Delicious Icelandic Yogurt
July 25, 2011
Need a creamy treat that isn’t full of sugar and actually has quality protein in it? Well, similar to greek yogurt is Siggi’s Icelandic Yogurt. It has only 100 calories for a 5.3ounce container. But the best part is you get 15 grams of protein, 5 grams of carbohydrates, and only 4 grams of sugar.
Siggi grew up in Iceland loving this type of yogurt and promised he would made it in the United States. He found the yogurt here was too sweet and full of sugar. He really missed the thickness of skyr, the yogurt form Iceland. This type of yogurt is traditional as apple pie is in the States.
Although it took Siggi several trial and errors he found a way to create this high protein yogurt treat. Skyr is strained yogurt made from cow’s milk. It has been a staple of Icelandic diet for more than 1,000 years. Traditionlly, skyr is made from skim milk after the cream has been floated off to make butter. So it is fat free. Like milk, regular yogurt is mostly water, but with skyr, that water is strained away. In other words, one cup of Siggis’ skyr requires three times more milk than a regular cup of yogurt. What remains is a protein-rich yogurt with live active cultures.
Our plain skyr has no added sugar and our flavored varieties are primarily sweetened with organic agave nectar. Agave is a low-glycemic sweetener. There are no other artificial sweeteners like aspartame in this yogurt.
The milk source comes from family farms in New York Sate where the cows are not injected with any kind of growth hormone and graze freely when weather permits. There are no artificial preservatives or thickeners.
Try this delightful treat next time you are reaching for a high fat, high sugar, and high calorie bowl of ice-cream. There are several flavors like mixed berry, peach, grapefruit, vanilla, pomegranate passion fruit, and blueberry. You can find this yogurt in most grocery stores like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and other major super market chains. Enjoy!! 
If you would like more information about my online nutrition programs you can visit my website at www.LauraMak.com. In addition, you can check out my fitness and inspiration book, “Fast and Fierce Fitness Made Fabulously FUN!” This is a twelve week program, complete with exercise descriptions, photos of each movement, motivational guidelines, tracking system, progressions for each level of fitness, weekly upgrades on fitness programs, and most of all, FUN creative workouts that leave you more energized, looking great, and feeling fantastic!!!
Healthy and Hearty Pasta Galore
June 7, 2011
This is one of my favorite pasta dishes. I actually prepared it for a girlfriend of mine the other day who just delivered their first baby. I knew it was important for her to have proper nutrition, so in this meal I was cooking light and healthy, but stocked it full of flavor. She gave rave reviews on this healthy, easy to make, easy to heat, and savory Mediterranean-like meal.
Try it for yourself and let me know. The preparation takes about 10 minutes, then baking for about 15minutes. This is my style, healthy and fast meal in just minutes.
1 Package Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
2 Rotissere Shredded Chicken Breasts
4 chopped Artichoke Hearts (use organic jar)
3 Chopped Tomatoes or 1 can of Organic Chopped Tomatoes
2 cups Organic Tomato sauce of your choice
4 Table spoons of Asaigo Cheese
dash of Basil
dash of Oregano
dash of Thyme
Begin by boiling the pasta then proceed to chopping or shredding the chicken, artichokes, and tomatoes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Drain and rinse pasta. Place in a casserole dish. Mix in Shredded chicken, artichokes, and tomatoes. Next blend 2 tablespoons of Asaigo cheese, the tomato sauce of your choice, and all the seasonings. Finish with the final 2 tablespoons of Asaigo cheese on the top. Wipe the edges before baking in oven.
Bake in oven for 10-15min
Viola! This makes a perfect healthy dish that gives you complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and vegetables. It is an easy dish for a quick meal or to share at gatherings.
Be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you like the dish.
Water your Body for Weight Loss
March 25, 2011
You have heard it many times, drink more water. In fact, about 64-128 ounces should be consumed in a day. That is just straight water, not including tea or coffee, and most certainly not soda. We are made up of a majority of water. Did you know that when babies are born they are approximately 85% water in weight? In contrast elderly people are only 60% water in weight. What does that mean? As we age the body progressively loses the ability to hydrate the cells effectively. The cells are unable to produce the extra energy to breakdown the water molecules so they can be absorbed. When the body is more hydrated with less conversion energy, it will slow the aging process.
Here are three tips for drinking water:
- Drink a minimum of 64 ounces, but aim for 128 ounces.
- Spread your water consumption out through out the day.
- Drink your water before and between meals, rather than during meals.
In fact, the very best advice I can give when trying to maintain or lose weight is to eliminate soda all together, including diet soda. According to the Framingham Heart Study, which included more than 2,500 men and women. It tracked them for 30 years. The results were women who drank soda daily had lower bone mineral density than those who drank once per month. Osteoporosis and bone fractures affect 40 percent of women and 13 percent of men. In addition to soda decreasing bone density, it can also decrease life span.
Dr. Poonam Rathod, health expert, says that water consumption on a regular basis according to the needs of the body is able to clean the digestive system, and eliminate toxins and food remains stuck in the intestines. This keeps the body and stomach clean from food waste. Nevertheless, another beverage can increase the longevity and quality of life.
Research by Japanese and other researchers(1) suggest that if the average person were to drink five cups of green tea a day, they would burn an extra 70 to 80 extra calories through an effect known as thermogenesis – the process of heat production in organisms. While much of the thermogenesis effect in green tea is derived from caffeine, studies also suggest(2) that thermogenesis in green tea occurs to some degree beyond its caffeine content from epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG.) By the way, decaffeinated green tea has comparable benefits as well.
