 8 ounces per week), contain low levels of contaminants, and are ecofriendly.

• Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, U.S. or British Columbia)
• Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, U.S.)
• Mussels (farmed)
• Oysters (farmed)
• Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
• Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, Oregon)
• Rainbow Trout (farmed)
• Salmon (wild-caught, Alaska)
• Spot Prawns (wild-caught, BritishColumbia)

So let's eat more salmon fish tacos and feel good about it!

Leftovers

I wanted to let you know what I did with the leftover salmon from Friday's dinner. I know it's 5 days later however I made this lunch the following day:  fish tacos!

I used La Tortilla's new brand of corn tortillas made with half whole wheat; they are soft and yummy.  I placed a couple of chunks of the leftover salmon on the corn tortillas and gently re-heated them in the microwave (45 seconds on power 6).  Then I topped the fish tacos with arugula (but any type of salad greens or sprouts will work), some Pineapple Chipolte salsa and a dollop of low-fat sour cream.

Super easy and super good!  I could eat these most days of the week.

Friday's N.E.W. Salmon Dinner

Friday, end of the week, beginning of the weekend, time to sit back and enjoy a healthy and delicious dinner but it still has to be quick since I don't get home until 6:30 p.m.  Before I left for work, I pulled some wild-caught salmon from the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost.  Now's the time to buy wild-caught salmon since it's in-season and often on sale.  I ran to the grocery store during a break and bought some bok choy.  Here's what I did for dinner when I got home (we sat down by 7:15 p.m.):

The Asian Salmon is an old stand-by, modified by a recipe given to me by Nicole.  The accompanying Asian Bok Choy is something new that I thought would complement the salmon.

Asian Salmon

1 TBL honey
1 TBL dijon mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 inch ginger, grated using a microplace (I have chunks of fresh ginger in a  baggie kept in the freezer)
2 large salmon filets
green onion, tops only (optional)

"Melt" honey in microwave for about 15 seconds, add mustard, soy sauce and grated ginger.  Place salmon skin side down on a cookie sheet covered with foil (for easy clean-up).  Spread sauce on top.  Bake in a hot oven (500 degrees) for about 12 minutes.  The last minute I turn the broiler on to carmelize the honey on top.  I also made ribbons of green onion to top the salmon when serving.

Asian Bok Choy

1 bunch bok choy (I bought regular but baby bok choy would probably make a better presentation)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
1/4 inch of ginger, grated
sesame seeds, lightly toasted in a dry pan
freshly ground black pepper

Lightly coat a skillet with canola oil.  Add the garlic and cook a minute or two over medium heat (make sure it doesn't brown).  Meanwhile, fill a sink with cold water, trim the ends of off the bok choy and clean the bok choy in the cold water (be careful to remove all the grit).  Shake off the water and add to the skillet with the garlic.  Saute for a few minutes, add broth and grated ginger, continue cooking until tender.  Drain off any remaining broth in the pan before serving.  Season with black pepper (there's salt in the broth) and toss with sesame seeds.

I also warmed some whole grain peasant bread (which I also pulled from the freezer).  I had bought some bread from the new Dolores bakery (High Dessert Bakery) last week, cut it into thirds and froze it.   Our family is small so we don't need a whole loaf of bread.

Enjoy!

A Scientific Review of Popular Diets

I'll be presenting a seminar on April 27th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. to be held at Whirlygigs Art House  Please RSVP (see below for more information).

I selected this topic because I get so many questions about what diet I think is best.  And the answer is "it depends".  Additionally, as many of you know, I use the term "diet" as a lifestyle term instead of a program that you go on and off.  While many of us go on a diet with the explicit goal of losing weight, for long term results (i.e., keeping the weight off), it is essential to develop healthy eating patterms during the process.  So it's important to not only select a diet that will get you the results you want but also one that establishes a eating style that you love and can maintain long term.

So I've done an extensive review of the scientific literature which studied many of the popular diets - low fat diets (e.g., Ornish diet), low carb (South Beach and Zone diets), very low carb with high protein and high fat (e.g,.Atkins), "Eating Right for Your Blood Type", and the Mediterranean Diet.  I'll present the findings in a way that will allow you to make your own decision on what's best for you.

Come to this informational seminar to learn what the nutrition experts say – and what the research shows.

Presented by Dr. Ann Hight,

April 27th 6-7 p.m.

Held at Whirlygigs Art House

25 North Beech Street

Space is limited. Reserve your ticket by logging onto the calendar http://www.hightofwellness.com/

$10 per person or $15 per couple

Easter Dinner

We arrived home from Scottsdale at 5:45 p.m. and I was determined to get a decent Easter dinner on the table.  I had pork sirlon steaks in the freezer so I defrosted them in hot water.  There was a half a bunch of asparagus and one sweet potato in the house.  I also had some spinach and arugula with some red onion in the fridge too.  From this, we had a tasty and nutritious dinner.  Here's the menu.

