Tag Archive for: weight loss

Why Eat Canned Tuna

Why Eat Canned Tuna

Why Eat Canned Tuna:
As a food and fitness blogger, I spend a whole lot of time researching, testing, tasting (my favorite part) and creating recipes from foods passed my way from various companies. Although I have had great success in the types of companies that approach me, I cannot always recommend their products for various reasons. From safety to ethical practices, when it comes to food, there really are so many areas for me to consider. Such is the case with canned tuna. Over the years canned tuna has gotten a bad rap for many reasons.
When I met the crew from Safe Catch Tuna and received samples to play around with, I dug deep into the health and safety factors surrounding canned tuna has well as this particular company’s background. You can read more about Safe Catch here and try recipes I created with their wild caught albacore and skipjack tuna. In the meantime-good news-Canned tuna has a place in your pantry and on your table once again.

The Good Stuff
Research suggests that consuming canned tuna may provide a wide range of health benefits, from improving blood vessel function to boosting weight loss. Besides containing high-quality protein, selenium and potassium, canned tuna also possesses omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins.

Cardiovascular Function
Canned tuna is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. These are healthy unsaturated fats that might improve blood vessel function, lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Healthy men and women were randomly assigned to eat a meal rich in omega-3 fatty acids or a control meal. Scientists reported in the March 2010 issue of the journal “Clinical Nutrition,” that subjects fed the omega-3-rich meal experienced less stiffness in their arteries compared to subjects fed the control meal.

Lean Protein
Canned tuna serves as an excellent source of lean protein. Each 6-ounce portion contains 33 grams of protein, but less than 2 grams of fat. Your body needs protein for cell growth, a healthy immune system and uses protein to maintain your muscle tissue, and the Harvard School of Public Health mentions fish, including tuna, as a healthy protein option.
No doubt about it, tuna and salmon are super foods. Not only are they great source of lean protein and packed to the gills with B vitamins, they also taste great and can be made into dozens of dishes. What has nutritionists and scientists really excited about tuna and salmon is the omega-3 fatty acids they contain. Omega-3s have lately been associated with all kinds of health benefits from warding off depression and cognitive decline to reducing inflammation and the risk of heart disease. The evidence is so good that the American Heart Association recommends we eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids — like tuna and salmon — twice a week.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The small amount of fat present in canned light tuna is mostly the healthy unsaturated kind, including omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids support a healthy brain and promote proper growth and development. These essential fatty acids reduce inflammation in your body, which can reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and arthritis. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to lowering high cholesterol and high blood pressure, and they aid in the treatment of certain mental disorders such as depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Niacin
A 3-ounce serving of canned light tuna contains 11.3 milligrams of niacin toward the 14 milligrams women need each day and the 16 milligrams that men need. Niacin is a B-vitamin that helps keep your digestive system, skin and nerves healthy. Niacin supplements might help reduce harmful cholesterol levels and increase beneficial cholesterol as well, according to the website MedlinePlus. A niacin deficiency can cause skin disorders and mental problems.

Vitamin B12
You need 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 each day, and a 3-ounce serving of canned light tuna supplies 2.5 micrograms. Vitamin B12 supports the normal function of your brain and also aids in the formation of red blood cells. You also need vitamin B12 for DNA production and to help your body to turn the food you eat into usable energy.

Tuna Nutrition Sources:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/376793-is-canned-tuna-good-for-you/
http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/All-Star
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/canned-tuna
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein-questions/
https://safecatch.com/making-pure-tuna/

Learn more-Safe Catch Tuna

Disclaimer– I received free samples from Safe Catch to review and provide you with my honest opinion on the products. I am not paid to do so. These are my opinions based on my experience with the products themselves and my interactions with the staff of the company. The opinions in my posts are my own, authentic views. Your experiences and sentiments may vary from my own. Thank you for taking the time to read my post/s. Kind regards, Carol Takakura

Carol TakakuraAbout Carol
Everything about My Sage Gourmet is intended to nurture and support you to thrive in every sense of the word. From the Kitchen Coaching, and my artisan kitchen blends to Nutrition Consulting, and the Tone and Sculpt Yoga and weight loss programs, My Sage Gourmet is here to support you!

