Saturday 30 August 2014

Strawberries, cheese, chocolate, yogurt, apples, pineapple, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, nuts, seeds, onion, carrot and oranges.
No, it’s not my grocery list; it’s the list of foods which help you get a better smile!
Healthy white teeth are too rare and I think the blame is on our lifestyle; things like:
Alcohol, teas, coffee, candy, cereal and other processed food do not just cause you cavities, but also make your teeth ugly.
This post its not about my telling you the chemistry of how it works (because I find it boring), but it’s about recipes and letting you know that eating chocolate is good for you.
Strawberry, Arugula and Prosciutto salad:

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
  • 1/3 cup sliced red onion
  • Olive oil cooking spray
  • 4 thin slices prosciutto (about 2 ounces)
  • 6 cups baby arugula (about 5 ounces)
  • 2 ounces goat cheese or feta, crumbled

Preparation

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large serving bowl. Add berries and red onion; let stand 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, lightly coat a seasoned cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan with cooking spray, and heat over moderately high heat. Add prosciutto in one layer, and cook, turning, about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a plate to cool; crumble and reserve.
3. Place the baby arugula in a large serving bowl with the cheese; add the strawberries, red onion, and balsamic dressing, and toss gently until just coated.

Fruit Parfaits

Ingredients

  • 1 cup plain, fat-free Greek-style yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 1/2 cups ripe pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 pineapple)
  • 1 1/2 cups strawberries, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 pint)
  • 6 tablespoons low-fat granola

Preparation

Combine the yogurt, honey, granola and fruit in a bowl.
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups:

Ingredients

8 oz of 70% bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup cream cheese
1 Tbsp. stevia
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 paper or foil muffin cup liners

Directions

1. Melt chocolate in a bowl set over a small pot of simmering water.
2. Using a pastry brush or new paintbrush paint chocolate onto the inside of the muffin cups.
3. Place them in a muffin tin for easier handling.
4. Paint a thick layer and then refrigerate until it has set hard.
5. Puree the peanut butter, cream cheese, stevia and vanilla in a food processor until smooth.
6. Spoon or pipe into the hardened chocolate cups and then pour a thick layer of the remaining melted chocolate over the top making sure the edges are sealed.
7. Put back in fridge until the tops have set.
8. Peel liners off before serving.



And that’s it my dears.
I really wanted you to know that strawberries are the best thing for your teeth and you can add it for lunch or nice breakfast and that like I always say chocolate is a magical thing.
Now you have the list of the things you need to add to your diet for healthy teeth, so all you need is to make peanut butter cups.
And what a healthy recipe I gave you! Yum yum!
It’s not about fat loss; this time it’s about beauty and for me beauty is an important thing. You can be super healthy but if you don’t take care of how you look then for me you’re not really healthy.
Don’t sell yourself short; you work your butt off try to look sexy right? Don’t forget the small things - teeth and nails - because as you get sexier all those things get more obvious and you will end up looking ridiculous and I don’t want it to happen to you.
Be healthy. Look healthy. Eat chocolate.

<3

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014


Thursday 21 August 2014

Rule 43
MAGNESIUM.
What? Why? How? Where? Recipes???? 
Let’s start with the what the heck is magnesium.
Magnesium is a mineral. 
Why do you need this mineral?
·         Magnesium helps in treating acute attacks of asthma in children. 
·         Magnesium in the diet may help protect against developing type 2 diabetes.
·         It prevents temporary or permanent hearing loss due to very loud noise.
·         It prevents heart failure.
·         It also prevents high blood pressure, migraines, osteoporosis, PMS and constipation.
·         Magnesium helps digest sugar to create energy instead of fat.
How and Where:
You can take supplement. I strongly recommend women past the age 45 to take magnesium supplement to fight Osteoporosis.
Anyone else, check with your doctor.
Where else can you get it beside supplement?
·         Eggs
·         Milk
·         Butter
·         Beef
·         Chicken
·         Lamb
·         Turkey
·         Veal
·         Cod
·         Halibut
·         Shrimp
·         Tuna
·         Asparagus
·         Beans green
·         Beets
·         Broccoli
·         Cabbage
·         Carrots
·         Cauliflower
·         Cucumber
·         Tomato
·         Apricots
·         Banana
·         Cherries
·         Grapefruit
·         Orange
·         Peach
·         Pear
·         Pineapple
·         Strawberries
·         Almonds
·         Brazil nuts
·         Cashews
·         Peanuts
·         Pecans
·         Sesame Seeds
·         Soybeans
·         Sunflower Seeds
·         Walnuts
·         Quinoa


