Diabetics Guide to Eating Out

Greetings!

One of the best sources for information on low fat food and healthy eating I found is the American Diabetis Association's website.

Of particular relevance for those of us who want to cruise the end of the year festive season without adding inches to our waist line or kilos to our weight, is their guide to eating out.

Eating out is one big hurdle that we have to learn to deal with. Unfortunately, socialising almost always involves eating out. And eating out often leads to eating the wrong thing.

When I was on Weight Watchers (TM), they tought me how to choose food wisely. That way, I could enjoy myself without pigging out. :-)

Now, it can become very difficult to choose the right food, especially when your friends order delicious deep fried dishes, and you opt for the more spartan meals.

But that is a choice we have to make, not only to keep trim, but to keep ourselves alive and healthy... without starving.

I encourage you to check out the Diabetics American Association site for more ideas on how to eat out without pigging out.




Yours in Health,


Skinny Jeff

Greeks Are Now Overweight

Greetings!

I was reading in the news today that there is a high level of obesity amongst the Greek population in Greece, especially amongst the youngsters.

The news caught my attention because Mediterranean cultures have been famous for having almost miraculous diets for a long time.

Indeed, there are even books and websites promoting Mediterranean diets as a way to keep trim and fit.

But the latest studies on the subject reveal that Greek youngsters are turning their heads away from the traditional foods their forefathers used to eat. They're turning to the Western delicacies, and adding to their BMI and cloging their arteries with trans fat.

For us, who are in the West already, we should do the opposite.

Whilst multinational food outlets are trying to change their menus, such changes are more cosmetic than substantial. The Mc's new choices, for instance, can be often as fattening as a Big Mack.

So, avoid stuffing your face with their new meals just because they say they're healthy.




Yours in Health,


Skinny Jeff

Low Fat Rice and Pineapple Salad... Yum!

Greetings!

Last night Serrina and I cooked a delicious low fat rice and pineapple salad for dinner.

Normally, we have a list of meals we prepare (so that we don't have to think about it, and just do it), but this can get a bit boring... especially for the kids.

So, in the interest of averting a rebellion at our household, we depart from the "standard" meals, and surprice the kids (and ourselves) with new dishes.

Sometimes we just take them from a Weight Watchers book, but sometimes we modify the recipes to make our meals tastier and more interesting.

That's what we did with our rice and pineapple salad recipe... and let me tell you... it was delicious, and it was worth 4.5 Weight Watchers points per serve. Nice and tasty.

This is what you need:

• 4 cooked cups of steamed rice
• 1 cup of corn kernels (or 1 can of corn kernels)
• 1 cup of red kidney beans (or 1 can of red kidney beans)
• 1 can of sliced pineapples (no syrup, but natural juice)
• 3 or 4 spring onions
• 400 g of lean chicken tenderloins
• 1 Tbsp ground cummin

This is what you do:

• Spray a cooking pot with cannola oil, dice the chicken and fry till evenly cooked;
• Chop and add the spring onions (or Shallots);
• Add the cummin (for flavour), beans, and corn kernels;
• Add the rice and mix;
• Dice the pineapple slices and mix them with the rice.
• Turn off the stove and continue mixing the ingredients till evenly distributed.

Voila! You've got your low fat rice and pineapple salad for dinner.

A while ago, we used to cook enough steam rice for each dinner. But we smarted up recently, and decided to cook enough rice for 2 dinners. We store half in the fridge for the next meal. This cuts off cooking time.

Cooking can be fun, but sometimes, when both of us are tired after work, it's nice to know that at least part of our dinner is already cooked.



Yours in Health,


Skinny Jeff