Is Milk Healthy?

Some experts say that milk is a health hazard, saying that it’s loaded with cancer causing hormones that the dairy industry doesn’t want you to know about. Others say that it’s the most nutritious food you can find. Who’s correct?

Does Milk Build Muscle?

Yes - definitely. 80 percent of the protein in milk is whey protein, the other 20 percent of the protein is casein - both are high quality proteins. Whey protein is broken down quickly by your body into amino acids, which is great after a workout. The casein protein is digested much slower, which keeps your muscles supplied with a steady, smaller supply for that time between meals or when your sleeping. Overall, milk is a great combination of muscle-building protein!

Does the hormones that dairy cows are given affect your health?

In 1993, the FDA approved the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) - which makes the cow produce more milk at less cost to the dairy farmer. But rBGH also increases the milk’s concentration of IGF - a hormone that has been linked to cancer. But here’s the deal. When you drink milk, your stomach acid destroys these hormones, and passes the waste out of your system. So, unless you inject milk into your veins, milk is healthy.

Skim Milk or Whole Milk?

It depends on what you think tastes better. Although whole milk does increase your LDL cholesterol - you’d have to drink 6 - 8oz glasses to increase your LDL by just 6 points! And, funny thing is - whole milk during testing also DECREASED triglycerides by 22%! And, whether you drink whole or skim milk - British researchers found that drinking milk lowers the likelihood of heard attach and stroke. (One thing, though - if you’re looking to gain muscle - drink whole milk. Scientists at the University of Texas medical branch at Galveston found that drinking whole milk after lifting weights boosted muscle protein synthesis 2.8 times more than skim milk did!)

Healthy Lifestyle–How To Get More Protein In Your Diet

We all know that your body needs protein. Every time you work out, you break down your muscles a little bit, and you gain muscle as your body rebuilds itself – and compensates for your newly increased activity level. Not to mention that your body also needs protein to maintain bone mass and your immune system. And, the main building block for all of this - is protein!

Yet, at the same time, the protein that you may be getting in your diet up until now, may not be enough to fuel the “rebuilding”. How, then, can you increase the amount of protein in your diet – in a healthy way?

Well, one way of increasing your diet’s protein is to look at how some vegetarians have done it! And, if you are a vegetarian, the following ideas are of even greater importance.

Eggs – That’s right – add an extra egg to your breakfast! And, if you’re worried about how healthy that might be, don’t. A quick and easy solution is to buy Egg Beaters (or their equivalent). These aren’t egg substitutes – they are 100% real eggs. Yet, they are low in cholesterol, easy to store & use, and allow you to truly measure the protein you’re adding to your diet. And, they don’t cost that much more – check Trader Joes or Costco for great deals on eggs!

Cottage Cheese – It seems that every time we try to improve our diets, one of the first things that gets cut out is cheese, due to the fat content. But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick up some non-fat cottage cheese! Cottage cheese actually has a full complement of amino acids – and is a great source of protein.

Legumes – This includes beans, peas, and lentils. These not only provide a good secondary source of protein, but also are a good source of fiber for your diet as well. And, they are nutrient-dense, which means you get a good source of nutrients without having to over-eat! For example, 1 cup of black beans gives you 15gm of protein, and if you really want to go high on the protein scale – try cooking up some soybeans! (Think edaname – simple, healthy, and tasty!) 1 cup of cooked soybeans can give you up to 31gm of protein – similar to what you would get from a small chicken breast – and they make for a great snack between meals!

Keep in mind that if you are a vegetarian, you can risk deficiencies in certain dietary minerals and vitamins, such as iron, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12, which is found only in animal products. Vitamin B, including B12 and folate, is found in green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, grains and soy milk. Some experts recommend that vegetarians take a multivitamin to get enough B vitamins. Calcium can come through green leafy vegetables, including mustard and collard greens and broccoli. It's also found in soy milk and soy products. Iron-rich foods include dark green vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grain and fortified breads, and cereals.

Diet – Grilled Shrimp with Jalapeno-Cilantro Salsa

Here’s a hot & spicy recipe for shrimp – not only a great source of protein, but this recipe also gives you a little bit of healthy fat from the olive oil. Serve with your favorite steamed veggies!