The Chinese have known about the medicinal benefits of green tea since ancient 
times, using it to treat many chronic conditions, everything from headaches to depression. It has been said that green tea has been used as a medicine in China for at least 4,000 years. More and more studies are finding out that this natural substance may hold the key to health and longevity.
Of course we have choices in what we decide to drink. My recommendations for all my clients, and for you too, are:
1. Increase water consumption
2. Eliminate soda
3. Drink Green Tea daily
Try these three steps, and see how the quality and quantity of your life can increase.
Fab Fruit & Fiber Smoothie Recipe
January 27, 2011
Laura Mak's Fab Fruit & Fiber Smoothie
So many times fruit smoothies are so full of sugar and not enough protein. They may taste great, but very soon after you consume it, a message is sent out to the body and it typically goes into sugar shock shortly thereafter. So much for getting energy from a smoothie. Well, not to worry – I have come up with several options for healthy energizing smoothies.
This week, I created an easy to prepare, full of fiber, and more importantly – yummy smoothie! One of the staple ingredients is Egg Whites. You can get these by the gallon, or if you are just getting started, you can pick them up in the refrigerated section of your local grocery store. They are pasteurized, so its not like I am trying to ask you to pull a “Rocky” by drinking raw eggs. The pasteurized eggs don’t really have a flavor, which works perfect for a smoothie as it takes on the flavor of the ingredients consumed.
I like to use only a small portion of fruit in the smoothie. The fruit I typically chose are those that are full of antioxidants and nutrient dense.
“Fab Fruit and Fiber Smoothie”
1/2 Cup of pasteurized Liquid Eggwhites (12g of protein)
6oz Siggi’s Icelandic Yogurt – Plain, Vanilla, Pomegranate, or Blueberry* (16g protein/6oz, only 6g carbohydrates)
2 Tablespoon of Flax USA Flax Sprinkles (3g protein and 4g of fiber)
2 Tablespoons of Wheat Germ (3g protein and 2g of fiber)
4 Medium strawberries fresh or frozen
1/2 Banana
3oz Vanilla Almond Milk (1g protein and 1g fiber)
5 Ice cubes (or more to make even thicker)
*I find Siggi’s Icelandic yogurt has the highest concentration of protein with minimal sugars. 16g protein/60z, only 6g carbohydrates, 4g of sugar – most other brands of yogurt are significantly higher in sugar and lower in protein. If you can’t find Siggi’s then my next favorite is Fage’ Greek yogurt.
Blend all ingredients together in the blender for about a minute or two. Blend until thoroughly mixed then pour into a large cup.
This “Fab Fruit and Fiber Smoothie” gives you 35g of protein and 7g of fiber. Enjoy this treat for a quick on the go breakfast or a perfect mid-afternoon pick me up!!
For more recipes you can also check out The Premier Online Nutrition Club, where you can have a specific nutrition program created just for you based upon your needs, goals, and style of program (such as diabetic, low glycemic, fat loss, weight gain, etc. There are about 30 different options to chose from!)
“Heart Healthy Habits”
January 27, 2011
I have created a top 10 list for you to enjoy about easy and healthy habits you can create and your heart will benefit.
1. Sodium Check – the recommended daily intake for sodium is 1,300mg. Many processed products are very high in sodium. Think about eating more natural products versus man-made products. (FYI – a Whopper has 1,310mg of sodium – a full day’s worth of sodium)
2. Hydrogenated Oil – it is best to eat food with no partially hydrogenated oils or trans fat on the nutrition label. Note: products can say that they have zero trans fat if it is .5g or less.
3. Calcium – according to a Harvard Study, people with low calcium in their diet have more calcium in the smooth muscle cells and that makes the arteries constrict and raise blood pressure. Study shows you can get calcium – 3 servings from low fat yogurt or low fat milk to satisfy the calcium requirement.
4. Nutritional Value: read the labels on products. It should have 20% or less of RDA for carbohydrates and aim for 5grams of fiber. This is especially important if blood-glucose is high.
5. Good Lifestyle – unfortunately good habits do not just cancel out the bad habits. For example, if you are smoking and not exercising but you think by eating fruits and vegetables, it will balance out, you are wrong.
6. Good Fats: fat-free doesn’t mean it is better than low fat. Many times fat-free foods add sugar and sodium in attempt to make the product taste good. Both monounsaturated fats like olive, canola, and peanut oils and polyunsaturated fats like in salmon, nuts and flaxseed can even lower cholesterol. Approximately 30% of calories can be from healthy fats.
7. Down time: it is important to leave yourself quiet time daily. Those who do not, have a higher risk for anxiety, mental stress, and potential chronic heart stress. As little as ten minutes a day can make a significant difference.
8. Legumes: try eating legumes 4 times a week and it can reduce risk of cardio vascular disease by 22% according to a large-scale study from Tulane University. Lentils are rich in soluble fiber and can reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol.
9. Whole Grains: three servings of whole grains per day rather than one serving can reduce the risk of death from heart disease by 30%, according to the Iowa’s Women’s Study.
10. Tea Time: both green and black tea are high in flavonoids, which can inhibit the clumping of platelets, blood clotting cells. This can prevent constriction in the arteries, which controls blood pressure and maintains normal blood flow.
**If you would like additional training, nutrition, and healthy living tips, you can visit LauraMak.com for more inside secrets. Be sure to sign up for our FREE weekly ezine, Mondays with Mak Attack Fitness, created for the health conscious fitness enthusiast who wants to feel good on the inside and look great on the outside!
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