Uncommon Ways to Cooking Chicken

Chicken is an inexpensive meat and can be cooked in a wide variety of ways from appetizers to salads to the main course. There are many ways to prepare chicken as it's very versatile and can be baked, broiled, grilled or fried. However, on it's own, chicken can often be fairly bland. In this article we will explore various was of enhancing the flavor of chicken for almost any recipe using brines, marinades and seasonings.
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Meet Tracy Anderson at Health's Total Wellness Weekend

Work out with Tracy Anderson and meet other Health experts at our wellness weekend at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., April 22-24, 2016! You'll get to participate in exclusive fitness and cooking classes, and listen to inspiring speakers. For more visit Health.com/TotalWellness #HealthTotalWellness
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5 Reasons To Make Bread With a Bread Maker

There are many reasons to go out and get a bread maker to make your bread with but I am only going to list five of them for starters. The first reason and in my opinion the most important for making your own bread is because it's much healthier than buying the store brand bread with all the added preservatives.
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An Introduction to Bread Ingredients

Bread is made up of quite a few ingredients, mostly flour which comes in many types depending upon the bread you are making. So what is it exactly that makes up the ingredients that goes into baking bread. In this article we will give you a basic introduction to bread ingredients.
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Which Non-Dairy Milk Is Right for You?

If you're craving milk—without the milk—try a dairy alternative like soy, almond, or cashew.
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6 Ways to Upgrade a Basic Squat

Five squat variations so you can chisel your core and build a better butt
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Low-Calorie Chicken Recipes

I am not going to start another lecture on healthy diet, what should you eat and what not to eat, blah, blah, blah. On the web, you can find enough articles about that. Staying healthy and fit does not involve the idea that you should only eat vegetables and fruits. I know how tough it is, not to respond to the alluring calls of pizzas, burgers or other spicy, cheesy foods. And for what? Because you want to keep your waistline trimmed, forever. And this can never happen if you keep your taste buds happy. Hence, you ditch the animal protein from your diet. Really? You think so?
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10 Things You Can Do If You Are Concerned About the Lack of GMO Food Labeling!

Is Your Family Consuming Frankenfoods? Genetic engineering (GE), or genetic modification (GM) food involves the laboratory process of artificially inserting genes into the DNA of food crops or animals. The result is called a genetically engineered or genetically modified organism (GMO). Many opponents of GE crops refer to them as Frankenstein foods, of Frankenfoods.
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Meal of the Week 37 - Lasagna Rolls

Here's a fun way to enjoy lasagna but in a more individualized manner that will help keep calorie count low and in turn help keep you focused on healthy nutrition. Even though portion size and ingredients are a tad different than usual, that in no way sacrifices flavor or taste. If the meal is prepared as outlined below, you should have enough leftover to make some tasty muffin melts that you'll enjoy for work the next day. Those who desire a vegetarian/meat-less version simply do without the lean ground turkey and opt for an alternative of your liking.
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A Faster Metabolism at Any Age

You'd like to do something—anything—to speed up your metabolism, but it's out of your control. Right? Not quite. Although genetics and your age both play a role, recent studies suggest you have plenty of say over how well your metabolism—which involves your body's ability to break down food into usable energy—functions.

In fact, you can all but negate the metabolic slowdown that happens after 40 by tweaking your diet, exercise, and sleep habits. "Think of your body as an engine—your metabolism is the rate at which your engine runs," explains Scott Isaacs, MD, an endocrinologist in Atlanta and author of Hormonal Balance: How to Lose Weight By Understanding Your Hormones and Metabolism. "By making adjustments to these three elements, you can actually make your engine rev higher."

The eating and exercise plans on these pages were designed to keep your metabolism humming to the tune of up to 10 pounds off in 21 days. Read on for the keys to not only losing, but losing for good.

Key 1: Eat early
Your basal metabolic rate—the number of calories your body burns at rest—is based on things like age, height, and body type, so there isn't much you can do to alter it. But there is a lot you can do to change the number of calories you burn above that, beginning with your diet. Specifically: Eat breakfast.