Carol is a Certified Nutrition Coach, Food and Fitness Blogger, Well Kitchen Coach, Cooking Instructor & Yoga Instructor. She partners with clients in reaching their wellness goals both in and out of the kitchen. Grill, Bake, and Sauté, using Carol’s line of Herbed Salts. From her garden to your table, you will taste the quality in every beautifully organic bite! learn more

Visit me at My Sage Gourmet, where Wellness is Always in Season!
Carol Takakura, CHHC, E-RYT, AADP
Food and Fitness Blogger, Nutrition Consultant, Chef
Blog, recipes, great food tips, fitness, giveaways, reviews and more
818.312.3125
Photographs courtesy of Jttphotography

Safe Catch Tuna review

America, it’s Time to Fall Back in Love with Canned Tuna

Last fall I read a distressing article, entitled “How America fell Out of love with canned tuna”. The article had a lot of not so great things to say about the canned tuna. At the time I thought it was another reason to not “have to” eat canned tuna again. I am happy to report, that it is officially Time to Fall Back in Love with Canned Tuna!
Thanks to a company called Safe Catch, we can once again delve into the canned tuna arena knowing we will find tasty,safe,healthy goodness in every bite.

I grew up eating tuna fish sandwiches. My mom managed our family kitchen within a budget that had to stretch over 5 kids, all of which were athletes. I am still in awe of that, quite an accomplishment indeed. Tuna sandwiches were one of our three weekly sandwich choices. Mom also used canned tuna for a lot of dishes from tuna noodle casserole to tuna burgers. I truly Love my Mama, but let’s just say she killed my appetite for tuna when the casserole and burger came into the picture-absolutely terrible (sorry Mom). In fact, to this day I rarely eat tuna.

By the time I get through putting gobs of mayo and sweet relish into the Tuna to cover the taste, there remains little health benefit to it. I might as well be eating a bag of potato chips and a hunk of a hostess ding dong. For me,that all changed when I covered the NPEW show this year. As I walked through the exhibit halls, I was bombarded with an array of tasty samples every which way I went. It is a yummy culinary overload like you can not imagine. So, when I was offered a sample of canned tuna on a cracker, I was happy to say no thank you, I don’t do tuna- (again, sorry Mom, no offense meant). What came next was a very pleasant surprise. My event companion slash amazing photographer slash hubby, tasted Safe Catch Tuna and said “you really should try this”. Reluctantly I did and well, Hot Dang!- Safe Catch delighted me with its delectable deliciousness!

Recently I received a complimentary box of Safe Catch Wild Albacore Tuna for me to play around with in my test kitchen. I opened my first can and was greeted with beautifully chunky, pristine albacore tuna. I took a tiny taste on the end of my fork and it tasted incredible-all by itself-this was going to be fun! Since then I have been making all sorts of recipe that I think you will truly enjoy and I’ve shared them below; however I highly encourage you to try this tuna by itself first. You would be missing out on an absolutely yummy experience if you didn’t!

A little About Safe Catch:
Safe Catch is the only brand that tests every single tuna individually for mercury levels.
There are no fillers or additives, just pure delicious responsibly, wild caught tuna in every can.
You can learn more and order yours at Safe Catch Tuna. Just click here

Recipe Links

Why Eat Tuna:
Research suggests that consuming canned tuna may provide a wide range of health benefits, from improving blood vessel function to boosting weight loss. Besides containing high-quality protein, selenium and potassium, canned tuna also possesses omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins. Learn more here

Disclaimer– I received free samples to review and provide you with my honest opinion on the products. I am not paid to do so. These are my opinions based on my experience with the products themselves and my interactions with the staff of the company. The opinions in my posts are my own, authentic views. Your experiences and sentiments may vary from my own. Thank you for taking the time to read my post/s. Kind regards, Carol Takakura

Photographs courtesy of Jttphotography

Sweet Earth Natural Foods

Sweet Earth Natural Foods

I Love to eat! I mean I Love to eat! My favorite meal of the day is breakfast, hands down. When I take the time to sit down and fully enjoy a good breakfast, I know I have started my day off well-nourished in both body and mind. A healthy breakfast kicks my brain into high gear, propelling me through the ever-changing landscape that is my day. The problem I seem to have with breakfast on a day when I am super busy, is resisting the urge to plow through one more project before I stop to eat-Not good! When I do that, I can expect the same result each and every time- I am starving by the time I eat and I am grabbing at anything within reach-not exactly the best plan for my productivity or my well-being.

