In Japan and South Korea, the obesity rate is very low, only 3%. The people there eat noodles as one of their staple foods. Noodle soup is a common breakfast and snack in Asian countries.
Why eating noodles can help you slim down?
• They are an excellent source of complex carbohydrates (good carbs). Like rice, they provide a crucial energy source for our brain and body cells. Eating noodles may alleviate our body cravings for high-calorie sweets.
• When cooked, they absorb a lot of water. The water content of noodles or pasta is 70%, about the same as steamed rice. Noodles and pasta are bulky so they fill us up.
• They are rich in B vitamins, niacin and iron.
• They contain resistant starch which increases fat metabolism in our bodies.
In Asia, noodles are comfort foods, usually eaten with soup. Another alternative is to stir-fry them with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil, which does increase the calorie content. However, fried noodles are usually eaten with thinly sliced meats and lots of vegetables, making it overall a healthy low-calorie meal.
Noodles and pasta are good for you as long as you prepare them as the Asians do. Avoid or reduce oily and creamy sauces.
Quick & Delicious Noodle Soup
Servings: 4
Noodles and vegetables in clear chicken broth.
12 ounces Japanese udon noodles or pasta of your
choice
6 ounces skinless boneless chicken breast or imitation
crabmeat, sliced thin
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken broth powder
4 ounces mushrooms or shitake mushrooms, sliced
thin
1 cup bok choy or green leafy vegetable of your choice,
chopped
2 stalks green onions, chopped
2 tablespoon sake or white wine
Prepare noodles as directed by the package. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in the pan, stir-fry ginger and garlic for 30
seconds. Add chicken and soy sauce, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add water, chicken broth, mushrooms, bok choy, and green onions; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the noodles and sake. Serve.
Linda Yo is a certified weight consultant and the author of Asian Slim Secrets. Linda gained 25 lbs in 3 months upon her arrival in the US. She failed at every method before she rediscovered the benefit of her traditional diet. Amazed by the results, she spent 18 years to research about the benefit of Asian diet and shares the secrets in her new book, Asian Slim Secrets. Her phenomenal weight loss method has received praised from medical professionals, celebrities and the media. To read free chapters of "Asian Slim Secrets" go to www.asianslimsecrets.com
Friday, April 17, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Slim Down with Resistant Starch
Some starchy foods such as white bread, crackers, donuts and pancakes can easily turn into sugar in our body, thus they can easily make us fat. However starchy grains and vegetables are not fattening, especially those that are rich in resistant starches.
Not many people, even doctors in the US know about resistant starch yet but it is beginning to gain popularity in England and Australia. According to experts from Oxford University, in the past it was thought that all starch in food is digested and absorbed by the human body. However current research has discovered that a significant portion of starch cannot be digested by our stomach and it will be expelled from our body. That portion of starch is called resistant starch. So when we eat foods that are rich in resistant starch, we actually get a discount in calories!
Not many people, even doctors in the US know about resistant starch yet but it is beginning to gain popularity in England and Australia. According to experts from Oxford University, in the past it was thought that all starch in food is digested and absorbed by the human body. However current research has discovered that a significant portion of starch cannot be digested by our stomach and it will be expelled from our body. That portion of starch is called resistant starch. So when we eat foods that are rich in resistant starch, we actually get a discount in calories!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
How Asians Avoid Salmonella Poisoning
I grew up in South East Asia where the risk of getting Salmonella infection is very high. In some Asian countries, there is no regulation for off-the-street food vendors and small scale food processing facilities.
However the Asian cooking technique helps prevent salmonella infection. These are a few tips that can help you avoid Salmonella poisoning and also lose weight at the same time:
• Heat it up
When Asians make peanut sauce, they add some water to ground peanuts or peanut butter and cook until it is boiling. According to the USDA, you destroy the Salmonella bacteria when you heat up your food to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. So you can add a small amount of water to peanut butter, mix it and heat it up in the microwave until it is boiling.