We already know the reasons you may not want to (you don't have the time/energy/stomach for it), but leaving for work on an empty stomach is like hitting the pause button on your metabolism. Here's why: When your brain senses your stomach is empty, it sends a message to your cells to conserve energy in case another meal doesn't arrive. In other words, your body holds onto the fat stored in your cells instead of helping you burn it off.

"Breakfast triggers a process called thermogenesis, where the body signals the brain to activate the metabolic process of turning food into energy," says Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Blood Sugar Solution.

Key 2: Eat often
To keep your metabolism humming, Dr. Hyman suggests eating small meals every three or four hours. Aim to make each of those meals at least one-quarter protein—whether it's animal protein, beans, or dairy, says Marissa Lippert, RD, who designed the eating plan on page 39. A recent study in the journal Neuron suggests that consuming protein stimulates the cells responsible for switching on the body's calorie-burning mechanism.

Foods high in sugar and processed carbs, on the other hand, can lead to another problem: insulin resistance. "As we get older, it's crucial to pay attention to how much sugar we're consuming," says Diane Kress, RD, author of The Metabolism Miracle. "Too much messes with your metabolism by causing your body to store extra calories as fat."

Next Page: Key 3: Sweat off the weight

Key 3: Sweat off the weight
Even more important? Exercise. "Not only does it affect your metabolism while you're doing it, but research shows you can keep burning calories up to 24 hours after you finish because your metabolism stays elevated," Dr. Isaacs says.

That's especially true if you challenge yourself: A new study in the journal Cell Metabolism suggests that intense bouts of exercise can "turn on" genes responsible for energy metabolism. Researchers found that the activation of these fat- burning genes was higher in cyclists who pedaled at 80 percent of their aerobic capacity versus those who did a more moderate cycling session at 40 percent. So although you can't permanently change your DNA (if only!), experts say exercise can fire up certain genes that initiate the fat-burning process.

Exercise is particularly helpful once you pass the age of 40, when your metabolism naturally begins to slow down. Experts used to believe it slowed due to an inevitable loss of muscle mass. However, a study in the journal The Physician and Sports Medicine found that fit women ages 41 to 81 who continued to exercise four to five times a week as they got older had little change in body composition. The real reason you lose muscle with age? You stop using it. "We now know that women who keep up a regular vigorous fitness routine don't experience the metabolic decrease," Dr. Isaacs says.

Key 4: Sleep away the pounds
No, it's not your imagination. Too little sleep can cause you to gain—and not just because you're spending those extra waking hours in front of the TV nursing a bag of chips. Research suggests that people who sleep two-thirds of their usual amount (five hours instead of eight, say) eat an average of 549 extra calories the following day without realizing it. Experts believe this is because too few zzz's upset the balance of important appetite-regulating hormones.

But that's not all: A Swedish study found that even one night of disrupted sleep can cause the body to burn up to 20 percent fewer calories the following day. "Sleep deprivation impacts multiple hormones related to metabolism," Dr. Isaacs says. "Resistance to leptin—a hormone that regulates body weight—increases, while levels of ghrelin, a hormone that signals to your brain that you're hungry, also increase."

Aim for seven to eight hours of pillow time a night, advises Dr. Hyman. "Just a small change in your sleep schedule can make a big difference in your health." Not to mention your ability to burn calories.


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Why You Should Be Chicken of Chicken!

I love to cook and eat chicken, but chicken is a potentially hazardous food if handled improperly. It even scares me. About one in four pieces of raw chicken carry salmonella. Salmonella from poultry sickens over 200,000 Americans a year, according to USDA food safety data. Read this article and find out ways to protect your family.
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The Best and Worst Foods for Your Thyroid

Thyroid problems can be helped (or hurt) by what you eat.
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This Is The Last Diet You'll Ever Need

There's a reason so many of us struggle with losing weight (and keeping it off). Cutting-edge research is pointing toward a surprising new explanation—one that has little to do with lack of willpower. (Thank goodness.) In fact, the problem is that you've been doing what you were told to do—slash calories, cut fat.

Conventional wisdom holds that weight loss is nothing more than simple math. Take in fewer calories than you expend, and the pounds will fall off as predictably as leaves from an autumn tree. But thousands of failed diets have shown that the low-calorie approach doesn't work, says David Ludwig, MD, an endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School. "When you cut calories, the body fights back, making you hungrier, among other things," he explains. "Weight is controlled by our biology more than our willpower."