WOW!!!
So many sources to get it and still 87% of women suffer from deficiency! How is it even possible?
Instead of getting mad I’m just going to give you recipes. Do with them what you want.
Quinoa Breakfast Porridge
Ingredients
·         1 cup quinoa (all red or a mix of red, white, or black)
·         1 3/4 cups water
·         1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
·         1/4 cup sliced almonds
·         Maple syrup or honey
·         Other: Any other fruits or nuts that you would like to add ( apple slices or blueberries)
Preparation
In a heavy medium saucepan add water and cinnamon and bring to a boil, then add quinoa. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until fluid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15-25 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and let stand, covered, 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep covered to keep warm.

Quinoa with Spinach & Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms

Ingredients
·         1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
·         2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
·         1 pear, peeled, cored and cut into chunks (not too ripe)
·         1 garlic clove, halved
·         2 pounds Portobello mushrooms, stemmed and gills scraped out
·         1 cup red quinoa
·         3 cups tightly packed fresh spinach, chopped
·         4 green onions, thinly sliced
·         1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
·         1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 475°F.
Put vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic in a blender with 1/3 cup water and blend until smooth, about 1 minute, to make the dressing. Cut mushrooms into chunks and combine in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the dressing. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally, 15-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
While mushrooms roast, prepare quinoa.
Combine mushrooms, quinoa, spinach, green onions, almonds, pepper and 1/2 cup more dressing in a large, wide serving bowl. Stir to mix well.
Raw pumpkin seeds pesto
Ingredients
·      1 c. pumpkin seeds (pepitas), soaked for 2 hours then drained
·      1/2 c. olive oil
·      2 garlic cloves
·      1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
·      1 tsp. raw honey
·      1 c. fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process until very smooth.
Black Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

15.5 oz cooked black beans, drained and taped dry
2 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
2 tbsp peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp soy milk (or any milk)
1/2 cup stevia
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp buckwheat flour
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tbsp chia seeds, optional
 DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lined two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a food processor add all the ingredients except chocolate chips and chia seeds. Blend until smooth. Add chocolate chips and chia seeds and incorporate into the mix.
scoop   16 balls on the cookie sheets. Use a spoon to flatten the cookies.
Bake for 20 minutes.

That’s it for now. Make sure you check my next post about strawberries, cheese and chocolate (and why you NEED to eat them).
Bye!

 Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014


Thursday 14 August 2014

So you know what I just realized?
I never told you my story! My weight loss story that is…
So…almost 6 year ago I was fat.
185lb of basically all fat…I was super weak…185lb and because it was all fat I looked like 220lb. and I was 18 years old.
But the story started way before.
April of 1990 a cute baby girl was born weighing 9.9lb!!! And yes, for some bizarre reason my mom still loved me…go figure… She said I was just soooo cute… Moms…
My favourites foods growing up were:
·         Burger king
·         Grape juice
·         Yams
·         Pasta
·         Chocolate
·         Ice cream
You get the point right?
Now it might shock you but I actually ate pretty healthy too, lots of veggies and other whole food home-made.
So what got me to be so big? TV had a lot of cool shows so….
Anyway, I was a fat kid and a fat teenager .
It wasn’t as bad as you think. Now that I see fat kids on the bus I feel bad for them but it wasn’t so bad; I was just very unaware of my weight. It’s not like I knew any different…I was always fat.
A few post back I was ranting on this type of girls who wish with all their hearts to be thin but for the life off them can’t move their asses; I was one of them (that’s why I allowed myself to bitch at them)! I prayed every night to lose the weight but when morning arrived I went back to the TV.
It’s not my autobiography and honestly my whole life story is not your business; it’s not that I don’t love you I just don’t like hurting people and if I all write my whole life story…I’m a bitch – let’s just say it like that ;)
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, so, when I was 18 years old I moved to Canada. Now I don’t know if you know that but there’s snow in Canada….did you know that?
So a fat 18 year old girl from the middle-east goes to a ski hill… Sounds like a joke right? Well this joke is when my life started!
I fell. I tried to stop myself with my hand (no, I didn’t know how to fall; I was never active enough to learn) and ended up breaking my wrist.
While my family went to the ski hill every day I was at home and one evening I decided that enough is enough! I want to look good and I want to be thin!
The day after I woke up in the morning, put my jacket on and started walking.
I never looked back.
40lb of FAT down and 20lb of muscle up I don’t think it was the right decision - I think it was the ONLY decision! Why would I spend my life being unhappy and unhealthy when it can be the opposite?
I decided to write this post because I wanted you to get to know me, to know where I’m coming from but also for myself.
To remind myself that I did something amazing, something that took work, and a lot of it.
My success wasn’t the amount of weight I lost. it was that I never gained it back. 6 years and I just get better and better!
The secret for not gaining it back is how you lose it. That’s why I have this blog: to help you understand so you can get your goals too!
If you feel like you need extra help please contact me
email: danagatfit@outlook.com




 Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014

Friday 8 August 2014

IIFYM vs. Clean Eating.
I write this post due to a lot of questions I got a little while ago about it.
IIFYM = If It Fits Your Macro
Clean Eating = You eat whole, not processed food. No dairy, no flour, no salt, no  sugar.
So first of all, macro is short for macronutrients.
Macronutrients are carbs, fat and protein. You must have food to survive.
There’s this point of view that everyone has a daily amount of carbs (in grams), fat, protein and calories and that the most important thing is that it does not exceeds this amount (in grams) of fat, protein and carbs, and of course it shouldn’t  exceed your daily calories allowance.
A lot of people find it easy to follow and not as strict as other diets. The reason being of course that you can have junk food as well If It Fits Your Macro.
Of course (that’s the part where you get a story and some backstage gossip from the fitness industry) the IIFYM people are being judged for eating “bad food”.
Well, it’s half true.
Yes if you choose to eat by what fits your macro you can have junk food; but like any kind of calories counting (or point counting like weight watchers)  if you eat healthy you can eat more while if you have a big mac you just got close to you daily macro/calories allowance.
All those fitness models that go by IIFYM are not eating junk. If you want to look good you can’t eat junk.
Meaning: who cares how you call you diet? How about people in the fitness industry would stop fighting and saying what they say is the best and only way and trying to make money from making you feel stupid?
You eat healthy? You move your ass? You’re doing great!
People that say that people on IIFYM eat junk are stupid. Just like people that eat only clean food and finish their workout with whey. Clean food means no processed food.
Meaning no milk (dairy or non-dairy), no sugar, no salt or any unknown ingredients like whey powder.
The more you move, the less crap you eat, the better you get.
IIFYM and clean eating people both eat more whole food than crap, both move their ass and that’s the way to lose fat.
Some people find it easy to focus on one thing and that’s ok.
IIFYM came from people who find clean eating is too hard. But don’t get fooled: You want to look shredded? You don’t eat junk at all. Doesn’t matter what you call it.
I go by portions; it’s easy to do and I don’t need to calculate anything.
My food is 90% clean but I don’t like to call it a clean diet. I do dairy and whey.
Processed food is bad. Nothing anyone says can change it, so relax and don’t try to find a name for your lifestyle; just live healthy and enjoy it.
If you do want help with a meal plan because you find it too confusing and you do want to know how to to portions that fit you (you got to find what fits you and only you. we’re all different), contact me at: danagatfit@outlook.com





 Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014

Saturday 2 August 2014

Fluids And Other Crap.
Remember last post? I told you about
water = water
and not, water = fluids like tea, coffee and juice.
So let’s talk about it.
 It’s summer. And when it’s summer we enjoy summer drinks. They’re colourful, cold and God knows I can’t… The other day I had 2 fresh squeeze orange juice!!!!!! So delicious!
You have to understand, fresh squeeze orange juice is like my favourite thing to drink! More than chocolate milk! 
And I like chocolate milk! And cold coffee, and virgin margaritas and fancy tropical smoothies.. with no yogurt!

