Book Review: The 5 Factor World Diet by Harley Pasternak

Celeb trainer Harley Pasternak has traveled the world while keeping A-list celebs in A-plus shape, and he took some notes on international eating habits while on the road. Harley has turned his studies into the 5 Factor World Diet ($25), equal parts cross-cultural study and cookbook. The book makes for an interesting read and some tasty meals. Pasternak selected 10 countries with the lowest obesity rates and highest life expectancies and studied what they eat, how they eat it, and how they burn it off. His world diet includes chapters on each country’s dietary staples and food philosophies, including Japan, Singapore, Sweden, France, and Israel. The chapters are peppered with tips from each nation, like in Japan there is an emphasis on food presentation as well as flavor. We also learn that Swedes practice lagom , which means “just enough,” eating until they are satisfied but not full. We learn that cabbage is popular in both Japan and Sweden and that yogurt is a staple in France as well as Israel. Harley has taken popular dishes from each country to create the recipe portion of the book as well as a month of meal planning. His diet philosophy centers on the number five: you eat five small meals a day (or three meals and two snacks) to stabilize insulin levels; all meals need to meet the following five nutritional criteria and contain protein, carbs (healthy whole grains of course), fiber (5 to 10 grams in every meal), healthy fats, and a low-calorie, sugar-free beverage. His recipes are simple, using only five main ingredients or less. You can learn about the ins and outs of his diet plan at his website . I tested a recipe last night, the Chinese 5-Spice Halibut, since it pays tribute to the number five. To see the recipe, just read more. Five-Spice Halibut Harley Pasternak’s 5 Factor World Diet Ingredients 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided 2 teaspoons peeled and minced ginger 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder 2 halibut fillets (about five ounces each) 4 ounces sugar snap peas 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 1/2 cups cooled brown rice, warmed Directions In a medium nonreactive bowl, combine the lime zest, lime juice, oil, ginger, and five-spice powder. Add halibut and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to two hours. Coat a medium nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add the fish; cook for four minutes per side, until just cooked through. Transfer to a platter; cover to keep warm. In the same skillet over medium heat, cook the peas for 4 minutes, until tender-crisp, stirring often. Add the garlic; cook for one minute. Serve the halibut and peas atop the rice. Serves two. Print recipe with images | without images The meal was tasty (I will definitely be making it again) and the ingredient list is indicative of most of the others in the book: low in fat, low in salt, high in spice. The book is definitely a primer on clean cooking. I do wish there were photos of some of the dishes since I find them inspirational when perusing a cookbook. Harley is not into calorie counts, but I am still curious about the nutritional makeup of each of the dishes. There are a few details omitted from recipes, like how high the flame should be to cook the fish in the recipe above, and the ingredient olive oil is followed by the word “divided,” which is confusing because the ingredient is listed once in the directions. The recipe I prepared was easy to make, and many other recipes look enticing: Eggplant Caponata from Italy, Herb Falafel from Israel, and Swedish Pancakes with Raspberries. I like the idea of exploring other cultures’ health habits in the kitchen, knowing I am not going to be racking up the calories while doing so since the recipes were prepared by healthy living guru.

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Book Review: The 5 Factor World Diet by Harley Pasternak

Label Able: Erythritol

While researching light foods recently, I came upon an interesting ingredient I’d never heard of: erythritol. Sounds like some kind of chemically-derived alcohol that shouldn’t be anywhere near wholesome and natual apple juice. The nutrition label for this light juice reads “certified organic erythritol is a 100 percent natural low calorie organic sweetener derived from GMO free organic cane juice.” Approved for use in foods in Japan in 1990, in the US it has been characterized as being Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) since 1997. I also found that it’s classified as a sugar alcohol, and comes in granulated and powder forms, but it also occurs naturally in grapes, melons, mushrooms, and fermented foods such as wine, beer, cheese, and soy sauce. This sugar alcohol is about 70 percent as sweet as regular sugar, but has almost no calories. Another plus is that it doesn’t cause digestive issues such as diarrhea like other sugar alcohols can, including sorbitol and xylitol . What’s more? It doesn’t contribute to tooth decay. Seems like this ingredient gets the green light, but I’ll still stick to sugar and other all natural sweeteners such as honey and agave nectar and just watch my portions of sweets.