RELATED: 16 Ways to Lose Weight Fast

What's more, despite everything you've heard for years, all calories aren't created equal. "Although a bottle of cola and a handful of nuts may have the same number of calories, they have dramatically different effects on metabolism," says Dr. Ludwig. (Bet you can guess which is worse.)

Three new books offer insights into the latest thinking on smart eating, and they're all penned by eminent weight-loss experts: Dr. Ludwig; Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital; and Mark Hyman, MD, director of The Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. Health chatted with these groundbreaking diet crusaders to uncover what we all need to know to slim down and stay healthy for good.

Minimize simple carbs
"The 'calorie is a calorie' myth is perhaps the most misleading nutrition lie ever," says Dr. Hyman. Here's why: Sugary snacks and drinks and low-fat, highly processed starches raise blood sugar quickly, which triggers your pancreas to release a flood of insulin—the hormone Dr. Ludwig calls "the ultimate fat cell fertilizer" because it instructs your body to store calories as fat, causing fat cells to increase in number and size.

Once insulin ushers calories into your fat cells, it closes the door, restricting their ability to get out. With calories, aka fuel, trapped in your fat cells, there's too little glucose and too few lipids circulating in the bloodstream to power your brain and muscles. Your brain, sensing the fuel shortage, prompts you to feel hungry and slows down your metabolism—the worst possible combination for long-term weight control.

RELATED: 26 Weight-Loss Myths You Shouldn't Believe

"Overeating hasn't made our fat cells grow," says Dr. Ludwig, whose book is titled Always Hungry?. "Processed carbs and added sugar have programmed our fat cells to grow, and that makes us overeat." And it becomes a vicious cycle. Break it: "If you're going to have simple carbs, like bread with dinner, have them after you've eaten some protein and veggies first," says Dr. Aronne. "Our studies show that when you save them for later in the meal, they don't trigger as big a bump in blood sugar—or insulin."

Enlist your metabolism
Doctors have long known that when you lose weight, your metabolism slows down, says Dr. Aronne, author of The Change Your Biology Diet. "If you lose 10 percent of your body weight, the number of calories you burn during the day drops by 30 to 40 percent, because a smaller body requires fewer calories and your muscles become more efficient," he says. But research shows that what you eat when you're trying to shed pounds can determine how big a hit your metabolism takes.

In a 2012 study published in JAMA, Dr. Ludwig and his colleagues looked at 21 people between the ages of 18 and 40 who were overweight or obese. They had each participant lose about 10 to 15 percent of their body weight, then put them on three different maintenance diets—low-fat (with about 60 percent of daily calories coming from carbs); low-glycemic-index (with about 40 percent of daily intake from carbs that cause only moderate spikes in blood sugar, such as legumes and vegetables); and a very low-carb approach, with just 10 percent of daily calories from carbs. All three diets involved the same total number of calories. And every participant tried each diet for a month.

RELATED: The Best Weight Loss Foods of All Time

After each diet period, the researchers tested the folks' metabolic rates—and found that the low-carb diet completely prevented the metabolic slowdown often seen after weight loss. "People on the low-carb diet burned an average of 325 more calories a day—about the same number you'd burn during a moderately vigorous workout—than those on the low-fat diet, and those on the low-glycemic diet burned 150 more calories than those on the low-fat diet," he says. One theory for why that happens: Reducing processed carbs, and as a result insulin levels, allows fat cells to release calories back into the bloodstream, helping to readjust the body-weight set point naturally, speculates Dr. Ludwig. He posits that reducing carbs even moderately—with a focus on the quality of your carbs—would be beneficial for shedding weight as well.

Let go of your fear of fat
"Dietary fat has been unfairly demonized," says Dr. Aronne. "Olive oil, nuts and monounsaturated fats play an important role in a healthy diet, and these days the jury is even out on saturated fat." Dr. Ludwig agrees: "The fats in dairy appear to be healthier than those in red meat, and saturated fat is worse when you eat it in combination with processed carbs." Fat can actually be surprisingly helpful when you're trying to lose weight. Healthy fats can shut off craving centers in the brain and help you eat less sugar and refined carbs—"the primary cause of obesity and diabetes," says Dr. Hyman, whose book is titled Eat Fat, Get Thin.

