Eggplants offer a host of health benefits due to their many vitamins and minerals as well as important phytonutrients which provide antioxidant activity. When you select eggplants look for ones that are firm and heavy for their size – also avoid ones with discoloration or bruises. Serve your Healthy Man’s Steak as a side to grilled chicken breast for a delicious and well balanced meal.

Yield: 6 servings

Here’s what you need…

Nutritional Analysis: One serving equals: 52 calories, 3g fat, 6g carbohydrate, 4g fiber, and 1g protein.

• 1 fresh pear, sliced
• 1/4 cup nonfat ricotta cheese
• 1 teaspoon natural honey

Now, the stuff is ubiquitous. Anywhere you turn, if you want a green tea, you can find it. You can even find it in some fast food restaurants.

So in this newsletter, we’d like to talk about tea – what it is, why it’s good for you, and what benefits it offers.

Tea contains no calories and is a rich source of phytochemicals as well as a specific group of chemicals called methylxanthines (e.g., theophylline, caffeine, etc – although the methylxanthine content is much lower than in coffee and other caffeinated beverages).

JB’s favorite is a mixture of loose green tea leaves and a bag of mint or pear flavored green tea.

Recommended water temperatures for steeping tea are as follows:

White tea: 140-165 degrees
Green tea: 170-180 degrees
Oolong tea: 190-205 degrees
Black tea: Above 200 degrees

Don’t get stressed if you don’t feel like breaking out the thermometer every morning. Bring water just short of boiling. That will usually do the trick.

Note: The more fermented teas require higher water temperatures. When water temperatures are too low, the leaves can be devoid of oxygen and the taste can be bland and flat.

Case reports have been published indicating that a very high consumption of these extracts can induce liver damage. This has yet to be validated in well-controlled studies but it’s worth thinking about.

Here’s some additional info on this:
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/me…ead.php?t=6771

Now, let’s outline some of the benefits attributed to regular tea consumption.

Note: These benefits were outlined at the 2007 “Tea and Health” symposium, a conference in which tea researchers world-wide got together and provided some definitive answers on what tea does and what it doesn’t do – at least, according to what we know today.

We’ll list these benefits by category…

Tea and body composition

• Green tea increased 24-hour energy expenditure and fat oxidation
• 3-months of tea consumption decreased waist circumference by 4.5%

Tea and cardiovascular health

• Tea increased lipid oxidation
• Tea improved blood vessel function
• Those who consumed 3 or more cups of black tea per day had a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke
• Drinking 6 or more cups of black tea per day was associated with decreased serum cholesterol and triglycerides
• Those who drank a cup or more of black tea daily had a 44% reduction in the risk of heart attack compared to non-tea drinkers
• Those who consumed tea during the year prior to a heart attack were up to 44% more likely to survive following the cardiac event
• Japanese men and women who consumed just over 2 cups of green tea per day reduced their risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 22 – 33%
• 5 cups of black tea per day reduced LDL cholesterol by 11% and total cholesterol by 6.5% compared to placebo beverages
• Those who consumed 4 cups of tea per day had a 69% lower risk of atherosclerosis
• Tea restored blood vessel function in those with coronary artery disease
• Tea helped to prevent atherosclerosis
• Tea enhanced dilation of blood vessels
• Regular tea drinkers had a 65% reduced risk of developing high blood pressure

Tea and cancer

• Tea inhibited oxidative damage
• Tea decreased the growth of abnormal cells and inhibited uncontrolled cell growth
• Drinking tea combated free radical damage
• Tea boosted the immune system
• Tea helped prevent prostate cancer
• Those who drank tea had a reduced risk of skin cancer
• Tea assisted in the regression of oral cancer
• Tea drinkers had decreased ovarian cancer risk

Tea and immune function

• Tea boosted natural resistance to microbial infection

Tea and oral health

• Tea inhibited the plaque forming ability of oral bacteria

Tea and bone health

• Although caffeine intake has been suggested to be a risk factor for reduced bone mineral density, research indicated that drinking tea does not negatively affect bone mineral density
• Older women who drank tea had a higher bone mineral density than those who did not drink tea

Tea and kidney stones

• Those who drank tea had a lower risk of developing kidney stones

Tea and neurological decline

• Drinking tea resulted in a reduced risk of Parkinsons disease

Tea and spouse selection

• Those who drank 5 cups of green tea each day had a more attractive spouse (are you still paying attention to my article? This one has yet to be confirmed by research – but you never know).

