Lose Weight with Ruth: Hate Vegetables? You'll Love These!

Lose Weight with Ruth: Hate Vegetables? You'll Love These!: Brussels Sprouts are a delicious winter veggie  When was the last time you ate Brussels sprouts? Are they flown in from Brussels? ...

Hate Vegetables? You'll Love These!

Brussels Sprouts are a delicious winter veggie 

When was the last time you ate Brussels sprouts?

Are they flown in from Brussels?

Brussels sprouts are a great winter vegetable and are available everywhere.

For some reason, Brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Brussels sprouts are a wonderful cruciferous vegetable in the same family as broccoli, kale, bok choy, cauliflower and cabbage. Cruciferous vegetables may offer protection against cardiovascular disease and be linked to lower cancer risks, specifically colorectal cancer. 

You won't be able to stop eating these delicious stir-fried Brussels sprouts!

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Garlic

4 cups Brussels sprouts

3-4 tablespoons Canola oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

Pinch of salt and pepper

Sprinkle of Parmesan Cheese

Wash Brussels Sprouts. Cut off the ends and cut in half. Add water to a fry pan and bring to boiling. Add Brussels Sprouts and boil 5-10 minutes until softened. Drain off the water, and continue heating the pan until the rest of the water is evaporated. Keep heat on high and add 2 Tablespoons of oil. After the oil is hot, continually turn the Brussels sprouts until browned. Will look brownish but won’t taste burnt. When the oil is gone, add 1-2 tablespoons more oil, so that the Brussel Sprouts continue to brown and become crispy. Turn heat to low. Add in the garlic, salt and pepper until mixed. If desired for a Umami flavor, sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Serves 2-3.

 

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

Lose Weight with Ruth: Happy Valentine's Day!

Lose Weight with Ruth: Happy Valentine's Day!: Happy Valentine's Day Roses are red; Violets are blue. Sugar is sweet; Watch how much you eat. When I think of Valentin...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

Roses are red;

Violets are blue.

Sugar is sweet;

Watch how much you eat.

When I think of Valentine’s Day, I think of chocolate. Maybe because I am a fan of it. As a professional loser, a person who helps people lose weight, I say that no foods should be excluded from the diet.

For many people, when you tell them that they can’t eat chocolate or pizza or pasta, it’s all they want. And feeling deprived often leads to overeating, even bingeing. This leads to frustration and a reason to quit a "diet".

So how much is just right?  - Not too little and not too much.

The new USDA Dietary Guidelines take out the guesswork. They recommend limiting calories from added sugars to 10% of the total calories. The average person consumes 2,000 calories a day. Therefore, a sugary treat of 200 calories is reasonable. It’s enough to be satisfying. The festive mini cupcake in the picture is about 200 calories. Let's just say, the picture below is sugar on steroids.

Limit calories from Added Sugars to 200 calories a day

Tip: If a serving of food contains 5 grams of "added sugars", multiply 5x4. There are 20 calories from sugar.

It‘s very easy to eat too much, especially when there’s lots of temptations on holidays. For help, check out Day 22 - Rethinking Special Occasions in The Food Is My Friend Diet.