Tag: Dr. Edwards

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Healthy Salad Recipes

Salads are one of the healthiest and most versatile meals you can throw together in just a few minutes! Swapping out ingredients and toppings create numerous recipes and options to try. However, not all of these options are healthy, especially when adding salad dressings that are high in calories or fat. Depending on what combinations and ingredients you put in, salads can be an excellent source of nutrients. Here are some healthy salad recipes to take into consideration:

Plant-Protein-Powered Salad

Plant-Protein-Powered Salads are special because they contain grains. Grains may not the first thing that one thinks of when considering plant-based protein, but as a food group, it still has terrific health benefits. Whole grains can be rich in protein, especially grains such as amaranth and quinoa with 9 grams and 8 grams of protein per cooked cup respectively. Combined with common ingredients such as veggies and leafy greens, this salad can be a go-to for a source of protein.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

Cucumbers are surprisingly healthy in their own right, as they provide many health benefits including hydration, nutrients, and they may even lower blood sugar and aid in weight loss. When added to a salad, cucumber helps to create a healthy recipe for either a snack or a side dish. Creamy Cucumber Dill Salads can be complemented by creamy cashew sour cream and dill to provide a balanced and great tasting dish one can incorporate into their diet.

Autumn Fruit Chia Salad

With autumn in full swing, what better time to try an Autumn Fruit Chia Salad than right now? This salad is a great way to fulfill your daily recommended fruit intake as it contains mixed fruit of all varieties. Apples, pears. grapes, clementines, and cranberries are combined with chia seeds to create an excellent tasting salad. Depending on what season you are in, you can customize and swap out certain fruits to create a dish to your liking.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Post-Workout Healthy Snacks

Whether it’s going to the gym, taking a walk, or going for a jog, the steps we take after we’re finished exercising is just as important as the workout itself. For example, in addition to stretching before and after a physical exercise, eating healthy foods is a necessary piece to the puzzle in living a healthy lifestyle. Follow along to read the benefits of post-work out eating, healthy snack ideas, and ways to prepare those snacks.

 

Benefits of eating post-workout

When you work out, you not only burn fat and calories, but you also can deplete nutrients and become dehydrated. Making sure to replenish what you lose from working out will help you recover faster and reduce potential soreness afterwards. Eating foods high in water is important to replenish the hydration you sweat when working out. Consuming high-protein foods will help heal the tears in muscles from working out. High electrolyte foods and supplements will  restore these essential minerals lost during exercise. Healthy post-workout snacks you can try include fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and yogurt.

 

Healthy post-workout snacks

Healthy foods high in water content that help increase hydration after working out include watermelon, cucumbers, cantaloupe, strawberries, peaches, oranges, grapefruit, bell peppers and celery. Healthy foods high in protein such as nuts and seeds are great foods to snack on after exercise to aid in repairing and building muscle. In order to avoid sugary electrolyte beverages, consider consuming foods high in electrolytes such as spinach, kale, bananas, raisins and yogurt.

 

Ways to prepare post-workout snacks

You don’t need to cook a full meal after a workout. Try eating post-workout snacks either in their raw form or in a smoothie. Seeds and nuts can be eaten raw, or as a seed/nut butter spread on a carbohydrate-rich base, or added into a smoothie in place of a protein powder. “Ants on a log”, a childhood snack, is a fun, classic way to combine protein, electrolytes and a high-water content all in one simple snack. All that is needed is celery with nut or seed butter spread on top with raisins placed on the buttery spread to make a fun, healthy treat for your post-workout snack.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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No Equipment Necessary Exercises

Many people have the idea that in order to stay fit, they need to have a gym membership. They may think “only then I’ll have access to all the equipment that I need in order to stay active, healthy and in good shape”. This is not the case; as long as you have an open space and motivation, there are plenty of ways to stay active without all that gym equipment.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a great place to start when looking for motivation or creative workouts to do without even leaving the house. If you are someone who likes to watch television, you can look up workouts based on the shows you watch. This makes it easy to work out while watching your favorite show: when a character does something predictable, you have an assigned workout to do.  It cannot be overstated how important moving your body and getting that heart rate up is for long term health. Television-centered workouts are perfect for those days you’re not up to doing a full-circuit exercise regimen.