Tea Recipes

Just like with other healthy meals and drinks, you’ve gotta be a little creative. To this end, here are a few recipes that can make including tea in your diet a delicious proposition:

Mint Chocolate Shake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strongly brewed green tea with mint
1 cup ice
2 scoops chocolate whey protein
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 tbsp flaxseed oil or vanilla flavored fish oil
1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips or cocoa nibs

Instructions:

Prepare green tea by steeping for 5 minutes or using tea press/infuser. Allow to cool.

Pour tea in the blender and add 1 cup of ice.

Add to the blender, protein, yogurt, oil, and chocolate.

Blend on high until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Nutrition Information:

Makes 1 large 593kcal shake (22fat, 36carb, 61 protein) or 2 small 296kcal shakes (11fat, 18carb, 30 protein).

Blueberry Oatmeal

Ingredients:

1/2 cup strongly brewed green tea with berry flavor
1 cup of water
1/2 cup Old fashioned large flake oats
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp pure honey
1/4 cup low fat milk or soy milk
1 scoop vanilla protein
1/4 cup frozen berries

Instructions:

Prepare green tea by steeping for 5 minutes or using tea press/infuser. Allow to cool.

Pour tea and 1 cup water into a pot.

Bring pot to a boil on high heat and add the oats.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is absorbed (approx 7-10 mins).

Remove from heat and stir in flax and honey.

Combine milk and protein in a blender and pour over oatmeal.

Add frozen berries.

Nutrition Information:

Makes 1 large 472kcal serving (10fat, 60carb, 35 protein) or 2 small 236kcal servings (5fat, 30carb, 15 protein).

Veggies – They’re Important
By now, I’m pretty sure that most of you are familiar with the 10 Habits of Precision Nutrition.

You know, the eat every 3 hour thing, the protein with each meal thing, the veggies with each meal thing…and so on.

And although we place importance on every single one of the 10 habits, we’ve really spent a lot of time emphasizing the importance of getting your fruits and veggies – especially those vegetables.

This is due, in large part, to the fact that many folks simply don’t eat enough veggies. The recommended fruit and vegetable intake is at least three to five servings per day. However, only 3 percent of men and 7 percent of women meet even these minimums!

But Veggies Make Me Sick
The interesting thing is that sometimes, when folks start increasing their veggie intake, they can actually feel worse. They get bloated, gassy, and flatulent. And there’s nothing quite as frustrating as trying to eat better and being rewarded with a kick in the gut.

To this end, here’s a recent question that echoes this exact problem:

I have been trying to get in habit of eating foods that are good for me. Foods such as vegetables and salads. But it seems that whenever I eat a lot of food such as salads or anything like roughage, my stomach does not seem to be able to digest it. I feel all bloated. So I’m not sure what to do or if there is anything that I can take to help.

And believe it or not, this is much more common than you think! Lots of folks report feeling this way when increasing veggie intake. However, there is something you can do about it. Here’s my response:

Sure, there’s something you can do…cook the veggies.

To be honest, although I often eat them, salads and raw veggies can be difficult from 2 perspectives.

1. First, 1-2 cups (what you should be eating with each meal) of raw veggies/salad makes for a lot of roughage, a lot of volume, and a lot of chewing. And sometimes it’s a pain to eat all those raw veggies.
2. Second, many people can only digest a small amount of raw veggies per day. If they eat more than just a little bit, they get all the symptoms described above.

So the solution is this – lightly cook most of your daily your veggies. Steaming them is a great solution. As is cooking them in stir-fry dishes.

Further, using veggies to make sauces and condiments (like tomato sauce, pesto, etc) is also a great way to get in lots of veggies easily, efficiently, and, uh, digestive-ly. Yea, I just made that word up.

NOTE: If you pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition V2.0, you’ll find a ton of great veggie recipe strategies. Beyond this, another great cookbook for veggies is Williams Sonoma’s Mastering Vegetables. With this book and GN V2.0, you’ll have more than enough veggie strategies – for life.

Cooked Veggies For GI Distress
So yes, veggies are awesome for us. But no, not all veggies make us look better and feel better.

