Burritos or Bust? Eating Mexican and Eating Healthy

Burritos are one of America’s favorite foods and are part of our Mexican-American heritage. So popular, we spend $39 billion a year at 54,000 Mexican restaurants (2). The style of food is served in multiple venues like fast-food or gourmet. One can order a burrito with almost anything on it, making it versatile for different palates. Buyers beware as most restaurants serve their tasty burritos loaded with calories and saturated fat.

The typical burrito contains rice, beans, meat and sour cream that calculates to over 1,000 calories and 14-18 grams of saturated fat(2). A vegetarian one I tried a few months ago had over 1200 calories. With such high calorie and saturated fat count, fitness minded people should concern themselves with the type and kind of burrito they are ordering.

Last weekend I went out to eat with family and friends to a local Mexican establishment known for its vegan and vegetarian options. My eating habits are not vegetarian or vegan by nature, but I do believe in limiting meat consumption while increasing vegetable and fruit intake. Burritos can be tough in finding the right balance.

As everyone ordered their choice of a burrito at Rancho Cocinas in North Park, I went with a healthy burrito selection. It was made of black bean, vegetarian, little cheese, and lettuce wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. The massive burrito was less than 600 calories. That is up to half the calories of the large standard burrito.

I have always had this impression that great taste and health food simply don’t go well together. In this case, I was wrong. After sharing pieces of our burritos, it was unanimous at our table that the healthy wrap burrito was the best tasting. This shows it is possible to eat out while still maintaining your fitness goals. Simply choosing the best alternative can make a large difference between in meeting your goals or falling back into bad habits.

Health Food at Urbane Cafe

Cafes are popular places to eat that offer casual food at lunch time prices. No need to scarf down something heavy  and then carry that feeling with you over the next hour. Urbane Cafe has high quality food that fulfills the needs of a health conscious consumer. Located near USD in a busy business outlet off the trolley Urban Cafe offers an urban atmosphere at a reasonable price.

Health food and healthy lifestyle are popular today. That doesn't meant that everywhere we go to eat will also follow that standard. At Urbane Cafe they have a health focus with their food and this draws a lot of interest from local patrons. College students, the business class, and families enjoy their offerings

Urbane Cafe is well known for their soups, salads, and sandwiches. Try the southwest chicken sandwich or one of their soups. Because it is so popular expect the line to be long at lunchtime and early evening. You can opt for their catering or take out options.

If your a vegetarian you are going to like this place. Most of their soups and salads are under the $10 price. I had the Santa Maria BBQ Chicken Salad and was impressed by the variety of vegetables and quality of the ingredients. If you want a vegetarian sandwich I would suggest the Pesto & Sundried Tomato Sandwich. 

5375 Napa St

San Diego, CA 92110

http://urbanecafe.com/

Health Benefits of Eating from the Sea-Detox with Seaweed

Seaweed the super food from Asia may just help protect against a number of serious illnesses while encouraging weight loss. Seaweed has health properties that are full of antioxidants, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C that protect against heart disease while encouraging a healthy thyroid.  It also provides weight loss properties that add to its appeal among fitness enthusiasts. 

Commonly served as a side salad at your favorite local sushi restaurants it is well worth the few extra dollars on your bill. It is typically served in its green form and is mixed with ginger to create an appealing taste. Harvested in Asia and the U.S. you can feel good about protecting the environment as it has been known to improve coral reef health thereby promoting farming and sustainable agriculture. 

Seaweed provides a strong source of iodine that regulates the thyroid (1). The thyroid is responsible for a host of things that include hormones, fat storage, energy levels, heart rate, and skin dryness (2). Ensuring that your thyroid is receiving the right nutrients and is managing your metabolic condition correctly helps fight the damaging secondary effects. 

If you are hoping to lower your cholesterol levels you might want to check on the benefits of the Omega-3 fatty acids inherent in seaweed.  These acids improve upon good fats and reduce triglycerides in the blood (3). Eating the right kinds of fats I your diet help to improve upon your heart health and protect your arteries. 

Like any other food, seaweed is not a savior for health and nutrition, but does provide some unique benefits when eat in moderation. During the occasional time you may go out to eat and order sushi , make sure you also order a side dish of seaweed. Eaten in moderation seaweed has benefits that far surpass many other types of food and offers a nice alternative to your traditional salad.

Eating Spinach for Internal Health

Spinach is a food that every household should have on their dinner menu. Popular spinach salads, cooked spinach, and spinach recipes do more than simply taste great as they also encourage greater health. They also have health benefits for those who want to work on their insides as much as their outsides. Incorporating a little spinach into your diet will do wonders for your general health.

According to Medical News Today spinach offers benefits for improving blood glucose levels, reducing cancer risks, improving blood pressure, preventing asthma and strengthening bones. The benefits of spinach move far beyond its tastes and encourage greater blood control and lower the risk of developing cardiovascular issues.

Developing health eating habits is about knowledge, habit, and practice. It is not enough to know about healthy eating without implementing the practice and habituating that practice to formalize a habit. As we become familiar with what foods are healthy and which ones are not we begin to naturally seek out and purchase certain types of foods.

For many people cooking healthy food is something that can be difficult do because of time and money constraints. It is just easier for people to buy a microwavable box of their favorite food or stop by their local restaurant; worse to even buy fast food. So creating a habit around eating healthy food is as important as buying that food.