One of the strongest studies vindicating fat was published in The New England Journal of Medicine several years ago. In it, researchers assigned 322 overweight people to either a low-fat diet, a moderate-fat Mediterranean diet or a low-carb, high-fat, high-protein diet. The trial lasted two years—a relative lifetime in the realm of diet studies. What they discovered: Those on the low-carb, high-fat diet not only lost the most weight but also had the most favorable changes in heart-disease-related factors, like levels of triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.

Don't cut too many calories
Sure, if you starve yourself, you'll slim down, so it seems like the strategy would be an instant success. But eventually everyone regains. Why? "Because when you drastically reduce the amount you eat, your body launches potent countermeasures designed to prevent additional weight loss," says Dr. Ludwig—and the more weight you lose, the more fiercely the body tries to gain it back.

RELATED: 57 Science-Backed Weight Loss Tips

For one thing, it shifts into conservation mode and simply burns fewer calories, notes Dr. Aronne. In addition, he says, levels of hunger- and satiety-related hormones change to increase your desire to eat, making you feel less satisfied with a reasonable amount of food and more obsessed with high-calorie, highly processed goodies. "It's sort of like your brain goes haywire," explains Dr. Aronne, "and you can no longer trust the messages it's sending about hunger and fullness."

But eating the right foods can help you minimize these biological defenses. The key: Consume a satisfying amount of protein, high-quality fat and fiber-rich, low-starch carbs from veggies, legumes, nuts, and seeds. "When you eat that kind of diet, insulin levels decrease and you reprogram your fat cells to release excess calories," says Dr. Ludwig. "So there's more glucose and lipids available as fuel—which means you're not battling hunger and your metabolism stays high."

To bolster these new dietary strategies, there's some tried-and-true advice you should absolutely abide by: Move more, sleep plenty, stress less—all of which can keep insulin levels, as well as hunger and satiety hormones, at optimal levels, says Dr. Ludwig. Diet guidance may evolve, but these three fundamentals have stood the test of time.

RELATED: 31 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Burning Recipes

A day of eating, reimagined
While each MD's diet approach varies in its specifics, the general strategy is the same: To keep your body from fighting your slimdown efforts, eat whole foods with adequate protein and plenty of healthy fat, and reduce sugar, refined carbs and processed foods. Here are a few recipes pulled from the pages of their books.

Morning
Breakfast: Southwest omelet made from 4 to 6 egg whites with onions, peppers, tomatoes and salsa, plus 2 slices of turkey bacon.

A.M. snack: 1 small container of plain Greek yogurt with ½ cup of blueberries.

From Dr. Aronne's The Change Your Biology Diet ($26, amazon.com)

Midday
Lunch: California kale Cobb salad with ½ bunch kale, ¼ avocado, 3 or 4 halved cherry tomatoes, ¼ can water-packed artichoke heart quarters, 1 slice of turkey bacon and 4 ounces of diced, cooked chicken.

Snack: ¼ cup of raw, organic nuts and seeds. For a greater nutritional punch, soak them in warm salt water overnight, rinse thoroughly, then dry in the oven at no more than 120 degrees.

From Dr. Hyman's Eat Fat, Get Thin ($28, amazon.com)

Evening
Dinner: 1/3 pound of white-fleshed fish or salmon broiled with garlic and lemon, plus ½ medium roasted sweet potato and 1 cup of chopped greens (such as chard or kale) sautéed in olive oil, garlic and a pinch of salt.

Dessert: ½ medium pear, apple, peach or apricot poached with cinnamon, cardamom and ground nutmeg.

From Dr. Ludwig's Always Hungry? ($28, amazon.com)


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The Wonderful, Fabulous, Versatile Sweet Potato

That sweet potato slathered in butter is more than a holiday treat, it is the most nutritious of all the vegetables and is more versatile than you might think. After reading this article you will never look at the sweet potato the same again!
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13 Healthy High-Fat Foods You Should Eat More

Low fat is officially over! Here are more than a dozen high-fat superstars you can and should enjoy as part of your healthy diet.
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How Chili Will Save Your Life!