Interestingly, digestive distress also signals that we might be missing out on some of the important nutrients. Indeed, the nutrients are often bound in a matrix of fiber. When cooked, the fiber is rendered more easily broken down and many nutrients can now be digested and absorbed.

Uncooked, this fiber (bound with important nutrients) remains intact and passes onto the colon undigested. When food reaches the colon undigested, it must be fermented. As the consequence of fermentation is methane gas production, now we’re talking bloating and flatulence.

So, they key is to determine your individual veggie tolerance and adjust your veggie choices and veggie preparation based on your own digestion.

But remember, just because you have problems with one type of raw vegetable, it doesn’t mean you should never eat raw veggies again. Find the ones that you enjoy, and can tolerate, raw and eat them raw. The rest, you should eat cooked.

Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking that regardless of your raw veggie tolerance, you should start cooking all your veggies. That’s not what we’re saying.

The bottom line is this – IF you’re not tolerating veggies, it could be because you’re eating them raw.

The simple solution that works most of the time? Cook those veggies that you can’t digest in their raw state.

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If you’re looking for more great veggie strategies, pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition V2.0.

Gourmet Nutrition is our newest cookbook for the fit food lover, complete with 120 delicious recipe ideas that you can serve with confidence to the most discerning foodie – or the most nitpicky nutritionist.

We’ve included detailed cooking instructions and ideas for improvisation. And we’ve even photographed every recipe in beautiful color to show you just how appetizing healthy food can be.

Intro
Lately the media has been spending alot of time talking about “healthy omega 3 fats.”

And it’s about time!

Most people are woefully deficient – getting only about 1/3 of what’s recommended.

However, as usual with media saturation, the finer points are often lost. For example, the following questions (and those like them) often go unanswered.

Are all omega 3s the same?

If I take flax, should I take fish oil – and vice versa?

How much omega 3 should I take?

And so on…

Therefore, in this newsletter, rather than discussing all the different types of healthy fat available today, we’re going to narrow in on flax seeds.

The Flax Primer
Now, most of you are likely familiar with flax seeds and flax oil. And your knowledge likely resides somewhere between “flax is good for me” to “flax has alpha linolenic acid, which can be converted to the powerful fatty acid, EPA”.

Regardless of your pre-existing knowledge, here’s a little primer.

Primarily, flax contains alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. ALA falls under the subheading of polyunsatured fat.

Humans evolved on diets consisting of marine life and/or inland plants which provided abundant omega-3 fats. This resulted in an omega-6/omega-3 ratio that was around 1:1.

Currently, humans don’t get nearly enough omega-3 fats from things like flax, hemp, walnut, perilla, salba, and fish oil. As a result, most people consume a ratio of about 16:1 – an intake that’s out of balance.

Therefore, purposefully adding omega-3 rich fats has become not only popular, but necessary. And the two most popular omega 3 foods are flax seeds and fish oil.

The Benefits of Flax
While we’ve spoken extensively about fish oil on this site, we figured it was time to list some of the unique benefits of flax – specifically flax seeds.

• Constipation:
  • 2 tablespoons of flaxseeds has been shown in research studies to alleviate constipation.
  • So, if you’re suffering from infrequent bowel movements, you can add 2 tbsp of flax to improve things.
  • This is much less expensive than fiber supplements.
  • Also, the calorie load is low. 2 tbsp = 80 calories (6g fat, 4g carbs, and 4g protein).

• Flax to EPA
  • Flax has ALA, which can be converted to EPA.
  • For this conversion, we need delta-6-desaturase.
  • Well, good old delta-6 is inhibited by high blood sugar levels, high saturated fat consumption, and alcohol intake.
  • So if your diet is poor, flax won’t do you much good when it comes to converting into the really healthy omega 3 fats.

• Menopause
  • 4 tablespoons of flaxseeds per day can halve the amount of hot flashes in post menopausal women.
  • This same dose can lessen the severity of hot flashes by about 50%.

• Dry Eye Syndrome
  • This is one of the most common problems treated by eye eye docs.
  • Dry Eye Syndrome is caused by poor lubrication of the eye, leading to burning, itching, irritation, redness, blurred vision the improves with blinking, excessive tearing, discomfort after periods of watching TV or working on a computer.
  • Interestingly, people that consume more omega-3 fats (from flax) have a lower incidence of dry eye syndrome.
    