The boiling point of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit; so you can enjoy peanut butter without the fear of getting a Salmonella infection.
• Slice it
When cooking meat, slice it into thin pieces. Cut 1/8 inch thin across the grain. The thinly sliced meat will cook quickly and evenly, thus reducing the risk of getting Salmonella infection. By slicing meat into thin pieces, you can also get rid of the fat marble that is in the middle of the meat easily, thus reducing your intake of saturated fat.
• Steam or stir fry it
Asians steam or stir fry their vegetable dishes in high heat, about 200 degrees for two to five minutes. If you do this you will destroy the Salmonella bacteria and at the same time still preserve most of the vitamins because of the short cooking time. Steaming and stir frying vegetables is also healthy because you only use water or a little vegetable oil compared to high fat salad dressing.
However the Asian cooking technique helps prevent salmonella infection. These are a few tips that can help you avoid Salmonella poisoning and also lose weight at the same time:
• Heat it up
When Asians make peanut sauce, they add some water to ground peanuts or peanut butter and cook until it is boiling. According to the USDA, you destroy the Salmonella bacteria when you heat up your food to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. So you can add a small amount of water to peanut butter, mix it and heat it up in the microwave until it is boiling.
The boiling point of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit; so you can enjoy peanut butter without the fear of getting a Salmonella infection.
• Slice it
When cooking meat, slice it into thin pieces. Cut 1/8 inch thin across the grain. The thinly sliced meat will cook quickly and evenly, thus reducing the risk of getting Salmonella infection. By slicing meat into thin pieces, you can also get rid of the fat marble that is in the middle of the meat easily, thus reducing your intake of saturated fat.
• Steam or stir fry it
Asians steam or stir fry their vegetable dishes in high heat, about 200 degrees for two to five minutes. If you do this you will destroy the Salmonella bacteria and at the same time still preserve most of the vitamins because of the short cooking time. Steaming and stir frying vegetables is also healthy because you only use water or a little vegetable oil compared to high fat salad dressing.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
How to Lose Weight without Starving – part 1: The Mindset
Twenty two years ago, I was overweight. Growing up, I was a skinny girl. However when I moved from Asia to the US, I gained twenty five pounds in three months! I came in the fall, by Christmas, I was already chubby. At the time, I lived with my older brother and he made fun of my weight every single day.
For 2 years, I struggled with my weight, I tried diet tea, fat reducing crème, slim fast, diet patch and I read over a dozen diet books and nothing worked!
If you are overweight, I know how you feel. It can be frustrating. However, please understand that just because you have excess weight right now, it doesn’t mean that you are going to be fat forever. Don’t put a label on yourself. Many people are nice to other people but they are mean to themselves.
We talk to ourselves all the time and sometimes we say bad things to ourselves. When I say or do something wrong, I’d call myself “Stupid” and I will proceed to remember all the stupid things that I have done in the past 20 years!
Usually, when we fail from our expectation, we say bad things to ourselves. We even label ourselves: stupid, loser, procrastinator and that will not help us to solve our problem because we will feel more depressed and helpless. And when we are depressed we eat more because our bodies feel the need to increase the “happy hormone” in our brain which is called serotonin. Sweets increase our serotonin level so blaming ourselves rarely work when it comes to permanent weight loss.
We have to realize that nobody is perfect; everybody failed at certain things in their life. Even the people that we admired the most have to constantly work to improve themselves. Every single day is a new day and all we can do is to take a single step toward our goal.
If losing weight is part of your New Year’s resolutions, understand that the most important step toward a permanent weight loss is the right mental attitude. As a weight consultant, I found it fascinating that I can give the same directions to several people and those who have positive self images; lost weight in a short period of time while those who labeled themselves fat have a hard time losing weight.
