Here’s a great idea for the weekend. How about a hike? A reef walk? Last weekend was the first time I had done the Mariner’s Ridge hike. It’s a great hike to take the kids. You begin on a rocky trail, eventually leading to steps of tree roots and enough shade to bring your temperature back down. Along the way are several small landings on either side of the trail where views and cooling breezes greet you. All in all, it was a short, fairly easy hike where you can quickly enjoy views of Hawaii Kai and Kuliouou Valley. Continue a bit further and, before you know it, you’ll partake in awesome views of the Windward side—from Waimanalo through Kailua. So worth it!

We finished off the day walking the reef behind the Kaiser estate in Portlock, with access through Kokee Beach Park. Honestly, it isn’t much of a “beach park” at all BUT we did get to see a monk seal and it does provide a quick and easy way to enjoy a stroll a beautiful reef.

*** I invite you to visit my website www.lifefitnet.com and participate in a short online survey that should take only 2-3 minutes to complete. No one’s personal, individual data is ever shared and the aggregated information is used to Build a Healthy Hawaii and better understand individual needs and preferences related to establishing healthy lifestyle habits. Mahalo for your support! Lori

The Miracle Noodle is a “new” product out on the market now that uses an old shirataki noodle recipe as its base.  The only ingredients in these noodles are essentially water and fiber.  They provide great filler for any dish.  By ingesting high amounts of fiber, you help prevent heart disease and diabetes, promote digestive health, and encourage weight loss.  Also, because of the slow digestion of fiber, you also experience feelings of fullness from eating these noodles.  They contain no carbohydrates, fats, or protein; which is important to keep in mind when structuring a meal around these noodles. Here are a couple recipes. Enjoy!

PAD THAI

By: MICRONERDCHICK

2 (8 ounce) packages shirataki noodles
2 chicken breasts

1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Slice the chicken breasts into thin slivers. Drain the Shirataki noodles very well and dry completely.

Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan and heat. Saute’ garlic and ginger. Stir in chicken and cook until browned. Stir in noodles until separated and coated.

Separately, combine the soy sauce, peanut butter, water and red pepper flakes. Pour the sauce over noodles and chicken. Add vinegar and brown sugar and toss altogether. Allow the sauce to heat through.

SUKIYAKI

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sake or dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds chicken, sliced very thin

1 pkg Shirataki

3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 large garlic clove, chopped
¼ sweet onion, sliced

½ piece of ginger, sliced
2 bunches green onion, cut diagonally into 1-inch lengths
3/4 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1/2 won bok cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bamboo shoots, sliced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1 block tofu, drained and cut into cubes

Mix together sugar, soy sauce, sake and chicken. Set aside.

Rinse and drain shirataki. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over moderately high heat. Saute’ the garlic, then add the onion and saute’ as well. Add chicken mixture and heat chicken till cooked through.

Reduce the heat. Add green onion and other ingredients. Heat till veggies soft. Add tofu and shirataki and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

*** I invite you to visit my website www.lifefitnet.com and participate in a short online survey that should take only 2-3 minutes to complete. No one’s personal, individual data is ever shared and the aggregated information is used to Build a Healthy Hawaii and better understand individual needs and preferences related to establishing healthy lifestyle habits. Mahalo for your support! Lori

I’ve never been one to follow fads or be the first in line for the ‘latest greatest’ new product on the market. I generally wait until the dust settles and the studies surface. By then, a more balanced, tested and well-researched perspective arises. No difference here.

So many I’ve spoken with have touted that they are on a gluten-free diet. When I ask, “Why? Has you doctor recommended it?” The answer is typically, “No. Gluten is bad, right? So I don’t eat wheat anymore.”

Well, here’s what I’ve discovered…

Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye, and barley.  Gluten commonly appears in bread products and pastas, but also hides in food products you’d least expect, like cold cuts, beer, ketchup, soy sauce, ice cream, and even salad dressings.  A diet that is gluten-free is necessary for people with Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. About 1% of people in the U.S. have celiac disease, with as many as 10% who may have gluten sensitivity. Common symptoms are gastrointestinal problems (abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea) and, if left untreated, deterioration of the intestinal lining.  However, once gluten is removed from their diet, symptoms subside and damage is healed.

Is this diet good for everyone?  The simple answer is no.  A gluten-free diet can be difficult to follow and there are nutritional drawbacks.  Many beneficial whole grain foods that help prevent other diseases are on the list of foods that contain gluten. So while a gluten-free diet is a must for people with Celiac disease and/or gluten sensitivity, the benefits of a gluten-free diet have been unproven for the greater population.

