Nutrition

Benefits of Green Tea

"Better to be deprived of food for three days, than tea for one." (Ancient Chinese Proverb)

Green tea contains EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate) which is a type of catechin.  Catechins are a type of antioxidant.  Green tea has many health benefits and here are just a few medical conditions in which drinking green tea is reputed to be helpful:

• cancer
• rheumatoid arthritis
• high cholesterol levels
• cardiovascular disease
• infection
• impaired immune function
  

Not only does green tea wield antioxidant activity on its own, but it also may increase the activity of other antioxidant enzymes. There has been several research studies carried out in order to discover the benefits of green tea.  One research study conducted by the journal of Cancer Research suggests green tea increases the activity of antioxidants in the body.  Mice were fed green tea in their drinking water for 30 days.  Researchers discovered that there were increased levels of antioxidants and antioxidant enzymes in the organs of the mice¹. 

Another study in the Japanese Journal of Nutrition found that in the regions of Japan where more green tea was consumed, stomach cancer mortality rates were less than in other regions of Japan.  In the journal of Cancer Research, a study found the instances of lung cancer among Japanese smokers were half that of American smokers, attributing this finding to the high amounts of green tea the Japanese smoker’s drank².

“Recent research has found that catechins, the antioxidants in green tea, help increase fat burning.” It is recommended to drink three to four cups of green tea per day (without sugar of course).  If you really hate the taste of green tea, you can always take a 300 to 400 mg capsule of green tea extract as a dietary supplement³.  

¹http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm

²http://www.emaxhealth.com/77/2622.html ³truestarhealth.com

 

PROTEIN

     Growing up playing sports I always heard my coaches saying, “Make sure you’re eating enough protein.”  Ok, well why should I eat a bunch of protein?  Now I know that protein is the fundamental structural material of every cell that’s in our bodies.  Protein is vital for proper tissue growth and remodeling.  After a tough workout, it repairs worn-out or damaged tissues.  In times of need (i.e. we don’t have enough carbohydrates in our body), protein gives us energy.  Proteins also help with water and pH balance within the body.  If there is too much acidity in our blood, proteins are able to balance the pH level by soaking up excess acid within our bodies.  Another helpful function of proteins is that they build lymphocytes (white blood cells); these help our bodies defend against disease and infection.

     Now that you know what protein does for your body, it’s important to know how to supply your body with enough protein.  In order to function properly, our body needs nine indispensable amino acids (building blocks of protein).  Indispensable means that your body must obtain these amino acids from your diet, since your body does not produce them naturally (or at least not in sufficient amounts).  Indispensable, or complete, proteins include foods such as eggs, cheese, milk, poultry, and meat.  Incomplete proteins are deficient in one or more of the indispensable amino acids; these include grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.  Vegetarians and vegans who do not eat “complete” proteins can match “plant foods” so that the amino acids missing in one food are supplied in another.  Ex. Eating grains and legumes together help balance each other in the accumulation of all indispensable amino acids.

     How much protein should you be eating?  There is a simple equation you can do to calculate how much protein you should have in your diet.  You must first convert your body weight in lbs. to kg.  All you have to do is take your body weight in lbs. and divide it by 2.2 to convert it to kilograms. The following equations show you how to take your body weight (BW) in kg and multiply it by g/kg of protein to give you your daily recommended intake of protein:

·         Sedentary lifestyle: BW kg x 0.8 g/kg

·         Moderate exercise: BW kg x 1.5 g/kg

·         Very active athlete/Vegans: BW kg x 2.0 g/kg

Example: How much protein should a person intake who weighs 165lbs and works out at moderate intensity 5 days a week (athlete)?

165lbs/2.2 = 75 kg

75kg x 1.5g/kg = 112.5 g

The individual should intake approximately 112.5 g of protein per day.

Caution: eating too much protein is possible.  Once a person eats enough protein to meet his/her body’s needs, the additional proteins are stored as fat or are used as energy.  Eating more protein than your daily recommended intake does not build more muscle.  Make sure that you have a balanced diet. 

    

Stuffed Bell Peppers

http://heatovento350.blogspot.com/2011/04/stuffed-bell-peppers.html

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

16 oz lean ground turkey or chicken

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 T chili powder (decrease to 1/2 T if you don't like spicy food)

1 T ground cumin

16 oz jar salsa (any flavor, but make it something you like.)

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese

2 cups baby spinach

Avocado

(sour cream if you want)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350. Cut three large bell peppers in half and remove seeds. (You can also just cut the top out of the bell pepper.  I did this and baked it for about 15 min instead of the prescribed 7 min).

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown turkey with onions. Add minced garlic, chili powder and cumin and stir and cook 1 minute. Stir in salsa and rice.

3. Place cut bell peppers on a cookie sheet and divide turkey mixture evenly among them. Top with cheddar cheese and bake for 7 min. 

4. Serve with avocado and spinach on top (sour cream if you want). 

*If you don't want to put meat in your recipe, you could add cooked beans to get a complete protein paired with the rice.