You see people act consistent with the label that we gave to ourselves. So if you or the people around you called you fatty, this year, get a new empowering label! Label yourself beauty, healthy or sexy! Whenever you see yourself in the mirror, be nice and gentle to yourself; look for your wonderful qualities, maybe you have a wonderful set of eyes or a nice smile. You are a beauty in the making, a diamond in the rough and in 2009, you will continue to polish that diamond so the sparkle will shine thru, brighter and brighter.
Happy New Year!
For 2 years, I struggled with my weight, I tried diet tea, fat reducing crème, slim fast, diet patch and I read over a dozen diet books and nothing worked!
If you are overweight, I know how you feel. It can be frustrating. However, please understand that just because you have excess weight right now, it doesn’t mean that you are going to be fat forever. Don’t put a label on yourself. Many people are nice to other people but they are mean to themselves.
We talk to ourselves all the time and sometimes we say bad things to ourselves. When I say or do something wrong, I’d call myself “Stupid” and I will proceed to remember all the stupid things that I have done in the past 20 years!
Usually, when we fail from our expectation, we say bad things to ourselves. We even label ourselves: stupid, loser, procrastinator and that will not help us to solve our problem because we will feel more depressed and helpless. And when we are depressed we eat more because our bodies feel the need to increase the “happy hormone” in our brain which is called serotonin. Sweets increase our serotonin level so blaming ourselves rarely work when it comes to permanent weight loss.
We have to realize that nobody is perfect; everybody failed at certain things in their life. Even the people that we admired the most have to constantly work to improve themselves. Every single day is a new day and all we can do is to take a single step toward our goal.
If losing weight is part of your New Year’s resolutions, understand that the most important step toward a permanent weight loss is the right mental attitude. As a weight consultant, I found it fascinating that I can give the same directions to several people and those who have positive self images; lost weight in a short period of time while those who labeled themselves fat have a hard time losing weight.
You see people act consistent with the label that we gave to ourselves. So if you or the people around you called you fatty, this year, get a new empowering label! Label yourself beauty, healthy or sexy! Whenever you see yourself in the mirror, be nice and gentle to yourself; look for your wonderful qualities, maybe you have a wonderful set of eyes or a nice smile. You are a beauty in the making, a diamond in the rough and in 2009, you will continue to polish that diamond so the sparkle will shine thru, brighter and brighter.
Happy New Year!
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Tips for Eating Healthy during the Holidays
These are a few tips that will help you enjoy a healthy holidays:
1. Start your meal with soup as your appetizer. Research shows that people who eat soup regularly lose more weight than people who don’t.
2. Thicken your soup and sauces with cornstarch instead of cream. Cornstarch is very low in calories. One tablespoon of cornstarch contains 30 calories and 0 gram fat. In many occasions, you will only need two tablespoons of cornstarch to replace one cup of cream. One cup of cream contains 580 calories and 60 grams of fat so if you use cornstarch instead of cream, you will reduce 520 calories and 60 grams of fat from your soup.
3. Eat a healthy staple food. After the low-carb diet craze, it seems like Americans don’t know what a staple food is, let alone a healthy staple food. In Asia, people always eat their dishes with a healthy staple food which is big in volume but low in calorie content. This kind of food makes us full while contributing a small amount of calories. Rice is a healthy staple food because it is rich in water content. Seventy percent of the volume of steamed rice is just water. So when you eat rice with your dishes, you will feel full quicker, thus prevent you from overeating. The healthiest type of rice is brown basmati rice. Brown basmati is rich in fiber and resistant starch. According to experts while 1 gram of carbohydrate gives us 4 calories, 1 gram of fiber and resistant starch give us anywhere between 0-3 calories. In addition to that, fiber and resistant starch help control our blood sugar level and satiety.
4. Drink plain tea, water or diet drinks. Many people watch what they eat but they don’t realize that they consume a lot of calories from their drinks. A 12 fluid ounces of soda or juice contains about 150 calories which is equal to 6 Hershey kisses.
