Trader Joe's Gluten-free list

I'd like to take a second and promote TJ's for you gluten-free's out there..here is their full list of gluten-free products at Trader Joe's. They stick to good manufacturing practices, including segregating gluten products from gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination.
Dark Chocolate covered almonds?? I THINK SO.  

Nutrition Quote

"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”– Edward Stanley

Pop Quiz Answer: Know your US states

I know you've been anxiously waiting...


What US state has the lowest percentage of obesity?


B. COLORADO! 18.9% are obese
    do you think its from all that skiing and hiking?


What US state has the highest percentage of obesity?


D. M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I! 32.5% are obese
    Alabama came in a close second with 31.2%
    southern fried...

Source

More reasons to EXERCISE

You've heard it over & over again that you should exercise, but sometimes you get lost in your daily schedule to make it important.

BEEN THERE.

I am not obsessive about exercising, but I do try to make it important. If I don't have time to go to the gym, I simply do a 20 minute Comcast On-Demand video (under exercise section on demand), or make my own little routine up (jumping jacks, sit ups, lunges, bicep curls, arm raises/shoulder presses/push ups). All you need is a little bit of space and 2 dumbells (i have a set of 8#ers).

Maybe being reminded of the benefits of exercise might motivate you? Exercise:

1. Creates New Brain Cells.

    Ya know, your brain is a muscle too. Exercise increases blood flow to the

    brain & stimulates the growth of new brain cells.

Aerobics is still cool: pull out the ol' 80's gear: aerobic activity(run, jog, walk at fast pace, bicycling, stairmaster, elliptical) increases the supply of a  protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factors) which protects
brain neurons and promotes growth of new nerve cells related to MEMORY
and learning. In rats and mice, aerobic exercise improves spatial memory. The
same is true for people- spatial memory is important in finding your way or
knowing what goes where. Having difficulty remembering why you walked into a room, or where your keys are--Are you exercising enough??

2. Prevents Visceral Fat Gain    Remember this post?
    In '05 Slentz and his collegues reported that sedentary overweight men and women who followed an
    exercise program equal to 30 min. walks 6X/week for 8 months stopped gaining visceral fat. If they
    increased their workouts they lost the fat.
    Keep exercising to avoid gaining MORE visceral fat AND to maybe even lose it!

3. Boost Insulin Sensitivity
    Insulin is a hormone that allows blood sugar (from food) to enter the cells to be used as energy or stored.
    If you become 'insensitive' or resistant to insulin, blood sugars can increase, leading to heart
    disease and diabetes. When you exercise, your body becomes more sensitive to insulin, basically meaning
    it uses it better! Both aerobic and stregnth training increase the number of GLUT4 proteins-which move
    glucose into cells. The more GLUT4's you have, the better your cells respond to insulin.

4. Puts a smile on depression
    Those who are active are actually 15-25% less likely to be
  dianosed with depression, and people with depression-constant
  exercise improves symptoms! You can thank your serotonin!

Last but not least. You should exercise....

5. Because sitting can 'KILL' you!?
    Uh-huh. How many people just stood up after reading that sentence?
    According to an epidemiologist at the Pennington Biomed Center in LA, people who sit a lot for most of
    their days have higher mortality rates EVEN if they are physically active during another part of their day.
    EHHHHHH
    In a study of 17, 000 Canadians after 12 years:

•     20% of 'all day' sitters died
•     12% of '1/2 day' sitters died
•      6% of 'almost never' sitters died

   Just standing, versus sitting, activates the muscles, improves blood flow and may change your metabolism.

Are you stuck in a cubicle all day?? Get up every half an hour and   stretch, you can even squeeze in some chair arm lifts, squats, and jumping jacks!! And don't give up on working out after or before work!

Bottom Line: Exercise is good for you in a lot of ways. Just Do It (thanks Nike) and stop procrastinating. You will have better memory & exercise your brain, decrease your chances of heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, and you will also be hot doing it :)


Data/some info from Nutrition Action Newsletter, Dec.2009

Pop Quiz: Know your US states

Can you accurately map out all the US states? Oh, 4th grade geography...                           

How about picking out the most and least obese states?

What US state has the least percentage of obese residents?
1. Utah
2. Colorado
3. California
4. North Carolina

What US state has the highest percentage of obese residents?
1. Maine
2. New Hampshire
3. Alabama
4. Mississippie

Peanut Butter Jelly Time!

--> Awesomeness.

Peanut butter cups, PB &J's, ants on a log, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter & apple slices, peanut butter & banana, peanut sauce, peanut butter toast, peanut butter on a spoon (who hasn't done that)

Peanut butter is a delicious treat and can be quite nutritious.

At around 190 calories per 2 tablespoons (size of golf ball) you may be scared off by this spread, but its packed with some gooooooooooooood stuff: Fiber, Protein, Iron, Vitamin E, Folate, Niacin, and not to mention monounsaturated fats- famous for lowering cholesterol when replacing saturated fats.  

Let me repeat that first part.
A serving of PB is 2 TABLESPOONS = SIZE OF A GOLF BALL

Question: Are you a crunchy or a creamy PB fan?

(I go crunchy).

There is no difference in nutrition content of crunchy/chunky or creamy. Brands differ in what they add though.

--> What do you need to look for when you buy your PB?

    THE INGREDIENT LIST!

Most peanut butters add Hydrogenated Oils to the mix (aka TRANS FAT) so your spread is not so heart healthy. Labels can advertise 'No Trans Fat!' if there is less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. Pretty frustrating, huh?

Try the plane ol' churned peanuts (DIY at Whole Foods) or buy a PB with peanuts as the main ingredient and minus anything HYDROGENATED. Vegetable oils are ok in small amounts.

 Wanna know some good brands?

• 
  
  Costco's Kirkland Natural PB- my favorite
  
  
  
• 
  
  Teddy's-have to refrigerate-the PB gets kinda hard after awhile, not too easy to spread
  
  
  
• 
  
  Trader Joe's
  
  
  
• 
  
  Smart Balance Omega - more expensive & has a different taste than normal PB-but has Flaxseed -good for heart health and an anti-inflammatory
  
  
  
• 
  
  Smuckers Natural- pretty good. Only ingredients: PEANUTS. SALT
  
  
  
• 
  
  Jiffy and Skippy Natural- no trans fats but small amounts of Vegetable oils
  
  
  

Reduced Fat?

Nahhhh...you're still getting roughly the same calories, just 25% less 'total fat'. Some brands may add more sugar to make up for the taste. Stick the full-heart-healthy-fat kind and you're good to go.

Mini-quiz: Guess what company got the honor of owning the website www.peanutbutter.com ?
FIGURES.