With the Spokane holidays fast approaching, you may be wondering just how you can enjoy the Thanksgiving banquet but not suffer a bigger waist line later? Surprisingly, many of our favorite holiday foods really aren’t all that pad for us … in proper moderation! Check out the following Spokane Super Foods.

Stuffing

Talk about a healthy food in need of a name change. This fluffy side is often regarded as one of the most fattening holiday dishes, but with only a few minor adjustments it can actually be a healthy standout. Pack it with nuts, dried fruits, carrots, and celery, and you’ll benefit from fiber and a range of vitamins, recommends Krieger. Also, and this is crucial: Use low sodium chicken broth instead of butter to keep the dish moist and low in fat.

Pumpkin

If it’s not Thanksgiving without a slice of pumpkin pie, we’ve got good news for you. This veggie is packed with heart-healthy fiber and vitamin A. Plus, says Krieger, because pumpkin is very moist, you don’t have to add lots of unhealthy ingredients to make it taste flavorful yet still be low-fat (sub in skim and egg substitutes to make any recipe healthier). A guaranteed way to avoid accidentally gorging on a high-fat dessert? Bring your own pie, so you know what’s in it.

Pecans

Prefer pecans to pumpkin? Instead of plunging into a heap of high-fat pie, try sprinkling this star nut over salads, add it to your stuffing, or snack on a few as a precursor to the meal. Pecans are a great source of vitamin E and magnesium, which supports muscle strength. Plus, they’re packed with protein, fiber, and the same “good” fats as olive oil.

Collard Greens

Collards are ultra-healthy — except when sabotaged by greasy fat sources like pork, a popular additive in many holiday recipes. By preparing these leafy greens in a steamer, you’ll leave out the unnecessary calories and gain a ton of vitamins and antioxidants. If you just can’t give up flavoring your greens, use turkey bacon or saute the veggie in olive oil, suggests Krieger.

Nutmeg and Cinnamon

More and more research is being conducted on the health benefits of spices, says Krieger. Nutmeg, with its nutty, earthy flavor, and cinnamon, which shines with its sweetness, can do a whole lot more than garnish eggnog. Mixing these spices into fruit or vegetable sides can help you lower your cholesterol and maintain insulin levels in the blood.

Red Wine

While wine and cocktails can add needless calories to an already over-the-top meal, wine delivers heart-healthy properties in exchange for its calorie count (about 100 calories per 5-ounce serving). All wine is naturally heart-healthy, but red wines will provide the most antioxidant bang for your calorie buck. And take note: the dryer the wine, the higher the concentration of those disease-fighting properties.

To keep your calorie count to a minimum, ask your host for a spritzer — half wine, half calorie-free seltzer water.

And of course the absolute best way to battle the holiday bulge is to work with a personal trainer like Zach Hunt from Physzique Personal Fitness!

With the Spokane holidays fast approaching, you may be wondering just how you can enjoy the banquet but not suffer a bigger waist line later? Surprisingly, many of our favorite holiday foods really aren’t all that pad for us … in proper moderation! Check out the following Spokane Super Foods.

Turkey

Turkey is a dynamite healthy protein source — unless it’s deep fried and slathered with gravy. Sarah Krieger, RD, National Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, points out that a serving of turkey provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid and is a good source of vitamin B, zinc, and potassium. These nutrients have been found to keep blood cholesterol down, protect against cancer and heart disease, and boost the immune system. A normal portion size is usually 3 to 4 ounces — and if you stick to white meat and peel the skin off, you’ll literally save hundreds of calories at the Thanksgiving table. Fortunately, turkey is one of those dieter’s dream foods that will fill you up when you eat just a little.

Sweet Potatos

Sweet potatoes are among the healthiest vegetables around — so long as they don’t get doused with butter, marshmallows, or some other high-calorie holiday sabotage. If roasted — which keeps the flavor very intense without adding fat — sweet potatoes burst with fiber, vitamin A, potassium, and phytochemicals, which stave off aging, cancer, and arthritis. Plus, they’re very filling, so you don’t have to overload your plate with them.