I’m just like you! Lucky for me I live in a country with 8-10 months of summer so I don’t have to drink all these fully loaded high calories drinks in 2 months period and look at the mirror come September and try to remember how I gained 20lb; however I did live like that for the last 6 years so I do know how it feels and I live next to the beach!

You know how you go to Mexico and come back fat after lying on the beach and drinking for 10 days? 8-10 months of my life are like that…
I bet you’re jealous at me right now…haha

Anyway, where were we? Oh yes, I was telling you about my summer craving.
It’s bad! There’s no reason to drink it! If you have it once in a while, that’s ok.
The less you have of it, the more you can have the fully loaded high calories on the rare occasion you have it.
I like it, but when I realized what it does to my body and how it prevents me from being lean and mean I cut it off almost completely.
 We already talked about coffee and teas so now I want to talk about juices.

Wheat grass juice is good for you. That’s it!
No other juice is good for you.

I don’t say that if you have constipation don’t drink prunes juice, but if you have constipation you might want to check what’s wrong with you… A few posts back I wrote and gave out plenty of recipes to prevent it from happening; don’t let your body get there (but it’s a different kind of post). What I say is if you’re pretty much healthy (we all have our sins, and why won’t we?) you shouldn’t drink any kind of juice or pop.
If it comes from a bottle and has a commercial - it’s probably bad for you; but you’re smart like that so I’m not worried about it. What worries me (and it’s also my weakness  so nobody’s judging you here…) is fresh squeezed juices.

How many oranges do you eat in one sitting? Only one, how many orange in one 16oz cup of orange juice? Like 5! And you finish it way faster (I bet you a 100$ that I finish it faster…lol). You know how much sugar is in it? 42 grams!!! It’s insane!!!!  And less than 1 gram of fibre. You know what this means? You’re going to keep all this sugar inside your body!!! That is going to turn into fat!
That’s not healthy! Not at all….:(

Same goes for apple juice, pomegranate juice and any other kind of fruit juice.
And that’s the fresh ones! The store-bought ones have as much sugar as 3.5 doughnuts! Like the big doughnut!

You’re feeding you kids every morning 3 doughnuts and you’re surprised when they grow fat and lazy? You’re feeding yourself and you’re still surprised that you’re not losing fat? You’re surprised that you can’t sleep at night? That you have diabetes?

One of the things that got me my fat as a child was the grape juice.
 It’s been 6 years since I had it… Guess who is lean now? Me!

That’s right ! And I love grape juice just as much as you love your iPhone - if not more!
Just to clarify: I’m talking about juice from fruit; not the syrup that you add water to (that’s not good for you but we’ll talk about it some other time). Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page here.

So to summarize it for you: fresh squeezed juices have plenty of sugar and no fibre and too many calories. You’re much better off having the whole fruit. Once in a while is ok. But really, not often.
Store-bought fruit juices are bad. All of them! Not even 1 of them is good for you.
If it says on the label “natural ingredient”, it means that the crap they added to it is natural:
·         *  Crushed beetles (brings out the strawberries flavour)
·       *   Beaver anal glands (apparently it bring out the berries flavour in stuff)
·        *  Like the golden glow of beer? Fish bladder (it’s not juice but I thought you should know it)

Don’t get fooled by labels and don’t drink store bought drink.
I hope you’ve learned something new. I hope you’ll stop drinking store-bought juices and cut on the fresh squeezed juice.
If you need any help with changing your nutrition or any kind of training plan contact me:
email: danagatfit@outlook.com


   Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014