5. If you serve salad, make sure that you use low calorie dressings. Many people who go on a “salad diet” become frustrated because even though they eat healthy all the time, they still don’t lose weight. A small 2 oz package of ranch dressings contains 170 calories and 15 grams of fat which has almost as many calories as 7 Hersey kisses.
1. Start your meal with soup as your appetizer. Research shows that people who eat soup regularly lose more weight than people who don’t.
2. Thicken your soup and sauces with cornstarch instead of cream. Cornstarch is very low in calories. One tablespoon of cornstarch contains 30 calories and 0 gram fat. In many occasions, you will only need two tablespoons of cornstarch to replace one cup of cream. One cup of cream contains 580 calories and 60 grams of fat so if you use cornstarch instead of cream, you will reduce 520 calories and 60 grams of fat from your soup.
3. Eat a healthy staple food. After the low-carb diet craze, it seems like Americans don’t know what a staple food is, let alone a healthy staple food. In Asia, people always eat their dishes with a healthy staple food which is big in volume but low in calorie content. This kind of food makes us full while contributing a small amount of calories. Rice is a healthy staple food because it is rich in water content. Seventy percent of the volume of steamed rice is just water. So when you eat rice with your dishes, you will feel full quicker, thus prevent you from overeating. The healthiest type of rice is brown basmati rice. Brown basmati is rich in fiber and resistant starch. According to experts while 1 gram of carbohydrate gives us 4 calories, 1 gram of fiber and resistant starch give us anywhere between 0-3 calories. In addition to that, fiber and resistant starch help control our blood sugar level and satiety.
4. Drink plain tea, water or diet drinks. Many people watch what they eat but they don’t realize that they consume a lot of calories from their drinks. A 12 fluid ounces of soda or juice contains about 150 calories which is equal to 6 Hershey kisses.
5. If you serve salad, make sure that you use low calorie dressings. Many people who go on a “salad diet” become frustrated because even though they eat healthy all the time, they still don’t lose weight. A small 2 oz package of ranch dressings contains 170 calories and 15 grams of fat which has almost as many calories as 7 Hersey kisses.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Fun Exercise
When I turned 40 a few days ago, I made my husband take me dancing, because we haven’t danced in years!I had a lot of fun dancing that night and I think I burned at least 600 calories!
If you live in San Diego & you like dancing or you want to learn how to dance, check out this place, www.dancetime.com . You don’t need a partner to join. If you are not in San Diego, simply Google the word dance and the city you live in; that’s how I found dancetime. My husband & I love the place, it’s a clean & safe place to learn & explore dancing.
Do you have an activity that you love to do? It’s easier to exercise when it’s fun. This is a list of fun exercises and the average calories burned per hour for someone who is about 200 lbs.
Basketball, 728
Bicycling (leisure), 364
Dancing, 409
Bowling, 273
Canoeing, 319
Fishing, 350
Football, 728
Gardening, 380
Golf, 410
Tennis, 728
Volleyball, 364
Activity for children.
A study from a professor at Liverpool John Moores University in Britain found that participants burn about 150 calories per hour playing Nintendo Wii so an average of 12.2 playing time/week burned 1830 extra calories per week.
Have you ever play tennis in Wii? It’s a lot of fun. When my family get together with some friends, the adults and the kids spend hours playing tennis or bowling. It’s a great party activity.
Have fun & stay healthy!
Linda Yo
Author of Asian Slim Secrets
The "Asian Slim Lady" can show you how to lose weight without starving yourself!
www.asianslimsecrets.com
When I turned 40 a few days ago, I made my husband take me dancing, because we haven’t danced in years!I had a lot of fun dancing that night and I think I burned at least 600 calories!
If you live in San Diego & you like dancing or you want to learn how to dance, check out this place, www.dancetime.com . You don’t need a partner to join. If you are not in San Diego, simply Google the word dance and the city you live in; that’s how I found dancetime. My husband & I love the place, it’s a clean & safe place to learn & explore dancing.