There is nothing inherently healthier about a gluten-free diet, especially since many consume pre-packaged “gluten-free” products, processed with extra additives to improve palatability. Moreover, gluten-free foods often contain higher carbs, in substituting rice flour or potato flour for wheat flour. Remember, gluten-free is NOT synonymous with low carb, low calorie, or low fat, AND gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean nutritious. Similar to what happens with other processed foods, manufacturers of gluten-free products add extra sugar, fat and salt, and remove the fiber to simulate the texture and satisfying fluffiness that gluten imparts. In addition, many gluten-free products contain lower amounts of essential nutrients and can cause deficiencies in Iron, Vitamin B9 (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Magnesium and fiber.

So if you choose to go gluten free, avoid the pre-packaged products on the market shelves. Instead, eat a variety of foods and select more fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products, eggs, lean meats, and naturally gluten-free whole grains like brown rice and quinoa. If you think about it, these are the same recommendations that we have repeated over the years to maintain a healthy diet period.

Live well. Eat well.

*** I invite you to visit my website www.lifefitnet.com and participate in a short online survey that should take only 2-3 minutes to complete. No one’s personal, individual data is ever shared and the aggregated information is used to Build a Healthy Hawaii and better understand individual needs and preferences related to establishing healthy lifestyle habits. Mahalo for your support! Lori

Most of those who successfully maintain their weight and healthy lifestyle habits have created “rules” they generally live by. You don’t want to tackle too many at once. Remember, it takes several weeks to solidify a habit. More importantly, you want to create WINS. Set yourself up for success by selecting one that you have a degree of confidence that you can conquer. Wins build confidence to take on more…and more. Before you realize it, you’ve made life changes that work!

1. No eating after 7pm
2. At least one Fiber, Fruit or Veggie per meal
3. Drink one cup of water before each meal
4. Never eat more than a fist-sized portion of complex carbs at once
5. Eat only whole grain carbs
6. Have no more than one cheat meal per week
7. Check weight every Sunday morning
8. Exercise at least 3 times per week no matter how busy
9. Do bedtime stretches daily
10. Do morning stretches daily
11. No more adding salt or soy sauce to foods
12. Have red meat up to twice a week
13. Switch the nightly ice cream to fruit
14. Shop every Saturday at the Open Market for fresh produce
15. Get to bed by 10 pm daily
16. Switch to lean proteins

These are just a handful of examples. Several of these have worked well for me over the years. Create your own that take you another step in the right direction toward improved health maintenance.

*** I invite you to visit my website www.lifefitnet.com and participate in a short online survey that should take only 2-3 minutes to complete. No one’s personal, individual data is ever shared and the aggregated information is used to Build a Healthy Hawaii and better understand individual needs and preferences related to establishing healthy lifestyle habits. Mahalo for your support! Lori

Another interesting contribution from my son, Casey….

We have all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Some of us take this to heart and eat a filling breakfast of bacon, eggs and rice, while some of us simply go with a nice, hot cup of coffee.  However, the basis behind this is that breakfast allows our bodies’ metabolism to get a jump start and burn some calories, essentially giving us energy throughout the morning.

Essentially, when your body is digesting food, it means your metabolism is working.  To really get the most from this boost, eating frequent, small meals have been shown to keep your metabolism working consistently; this along with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and any other high fiber foods, because these nutrients take much longer to break down and digest.  Implementing complex carbohydrates into a sound diet plan and eating frequently will help maintain your boosted metabolism throughout the day.  Another overlooked approach to boosting energy and metabolism in the morning is a quick morning workout.

After working out, our metabolism increases for a period of time and will stay elevated.  Especially after a workout that includes some resistance, our body enters an anabolic state in which it uses macronutrients to rebuild broken down muscle.  This growth period is very important for anyone trying to increase their lean muscle mass or muscle mass in general.  Our body may also crave food during this period because it needs fuel to start this process, as the whole process actually uses up quite a bit of calories.

The more intense the workout, such as combining quick burst of resistance work with cardio exercises, the more benefit you get later.  Your body will use a lot more calories rebuilding muscle and restoring ATP stores (the main energy component used by all cells in our body) if the workout is more intense.  If you really wanted to optimize the amount of time your body spends building back and burning calories, you could try a morning workout when you wake up and another workout in the late afternoon; especially since the late afternoon is when our lungs and muscles are at their peak condition and because this is when our energy levels tend to drop down.

It should be noted that you can get this metabolism boost by exercising at any time of day.  However, getting in a morning workout (along with a good breakfast) will help set the rhythm of maintaining healthy habits throughout the day.  This is probably the most beneficial aspect of morning workouts. (Just as a footnote, if you are not a morning person or if working in morning training causes undue stress, push it back to a time that works better for you—but at least get your meal in. Elevated stress can negatively affect your metabolism so find what works in the long term.)

*** I invite you to visit my website www.lifefitnet.com and participate in a short online survey that should take only 2-3 minutes to complete. No one’s personal, individual data is ever shared and the aggregated information is used to Build a Healthy Hawaii and better understand individual needs and preferences related to establishing healthy lifestyle habits. Mahalo for your support! Lori