Pork with Cherry Sauce
3 pork sirlon or tenderloin steaks, about 1/3 inch thick
2 tbl. minced red onion (shallots would work too)
1/2 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup chicken broth

Season pork with salt and pepper.  Cook in frying pan coated with olive oil about 3 minutes per side over medium high heat (cooking time will vary depending on thickness; don't overcook or the pork will be dry).  Remove pork and tent on a plate.  Add about 1 tsp more of olive oil to pan and cook the onions.  When translucent, add dried cherries and chicken broth.  Reduce by about 1/3.  Serve pork with sauce on top.

Meanwhile, I had nuked the sweet potato for about 4 minutes on high and cleaned the asparagus.  When the sweet potato was done, slice into thick rounds.  Lightly coat another frying with extra virgin olive oil and brown the sweet potato rounds on one side and toss the asparagus onto the other side.  Season all with salt and pepper (I also minced some garlic and threw that on the asparagus side).

The salad was a quick mix of spinach and arugula, with thinly sliced red onion.  I dressed the salad with my best extra virgin olive oil, balasamic vinegar, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  After plating the salad, I shaved (with a carrot peeler) some parmesan cheese on top.

As always, I plated my families dinner and served it with a flourish!  Buon Appetito!!!

Does your DNA determine the best diet for you?

Nutrigenomics

Nutrigenomics is the link between nutrition and your genome, or DNA. Scientists are now investigating whether your DNA predisposes you to process certain types of food better than other types of food. While some nutrition experts say it’s total calories that count, new findings suggest that depending on your DNA you may be more satisfied on a certain type of diet and that diet may be better for your health in the long run. AND total calories still do count.


The research was conducted at Stanford University on 101 Caucasian women. The women were divided into four diet groups; very low carbohydrate, low carbohydrate with high protein, low-fat and very low-fat. A year later, the researchers found that those who were matched to the diet best lost 2-3 times more weight compared to those on the wrong diet.


These findings were recently presented at the American Heart Association conference. While the study is preliminary, it’s received quite a bit of publicity probably because we can all relate to the frustration of going on a diet and giving up because we weren’t seeing results.


The DNA test costs $149. Dr. David Katz from Yale University recently appeared on Dr. Oz’s show and stated that the DNA test may not be necessary and your physical attributes could be used to determine which diet would be more effective. Currently there’s no research to back up his recommendations. However, often times genotypes do determine physical attributes (called phenotypes). For example, eye color is the phenotype, which is determined by your genotype (DNA).


Below are Dr. David Katz’s recommendations:


A Low-Fat Diet may be best for your DNA if you have:


• Heart disease in your family

• Low energy levels

• High LDL cholesterol


A low-fat diet can provide weight loss and protect you from diseases you’re predisposed to. Avoid fatty foods, refined sugars and carbohydrates; they can make you feel lethargic. For best energy, eat low-fat carbs, including whole grains like quinoa, or legumes, like black beans. Choose monounsaturated fats like olive oil and avocado to improve your HDL cholesterol.






Low-Fat Diet Basics


Consume no more than 77 grams of fat per day


Portion breakdown

• 70% carbs
• 15% protein

• 15% fat


A Low-Carb Diet may be best for your DNA if you have:


• Weight around your midsection

• High blood pressure

• High triglycerides


If your waist is greater than 35 inches, you’re at risk for heart disease, gall bladder disease and diabetes. You may be insulin resistant, which means you have difficulty processing sugar. By losing 10% of your body weight, you can also lower your blood pressure. Choose lean healthy proteins and limit the amount of carbs, especially refined white foods like starchy potatoes and bread.






Low-Carb Diet Basics


Consume between 20-60 grams of carbs a day


Portion breakdown:

• 30% carbs

• 40% fat

• 30% protein






A Balanced Diet may be best for your DNA if you have:


• Family history of diabetes or heart disease

• Mediterranean ethnicity

• Frequent indigestion or constipation


“If it was good enough for your parents, it’s good enough for you,” says Dr. Katz. “That’s the real power of nutrigenetics. It reminds us of the importance of our heritage.” For example Scandinavians do very well consuming dairy because they are lactose tolerant, whereas, many Native Americans and Chinese are lactose intolerant.






Balanced Diet Basics


Portion breakdown

• 50% carbs

• 30% fat

• 20% protein



 

Shopper's Guide to Pesticides

While we all know that buying organic produce will lessen our exposure to pesticides, it's more expensive.  So what to do?  Here's a list of the worst offenders (the highest amount of pesticides) and the "clean 15" (those items with the least amount of pesticides).

DIRTY DOZEN (buy organic)

• Peach
• Apple
• Bell Pepper
• Celery
• Nectarine
• Strawberries
• Cherries
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Grapes (Imported)
• Carrot
• Pear

CLEAN 15 (lowest pesticide)

• Onion
• Avocado
• Sweet Corn
• Pineapple
• Mango
• Asparagus
• Sweet Peas
• Kiwi
• Cabbage
• Eggplant
• Papaya
• Watermelon
• Broccoli
• Tomato
• Sweet Potato

For more information and a pocket guide, check out http://www.foodnews.org/