• Reduced Cholesterol
  • Those that consumed 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds per day for 60 days had significant reductions in total cholesterol, bad cholesterol, and triglycerides.
  • These improvements are similar to those seen when taking the powerful statin drugs (which carry with them some nasty side effects).

Flax In Your Diet
Now, while these benefits are groovy, I find that many folks simply don’t know how to include flax in their diet.

Here are some great suggestions:

• Combine ground flax with cinnamon and use as a dip for fruit (like apples)
• Sprinkle ground flax over berries
• Mix ground flax in super shakes
• Add ground flax to whole grain cereals
• Add ground flax to salads
• Add ground flax to salad dressing
• Sprinkle on cooked vegetables
• Add ground flax to hummus
• Add ground flax to nut butters
• Combine flax and cinnamon to canned pumpkin
• Add to Gourmet Nutrition recipes like pancakes, bars, cookies, muffins

In fact, here’s one great recipe, right from our new book, Gourmet Nutrition – The Cookbook For the Fit Food Lover, that incorporates flax seeds.

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Servings: 6 large or 12 small

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Prelude: Everybody loves chocolate chip muffins. So even though they’re a decadent treat, we decided to include a GN version here, including a variety of ingredients designed to improve the overall nutritional profile of the classic muffin mix. Be forewarned, however. These muffins are still high in calories and in carbs. So you’ll want to make sure to earn them in the gym and eat them post exercise.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
4 whole omega 3 eggs
¼ cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
6 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 tablespoon cocao powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Splenda
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup dried fruit

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.

Lightly coat a nonstick muffin pan with spray and then fill each muffin almost to the top.

Place in the oven and bake 10 minutes or until the top is set.

Cool, portion and store in the freezer individually wrapped.

Variations and Options:
Substitute the dried fruit in this recipe with seeds or crushed nuts.

For some additional healthy fat, slice and coat with natural almond or peanut butter.

Nutritional Information:
Available in Gourmet Nutrition – The Cookbook For The Fit Food Lover. To pick up your copy, click here.

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Too Much Flax?
Ok, now that you know how to incorporate flax into your plan, the big question is this: can you eat too much? The answer: of course.

Just like with every other food – overconsumption can be a problem.

Raw flaxseeds, along with other nuts/seeds (about 12,000 of them) contain cyanogenic glucosides. Consuming too many of these compounds over time can cause an accumulation in the body and toxic (even life threatening) reactions.

So, how much is too much? Well, up to ¼ cup per day of ground flax should pose no health risks.

Further, as cooking the seeds will render the glucosides harmless, you could cook your flax seeds (in your baked items, for example).

What About Fish Oil
A discussion of fish oil is beyond the scope of this week’s newsletter. Instead, we’re focusing on flax. However, if you’d like to know more about the other healthy fats and/or fish oil specifically, be sure to check out our Precision Nutrition All About articles.

Specifically, check out these two:

All About Healthy Fat

All About Fish Oil

Additional Flax Info
Before we wrap up, we wanted to drop a few more notes about flax:

• Golden flax tends to have a mild flavor and is preferred by some.

• Flax oil can be used to boost omega-3 fat intake as well, but it’s lacking the fiber and protein – plus, its not a whole food so we prefer supplementing with fish oil and eating flax seeds.

• Flax seeds (but not the oil) contain lignans, a class of phytoestrogens. These lignans act as antioxidants and may be responsible for some of the other health benefits attributed to flax consumption. (No worries, though, you’ll not become “estrogenic” from consuming flax.

• When someone eats the whole flax seed (un-ground) it will not be absorbed by the body. Therefore it needs to be ground first.

Want to learn how to eat the right way – once and for all? Then check out the following resources:

Precision Nutrition
Our comprehensive nutrition system designed to teach you everything you need to know to build your nutrition plan from the ground up. Includes 7 guidebooks, a full online membership, and our original Gourmet Nutrition cookbook.

Gourmet Nutrition
Our newest cookbook for the fit food lover, complete with 120 delicious recipe ideas that you can serve with confidence to the most discerning foodie – or the most nitpicky nutritionist. We’ve included detailed cooking instructions and ideas for improvisation. And we’ve even photographed every recipe in beautiful color to show you just how appetizing healthy food can be.

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Posted By:
John Berardi, PhD, CSCS
President, Precision Nutrition