Food for thought

I read an interesting article this morning that claimed the following eight foods actually help to "fight fat": Almonds, berries, oranges, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, soybeans, mustard, and Swiss cheese. Why you might ask? Let's dive in.

The claim actually seems feasible upon further investigation. Almonds are high in alpha-linolenic acid, which can speed the metabolism of fats, but their natural high fat content can be counter-intuitive if you eat too many, so stick to 12 per serving.

Berries that are loaded with Vitamin C such as strawberries and raspberries can help you burn up to 30 percent more fat during exercise, but their high sugar content can also be counter-productive if you consume too many when on a low calorie diet. Oranges contain a compound called flavones that has a natural ability to burn fats, coupled with its citric acid this food is a great find.

Sweet potatoes can be tricky. Most people do not eat this vegetable unless it is smothered with butter, sugar, and nuts, so beware. Eaten alone, however, this high fiber food prevents your body from drastic peaks in insulin and therefore reduces the fat that your body holds onto. Add a little cinnamon, which also prevents a post meal insulin spike that normally occurs after you eat and signals the body that it should store fat rather than burn it, and you are hitting two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Soybeans are green vegetable that are rich in choline, a compound that blocks fat absorption and breaks down fatty deposits. This is becoming a great new super food, that just until recently had very little publicity.

While I personally do not like mustard, the spice that gives mustard its color, turmeric, may slow the growth of fat tissues, and I am all for that.

Finally, Swiss cheese. This one stumped me. According to Michael B. Zemel, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, "Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown." Put toe to toe with some of its cheesy counterparts, Swiss is a heavy hitter in the calcium department and has less fat too.

Now that is some food for thought! I know that I need all the help I can get with all of these holiday parties coming up. Maybe they will have some mustard covered soybeans, fruit salad, or some cinnamon & almond covered sweet potatoes.. haha, or maybe not.

Beauty in Eyes of the Beholder?

Last night we attended a dinner party for some of Chris' work colleagues who had just moved here from Chicago and were trying to get to know new people. The dinner was exquisite and their house was immaculate. A brand new three story town house in the Heights with beautiful custom details and furnishings. It was really refreshing to talk to new people and get to know their life story.

As we were driving home last night, Chris and I were discussing the different personalities at the party. Some women come across as, I guess you could call it, "putting on a face." I would love to have an "outside my body" type of experience where I could see myself through someone else's eyes, but knowing that will never happen, I only have my own perception of myself and what I see in others. After observing the different personalities and their interaction, I can only assume by what I enjoy in others what my personality is like, if that makes any sense.

Oddly enough, the women that Chris thought I would not enjoy were actually my favorite conversations of the night. I tried explaining to him that I truly respect women who embrace the concept of "what you see is what you get." Don't get me wrong, this can be a very harsh trait to have if you have a very dry personality and sense of humor, but given the right mix and bubbly type of attitude can come across as very genuine and warm to be around. Truthfully, I found it very relaxing to get to know someone who says it like it is as opposed to the women that are hard to read and understand.

This brings me to question men's view of women. I suspect that Chris finds it hard to like someone that does not sugar coat things naturally because men are not complainers just by their very nature. Women on the other hand are so use to trying to "put on a smile" when meeting other woman and at social events. There is a reason people call this "chewing the fat."

Next time you meet someone new and have a chance to set your first impression, try to take a different approach and see how things go. My gut feeling is that if you are real and honest from the get go, you might just form a new long standing friendship, which let's face it is very hard to come by.

Picture Updates for the Traveling Cars

I finally uploaded our pictures from our many vacations and decided to post them here for those who have been asking.

As a brief summary, in 2006 we traveled to Italy on our honeymoon and in 2007 we journeyed to San Fransisco, Monterrey, and Napa Valley, both which I have not uploaded pictures for. In 2008 we headed to the east coast, traveling from Boston to Plymouth, Cape Cod, and finally Newport. Later that same year we made a trip back to the east coast to see New York. Finally, this year we took a ski trip to Steamboat Springs in March and then our recent trip to Ireland in August.

We are trying to plan our next trip for 2010, but we are coming up short on ideas at the moment. If any one has some ideas let us know!