Berries, Bikinis, and Teens

How To Buy, Store, and Eat Berries

With summer in full swing, it’s time to enjoy the season’s sweetest fruits — berries. Not only are they tasty, but they’re also very nutritious. Packed with fiber and antioxidants, berries prove that good things do come in small packages. Whether you love strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, orblackberries, the months from May to September offer an abundant harvest of berry goodness. Here are a few tips on how to buy them, store them, and enjoy them…

Bikini and Healthy Teens

Bikini weather often inspires teens to lose weight, no matter what it takes. While severe calorie restriction and relying on medicine like laxatives may help them shed pounds quickly, odds are they won’t stay off. Here are some ways teens (and adults too!) can shed some weight with healthy lifestyle changes…

How To Get Enough Vitamin D on the zone Diet

Vitamin D for Defense
From the Zone Diet

Everyone wants to prevent rather than treat disease. Vitamin D, for example, can help protect against bone loss by helping your body absorb calcium. A recent study also revealed that it may protect against gingivitis, the clinical name for gum disease, which is characterized by swollen and bleeding gums. How does it help? Vitamin D may stop the inflammation associated with gingivitis before it can lead to infection and gum loss.

So how should you up your D intake? An important source of vitamin D is sunlight, but it's still important to get enough from food sources. Keep in mind that the recommended daily amount is 50 micrograms (or 2,000 IUs). Below is a list of foods that are rich in vitamin D (amounts are in IUs):

• Salmon, cooked, 3 1/2 ounces: 360
• Mackerel, cooked, 3 1/2 ounces: 345
• Tuna, canned in oil, 3 ounces: 200
• Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 1 3/4 ounces: 250
• Milk, nonfat, reduced-fat, 1 cup: 98
• Egg, 1 whole (vitamin D is found in the yolk): 20
• Liver, beef, cooked, 3 1/2 ounces: 15
• Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce: 12

MEMBERS GET MORE! You'll find many more healthy living tips and ideas on Dr. Sears Zone Diet Advantage

How To Make Easy Marinade

Kitchen Trick: Easy Marinades
From the Zone Diet

In the mood for a tasty marinated steak, fish, or veggie dish? Avoid expensive - and seldom Zone Diet -appropriate - bottled marinades that are sold in stores and create your own instead. Marinades are easy to make, usually consisting of just three ingredients: an acid (such as vinegar), a fat (such as olive oil), and flavorings (herbs or spices).

Here are some tips for making marinades:

• Consider the kind of meat you're using. The denser the meat, the stronger the flavors of your marinade. For delicately flavored fish and seafood, make a marinade of white wine or lemon juice. For chicken, try balsamic vinegar or lime juice. And for beef, try hearty red wine or red-wine vinegar.
• Clean and prep your meat. Place your meat in a large, resealable bag with the marinade and seal.
• Put the bag containing the marinade and the meat (or veggies) in the fridge and let it sit for an appropriate length of time - longer for beef, shorter for chicken, and quickest of all for fish.

Try this delicious, fat-free recipe for Lime Marinade - enough for 1.5 pounds of steak: Lime Marinade

Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

Instructions
In a resealable plastic bag, combine all ingredients. Add steak, seal bag (place in a dish to catch any leaks), and marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, for up to 1 hour. To cook steak on the grill, remove beef from the bag, allowing most of the marinade to drip off. The leaner the cut, the quicker it cooks. For a medium-cooked steak, allow 7 minutes cooking time on one side, and 5 on the other. Use an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness. It will read 115 to 125 degrees for rare, 125 to 140 degrees for medium-rare, 140 to 150 degrees for medium, 150 to 160 degrees for medium-well, and 160 degrees or above for well-done.

Zone Diet tTips: Boysenberries

Pick of the Week: Boysenberries
From the Zone Diet

All of summer's delicious berries are packed with nutrients, including vitamin C, fiber, and disease-fighting antioxidants. Unlike the more popular blueberry, fresh boysenberries (which look more like red raspberries or blackberries) aren't available year-round — so take advantage of the crop that's at grocery stores and farm stands.