Cranberries

As millions of us reach for pretty-in-pink cranberry sauce to garnish our turkey and stuffing, few realize we’re getting much more than a sweet-tasting accoutrement. Krieger points out that cranberries are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and their fiber content helps to lower “bad” cholesterol levels. However, because these beautiful berries are naturally low in sugar, many recipes call for large doses of added sweetener. Steer clear of all that sugar and, instead, try adding a sugar substitute like Splenda to keep this side dish healthy, suggests Krieger.

Pomegranates

Power to the pomegranate! This gorgeous fruit is proving its worth as one of the richest sources of antioxidants around, and it’s popping up more and more in holiday dishes. You can indulge in the pomegranate’s benefits by simply buying a bottle of its juice to add to your favorite recipe, or sprinkling the pretty seeds over a salad.

And of course the absolute best way to battle the holiday bulge is to work with a personal trainer like Zach Hunt from Physzique Personal Fitness!Continued in Part Two!

You may have recently heard about a “new” Spokane food Greek Yoghurt and wondered what all the fuss is about. Is it better for you? How does it taste? What is so special about Greek yoghurt? Let’s take a look at this Spokane food and compare it to American yoghurt.

Spokane food: Yogurt basics.

Yoghurt, a common Spokane food, is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. Fermentation of the milk sugar (lactose) produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yoghurt its texture and its characteristic tang and It is nutritionally rich in protein, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12.

Yoghurt has nutritional benefits beyond those of milk: people who are moderately lactose-intolerant can enjoy yoghurt without ill effects, because the lactose in the milk precursor is converted to lactic acid by the bacterial culture. The reduction of lactose bypasses the affected individuals’ need to process the milk sugar themselves.

Yoghurt also has medical uses, in particular for a variety of gastrointestinal conditions, and in preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea. One study suggests that eating yoghurt containing L. acidophilus helps prevent vulvovaginal candidiasis, though the evidence is not conclusive. Yoghurt is believed to promote good gum health, possibly because of the probiotic effect of lactic acids present in yoghurt.

Spokane Food: Greek yoghurt

Greek yoghurt is a Spokane food which has been strained in a cloth or paper bag or filter, traditionally made of muslin, to remove the whey, giving a consistency between that of yoghurt and cheese, while preserving yoghurt’s distinctive sour taste. Like many yoghurts, strained yoghurt is often made from milk which has been enriched by boiling off some of the water content, or by adding extra butterfat and powdered milk. “Greek-style” yoghurts are similar to Greek strained yoghurt, but may be thickened with thickening agents. Or if made the traditional way, are based on domestic (rather than Greek) milk. Greek yoghurt’s live and active culture content is much higher than that of regular yoghurt. However it should be noted that liquid whey contains cystine, and amino acid that boosts your body’s level s of the Cancer-fighting compound glutathione.

Spokane food: What are probiotics and what good are they?

Yoghurt, a great Spokane food contains probiotics. Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host.’

Probiotic bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body’s naturally occurring gut flora, an ecology of microbes, to re-establish themselves. They are sometimes recommended by doctors, and, more frequently, by nutritionists, after a course of antibiotics, or as part of the treatment for gut related candidiasis. Claims are made that probiotics strengthen the immune system to combat allergies, excessive alcohol intake, stress, exposure to toxic substances, and other diseases. In these cases, the bacteria that work well with our bodies may decrease in number, an event which allows harmful competitors to thrive, to the detriment of our health.

Spokane food: So which is better, America yoghurt or Greek Yoghurt?

When it comes down to a choice between these great Spokane foods, both standard American yoghurt and Greek yoghurt are great for you, just in different ways. Greek yoghurt is, for the most part, more concentrated than American yoghurt, so it contains about twice as much protein as American yoghurt. But the each contain high amounts of probiotics (although Greek yoghurt contains more simply because it is so much more concentraited), so really, you don’t have to choose. Eat them both daily and you will benefit more than if you each just one of the two. And remember, a healthy diet alone won’t help you keep your weight and health in check. So contact Zach Hunt with Physzique personal fitness today!