Top Anti-Ageing Superfoods or Be Beautiful from Within

February 1st, 2010 . No Comments »
Written by: Liliya on February 1, 2010.

By: Liliya Vafina, Nutrition Consultant

It’s no secret that there are many factors that play a role in our ageing process. Genetics, exercise, nutrition, relaxation, proper skin care are just a few of them and while it is not in our power to change our genetics and stop the ageing process, we can slow down its effects through lifestyle choices.  Here is one easy change you can make towards a healthier and more youthful-looking you. Just take this superfoods list to the supermarket next time you go grocery shopping and aim to include one different superfood for every day of your week. It’s that easy!

1215513213p268yk Top Anti Ageing Superfoods or Be Beautiful from Within

  • Berries. All bright coloured berries contain a massive amount of antioxidants. These antioxidants help to protect our body from oxidative damage that causes premature ageing plus all kinds of disease that come with free radical damage. It is worth to note that frozen berries contain about the same amount of vitamins as fresh berries, so no need to skip them out of season.
  • Broccoli and other cabbages provide a wide array of antioxidants, including vitamin C and beta-carotene. Broccoli is also rich in folate, which is necessary for proper formation of blood cells, and high in fiber which is so very important for the elimination of toxins.
  • Carrots are high in vitamins C and A plus a great source of fiber. Eating a couple of carrots a day can help lower blood cholesterol levels and protects from heart disease, stroke and various cancers.
  • Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, which’s shown to prevent mental dysfunctions associated with ageing process and to reduce the risk of prostate, pancreatic and cervical cancers.
  • Spinach tops the list of green leafy vegetables as a source of cancer-preventing antioxidants that is also high in folate. My personal favourite superfood!
  • Fish –particularly small and fatty types- is a great source of omega 3 essential fatty acids that may prevent cardiovascular disease, high blood cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, some skin diseases and arthritis.  In addition, it makes your skin look younger by preventing wrinkles.
  • Citrus fruit. An excellent source of vitamin C, which participates in the formation of collagen essential for healthy, strong and firm skin. Vitamin C also helps strengthen body’s immune system.
  • Avocado is high in good monounsaturated fat that resists oxidation. It is rich in B vitamins (important for healthy metabolism) and high in antioxidant vitamins such as C and E.
  • Grapes, especially red and black varieties, contain record amount of antioxidants-up to 20! But these are found mostly in skin and seeds, so keep chewing! J
  • Green tea is a potent antioxidant. One or two cups a day can lower the risk of cancer.
  • Onion and garlic. They might give you bad breath, but onion and garlic help prevent cancer, thin blood, protect from clots as well as increase levels of good cholesterol. They also have anti-inflammatory effects.   These are worth eating a few times a week, but make sure you don’t have to speak with too many people after that…well, that’s just inconsiderate JJ J
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What would be the best meal after a long hard workout?