Here's how to buy and enjoy this succulent fruit:

• Boysenberries are typically sold like raspberries in square plastic baskets. Flip over the basket to look at the berries at the bottom, avoiding crushed fruit or berries that look moldy or white.
• Freeze boysenberries, and then drop them in a glass of seltzer or iced tea to flavor your drink. Use frozen berries in your smoothies, as well, without thawing them first, to cool down your blends.
• Try this delicious breakfast recipe. It was created with blueberries in mind, but it's delicious with boysenberries:

Boysenberry Cottage Cheese

Ingredients
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup boysenberries, fresh or frozen
3 teaspoons slivered almonds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
This recipe requires a blender or food processor. Place the boysenberries, applesauce, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a blender and pulse 2 or 3 times. In a medium bowl, combine the berry mixture, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Sprinkle with almonds and serve.

MEMBERS GET MORE! You'll find hundreds of cooking tips and recipes on Dr. Sears Zone Diet Advantage.

South Beach Tips. Water - What and Why

Water

From South Beach Diet

Certainly, bottled water is a convenience that helps us stay hydrated while on the go. But convenience aside, bottled water isn't necessarily more virtuous than tap water. In fact, did you know that bottled water is sometimes nothing more than purified tap water?

Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict labeling rules for bottled water, but it's upto you to learn the differences between various terms and what they mean. There are three major types of bottled water:

1. Purified water is water that has been produced by distillation, deionization, reverse osmosis, or other suitable processes. Purified water may also be referred to as "demineralized water."

2. Spring water is water that flows naturally from the earth and is collected directly from its natural source.

3. Mineral water is spring water that contains dissolved minerals and other trace elements (at least 250 parts per million) that come directly from the source.

In general, safety standards for bottled water and tap water are the same with a few exceptions. For example, because tap water may become contaminated with lead as it travels through pipes, the government limits the amount of lead in tap water to 15 parts per billion whereas the limit is set below 5 parts per billion for bottled water. Another major difference is that tap water is fluoridated, but most bottled waters do not contain fluoride.

Most people can safely (and inexpensively!) drink water straight from the tap. If you want to improve the taste of tap water, you can purchase a water filtration pitcher, which reduces the amount of chlorine in the tap water. If you prefer the taste of bottled water and you're serving it to your family, let your dentist know because young children require fluoride for healthy teeth.

Finally, Dr. Agatston advises drinking when you're thirsty to stay sufficiently hydrated. Keep a bottle or glass of water nearby so you can quench your thirst as needed.

How To Get Broccoli's Benefits

Dr. Guttersen's Tip of the Day

Sonoma Diet:

Leave the Vitamins In

The big anti-cancer gun in broccoli's phytonutrient arsenal is a detoxifier called sulforophane. As the name hints, this is the substance responsible for the sulfur-like smell of broccoli as it cooks. That's turned off many a kid and even a former president to this gift of nature. When cooked properly, however, broccoli has a wonderful taste, not to mention a lovely color. Steam or boil for just a few minutes. Cooking any longer will rob broccoli of both its flavor and its nutrients!

How To Grill Poultry. Grilled Chicken & Turkey

From Better Homes and Gardens

A great array of grilled chicken and turkey recipes from burgers to Asian-inspired dishes can all be found here.
Deluxe Chicken and Roasted Pepper Sandwich

A sophisticated blend of marinated grilled chicken, fresh thyme, and crushed red peppers, topped with chevre, roasted sweet peppers, and fresh basil. The chicken works equally well on an indoor or outdoor grill

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

4 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lb.)

4 1-inch-thick bias-cut slices Italian or French bread

1/4 cup semi-soft cheese with herbs or semi-soft goat cheese (chevre)

1 cup roasted red sweet peppers (about one 7-oz. jar), cut into strips

1/2 cup fresh watercress, basil, or baby spinach leaves

Directions

1. In a small dish whisk together the oil, vinegar, thyme, salt, and crushed red pepper. Remove and reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade. Place chicken between 2 sheets of waxed paper; pound lightly with a meat mallet to make an even thickness about 1/2-inch thick; place in a plastic bag. Add the remaining marinade. Seal bag and marinate about 15 minutes at room temperature or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator.