Lighten Up Functional Breakfast BurritoThank goodness I have found a deliciously do-able solution in Sweet Earth Natural Foods. Not only are their Functional Breakfast Burritos a scrumptious solution for my demanding schedule, but they help me keep my promise to myself to eat well and nurture my body. I met the crew from Sweet Earth at the Natural Products Expo this year. Lucky me, they recently sent me a package of four of their off the charts delicious “Functional Breakfast Burritos”. Those of you who know me, know that I am all about eating as close to the earth as possible whenever possible. If you come to my house looking for frozen foods, good luck, not much to choose from. That being said, from here on out you would find a tasty selection of Sweet Earth’s functional breakfast burritos, if you can beat me to them that is. The flavor combinations in all four flavors I tried, including, Protein Lovers, Get Cultured!, Get Focused! And Lighten Up!, Functional Breakfast Burritos were unlike anything I have ever tried. Each one is completely unique, powerfully healthy and equally enjoyable. It will be tough to choose one, my suggestion just buy a bunch at a time. My very top favorites are the Protein Lover and the Power Burritos. In fact, I am eating a protein lovers right now :>).

Everything about Sweet Earth Natural Foods calls to my beliefs including eating a bounty of greens, plentiful plant based proteins, grains and of course healthy fresh herbs and spices. For those of you who thrive on a plant based diet or wish to incorporate more deliciousness into your lifestyle, you will find a most supportive partner in this company. As they say at Sweet Earth Natural Foods, “We use enlightened food traditions and farm friendly ingredients to hand craft delicious and nutritious foods” I could not agree more! Whole Foods is carrying a few types now and more are on the way. Use the store locator on Sweet Earth’s site to find a store near you. Protein Lover's Functional Breakfast Burrito Keep an eye out on my FB page for a Giveaway very soon! You could win a Sweet Earth Swag Bag with samples of Functional Breakfast Burritos!

To your health and wellness, Carol Takakura

Visit me at My Sage Gourmet, where Wellness is Always in Season!
Carol Takakura
CHHC, E-RYT, AADP
Food and Fitness Blogger

Check out my latest blog post for Yummy recipes, great food tips and more
818.312.3125

About Carol
Everything about My Sage Gourmet is intended to nurture and support you to thrive in every sense of the word. From the Kitchen Coaching, and my artisan kitchen blends to Nutrition Consulting, and the Tone and Sculpt Yoga and weight loss programs, My Sage Gourmet is here to support you!

I am a Certified Nutrition Coach, Food and Fitness Blogger, Well Kitchen Coach, Cooking Instructor & Yoga Instructor. I partner with clients in reaching their wellness goals both in and out of the kitchen. I have developed a kitchen line of Herbed Salts that is from my garden to your table. Each of my five varieties is grown, picked, hand blended and made to order in small batches to guarantee the freshest, best tasting blends! You will taste the quality in every beautifully organic bite!

I provide wellness lectures, cooking demos and hands on cooking classes. I test products, create recipes around product lines I believe you will enjoy both in print and via u-tube video.
I am known for my Kitchen Coaching, where I provide in-home classes to clean up and re- stock pantries to create do-able, quick and healthy options for everyday use and special occasions.

healthy life
Let’s talk about the Magic Bullet, you know the one I mean, it’s that solution you have been looking for. The Magic Bullet that will fix among other things, issues such as feeling tired all the time and your digestion. The magic bullet that will reduce your pooch, lower your blood pressure and give you back your vitality.

Boy do I have some Great news and some not so great news… Which one do you want to hear first?

“Let food be thy medicine, let medicine be thy food”-Hippocrates
First, Please indulge me for a moment or two while I reacquaint you to an old friend and Greek Physician from 460 BC-Hippocrates. It was his fervent belief that what we put into our bodies has the ability to heal us of many maladies, including a generous amount of diseases that we struggle with today. Diseases that are much more prevalent today due in large part to our dietary choices and our lack of knowledge about what is in the food we are eating, diseases such as heart and liver disease, cancer and diabetes.
When you consider that the average lifespan on an adult male in 460 BC was 45 years, and that Hippocrates lived until between the age of 83-90, some say till over 100, that man must have been on to something with this whole Food be Thy Medicine concept. . I would say that this extraordinary man who truly practiced what he preached.