2 lb. shrimp – peeled
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1c chopped garlic – peeled and lightly crushed
1 tbsp peeled and roughly chopped ginger
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed & seeded, and roughly chopped
1 tbsp Dried red pepper flakes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lime juice from one lime
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Mix the cilantro, garlic, ginger, pepper, red pepper flakes and oil in a blender – puree until smooth, adding oil to keep things from getting too gooped up. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides as needed. Move to a bowl, and add salt & pepper. Thin the mixture with the lime juice. You can either use immediately, or cover & store in the refrigerator for up to a day (but bring back to room temperature before serving).Grill the shrimp until done, serving immediately with the salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Diet - Grilled Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa

A healthy diet includes at least a gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, and chicken is a wonderful source of that protein! Looking for a new way to cook that chicken? Try this recipe for Grilled Chicken with Tomato-Avocado Salsa

Ingredients
4 ripe plum tomatoes,
chopped or 12 cherry tomatoes,
halved1/2 small red onion,
finely chopped1 jalapeño chili pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup non-fat, plain yogurt
1/2 small red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 4 to 6 ounces each
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper

In a small food processor or blender, puree the yogurt, red onion, lime juice and cilantro to make a yogurt marinade, and transfer the marinade to a shallow bowl or a plastic bag. Drop the chicken in the bag, making sure that the chicken gets coated well with the marinade. Throw in the refrigerator for at least an hour, and up to 8 hours. To cook, preheat your grill to medium high. Pull the chicken out of the plastic bag and throw the bag with the remaining marinade away. Season the chicken with some salt & pepper, and grill the chicken on both sides until it is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with tomato-avocado salsa.

Tomato Avocado salsa:
In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, red onion, pepper and cilantro. Chop the avocado and sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons of lime juice to keep it from browning. Add the avocado and remaining lime juice to the bowl and toss to combine.

Serving Size: 1 chicken breast with salsa
Number of Servings: 4
Per Serving :Calories 283
Carbohydrate 16 g
Fat 6 g
Fiber 4 g
Protein 43 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Sodium 341 mg

Healthy Lifestyle - Don't Forget About Your Kids!

by Bob Lachniet
President - Fitness 4 Home Superstore

So, you try to eat healthy while keeping your weight down. But, what about your kids? Sure, when they’re at home, you have some control over how they eat. But, how can you make sure that when you’re not around, that they still follow healthy eating habits?

Now, of course, you can’t always keep an eye on them when they’re away from home. But are your pantry shelves have high-fat snacks and sugar-filled cereals that you’d never buy for yourself? And, have you worried about what the combination of peer pressure and your kids desire for fat-and-sugar filled snacks might be doing to their health?

Well, if you haven’t started to worry – you should. Kids today are fatter and less fit than previous generations. Between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s, obesity increased 54 percent among young children (ages six to 11) and 39 percent among adolescents (ages 12 to 17). Food companies spend millions of dollars on television advertising to convince children that high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods are worth eating. Food is consumed because it's cool, fun or comes with a free toy rather than for its impact on health or even for its taste!

You know where the easiest place to start is? Simpe - eat your words! The fact is that parents who have adopted a lifestyle that includes healthful foods and regular exercise are living role models for their children. The habits and behaviors that you exhibit at home have the proven benefit of carrying over to your kids. But, it won’t happen overnight.

The first step is to stop battling with your kids about food. Take it slow, and introduce reasonable alternatives as you gradually reduce those high-fat, high-sugar foods. Be sure to include some of their favorite foods in daily meals.

Make sure that the majority of the items you have in your pantry are healthy. Keep cut up veggies in your refrigerator, for example. Cut back on butter – if they want popcorn, either air pop it, or purchase plain microwave popcorn – and sprinkle it with low-fat, grated parmesan cheese.

Also, get them involved with both shopping and cooking. Look for cookbooks that have their favorite recipes, but in a healthy format – if they learn how to cook healthy, those habits will stay with them.

And, don’t forget to let them have their favorite foods on occasion. If they’re never allowed to eat them, they’ll look for every chance to sneak them behind your back (just like we all did when we were kids!). Having them once in awhile might actually make them feel a little bit guilty once in awhile – and over time, can help keep them following healthy dietary habits!