2. Lightly grease the rack of an indoor electric grill or lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat grill. Brush cut sides of bread with reserved marinade; place bread, cut side down, on grill rack. If using a covered grill, close the lid. Grill until lightly toasted. (For a covered grill, allow 1 to 2 minutes; for an uncovered grill, allow 2 to 4 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling.) Remove bread from grill; set aside.

3. Place chicken on the grill rack. If using a covered grill, close the lid. Grill until chicken is tender and no longer pink. (For a covered grill, allow 3 to 4 minutes; for an uncovered grill, allow 8 to 10 minutes, turning once halfway through grilling.) Remove from grill and spread or sprinkle with cheese.

4. To serve, place one chicken breast on each grilled bread slice. Top with roasted pepper strips and watercress. Makes 4 servings.

Conventional Method: Prepare as above through Step 1. Toast bread slices in a skillet or grill pan or on a griddle over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove bread from pan or griddle. Place chicken in the skillet, grill pan, or on the griddle. Cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once. Remove from pan or griddle and spread or sprinkle with cheese. Serve as directed above.

Nutrition facts per serving:
calories: 418
total fat: 20g
saturated fat: 5g
monounsaturated fat: 11g
polyunsaturated fat: 2g
cholesterol: 82mg
sodium: 629mg
carbohydrate: 21g
total sugar: 1g
fiber: 2g
protein: 37g
vitamin A: 0%
vitamin C: 177%
calcium: 5%
iron: 14%

How to find time for healthy dieting

Finding Time to Eat Healthier

From Sonoma Diet

Think you can't find time to eat healthier? Sometimes it takes just a few minutes to put fresh, nutritious food on the table. If you're having trouble getting motivated, remember that your time investment will have a major payoff: A healthier you! Hear what one member has to say about changing his eating habits:

"If you only take time to think about what you're eating when you're looking at the menu board at the fast-food drive-through, it's time to start making some healthier choices. Ancient civilizations devoted the vast majority of their existence to the search for food! That means you can spend 20 minutes in the kitchen to cook more flavorful meals with a better nutritional balance. The payoff is that you'll achieve a healthier weight."

The Sonoma Diet makes cooking healthy, delicious food a snap! Get yourself into the kitchen, and on the way to weight loss today.

Members Get More! Join Sonoma Diet Today!

Sonoma Diet Tips On Cravings and Snacking

You Are Stronger Than Your Cravings!

From Sonoma Diet

One of the best things you can do to stay on track on The Sonoma Diet is remind yourself early and often that you are stronger than the cravings that threaten to derail you. No matter who you are (or even which diet you're on), there will be times when you struggle with temptation and cravings. And while you will ultimately feel better as a result of the changes you're making, sometimes, because your brain and body wonder what happened to the old days, a craving will kick in. Don't give in to it. Consider that craving a reminder of the positive changes you're making and you'll be more empowered to conquer it.

Dr. Guttersen's Tip of the Day

Chip Trick

A good short-term strategy to keep snacking under control is to meet your cravings halfway. Allow yourself a smaller, healthier version of the food you're craving. For example, here's a great snack to keep on hand for times when you crave potato chips. Cut a sweet potato into thin slices and brush with a little olive oil; then sprinkle with salt or your favorite herb and bake in a 375-degree oven until crisp. Store in an airtight container and grab a handful whenever the chip urge strikes.

