OJ: Pulp Up the Jam

Punny titles aside, the November 2010 issue of Men’s Health Magazine (the issue with True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten on the cover) teaches us that it is much healthier to drink orange juice that has pulp in it than juice that does not.  In responding to a reader-asked question on the topic, Men’s Health tells us that those tiny bits of fruit flesh do more than just add texture – they’re packed with disease-fighting phytonutrients.  Specifically, juice with pulp contains 30 percent more anti-inflammatory flavonoids and cancer-fighting limonoids than OJ that’s been strained, according to Jairam Vanamala, PhD, an assistant professor of food science and nutrition at Colorado State University. He says that its most healthy to eat fruit in its natural state, so 100 percent orange juice with pulp is the next best thing to a whole orange.

Ice Cream – Top This!

Thank you Men’s Health for providing yet another way to eat healthy that I will try once and forget about!  Nonetheless, the  June 2010 issue (featuring LOST‘‘s very own Josh Holloway on the cover) has an article that shows its readers how to make ice cream tastier and healthier by whipping your own toppings.  When you stick your spoon into souped-up ice cream – with all those swirls of corn-syrup caramel, chunks of peanut butter cup, and gobs of brownie – you may as well be eating a GIANT candy bar.  Enjoy some ice cream without all of the dumb calories: crown a scoop of vanilla with one of these simple, low-fat toppings:

Dark Chocolate Sauce

1 Bar (3 oz) semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 Tbsp black coffee

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 Tbsp butter

Mix the first three ingredients in a bowl.  Microwave until they are mostly melted – 1 to 2 minutes – stirring halfway through.  Add butter and stir until smooth.

Fresh Strawberry Sauce

1 Cup trimmed and chopped strawberries

2-3 Tbsp sugar

1/2 Tsp orange liqueur

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.  Mash the strawberries until the sauce is mostly smooth.  Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Maple-Walnut Sauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp rum

2 Tbsp chopped, toasted walnuts

Combine the ingredients and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in walnuts and serve warm.

The Easy 4 Day Detox

Thank you, Details Magazine.  There is an article in their “Health and Grooming” section in the January 2010 issue that discusses this post-holiday must:

Who says all that end-of-the-year gluttony requires months of penance? You may think you’re doomed to nibble kale until the Fourth of July, but you’re wrong. “All you need is four days to get back on track,” says New York dietitian Keri Glassman, author of The O2 Diet. “That’s enough time to reset your body.” Follow these simple tips and you’ll get rid of the bloat and maybe even find yourself thinking about fruit and vegetables instead of cheeseburger sliders.

Eat Early, Eat Often
You should have a good breakfast—no-brainer, right?—but the key is to be eating within one hour of waking. If you wait until you’re at your desk, you’re more likely to overindulge. When should you stop eating? That’s where things get interesting. Despite what your girlfriend says, it’s okay to keep feeding right up until you go to bed. “The goal is to be eating consistently,” Glassman says. “If you’re on a schedule where you have dinner at 9, that’s not so bad. By munching throughout the day, your body’s always burning calories at its best. It’s like throwing twigs onto a fire.”

[Read More: The Best Breakfast in America]

Take a Sabbatical from Sugar and Salt
Although one Oreo cookie is fine in theory, it’s hard to stop there. Sweets and alcohol often make you crave more sugar, putting your noble efforts at self-control in peril. Sodium prompts your body to retain water. It’s not enough to put down the salt shaker; beware the lunchtime deli run, too. Pickles, sliced meats, and split-pea soup are all known to pump you full of H2O.

[Read More: Ice Cream Sandwiches are Back]

Don’t Overdo the Juice Fast
Liquid diets can help you feel lighter in the short term, but maintain them for any longer than three days and you’re setting yourself up for nutrient deficiencies, fatigue, and failure. Juicers often start bingeing right after swallowing their last sip, warns dietitian Keri Gans of the American Dietetic Association. “If you’re going to try it,” she says, “don’t think you can just drink juice and then go to McDonald’s.”