Hiking

For many, there are plenty of places near you to enjoy an active hike. Not only will you be able to enjoy nature and see what it has to offer, but it also it doubles as a full body work out. There are easy hikes and more difficult hikes, but they all help you stay active. Hiking helps build strength, improve balance, and since it’s a cardio workout, it can help manage blood pressure.

Planking

Planks are a great workout to incorporate into your schedule wherever you are. It strengthens the core, as well as other parts of your body. Planks are a beginner-level core exercise that packs a punch, and you can tell while doing it–you will really feel the burn.  Doing planks regularly will help improve posture if you’re able to maintain the right form while in position. Keep a yoga mat at home and at work if you’re able so that you can drop into a plank for thirty seconds to one minute when you have some down time.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Benefits of Outdoor Exercise

Everyone understands why exercise is important both physically and mentally but lacing up those sneakers and getting out there is another story. As the weather becomes milder during the fall season, conditions are ideal for outdoor exercise. Here are a few reasons why you may want to switch up your exercise routine and move some of your workouts outdoors while the weather is so nice:

 

Being Outdoors Helps Fulfill Vitamin D Needs:

One benefit that really separates exercising indoors compared to outdoors is the difference in vitamin D exposure. Vitamin D is absorbed through spending time in the sunlight. There are alternative ways to get vitamin D, however, the sun is one of the best (and easiest) sources to obtain it. Vitamin D not only helps to regulate the amount of calcium & phosphate that is in the body, but it also helps to keep your bones, teeth and muscles sustained.

 

Provides Variation to Regular Routine

Switching up your exercise routine can have many benefits for the body overall. Incorporating outdoor exercise can really help give you a chance to try new things, which can help you avoid common overuse injuries. For example, doing walking lunges up a hill gives a shock to different muscle groups and areas of the body; stabilizer muscles are activated more regularly as the terrain is on an incline. Being outside for exercise will also switch up your training environment. Fresh air is not only good for your body, but for your mind as well.

 

Provides Other Health Benefits that Indoor Gyms Cannot:

Aside from the added benefit of access to vitamin D, exercising outdoors gives us many other health benefits as well. Mentally, exercising outside is a fantastic de-stressor on top of helping to lower blood pressure. Being outside also helps play a role in reducing levels of insomnia and can allow for better overall sleep. Exercising outside can also provide you with access to fresh air–not air-conditioned air that is being breathed in and blown around a hot, sweaty gym full of other people. Working out outdoors also allows you to burn more calories purely from the environment that you are in alone.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.

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Summer Recipes for Summer Days

Planning healthy meals can help break up the dog days of summer. These warm months welcome new foods that can enhance your diet. But eating the same thing every day can become boring and stale. So, while summer is still in the air, here are some healthy recipes to share with friends and family.

Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad

A salad on a nice summer day can be very refreshing and it is quick and simple to make. Shrimp and avocado go really well over a nice salad. This recipe calls for ten shrimp, half an avocado and an orange. This recipe starts at 297 calories, with just those ingredients. But you can add anything to make this salad your own. Adding some lime on top or a little citrus vinegar dressing will help make it stand out and make it your own.

Pineapple Salsa Grilled Chicken

To really change up the dinner table on a summer night, try this recipe for grilled chicken. This recipe from delish includes a source of protein and adds a bit to grilled chicken. The sweet freshness of the pineapple will punch up the flavor. This simple recipe is great for someone just learning how to cook; the prep time is just ten minutes.

Carrot, Date and Feta Salad

Salad can be paired with every meal in the summer, but it can grow boring. So, to switch it up here is a different type of salad from Food Network. This salad has only 121 calories and it contains: carrots, dates, feta, almonds, cilantro, lime, olive oil, honey, and salt. There are many ways to eat this. It can be eaten on its own, over a burger or sandwich, or as a side. Either way, this adds color to a dinner table and is a refreshing salad people are not used to.

Dr. Barbara Edwards, a Princeton MD is the Academic Director for the Ambulatory Residency Program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, providing quality care to uninsured and under-insured New Jersey residents in Mercer and Middlesex counties.