Sonoma Diet, South Beach, the Zone Tips and Recipes: Grilling, Using Carbs for Weight Loss, Tune Steaks, Blueberries, Parfait Recipe

Zone Diet Tip: Watermelon - South Beach Success - Sonoma diet’s Foods - Insulin-friendly Ice Cream

Zone Diet Tip: Watermelon
Watermelon is on the Zone Diet ’s list of unfavorable carbs - its high-sugar content can spike insulin levels. So it’s not a fruit to eat as often as, say, a peach or plum. But watermelons are packed with lycopene, the same disease-fighting antioxidant contained in tomatoes. Here’s how to buy and enjoy this juicy treat in moderation…

South Beach Success - 15 lbs lost, diabetes improved, blood pressure’s back to normal
Members of The South Beach Diet Online continue to have great success improving their health and overall outlook on life. They lose inches and pounds, lower their blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and improve their cholesterol levels. All of this while continuing to enjoy delicious meals, snacks, and even dessert. They’re living proof that life is betteron the Beach. Read some of their stories…

Sonoma diet’s Powerful Foods: Peppers
Like other foods on The Sonoma Diet Power Food list, bell peppers (also known as sweet peppers) pack a nutritional punch without packing on pounds. Unlike some of their fiery cousins, bell peppers are not hot because they contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound that heats up other peppers. The vividly colored skin of bell peppers is one of the keys to their power…

Insulin-friendly Berry ‘Ice Cream’
Yes, you can eat ice cream in the Zone, says Dr. Sears. Just do it in moderation, since even a small bowl of Breyers can send your insulin levels soaring. For a healthier solution, try this recipe for our ice cream substitute. You may learn to love it more than the real thing. Note that this recipe calls for 2 cups of frozen berries of your choice тАФ so experiment with different berries, but make sure to stick with the frozen kind or…

Sonoma Diet, South Beach, the Zone Tips and Recipes: Grilling, Using Carbs for Weight Loss, Tune Steaks, Blueberries, Parfait Recipe

Sonoma Diet Tips on Using Carbs To Lose Weight
Dr. Guttersen’s Tip of the Day

South Beach Red, White, and Blue Parfait Recipe
Looking for that perfect - and patriotic - dessert this July 4th? Whip up this red, white, and blue parfait for your celebration. This Phase 2 and 3 sweet and healthy summer treat is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

The Zone Diet Tips on Grilling Vegetables
Nothing says summer like the sizzle of an outdoor grill. It’s a healthy and delicious way to cook, so why not up your favorable carb count by grilling some fresh veggies? Here are some tips for preparing them

Sonoma Diet’s Tuna Steak Recipe - Sicilian Tuna Steak
Bring something new to the table! White wine and dried basil bring a distinctly Sicilian taste to these luscious yet low-fat tuna steaks.

How Can I Use Blueberries to Get Their Benefits?
Blueberries prove that good things can come in small packages. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, blueberries are one of the richest sources of antioxidants, thanks to their anthocyanins - the compounds responsible for their blue hue. They’re also a rich source of dietary fiber. But that’s not all. Several studies indicate that the antioxidants in blueberries may aid in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, stroke, urinary tract infections, and memory disorders.

Sonoma Diet Tip On Salad Greens

From Sonoma Diet

Dr. Guttersen's Tip of the Day

Go for the Greens

Skip the iceberg - the darker the greens, the more nutrients they usually contain. For example, romaine and watercress have 8 times more beta carotene and twice the calcium and potassium as iceberg. More great green choices: beet, turnip, collard and mustard greens as well as European and Asian varieties such as arugula, sorrel, chicory, escarole, mizuna and tatsoi. Look for them at your grocery store and if you can't find them, ask the manager to stock them for you. The more people who ask, the more likely it is that these "exotic" greens will appear in your produce department one day.

Sonoma Diet's Tip on Fibers

Dr. Guttersen's Tip of the Day

The Real Thing

At the grocery store, don't be fooled by labels that want you to think you're getting whole grains when you're not. Read the package carefully: "Wheat flour" and "unbleached wheat flour" are not whole grain. Whole wheat and oatmeal are whole grains, but "oatmeal bread" and crackers that are "made with whole wheat" are mostly refined and not worth eating. If you're not a big fan of whole wheat's flavor, try a bread or cracker that lists a different whole grain as the first ingredient.