Quinoa

I've been hearing about quinoa for some time and tried it at a buffet once but was not crazy about the experience. Well, I guess I have to decide to like it because it's so good for you. Check out this article from Men's Health.

"'Quinoa is a true wonder food,' says Daniel Fairbanks, Ph.D., a professor of plant and animal science at Brigham Young University. 'It has about twice the protein of regular cereal grains, fewer carbohydrates, and even a dose of healthy fats.' Plus, it's considered a 'complete' protein, which means that, like meat, eggs, and dairy, it packs all of the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle."

Manly Meals

Men's Health's website is simply fantastic. They have a great new gimmick on the site for making quick, simple, healthy meals (Guy Meals Made Easy). You pick a protein, like pork, then a style in which to cook it, "Japanese," for example, a side starch, and its style, oh, let's try "Spicy Sesame Noodles", and a vegetable. We'll go with "Coconut Ginger Zucchini". This is what pops up for each -

Japanese Style Pork Chops

1.5 pounds of pork chops
3 Tbsp any miso paste
1 Tbsp each sesame oil and peanut oil
Black pepper
Chopped walnuts or soy sauce (or both)

1. Start with 1.5 pounds of pork chops.

2. Combine the ingredients for Japanese flavor—3 Tbsp any miso paste, 1 Tbsp each sesame oil, and peanut oil, lots of black pepper—and rub or smear it all over your protein. Let it marinate if you have time.

3. Light up the grill, heat the broiler, or fire up a cast-iron skillet and cook the pork chops on both sides until they're done the way you like it. Use a small, sharp knife to take a peek inside if you're not sure.

4. Sprinkle on chopped walnuts or a drizzle of soy sauce (or both), and serve it hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4

Spicy Sesame Pasta/Noodles

1 pound of pasta or noodles
1 part sesame oil and 1 parts peanut oil
1 or 2 chopped fresh hot chilies or dried chili flakes
Chopped scallions

1. Start with about a pound of pasta or noodles. Boil them as simply as possible, using nothing more than salt. Undercook pasta a bit so it still has some bite; drain it as needed.

2. Five minutes before you're ready to eat, put the spicy sesame flavor ingredients—1 part sesame oil and 2 parts peanut oil, plus one or two chopped fresh hot chilies or dried chili flakes—into the appropriate size pan with some salt and pepper.

3. Set the pan over medium heat, and cook, stirring once in a while until fragrant; if the mixture is boiling too much, lower the heat.

4. Drizzle the flavorings over the warm noodles, and toss.

5. Add chopped scallions.

6. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and toss again.

Serves 4

Coconut Ginger Zucchini

1 pound of zucchini
Peanut oil
Chopped ginger, garlic, and chilies
Coconut milk
Chopped pistachios, almonds, or peanuts
Chopped cilantro

1. Start with about a pound of zucchini or a combination of vegetables.

2. Slice, chop, or grate them as you like; leave small or thin whole.

3. Put a film of peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

4. Once it’s hot, add chopped ginger, garlic, and chilies. Stir as needed.

5. Add the vegetable(s) and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper. If you’re using a combination of vegetables, begin with the ones that will take the longest to cook and build up to those that wilt the fastest.

6. Stir once in a while, searing the vegetables a bit. Adjust the temperature and add oil as needed to keep things moving in the pan.

7. When everything is cooked through, splash in some coconut milk, scraping up any brown bits from the pan.

8. Add chopped pistachios, almonds, or peanuts, and chopped cilantro and toss, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

9. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4

"The Greatest Abs Workout Ever"!!!!!!

I really think it would sound better to say "greatest ab workout ever" but what do I know? I did add those exclamation points in the title to make this post really eye catching. Incidentally, at David Barton Gym they have a class called "ASSolutely ABBulous". Why must they capitalize the letters they do and why does "ABBulous" have two b's? These are questions to which no one will ever know the answer. Kind of like the square root of a million.

Anyway, click on this photo I snapped of my own abs to read the article at Men's Health.com -

It's intense. Many people do not realize that the only way you're ever going to see your abs is to get rid of the fat that covers them. This must be done with aerobic exercise. You can do lots of crunches and even buy some gimmicky ab roller thingy and never obtain a six pack. This is a particularly noteworthy component of the workout -

Burn Off Your Belly

This interval routine is designed to strip away the excess flab that’s hiding your six-pack. Do it 3 days a week, after your weight session or on the days in between. Use your mode of choice—a treadmill, stationary bike, or rowing machine.

Step 1 Warm up for 3 to 5 minutes at an easy pace, about 30 to 40 percent of your best effort.

Step 2 Run, cycle, or row at 95 percent of your highest effort for 30 seconds.

Step 3 Perform active rest, slowing back down to your warmup speed for 90 seconds.

Step 4 Repeat five to seven times.