An advantage of spinach is that it is also a source of protein which means those who are trying to build their muscles can find a source of protein in something leafy. It isn't a huge amount but most of the calories within spinach are made of this protein so in augmentation with other sources there is a benefit. It is better to consume protein in a low calorie meal than a protein bar.

Spinach is only part of a healthy diet. Exercise, variety, fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy all contribute to health. The process of living healthy requires you to spend time thinking about the alternatives for your diet. Spinach is a good augmentation for salad and can be used to develop some low fat dies. Boil it and use it as a side dish on a regular basis.

Eating Kale to Improve Health Even When Focused on Your Career

Work and health shouldn’t be opposed to each other. Watching the Baby Boomer generation I found them to be highly engaged in their work but often to the point of sometimes neglecting themselves, their families, and their health.  This can happen to any diligent people focused on their goals. Higher levels of performance can alternatively be found through proper work-life balance that includes the foods we eat that support our mental and physical health. Kale is one of the most critical foods you should incorporate into your diet to protect you from declining health when your focused on achieving career greatness. 

It doesn’t take long to look around any office in America and find people overweight, struggling with their health, and seeking to find some balance in their lives. When you are busy, homemade foods and healthy alternatives are difficult to find. It is much easier to eat lunch at your local restaurant, buy fast food, and generally snack to overcome boredom. Combined with sitting at a desk all day and you are on the fast track to putting your health at risk. 

The Benefits:

According to Medical News Todayeating Kale on a regular basis can lower risks of heart disease, reduce probabilities of diabetes, strengthen bone health, and help skin and hair. Kale is the single leafy substance that can make a significant impact on your diet just by incorporating a few servings every week. If you don't have time to work out then eat right.

How to Incorporate Kale in Your Life:

The best way to use kale, along with other healthy food, is to try and incorporate it into your daily habit. Some top places where you may want to use kale are as follows:

1.       Mix with salad.

2.       Use in sandwiches instead of lettuce.

3.       Chop up and put in soups.

4.       Mix with meat and other foods.

5.       Use as a side dish like other vegetables.

Health Benefits of Eating an Orange Everyday

Throwing an orange in your lunch box everyday has significant health benefits. Eating single orange a day can enhance heart health, improve the immune system, and strengthen many other parts of your body. Eating healthy requires replacing bad calories with health ones contain in oranges and other fruits or vegetables. 

Oranges contain something called flavonols that contributes to heart health (Nursing Standard, 2011).  The flavonols are an anti-oxidant that search the body and remove free radicals that injure the lining of the veins and damage the heart.  Having an appropriate amount of flavonols in your blood can reduce risks of stroke and heart attack by ad much as 10-20%.

If you have the sniffles you might just want to pick up a few oranges. As it turns out the colorful fruit has a lot of vitamin C which boosts your immune system (Finweek, 2013). Consuming 7 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables a day can really impact and improve your complicated immune system. It is the one nutrient almost all parts need. 

Oranges also have general health benefits that move to protect bones, teeth, muscles, skin, ligaments and blood vessels (Environmental Nutrition, 2012). Eating at least one orange a day can help you look younger and protect against wrinkling. If you don’t like eating them, drink them.  

Oranges may not be a miracle food but they certainly are a practical alternative. The nutrients in oranges have a systematic influence on the body. Keep yourself looking and feeling healthy on the inside and the outside by throwing an orange in your lunch box. Eat as a snack to keep your appetite in check as you work away. 

Drink to your health. (2013). Finweek. 

Flavonol in orange juice contributes to a healthy heart. (2011). Nursing Standard, 25 (26). 

Zesty citrus fruits signal powerful health benefits. (2012) Environment Nutrition, 35 (2)

Three Wonderful Benefits of Almonds

The benefits of almonds are significant as they are considered one of nature’s wonder foods that improve general health. Their benefits lay in being a high source of protein, removal of free radicals, and improving heart health. Those who avoided high fatty foods can now eat a handful almonds five times a week while still encouraging weight loss and greater fitness. 

People who like to stay in shape and are active have heard throughout the years that only low-fat foods are helpful in this process. We found that low-fat foods across the board can actually be damaging to the body. The goal is to reduce saturated fats while eating an appropriate amount of un-saturated fats for body development. 

Almonds and almond milk are great methods of obtaining their benefits. I went to the farmers market in Little Italy and found a local vendor selling natural almonds flavored in different types of seasonings. I opted for the coco-cinnamon blend out of the 10 or so different choices. Over the years I have become more disciplined and can try a few without overdoing it. Remember that Almonds have a lot of fat in them so you will still want to limit yourself. 

The benefits:

Protein: A single handful of almonds (approximately 1 oz) provide a quarter of our daily protein (Ying, et. al., 2011). Protein leads to healthy muscles and bone strength.  Those who spend some time in the gym can appreciate the benefits of obtaining protein from a natural source versus protein shakes. 

Anti-oxidants: Free radicals can slow down work out recovery, cause cancer, and other diseases. The vitamin (E and B) help to not only improve upon cognitive functioning but also the rebuilding of the body. 

Cardio Vascular Disease: Almonds contain vitamins, hytosterols, fiber, minerals and antioxidants that fight against heart disease (Brufau, et. al., 2006).  It increases HDL and lowers LDL which protects the heart and vessels from damage.  

Brufau, G. Boatella, J. & Rafecas, M. (2006). Nuts: a source of energy and macronutrients. BR Journal of Nutrition, 2. 

Ying, B., et. al. (2013). Association of consumption with total and cause-specific mortality. New England Journal of Medicine, 369.