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Label Able: Erythritol

Bread Face Off: White Bread vs. Wholemeal Bread

British call it wholemeal bread and American call it whole wheat bread. That is not the discussion today. What I intend to do is to find out which one is better, wholemeal bread or the normal white bread. First of all, we have 2 types of wheat flour, white flour and wholemeal flour. To produce wholemeal flour, whole grain is used. Nothing is removed during milling for whole meal whereas white flour is refined. Wholemeal or whole wheat bread has about the same calories with white bread. However, wholemeal bread contains more fibre which fills up stomach quickly. Therefore, eating it more often can help us consume less calories because it helps fill the stomach quicker. So, we end up eating less bread. In addition to that, eating foods high in fibre helps speed up the movement through the digestive tract. That means less time for fatty acids to be absorbed before it is eliminated resulting in less calories absorbed. The only good thing about white breads – they often have more calcium , especially if they are made with milk. So, what kind of bread should you choose? Whether it is white bread or wheat bread, find one that is high in fiber, high in calcium (for kids and elderly) and which tastes good. The healthy choice will be a 100% whole wheat bread (remember to check the ingredients) that is fortified with calcium .

How Can I Tell If Bread Is Really Whole Wheat? Colour used to be a clue, but not really anymore. Although white bread is white, because it has been bleached, some dark bread has just had caramel coloring or molasses added to it. Neither of these ingredients offer much in the way like fiber. The trick is, read the nutrition label and look for “whole grain”, “whole meal” or “whole wheat” as the first ingredient on the label. If some other ingredient comes first, put the loaf back and keep looking. Also, pay attention to the fiber content of the bread and go for the highest amount possible. If possible, get the one with 3 to 4 grams of fiber per slice. No comment | © Exercise , 2007-2009. |Fitness|Fitness|Fitness

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Bread Face Off: White Bread vs. Wholemeal Bread

Label Able: Palm Stearin

At the grocery store to pick up some soy nut butter for a batch of Soy Nut Butter Muddy Buddies I was planning on making, I saw a new kind made by Simple Food . Checking out the label I noticed an ingredient I’ve never heard of - organic palm stearin. If you’re curious to know whether it’s healthy or not read more. When palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the palm tree and then refined, it can be further refined into two forms - palm olein (liquid) and palm stearin (solid). This ingredient has a neutral taste, and contains a balance of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. Palm stearin also contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid our bodies don’t produce, and tocopherols , which are natural antioxidants. This fat is cholesterol free, and may even lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Palm stearin shouldn’t be confused with palm kernel oil, which is made from the seeds of the palm fruit and is high in saturated (unhealthy) fats. Since palm stearin is solid at room temperature, it’s often used instead of butter in breads and cakes, and can be found in nonhydrogenated margarine. It’s also used to prevent nut butters from separating, as in this soy nut butter. Well that’s a relief. Now I can enjoy my Muddy Buddies even more!

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Label Able: Palm Stearin

Katy Perry Jumps Onstage and Off

Katy Perry looks amazing in her various bikinis . What’s her secret? According to a recent interview with Cosmo , her favorite way to exercise is jumping rope . Not only does it burn calories - 295 per 30 minutes - but jumping rope also helps build bone-mineral density and makes your body stronger. It’s a simple and inexpensive way to get your heart rate up; use it as your main form of cardio or to warm up before strength training. Katy even jumps rope as a warmup before shows. Since this little gadget is so portable, you can pack it in your gym bag, suitcase, car, and even your purse and always have a way to get in a good workout.

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Katy Perry Jumps Onstage and Off

Summer Beverage Breakdown: Alcoholic Edition

When it’s sunny and warm and you’re craving a crisp, cold beverage, sometimes an iced coffee or fresh-squeezed tangerine juice just satisfy your thirst. Sometimes, you’re in the mood for something with a little kick. To see a breakdown of your favorite Summer alcoholic beverages keep reading

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Summer Beverage Breakdown: Alcoholic Edition