Your Holiday Survival Guide

Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years... Oh My!
We’re entering a holiday season where so many people abandon their exercise and diets and pack on the pounds. Here are some easy-to-follow party tips to help you survive the holiday season with your waistline and buttons intact!

1. Focus on what you CAN eat, not on what you can’t. Thanksgiving dinner offers you one of the best ways to feast without the fat. Last weekend, I attended a Thanksgiving dinner wedding reception. The turkey, green beans, and sweet potatoes were delicious. I didn’t need the other stuff. Nor did I miss it. You can do the same. Eat the clean foods and enjoy your time with your family and friends.

2. Eat before you go. If you choose a high-fiber snack, like an apple, or drink a protein shake before you go, you’ll be less tempted to snack on the sugary and fatty foods at the holiday parties.

3. Eat on smaller plates. All to often, people “gorge” themselves on Thanksgiving Dinner and spend the rest of the day, miserable, watching football games. It is also a time where more people experience heart attacks and medical problems than any other time of the year. Is it worth it? Eat til your satisfied, not stuffed. One easy way to do that is choose a smaller plate so you won’t be tempted to eat so much.

4. Fill up on the good stuff first. Whether you are at a buffet or a holiday party, fill up on the healthy food first. You’ll eat less of the not-so-healthy foods later.

5. Don’t deprive yourself. Thanksgiving only comes once a year and it is a time meant to be enjoyed with family and friends. You might have a traditional favorite that you look forward to every year or you might just want to ease up a little. That’s okay! Clean eating is a lifestyle. It should cause you stress and discomfort. Enjoy the foods you love. Just try not to overdo it!

6. Shift your thinking. So many times, our holidays are centered around food. Spend time with your family and friends. Move your time out of the kitchen and onto what is really important: your relationships.

7. Get Active. Chattanooga affords you many opportunities to get moving and get your family out of the house. We encourage you to join us at the Turkey Trot. We’ll meet at 8:30am. Some will do the 3 mile walk at 8:45am. Others will participate in the 8k at 9am. Proceeds go to the National Kidney Foundation. You can register online at www.active.com. The Grateful Gobbler is another great charity event that happens on Thanksgiving Day for the Homeless.

Shake Things Up in Your Kitchen!!!!

As requested, here are some of my favorite Protein Shake blends!

Here is a Great Tip: If you blend your shake twice as long as usual, you'll add air to your shake, making it thicker, which will make you feel fuller and save you a lot of unneccessary calories!

Shakes are not only nutritious but delicious. They are also a great way to get your nutrition when you are "on the go" or "in a crunch" because they only take a minute or two to prepare.

Here are several recipes to help you "shake things up" in the kitchen...

Frozen Choc-o-latta- Better than Starbucks!
1 scoop chocolate whey protein
1/2 tsp. Dunkin Donuts ground coffee
4 ice cubes
8-10 oz. water

Strawberry Cheesecake Protein- Rich, Creamy and Delicious!!
1 scoop Vanilla whey protein
1 cup skim milk
1/3 cup low-fat cottage cheese
3 Tbsp. of walnuts (good source of Omega-3's)
Make sure you blend well to ground up all the walnuts!!!

Reeses Shake- Just as good as a DQ blizzard but 10x more nutritious!!!
1 cup skim milk or water
1 Tbsp. peanut butter (no trans fat blend!!)
1 heaping scoop of chocolate whey protein
4 ice cubes (optional)

Here is my friend JNL's recipes...

Whey Egg Nog- Great for the Holidays!!
Mix one serving of vanilla whey according to the directions. Add 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1 graham cracker (4 small squares) and 3 ice cubes. Blend at high speed for 45 seconds and serve.

PB&J- Brings me back to being a kid again!!!
Mix one serving of vanilla whey according to directions. Then, add one heaping tablespoon of all-natural peanut butter and four frozen strawberries. Blend at high speed for 45 seconds and serve.

JNL's Ocean Breeze Pina Colada Protein Shake- like an instant vacation!!
Use Jay Robb's Pina Colada protein shake mix. Add 1/4 cup of rinsed crushed pineapple to the blender along with ice and water.

The Sickness Industry

An eye-opening look at today's food culture. You can check out the full documentary at www.foodmatters.tv. You are what you eat...

Ratatouille's secret life...

watch video

"If you are what you eat, then I only want to eat the good stuff! -Ratatouille

Healthy Gourmet Cooking: My New Love Affair

I must make a confession: I have a love affair with FOOD!!! Food has always been one of my weaknesses. The sweeter, the richer, the creamier, the better!!! It makes my mouth water, my heart skips a beat, and my knees get weak. Every mouthful of calorie laden goodness of Ben and Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream used to send me into a heavenly state of bliss. And it showed... From my swollen looking face and chubby cheeks down to my protruded stomach and lumpy thighs, my physical appearance truly resembled my food preferences.
I'd cringe at the thought of a diet consisting of the so-called "clean" foods: cottage cheese, chicken breasts, brown rice, and brussel sprouts!!! Gag... How could anyone spend their life eating bland, tasteless, disgusting foods day after day? I knew it was good for me but I couldn't stick with it. With every failed attempt at weight loss, I knew I had to find a solution to my boredom with healthy food. So I headed for the kitchen...
I decided that with a little experimentation, I could learn to cook great-tasting healthy meals. Inspired by Penelope Cruz's movie "Woman On Top", I started to pay attention to the look, feel, and scent of foods as well as their taste. I spoke with and learned from world-renowned chefs for choosing the freshest ingredients, using the healthiest techniques and creating beautiful presentations. I tried new recipes and experimented with some of my own creations. It started to open up a whole new world to me. I recognized the taste of rosemary, the addition of olive oil, the scent of sage. And something strange happened... I started to fall in love with healthy cooking!!!
I now have a new love affair and I want to explore that with you. From picking out the best quality and freshest ingredients to using the healthiest cooking techniques, you will begin to crave healthy food! It doesn't take butter, salt and a lot of extra calories to create beautiful, great tasting meals. It doesn't have to be time-consuming, expensive, or difficult either. All it takes is a little know-how and opening your mind to new flavors, foods, and passions.
To your best health,
Dr. Lexi