[Read More: A Details Classic: Manorexics]

Give Up the Shredded Wheat
According to New York nutritionist Oz Garcia, the wheat-based starches you find in breakfast cereals are trouble. “Many men, as they move toward a better diet, think whole wheat is good for them,” he says. “But it triggers appetite and water retention. It also contributes to gaining weight around the gut and developing man boobs.” Try oats or grains like quinoa or millet instead—or get your carbs from vegetables like yams, squashes, and pumpkins.

[Read More: A User's Guide to Man Boobs]

Bring On the Artichoke
A plate of fiber-rich lentils or chickpeas will fill you up, but so will the often overlooked—and decidely delicious—artichoke. Glassman suggests having one every afternoon. “It’s low-calorie,” she says, “and it takes a while to eat.”

[Read More: The Pills You Should Be Popping]

Don’t Be Too Spartan
When Bradley Cooper had to shed a few pounds for his upcoming role in The A-Team, he ate mostly boiled chicken, broccoli, and brown rice. Channing Tatum has streamlined his physique with the same regimen. Glassman says it’s a good plan, though a bit too ascetic. Boiling the chicken adds no fat or calories. But grilling it with a little nonstick spray and some herbs and spices adds about two calories and lots more flavor.

[Read More: Bradley Cooper Has Hollywood by the Balls]

Bite Your Tongue
As a topic of conversation, your diet restrictions are about as interesting as a grocery list. Unless your name is Oprah, no one cares that you’d kill for some lardo on wheat bread. So be a champ and keep your virtue to yourself.

[Read More: O-Face or Oprah Face?]

Turn Up the Heat
No less an expert on overindulgence than John Belushi would head to the sauna after a wild night. The Animal House star was crazy, yes, but he was no fool. One 20-minute session can improve your mood and your appearance. The heat raises your outer body temperature, boosting your circulation and making you feel euphoric, and the sweat flushes debris from your pores. “It mimics the effects of running the Central Park loop,” Oz Garcia says. Try saying that about wheatgrass.

[Read More: Find the Right Massage]

Need Motivation: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

StickK.com lets you bet against your weak, impulsive self. If you lose the wager, you fork the cash over to a friend, an enemy, or even a cause you despise—like, say, Sarah Palin 2012.

Fatbet.net—founded by two buddies trying to drop 10 pounds each—helps you set up weight-loss competitions with friends and chart the results. Those who meet their goals split the winnings.

[Read More: The Slacker Workout]

Put Down the Protein Shake
Put down the whey powder. Dr. Jeffrey Morrison, a New York weight-loss specialist, recommends breakfast shakes made from rice protein, which is less rough on the stomach. Mix two scoops of protein powder, two tablespoons of flaxseed fiber, eight ounces of water, and ice in a blender. Consume with the morning paper.

[Read More: Meal-Replacement Shakes]

The Sports Drink Myth
“Coconut water is what Gatorade wishes it was,” Oz Garcia says. It has the potassium and the sugar you need to feel restored after a workout but none of the artificial ingredients or the food coloring.

[Read More: Alex Rodriguez: Confessions of a Damned Yankee]

The Hangover Remedy
Forget hair of the dog. Come the morning after, try rehydrating with this: Fill one half of a glass with apple juice, the other half with water, and add a pinch of sea salt. “As a cure, it works,” Morrison says.

[Read More: The Best way to Drink Tequilla—Hangover Not Included]

D.I.Y. Lunch – Pack a Lunch that Packs a Punch

Gotta love it.  In the January 2010 issue of GQ Magazine, the one with a near-naked Rihanna on the cover, there is a lunch theme in the recurring “D.I.Y. Man” section.  This is a step-by-step guide to packing the perfect lunch.  “Your mom’s not making you PB&J anymore (we hope), but if you’re smart, you’ll still brown-bag it occasionally.  You’ll eat better, save cash, and never have to schlep to Quiznos again.

1.  Build a smarter sandwich

• Sturdy, grainy bread from a bakery, sliced by you.  Not only will it taste fresh and flavorful; it won’t turn into a squishy mess.
• Cheese adds a salty, creamy texture to the mix. Use something good, like an aged Cheddar or Gruyere, sliced thin.
• Like Tom Colicchio preaches, “Keep the wet stuff away from the bread” so it doesn’t turn soggy. Your Dijon or mayo?  Spread it on the cheese instead.
• Use greens that taste like something.  Try arugula.  It’ll add a big, peppery kick to every bite.
• Invest in quality cold cuts.  Look for markets that prepare their own turkeys and roast beef.  Or order up a pound of good real ham.  Sliced feathery thin.

