Better Is Better

Low-Carb Breakfast Dilemma

I have the disadvantage of a slight egg intolerance. I can sneak a few in from time to time, but more than that and things turn bad quickly…

Unfortunately, it seems that pretty much every low carb breakfast option on the planet involves a generous helping of eggs in one form or another. So what’s a guy to do when he wants to break fast on something that doesn’t contain a high load of carbohydrates?

Well, one of the simplest answers — and the one that I most often use — is to eat whatever you had for supper last night. But for some reason, here in the West people aren’t too keen on that.

So here’s a quick concoction that I quite enjoy for breakfast.

Organic deli meat “wraps”

Take a few slices of organic deli meat like roast beef or turkey (the organic part is important — you want to avoid the nitrites / nitrates in conventional deli meat like the plague). Slice some English cucumber in long thin slices. Throw some cucumber and some alfalfa sprouts in each slice of deli meat and roll it up into a “wrap.” If you don’t mind a few extra calories and carbs, throw in a sprinkle of organic cashews in there before you wrap ‘em up.

That’s all for today. I’ll cover the whole nitrate / nitrite thing in a future Fit Foodie. It’s one of those hidden evils that most people don’t know about.

Fit Foodie Fifteen-Minute Fish Soup — Low Carb Lunch...

Carbs, in and of themselves, are not evil. But the way you use them — and which ones you choose to consume — will have a huge impact on your efforts to stay healthy and get lean.

And as you’ll know if you’re a client of the Bodyweight Blueprint For Fat Loss, our friend Joel Marion has even built an entire nutritional plan and program around the idea of strategically manipulating carbs for fat loss.

The problem is, we live in a carb dominant society. All the affordable, easy and tasty snacks are carb laden — and usually with the worst kind of carbs to boot. So if you want great low carb meals and snacks that are both affordable and quick, you’ll have to learn to make them yourself.

But that’s what being a Fit Foodie is all about…

The recipe below was done off the cuff. It tasted great! And it’s a perfect dish for your Low Carb days on Joel’s Cheat To Lose plan.

Fit Foodie Fifteen Minute Fish Soup…

Being a good Maritimer (person from the East coast of Canada), I enjoy my seafood. But up until recently, that was only true if someone else prepared it for me. You see, I never really learned to do a great job cooking the stuff.

That’s why every time I go “down home” I coax my mom into making me an enormous lobster feed (she requires very little coaxing). Preparing lobster is such a seemingly simple thing. I really don’t know why my mother can make it taste so much better!

Anyhow, I’ve been experimenting and have come up with a few seafood dishes that I enjoy making and that have turned out very tasty. And I even made one up out of thin air the other day…

I was grocery shopping with my daughter and noticed a sale on fresh halibut. I’m not generally a big fan of white fish, but decided to give it a try and grabbed some. On the way home I started daydreaming about what I could do with it to make a nice lunch for me and my daughter.

Fit Foodie Fifteen-Minute Fish Soup

Here’s what I came up with. The whole thing took between 15-20 minutes.

In a skillet, briefly sauté the following over medium heat. You want these to just start to soften and brown, maybe 2-3 minutes.

1 medium onion, diced
1 green onion, finely sliced
Half a package of mushrooms, finely chopped

To that, add a splash of red wine and a splash of balsamic vinegar and blanche your veggies for another minute or so. Then throw in a large glass full of filtered water (enough to cover your fish once you add it). Season to taste with Celtic sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Place your fish in the liquid and bring it to a simmer. Cover your skillet and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish.

Break your fish into chunks. This should be quite easy. Serve into your bowls and top with a small pat of organic pastured butter. If you like a bit of spice — I like a lot myself — sprinkle some dried red pepper flakes to finish.

Enjoy!

How To Avoid Going Crazy — And Other Benefits of Drinking Coffee

I got a very cool surprise in the mail this week. My buddy Chris, Toronto trainer and genius behind Fit & Busy Dads, shipped me a bag of gourmet organic espresso beans from his favorite coffee haunt.

One of the things I love about my job is getting to travel around the world and meet cool people like Chris. He took me to his coffee joint the last time I was in Toronto. It was an experience to be savored. And it was also an exercise in good health and continued sanity.

Coffee gets a pretty bum rap from conventional wisdom. It’s blamed for all sorts of evils. But most of the charges are pure malarky. Not only that, coffee is increasingly being identified as a downright healthy beverage.

Keep Your Wits About You

To get the ball rolling, consider the fact that regular coffee consumption may help us avoid dementia as we age (Eskelinen MH, et al.). That sounds good to me! And on a more anecdotal note, coffee can just plain make you happy. Enjoying a great cup of coffee with friends is a good way to wind down. And ditching stress through enjoyable activities is a sure way to encourage a long and healthy life.

I Take My Coffee To Heart

Coffee has also been credited with heart healthy benefits in a string of recent studies. Regular consumption of decaf has been associated with better blood flow (S Buscemi, et al.). Drinking 1-3 cups of regular coffee per day was shown to reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 24%. (Andersen LF, et al.)

Don’t Skimp On Your Cuppa Joe

If you want to reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, don’t be stingy with your coffee consumption. One study showed that at least 6 or more cups of coffee a day reduced the risk in men by 20%. (Lopez-Garcia E, et al.)

Geez, even I don’t drink that much… It’s a bit easier for the ladies to make their quota. Women peaked out at 4-5 cups per day and a reduced risk of 24%.

A Stroke Of Luck

Guess I luck out again. It appears my love of coffee may even reduce my risk of stroke. When it comes to the most common type of stroke, cerebral infarction, “Compared to men drinking less than 2 cups of coffee a day, men drinking 8 or more cups of coffee a day were at a 23 per cent reduced risk of cerebral infarction.” (Larsson SC, et al.)

A Tonic For The Maladies Of Civilization

The SAD (Standard American Diet) and the accompanying low levels of physical activity prevalent in our society are bad news. They form the perfect storm for the creation of a host of metabolic disorders which eventually lead to diabetes.

Obviously, taking care of the cause should be our number one priority. But it seems coffee can even help keep us out of the metabolic madness to which our habits predispose us.  Six or seven cups a day could reduce risk of diabetes by as much as 35%. (Odegaard AO, et al.)

What's In The Other 98%

So what’s up with coffee. How is it that caffein is the new elixir of life. Well, you may not know that only 2% of coffee is comprised of caffein. And it may be the stuff that makes up the other 98% that’s so good for us.

For instance, it’s thought that the magnesium content of coffee may be responsible for some of it’s protective effects from diabetes.

Coffee is also chock full ‘o antioxidants. And the best news is, the roasting process — the very thing that makes coffee so delightful — actually increases the antioxidant effectiveness of these plant phenols!

Take It With A Grain Of Salt

No, I don’t mean your coffee. And if you want my opinion, take your coffee black, no sugar. That’s the only way to truly appreciate it’s wonders. But I do have a few words of caution…

Coffee is absolutely addictive and must be treated with the due respect that any such substance deserves.

Conventionally grown coffee is also one of the most sprayed crops on the planet, so endeavor to go organic as often as possible, especially if you consume large quantities.

But other than that, if you enjoy coffee — and if you don’t then you haven’t really given it a real chance — then by all means go ahead and enjoy your cuppa Joe.

So what's YOUR take? Do you like coffee? Do you believe coffee is bad for you? Can it be healthy, or do addicts like me just like to rationalize our love of the black nectar? Let us know your thoughts in the comments...