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Friday 30 September 2011

National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinics have been featured with an article on the ‘Lose That Tyre’ Blog by Mark Corner – an inspirational blog about weight loss and healthy living.

In the article we have covered high protein diets, what to expect, do they help and whether they actually work.

The final conclusion is that healthy balance wins – no need to limit your diet to eating protein only foods and exclude everything else. A healthy choice of high protein, low-fat diet could lead to a more effective weight loss and improve your eating habits.

There is evidence that increase in protein intake improves the feeling of fullness. The more satisfied you feel after eating, the less likely you are to overeat or indulge in sweets and snacks in-between meals during the day. It takes more energy to burn protein than carbs or fats, which means you actually lose more calories to digest your food.

Below you can find easy low carb, low calorie recipes for your perfect tasty Italian Dinner this weekend. 

Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

1 can of tomatoes, 1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, freshly ground
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove finely chopped
2 lb chicken pieces, skinned
2 tbsp parsley chopped or 2 tsp dry parsley
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

Pour tomatoes into container of a blender or food processor. Add basil, tarragon, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.

Pour oil into a large frying pan, sauté garlic over medium heat for 1 min. Add chicken pieces, brown turning once or twice until golden on both sides. Cover with tomato mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 min until tender.

Remove chicken and place in a warm oven-proof dish. Stir parsley into sauce and spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with Mozzarella. Place under grill until cheese melts.

4 servings  5 g carbohydrate, 25 g protein, 15 g fat (255 calories)

Italian Carrots Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 lb of peeled baby carrots or small size carrots cut in
 1/2 inch lengths
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp oregano
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

Wash and peel the carrots. Steam carrots for about 5 minutes, or until crisp-tender. While carrots are steaming, make your dressing by combining remaining ingredients.

When the carrots are ready place them in a wide and deep dish and pour dressing over them immediately, tossing to coat all sides.

Let rest 30 minutes, tossing once or twice, for flavours to mature.

For deeper flavour can be refrigerated overnight and served either cold or at room temperature.<

Mock Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup of stock (stock cube or fresh)
2 tbsp butter
2 ounces cream cheese
2 tbsp sour cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Place cauliflower florets in a large saucepan. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until very tender, about 12 minutes.

Drain remaining liquid thoroughly and cook 2 more minutes over the low heat until dry, stirring constantly.

Use hand blender or food processor to mash cauliflower with cream cheese, sour cream and cheddar.

Important! Cauliflower should be cooked until VERY tender and should be VERY dry before mixing in the other ingredients.

Put the mixture in an ovenproof dish or tray. Sprinkle some paprika on top to add nice colour.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until hot.

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Tuesday 20 September 2011

Weight Loss Specialists - why we are getting fatter

MSN Life published an article about the overweight and obesity problem in the UK and the rest of the World.
Several top UK weight loss experts have given their views, opinions and advice on the problem that has great impact on our lives, health general wellbeing.

One of the experts interviewed is Robert Houtman – the Managing Director of National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinics.

The Problem raised in the article is the dramatic increase in overweight and obese people in the UK. ‘Recent studies suggest that by 2030, there will be 26 million people in the UK who are obese - a rise of 73% from the current 15 million.’ states MSN Live.

Top UK experts in fighting overweight and obesity problems have shared their opinions and suggested how to solve the problem. The causes of increased rates of overweight people not only in the UK but around the world are to be blamed on the:

Lazy lifestyles - lifestyles in general are becoming more and more sedentary; 

Increase of processed foods in our diets: foods many people believe to be healthy make you fatter and hungrier. Examples mentioned: breakfast cereal, spreads, low-fat diet drinks.

Development of technology and it’s increasing integration into our lifestyles: internet, smart phones and social networking stop people from getting off the sofa and going to visit friends or even the post office or a shop.

Carbohydrates which refers back to the processed food problem – processed foods have a much higher content of carbs as well as trans and saturated fats.

Abundance and availability of take away and fast foods – ready available, easy to find, these meals contain two or three times as many calories as the home made versions.

Diet dilemmas: According to Robert Houtman, managing director of National Slimming and Cosmetic Clinics, whilst the majority of overweight people would love to shed a few pounds, the problem is that they simply don't know how to. "Lack of dietary information is a huge problem," says Robert. "Very few diets actually teach you what you should be eating. Instead they focus on the 'fast' weight loss. All these fad diets, counting points or eating only protein or just cabbage soup have no educational value whatsoever. So, as soon as you stop the 'fad' diet you simply go back to your old eating habits."

Lack of movement – using cars and other transport when walking or cycling could be an option saves money and benefits health as well as the waistline.

Stress related overeating - many people use food to change the way they feel and to help themselves to feel better.

The Portion Problem: Portion sizes have increased dramatically. It is very easy to go down this road and get your food portions bigger and bigger making your calorie intake several times over what your body really needs.

More on these problems and expert advice at MSN Life and Style
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