January 27th, 2010 . 2 Comments »
Written by: Liliya on January 27, 2010.
We’ve got another question from you! Thank you :) Your questions make me happy and my hands itchy… to write that is, which I love! This time it is a question on post-workout nutrition and the best meal to have after a long and hard workout. Before I offer a few post-workout meal ideas, it is important to stress a few things about how the body functions and what happens during and after a really hard workout.
  • Our body stores energy in two forms: as fat and as glycogen. Glycogen is sugar molecules stored in liver and muscles. It serves as a readily available form of energy during exercise, meaning that glycogen gets used up first and needs to be replenished soon after a workout in order to spare muscles from being broken down for energy.
  • Body fat is not usually used for energy during intensive exercise, so don’t be tempted to skip your post-workout meal in order to lose some fat. With glycogen levels depleted, our body employs mechanisms that start to break down muscle and this is in no way a desirable scenario.
  • During strenuous resistance exercise muscle fibers get damaged by tearing. We gain muscle mass as a result of these tears being repaired. This means the second most important thing in post-workout nutrition is the supply of fast-absorbing high quality lean protein to build and repair lean body mass.
  • Endurance athletes especially need to focus on carbohydrate intake. The liver stores enough glycogen to fuel about an hour long endurance activity. After that the reserves need to be replenished. Resistance athletes need to focus on protein as their primary goal, but both nutrients must be available for the body to recover properly after any strenuous workout. 
  • Fat slows absorption of nutrients from the digestive system, so it’s best to avoid fat right after your workout.
  • The best time to refuel your system with carbohydrate and protein is within about one hour after training. This is what’s called the “golden hour” when your body can absorb and nourish tissues most effectively.
  • I can’t stress enough the importance of rehydration after a strenuous workout. Water is paramount after and during exercise. A sports drink is a good first step in post-workout nutrition. It helps to rehydrate while balancing electrolytes and it contains carbohydrate to restore muscle sugar levels, preparing the “field” for muscle repair and giving you time to get to your post-workout meal. 
  • When choosing what to make for your post-workout meal, you don’t absolutely need any of the post-workout supplements or formulations. It is possible to meet your body’s needs with natural foods. However, if for convenience or other resons you choose to supplement with a protein powder, pick purified, natural and bioavailable form for best results.  
  • Keep your post-workout meals light, between 300-500 Calories.
  • Quickly digestible natural carbs can be obtained from bananas, raisins, pineapples, honey and maple syrup.
  • A good source of fast absorbing protein is lean chicken, egg whites, fish, fat-free yogurt and high quality whey protein powder. 
And now, after you know the facts, you can decide what would be the best post-workout meal for YOU. Be it whole grain pasta with low-fat tomato sauce and some chicken if that’s available within an hour after your training, or be it a whole wheat tuna sandwich, or be it a smoothie…   
smoothie full 300x198 What would be the best meal after a long hard workout? 
Coffee Banana Post Workout Smoothie:
 
1 banana
1 cup milk
4 oz fat-free yogurt 
1 shot of espresso
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon,
2 scoops good quality whey protein powder
 
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and enjoy right away. sf17 3567 240x300 What would be the best meal after a long hard workout?
 
Brown Rice and Tuna Salad
 
-1 cup cooked brown rice
-1 can tuna in water drained
-1 yellow pepper
-zest and juice of 1 lemon
-2 cloves garlic crushed
-3 spring onions sliced
-1 tablespoon soy sauce
-chopped herbs and spices to taste
 
Mix everything in a bowl, enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you at liliya@myhappyme.com!
 
Posted in Be Fit, Be Healthy
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Liposuction – Permanent Fat Loss?

January 25th, 2010 . 2 Comments »
Written by: Liliya on January 25, 2010.

By: Liliya Vafina

While at the gym last week, I overheard two young women talk about liposuction. They were mostly discussing its benefits mentioning that liposuction had permanent results. Being a firm believer in healthy diet and hard work as the winning combination in any weight loss battle, I added a few notches to my treadmill speed anxious to get back home and write this article about liposuction and body fat facts. 

  • Liposuction is a reshaping technique, first and foremost. It is not to be used as a weight loss technique. It can alter some areas of your body where fat tends to accumulate due to genetic factors. Liposuction cannot be used to remove fat from all areas of your body. So, essentially, it alters your “problem” areas by removing fat from those areas only. It is said that liposuction is permanent based on the belief that the number of fat cells in a body becomes fixed early in life and new cells are not created after that point. Liposuction does remove entire fat cells, however it does not remove all fat cells and the ones that remain are able to swell up to 3 times their normal size if your lifestyle does not change and you consume more energy (calories) than you burn. In addition, current research shows that this increase in size of fat cells CAN initiate formation of new fat cells to accommodate your body’s energy storage needs. 533081 low 199x300 Liposuction Permanent Fat Loss?
  • Consequently, no matter which theory you choose to believe, the secret to looking and feeling your best is a lifestyle change that can be maintained. If you are considering liposuction, I suggest take the money and splurge on a personal trainer and a nutrition consultant who will be able to motivate you to lose any excess weight as well as to give you tools and education on how to make really lasting lifestyle changes. 
So, no, liposuction does not guarantee you permanent results unless you change your lifestyle and stick to it (do not gain weight that is). My question is, why go there if this is exactly what it takes to achieve results without any invasive treatments?
 