Step 5 Once you can complete eight intervals, reduce the length of your active rest periods by 5 to 10 seconds each workout, until they’re only 30 seconds long.

Wake Up, Little Snoozy

There is so much helpful information on Men's Health's website that it's hard to read just one article and get back to work. I found this list of suggestions quite informative on reasons for sluggishness throughout the day along with ways to combat it.

In the morning, have some oatmeal.

For lunch, go easy on the carbs because they cause an insulin spike that tires you out.

In the afternoon, have some fruit as a snack.

Before your evening workout, drink Gatorade.

Don't lie down when watching TV and don't read in bed.

The suggestions all support the point that you need to develop a rhythm to your sleep and eating patterns to keep your energy levels up. Please read the full article here. I find it a little patronizing that Men's Health feels the need to publish so many articles as lists, but I guess that's what's happened to our collective attention span.

Health = Wealth

Today's Nightingale-Conant quote of the day -

"It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."

Mahatma Gandhi

And this comes from Men's Health -

"Be as Healthy as the Wealthy"

Men's Whealth

Well, well, well. Men's Health now has a section called "Men's Wealth". I know, they totally forgot the "h" in "whealth". Also called "Fit Investor", the section has everyday personal finance tips. I think it's new, but I haven't checked the site in a while.

Something I read today was a piece urging people to trade in their debit cards for ATM cards that don't have the debit capability. The author makes the point that you should really just use cash or a credit card, and I agree. The risks of fraud and transaction fees are too great. Read that article here, if you like.

The Most Important Meal of the Day (Revisited)

More news on the health benefits (and healthy correlation) of eating breakfast. The New York Times recently published an article about the fact that people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight. I think this is due to the fact that those are often people who lead more disciplined lives, getting up earlier and making better food choices and finding time for daily exercise. I have pointed out before that sumo wrestlers eat only two meals a day, and many nutritionists recommend that you eat many, smaller meals throughout the day.

I'd also like to point a site that has some great, quick pointers. Men's Health has a video segment called MH Minute.

Worst...Food...Ever

If you eat healthy most of the time, then you are allowed to go out and have an awful(ly delicious) meal once in a while at a place like Chili's or The Cheesecake Factory. But don't do it often if you want to be thin and healthy. The meals at such restaurants have high fat and calorie content, as well as unhealthy levels of sodium. That's why the food tastes so good.

So, Men's Health has a new list of specific foods to avoid at popular American eateries. It's called The 20 Worst Foods in America. It helps to keep in mind, before ordering the Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing, that they contain 2,900 calories and 182 grams of fat. Ha ha! 182 grams of fat??? Do you realize how much that is? A Whopper with Cheese has 64 grams, so the Aussie Cheese Fries have practically three times that amount. And 2,900 calories is way more than a whole day's worth of calories that you should consume. How about this for a thought? You'd have to run a marathon to burn off that number.

Now, the best part about this list is that Men's Health mentions a healthier alternative. It's part of their "Eat This, Not This" series.

Lose Weight by Eating More

Gotta love those Top Ten Lists. My brother forwarded me this one from Men's Health about how to lose weight (fat) and increase muscle mass. A diet of protein and vegetables is a pretty easy way to avoid the junk that this list points out. Barry's rule has been sabotaged in my own house by gifts of cookies and boxes of candy. If you don't have it in your house, you don't eat it. There are lots of other interesting lists on the left hand side of the page you can check out if you want to spend even more time on the Internet than you already do.

Good Eats

I came across a reference to this article on mental_floss.com. Great website. The Men's Health's article outlines foods that affect your mood. The one of which I took note most was the fact that sushi and other fish are great mood boosters. It got me thinking that I always feel great when I eat sushi or other fish. I have been trying to work more seafood into my diet. Of course, it's easier when you live in a warm climate and don't have to worry about stinking up the house...

Retire Rich

In celebration of tax day tomorrow Ben Stein wrote an article on Financial Planning for Men's Health. He outlines 5 steps towards retiring rich.

1) Figure out how much you will need to retire
2) Determine how you'll amass that kind of dough
3) Pick your investments
4) Diversify internationally
5) Forget about it (Colin really likes this one)

Certainly worth the read. Click here.

Cancer Prevention

I found this article in Men's Health especially informative for my age group. I hear more and more about inflammation and insulin levels. Apparently these are two of the main factors in aging and disease, cancer and diabetes in particular. Some of the suggestions are intuitive, but others, such as the benefits of small amounts of sun exposure, are not. I was also happy to read the corn with butter recommendation.

Cutting Through the Fat

Here is a great article, as usual, from Men's Health. The following pointers are described in detail in the article:

1. To lose weight, you must cut calories

2. Use whey to cut waist

3. Meat kills fat

4. Remember these letters: BCAA

5. If it's fryin', you're dyin'

6. Food goes farther with fiber

7. Count on calcium

8. Alpha males use omega-3 fats

9. Make a plan