Chic-Shuk Secrets

If you’re trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, or happened to be on a diet, and you are about to dine out at your favorite restaurant, don’t automatically turn to the salad menu! Turns out, restaurant salads can often be as bad as—or worse than—any other fatty dish on the menu! Sure, salads may contain some fresh & healthy produce base, but those leafy greens are normally weighed down with cheese, deep fried croutons, and high-calorie dressings. In fact, one salad from a popular chain restaurant may contains over 1,500 calories and too much fut!
 

These are some manue secrets you need to know:

• Anytime you see the words “Parmesans-Crusted,” or “Orange Glazed” assume the dish has been slathered in sugar or cheese, had given a frying treatment and probably contain nearly a full day’s worth of sodium and half a day’s worth of calories!
  

• In Mexican restaurants, salads are mostly the absolute worst choice from the menu. For example, with burritos and tacos, the amount of high-fat, high-calorie fillers is limited to what will fit in the shells! pay attention!
  

• The top word you should be careful about is the mighty Caesar. Regular restaraunt`s Caesar dressing is normally loaded with many grams of fat and is very high in calories, combine it with cheese and croutons and you turn your light, healthy salad to a complete diet disaster! always ask for a low fat or fat-free dressing!

Good Luck!

Seriously guys, one of the best secret I can share with you should be my `guilt free` nutrient snack, since you can`t always be in the mood for carrot or celery sticks, right?! A plain popcorn, my friends! It ranks the highest in the snacks category since contains natural fiber and whole grains which are great healthy benefits, and the good news is that according to a recent study many whole grains foods are as rich as fruits and vegetables in health promoting polyphenols which is a type of antioxidant. Now, why do I call it “guilt free”? that is because it contains no sodium or sugar, is a fat free snack and very much low in calories. Besides, even those calories it contains are well known as the healthy ones, so… it makes it a great, healthy choice!!! Enjoy, and don’t forget to go for the plain version when making you some, in order to keep your weight watching or diet routine…

Some people would never dream of switching from regular peanut butter to a healthy, low fat version since lets face it- you get “low taste” as well!!!  I was sure to be one of those people, however, at my last trip to the local Trader Joe`s market, I`v noticed the “Better`n Peanut Butter” and apparently it is loaded with calcium, vitamins E & C, antioxidants and contains only natural flavors and colors! Well, I couldn’t resist buying it, and I have to admit this stuff is pretty tasty… It is creamy and soft, has a rich flavor, low sodium and contains only 2 grams of fat and 100 calories per 2 tbls!!! Very. very recommended product!! plus plus!

Now, since you can`t find it on the shelf of most of your local grocers, I would check thier website first, for a store locator : http://www.thirdperspective.com/bpb/storeLocator.html 

Enjoy!

Dark circles under eyes usually are not necessarily a sign of exhaustion or serious illness, like most people tend to think. They can make you feel old, unhealthy and tired, and medically defined as round, uniform areas of pigmentation beneath each eye, which can affect both men and women.  What appear as shadows cast by puffy eyelids or hollows under your eyes, thinning skin and loss of fat and collagen, which make the reddish-blue blood vessels under your eyes more obvious, can be a result of many sakes:  Allergies, tiredness, part of aging (The loss of fat and collagen is common as you age), normal lifestyle factors (such as smoking and drinking alcohol or too many caffeinated sodas) and last but not least reason- unfortunately- heredity.  No matter what the cause is, you can still reduce the appearance of dark circles, and in some cases, you may be able to get rid of them altogether!

For prevention you should eat healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, take daily vitamins supplement if necessary (especially vitamin K and B12), reduce sodium intake and drink plenty of water. If you are a smoker-  quit smoking! Smoking causes vascular (blood vessel) problems that can not only threaten your life, but also make your blood vessels appear more prominent and bluer beneath the skin. However, the most natural, easy way treating dark circles when appear is to apply cool tea bags, or cucumber slices over your eyes for about 10-15 minutes daily, keeping your eyes closed. It will reduce swelling, discoloration, and puffiness then refresh the appearance of skin around the eyes!

Some say you never know until you try. So true when it comes to trying new foods. When I first tried Tofu, I said to myself while still chowing the first bite- “Ow… This is actually sooo good! how come I have never tried it before?! The soft consistency of tofu makes it easy to chew and digest, plus its mild taste makes it a perfect food for anybody! True, I am not a vegetarian, however substituting meat with Tofu every once in a while has powerful, healthy benefits! 

So what exactly is Tofu and why should we eat more of it as part of our weight watching healthy diet rutine, and substitute it with meat once in a while?! Tofu may looks like feta cheese, however it is non-diery and is made by curdling fresh hot soy-milk with a coagulant. Tofu is rich in high-quality protein, a good source of B-vitamins and iron and is rich in Calcium. It is low in saturated fat and contains no cholesterol! Generally, the softer the tofu, the lower the fat content. Tofu is also very low in sodium, making it a perfect food for people on sodium-restricted diets.

In recipes, tofu acts like a sponge and has the miraculous ability to soak up any flavor that is added to it. Crumble it into a pot of spicy chili sauce and it tastes like chili. Blend it with cocoa and sweetener and it becomes a double for chocolate cream pie filling. Cubes of firm tofu can be added to any casserole or soup.