When I see clients, almost every single one at some point says the same thing to me, I am tired of not feeling well. I don’t know why I feel this way. Or I don’t know what is right for me.
I don’t want to be reliant on meds. Basically they are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

So, I ask you what if anything is the MAGIC BULLET?
Much of what these clients and what you may be experiencing can be reduced, if not cured by adopting some simple food solutions.
You have heard me say it before but it bears repeating. What works for your body, will not work for other folks, just as what works for them may not work for you.
How do you find out what is serving your body, and what is not. How do you know what your needs are?
Your belief system or previous mindset may dictate that Meat is a no go for you. Or that meat is only way you can get your protein.
You might not be able to imagine yourself without a plethora of choices in the cheese department. Or simply cannot do without that sweet treat after your meal.
Here’s the thing, if you are experiencing health problems and you are not dissecting you diet, then you are actively deciding not to address your health issues. Perhaps, for you the Magic Bullet is more palatable than a shift in your kitchen and lifestyle
I am not telling you not to eat cheese, or meat or dairy or grains… At least not for good. What I am suggesting is that you take 10
Let’s try an experiment. I call it Take 10
By Laying off of just 10 foods and drinks in your regimen for just 10 days.
At the end of the 10 days, you can slowly add items back in one at a time. The great news about this experiment is that you also get to add 10 foods. So, in essence you are eating more good foods, gaining new habits and letting your body re-assess your needs.

Take 10 out- 10 foods to remove for just 10 days
1-Dairy-Milk, Ice Cream, Butter and cheese
2-Eggs
3-Night shades (goji berries, huckleberries and gooseberries), potatoes (potato starch, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers
4-Gluten-wheat, rye, oats and barley
5-Alcohol
6-Fruit Juice
7-Processed meats cold cuts, bacon, hot dogs, canned meat, sausage and shellfish and pork.
8-Coffee/Caffeine
9-Sugar-no added sugar at all and no artificial sweeteners
10-Condiments-Salad Dressing, mayo, ketchup, tartar sauce

Add 10- Foods to Add

1. Raw nuts and seeds-Walnuts, Almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds
2. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (tablespoon every day in water)
3. Small amounts of good fats found in olive, grape, sesame and avocado oil
4. Fish Oils- capsules and in fresh, wild caught fish-Salmon- — a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of depression, heart disease, and cancer.
— A 3-ounce serving contains almost 50 percent of your daily dose of niacin, which may protect against Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.
5. Fermented foods-Sauerkraut, kombucha, miso (fermented soy beans)
6. Beans and Legumes
7. Greens and lots of them every day! Spinach, kale, Red leaf lettuce, arugula
8. Fresh dark fruit-Especially red or purple grapes, pomegranates and berries
9. Avocados- Rich in healthy, satisfying fats proven in one study to lower cholesterol by about 22 percent.
— One has more than half the fiber and 40 percent of the folate you need daily, which may reduce your risk of heart disease.
10. Vitamin C- in the form of citrus-Just one lemon has 100% of the daily recommended amount, which may help increase “good” HDL cholesterol levels and strengthen bones. — Citrus flavonoids found in lemons may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and act as an anti-inflammatory.
After your “Take 10” experiment, slowly add foods you are still interested in eating back into your diet slowly. That was you will be more likely to be able to tell if something isn’t agreeing with your system. Listen to your body’s clues about how you are feeling.
Enjoy the journey!

Other suggestions for success:

Keep a pad of paper near your kitchen table/ and/or night stand- on the pad, making note of your Mood, Sleep Patterns, Digestion, Skin Clarity, Hairs texture, eye clarity and Elimination.
Cook at least once a day, preferably more
Share your adventure with friends and family and invite them to join you
Move a minimum of 30 minutes every single day-No exceptions

Will this Take 10 experiment be Your Magic Bullet? I think you will find, there is no need for a Magic Bullet when you are cued into your body’s needs and conscious about what you put into your body!
I will look forward to hearing about your experience soon!

Do you want to take this a healthy step further? Ask me about my Spring 10 Detox program. Free coaching, recipes and gifts are included! Find out more