Studies show that chili peppers can reduce the risk of many cancers. In addition to this, these peppers also positively help with weight loss, immune system health and lower the risk of diabetes.
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9 Superfood Upgrades That Will Make Your Meals Even Healthier

Give every meal an upgrade with these hot superfood add-ins—all it takes is a sprinkle or scoop.
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A Hint of Rosemary

Do you enjoy spicing up your meals? Cooking with herbs and spices can take you from bland to bold. Explore the world of flavor and elevate your dishes with a sprinkling of spices and a hint of herbs.
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10 Reasons Your Belly Fat Isn't Going Away

Yes, stomach pudge may be stubborn, but here are a slew of research-proven ways to dump it for good.
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7 Essentials for Healthy Hiking

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Gear Up for the Great Outdoors

From hiking boots to lightweight clothing, all the gear you need to enjoy the great outdoors all summer long.
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A Brief Guide To Different Types Of Cookware Sets

In the market, you can find a variety of cookware sets and each set comes with a different price tag. With experience, you can learn what you should or shouldn't buy. However, if you are going to buy an induction cookware set for the first time, you may want to keep a few things in mind.
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Hearty Soups and Stews

Warm, low-cal dishes that you can serve to a group
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4 Delicious Weeknight Recipes You Can Make Ahead of Time

You can whip up these make-ahead recipes in no time
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Is Aluminium Foil Safe to Use?

The researchers found dangerously high levels of aluminium in foods after being cooked, reheated, and even cooled on aluminium foil. It just seems like yesterday when I was a little girl and my mom would pack a parantha in a tea towel and send it with me to my school for lunch. I loved the way the lunch was packed which never spilled a drop of oil and never messed my school bag.
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The Best Running Shoes for Spring 2016

Health's fitness editor picks the road and trail sneakers that will rock your world.
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4 Stretches You Should Be Doing (But Aren't)

Did you know your neck crick or shoulder ache may actually mean you're tight somewhere else? Troubleshoot your sore spots and work out the real pain points in just a few minutes a day.
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How to Tone and Flatten Your Belly

This quick exercise targets your abs and your obliques to give you a toned and flat stomach. In this video, watch a FlyBarre instructor demonstrate how to work your abs by doing a plank and side crunch combination move.
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Top 5 Disadvantages to Home Canning

You've heard about the many benefits to home canning but what about the pitfalls? There are a few things you need to know in order to prepare for the effort needed in order to preserve food at home.
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A Quick Cardio Move You Can Do Anywhere

This is a great move to throw into your strength training routine if you want to add some cardio into the mix. It involves no equipment so you can do it anywhere. Watch this video for a demonstration on how to do heel clicks.
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The Best Exercise to Sculpt Your Legs

These small pulses might not feel like much, but they make a huge difference in toning the muscles throughout your legs, especially your hips. Watch this video to see a FlyBarre instructor demonstrate how to do a leg pulse exercise for lean stems.
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Tighten Your Abs with This Move

Use a small stability ball behind your lower back to engage your core in this ab strengthening move. Watch this video to see a FlyBarre instructor demonstrate how to do this move so you can get a flat belly and tight abs in no time.
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The Best Exercise to Tone Your Outer Hips

The outer hip is a difficult area to reach, but strengthening it is important to keep you limber and injury-free. Watch this video to see how to strengthen and tone your outer hip so you can stay healthy with a slim physique.
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How to Sculpt Killer Abs

Score killer abs and a strong core with this simple workout from the founder of AKT InMotion. Watch this video to see how to get into a modified side plank in order to build strength and tone your abs.
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How To Serve The Best Cooked Rice?

The first food we learn to cook is rice. Rice can be cooked in different ways but the challenge lies in finding the best method. In this article, we focus on the methods of cooking to attract the people
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Catering Food With Care

Last week it was my Son's birthday and we planned to take the kids for a picnic to the lakeside park. We decided to make a salad and pack some sandwiches & drinks for the picnic. We prepared the sandwiches at night and took along with us for the morning trip. By mid-day we were at the lake. As we spread the sheets on the grass the kids felt hungry and demanding food. As I opened the basket I smelt something weird. The sandwiches with chicken filling was giving out unpleasant smell.
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