2.  Avoid the Soup Nazis

• This is soup as a meal, so you want something hearty (and easy), like potato leek.  Here’s how to make it.  In a stockpot, saute a chopped onion with a bit of olive oil.  When it turns translucent, add a chopped garlic clove, then three big chopped leeks (trim the tough green parts), a pound of peeled, diced potatoes, and salt & pepper.  When the potatoes start to brown, add enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer.  The longer it simmers, the deeper the flavor becomes, but its good to go after about 30 minutes.  If you have a blender, puree the soup.  In the morning, grab half a baguette and transfer the soup to a thermos.  Zap it in the office microwave; then, if you want, add some heavy cream – the kind in the little packets by the coffee machine will do just fine.  Finally, if you feel like adding some shredded cheese, the same Gruyere you already have in the house for sandwiches – we’re not going to argue.

3.  Get all European

This one’s easy: no cooking, hardly any assembling.  Start off with a hunk of bread.  Olives.  Cornichons (those little pickles).  A hard cheese, like Pecorino or Piave.  Finally, some kind of hard European salami that you will cut yourself, at your desk, with the Swiss Army knife you bought expressly for this reason.  The salami should have a casing that looks rumpled, hard, and covered with flour (it’s really mold).  It should have a name like Felino or Crespone.  If it’s vacuum packed and made in Ohio, it’s the wrong kind.

4.  Say yes to pasta, no to the microwave

Leave your leftover Carbonara and Bologmese at home.  What you want is something lighter and simpler that can be eaten at room temperature.  Dress the pasta with a quality olive oil, salt, pepper and a sharp cheese like a ricotta salataor feta and throw in some chopped olives.  If you’re a meat guy, add sausage.

Diet Tricks for Holiday Treats

If you are like us, you love candy…and constantly fight with your waistline.  In the October 2009 issue of Men’s Health magazin (the one woth Obama on the cover) has and article on how to get your candy fix but not gain weight.  You can indulge, and like everything…moderation is key.  The article states that candy sales spiked in the recession, because it is a cheap pleasure, but that you can enjoy candy without the guilt that typically comes with it.  The tip?  Keep it to 400 calories or under.  Here are 3 ways to stretch your halloween pleasure:

The small but sinful: rich chocolate with richer fillings.

1. Milk Chocolate M&M’s – one fun-size bag is 90 calories.
2. Milky Way – 1 fun-size milky way is 75 calories.
3. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – 2 cups = 210 calories.
4. TOTAL = 375 calories

The balanced approach: A medium sized mix of rich & fruity candies

1. Snickers – one fun-sized bar is 80 calories
2. Skittles – one fun size bag is 60 calories
3. Butterfinger – one fun-sized bag is 100 calories
4. Jawbreaker – 2 jawbreakers are 70 calories
5. Starbursts – 4 Starbursts equal 80 calories
6. TOTAL = 390 calories

The big pig-out – lots of low-cal items

1. Nerds – one small box is 50 calories
2. Jolly rancher – 3 hard candy pieces are 50 calories
3. Bubble gum – 2 pieces equals 30 calories
4. Smarties – 1 roll is 25 calories
5. 3 musketeers – 1 fun-sized bar is 63 calories
6. Tootsie pop – One sucker is 60 calories
7. Brach’s Candy Corn – 10 pieces is 75 calories
8. Hershey’s Sticks smooth & Creamy – 1 stick is 60 calories
9. TOTAL – 413 Calories

Manly Breakfast News: Sunny Side Up

Men’s Health magazine is always a good read when it comes to nutrition…and just living a healthy lifestyle in general.  In the September 2009 issue, one of the facts that they share with their health-conscious readers is that eating eggs for breakfast can benefit your body all day.  We have always heard that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, and not it has more back-up.  The article states that researchers at the University of Connecticut found that men who ate eggs for breakfast took in fewer calories over a period of 24 hours than those that had cereal or bagels.  The reason is that protein is much more satiating than carbohydrates are.  So if you are eating cereal for breakfast…yolk’s on you.  Sorry…I will never do that again.