Do you have an activity that you love to do? It’s easier to exercise when it’s fun. This is a list of fun exercises and the average calories burned per hour for someone who is about 200 lbs.
Basketball, 728
Bicycling (leisure), 364
Dancing, 409
Bowling, 273
Canoeing, 319
Fishing, 350
Football, 728
Gardening, 380
Golf, 410
Tennis, 728
Volleyball, 364
Activity for children.
A study from a professor at Liverpool John Moores University in Britain found that participants burn about 150 calories per hour playing Nintendo Wii so an average of 12.2 playing time/week burned 1830 extra calories per week.
Have you ever play tennis in Wii? It’s a lot of fun. When my family get together with some friends, the adults and the kids spend hours playing tennis or bowling. It’s a great party activity.
Have fun & stay healthy!
Linda Yo
Author of Asian Slim Secrets
The "Asian Slim Lady" can show you how to lose weight without starving yourself!
www.asianslimsecrets.com
Monday, May 26, 2008
Why Do I Crave for Sweets After Mealtime?
There are several reasons why we have cravings for sweets after meals:
1. Habit
Habits are develop over time and are hard to break. The best way to break a habit is to make small modifications. If you are used to 1 full cup of ice cream, the next time you grab the ice cream container, reach for 3/4 cup instead and gradually reduce it to 1/2 cup. If you are used to rich, full cream ice cream, try to get a healthier option such as low fat or frozen yogurt.
2. We are still hungry
The size of our stomach is about 4-6 cups. If we eat foods that are big in volume (water rich food such as rice & noodles), soups, vegetables and fruits, we will be stuffed and have less cravings for dessert. When the stomach is full, the small intestine will shut off and produce a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) that sends a message to the brain to stop eating. This is the reason why buffet restaurants still make money :-). No matter how large is our appetite; our stomach has a limited capacity.
3. Our meals are boring.
One of the reason why people love to go to buffets (other than to get value for their dollars) is because the variety of the foods served. Our palates love variety. When we are bored with our meals, we tend to look for "variety" in desserts. This is the reason why a strict diet usually doesn't work in the long run.
In Asian Slim Secrets, I discuss about the foods that made you full (even stuffed) with low calories; thus you will have less temptation for sweets.
Asian foods are rich in water, fiber & resistant starches. They make you stuffed and prevent you from overeating. That's why most Asian restaurants don't sell dessert. Okay...in the US, they give you fortune cookies...:-)
1. Habit
Habits are develop over time and are hard to break. The best way to break a habit is to make small modifications. If you are used to 1 full cup of ice cream, the next time you grab the ice cream container, reach for 3/4 cup instead and gradually reduce it to 1/2 cup. If you are used to rich, full cream ice cream, try to get a healthier option such as low fat or frozen yogurt.
2. We are still hungry
The size of our stomach is about 4-6 cups. If we eat foods that are big in volume (water rich food such as rice & noodles), soups, vegetables and fruits, we will be stuffed and have less cravings for dessert. When the stomach is full, the small intestine will shut off and produce a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK) that sends a message to the brain to stop eating. This is the reason why buffet restaurants still make money :-). No matter how large is our appetite; our stomach has a limited capacity.
3. Our meals are boring.
One of the reason why people love to go to buffets (other than to get value for their dollars) is because the variety of the foods served. Our palates love variety. When we are bored with our meals, we tend to look for "variety" in desserts. This is the reason why a strict diet usually doesn't work in the long run.
In Asian Slim Secrets, I discuss about the foods that made you full (even stuffed) with low calories; thus you will have less temptation for sweets.
Asian foods are rich in water, fiber & resistant starches. They make you stuffed and prevent you from overeating. That's why most Asian restaurants don't sell dessert. Okay...in the US, they give you fortune cookies...:-)
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