Stay active and be fit!
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Sweet and Healthy?! Oh, Yeah!

January 18th, 2010 . 4 Comments »
Written by: Liliya on January 18, 2010.
 
Following our post on cravings, we received a number of questions (thank you!) about sweets that are better for you, particularly about brown sugar asking if it is in fact a healthier alternative to white sugar. This is a tricky one, but the answer is NO. It is tricky because we know from other food examples that brown versions tend to be more nutritious than their white counterparts such as brown bread, brown rice, etc. These are unrefined versions and contain more vitamins, minerals and fiber. However, from the nutritional standpoint, brown sugar is the same as white sugar.
brown sugar 456 300x200 Sweet and Healthy?! Oh, Yeah!
From the environmental standpoint, you green souls may know, it is shockingly often WORSE than white sugar. Brown sugar is usually obtained by adding molasses to a completely refined white sugar. It undergoes all the processes white sugar undergoes plus one additional – covering with molasses (which was initially removed to get white sugar). And of course, the more processing a product undergoes, the bigger imprint it leaves on the environment. If you like the taste of brown sugar, look for raw natural brown sugar. It is the unrefined version free of additives and dyes, but again not much different nutritionally. Sugar, be it white or brown, is still sugar and is thought of as ‘empty calories’ as it does not provide any vitamins or minerals – only calories. Therefore, if you watch your weight, be aware. 
 
If you do have that sweet tooth and want to treat yourself once in a while, go for options that are good for you.
  •  Honey is  packed with vitamins and minerals, but watch you portions if you are conscious about your weight. Fruit, nuts and some yogurt drizzled with a little bit of honey is a natural and balanced treat that won’t throw your body into a sugar roller coaster.
  • Maple syrup is another sweetener rich in minerals and because it is so flavourful, a little goes a long way!
  • If you like baking, use unsweetened applesauce instead of sugar in your recipes.
 Here are some healthy and tasty sweet treats that are easy to make:
  
Baked Pears with Crunchy Pecans and Sun-dried Fruits
 
60g chopped pecans
50 g chopped sun-dried pears
50 g chopped sun-dried peaches
zest of 1 orange
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 pears or apples if pears are unavailable
3 cups unsweetened apple juice
low-fat natural yogurt and maple syrup to serve
 
Core pears or apples. Score them lengthways or around so that when they are baked, you get a nice melon-like pattern.
Preheat the oven to 180deg C (350 deg F). Combine the pecans, fruit, orange zest and cinnamon in a bowl. Fill the pears with this mixture and place on a baking dish. Pour over the apple juice and bake for 15-20 min until golden. Serve warm accompanied by yogurt and drizzled with maple syrup.
 
Roasted Pumpkin with Honey and Grated Nuts
 
This recipe was suggested by my good friend and I love it! It’s easy and flavourful. Bake some medium-size pumpkin pieces in 220 deg C ( 425 deg F) for 30-40 minutes. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup and sprinkle with toasted and grated nuts!
 
Let me know how you like these and I look forward to hearing from you at liliya@myhappyme.com
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Meet Our Nutrition Expert!

January 18th, 2010 . No Comments »
Written by: Liliya on January 18, 2010.

 

We are very happy and super excited to announce that Liliya Vafina (Nutritionist) has joined our team and will be writing about healthy eating, dieting (and not :) , weight related issues, and everything food, really.

Feel free to send your questions to Liliya (liliya@myhappyme.com) and she will be happy to answer. So, the more questions you ask, the happier she will be. She is a real food science geek! )
About Liliya:
liliya 150x150 Meet Our Nutrition Expert!
A passionate nutrition consultant and wellness expert, Liliya holds a BSc in Food, Nutrition and Health from UBC, Canada. She takes her ‘foodie’ roots from Vancouver, BC which she considers to be the wellness Mecca of the World. Liliya currently lives and works in London. Equipped with her multifaceted experience that spreads from food manufacturing industry to nutrition, health and wellness, Liliya offers the insider tips on how to achieve optimal health, how to feel good, look good and how to have more energy to enjoy what our life has to offer every minute of every day.
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