Fitness4Her

Women's Fitness

Archives for June 2010

Ficarelli Favorite Baked Ziti

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This recipe is a Ficarelli family favorite. You know no matter what diet you or your family members are loyal to, old family recipes need to be revisited. There are many options you can take to your recipes to make them lower in fat and calories. But keeping everyone in the family happy with meal choices is important too.

1 lb whole wheat ziti
Your favorite pasta sauce, or make your own healthy version (if you use the store bought variety, be mindful of the sugar and sodium content).
Small container of skim ricotta cheese
16 oz pkg. of skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
Grated Romano cheese (optional)
1 can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1 lb broccoli florets, seasoned
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced or grated
1 lb Italian turkey sausage
Pinch red pepper
Pinch black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly rub oil on inside of baking dish.
In separate pot, bring ziti to a boil and cook al dente.
Remove from heat and drain ziti in colander.
In separate pan, cook sausage with olive oil and garlic, cook sausage thoroughly, about 4 to 5 minutes total.
Drain sausage on paper towels and let cool, then cut into bite size pieces.
In separate pot, cook broccoli florets al dente.
Remove from heat and drain.
Let everything cool then toss together in large bowl, drained pasta, broccoli, cut-up sausage.
Open can of beans and drain.
Add beans to bowl.
Stir in half of the pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, optional Romano cheese, red and black pepper.
Spoon into pre-oiled baking dish.
Top with mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs.

Health Benefits
A healthy source of protein and nutrients that are vital to women’s health and fitness. The tomato sauce, like tomatoes are full of antioxidants and is excellent for digestion. The beans are a great source of fiber. While the cheeses supply protein and calcium for a complete women’s fitness and health diet.

Have you cooked with Ziti before?  Tell us about it in the comment space below:

10 Essential Vitamins Every Woman Needs

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As women, our bodies need vitamins and minerals that are different than a man’s. Ideally, we would get these essential vitamins through the food that we consume on a daily basis. However, in this fast-paced world and the modern woman’s schedule, we’re lucky if we eat at all, never mind making sure our body is getting what it needs to function. {+}

That’s why it’s crucial that in addition to trying to eat healthy, you add at least a women’s daily multivitamin to your routine. However, all multivitamins are not created equal so it’s important that you take a few minutes in the vitamin aisle of your grocery store to pick a multivitamin that has at least the recommended amounts of the following vitamins and minerals.

1. Folic Acid. Folic acid has been thought to help prevent certain diseases and conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s, depression, cancer, and memory loss. It also supports normal cell growth and helps prevent anemia, something many younger women suffer from. Folic acid is extremely important for pregnant women and should be a part of your prenatal vitamins. Recommended dosage for women is 400 mcg and pregnant women should take at least 600 mcg. You can also boost your folic acid count naturally by eating dark leafy greens and orange juice.

2. Vitamin K. This vitamin is often missing from a multivitamin so check your labels carefully. Recommended daily dosage is 90 mcg. Most multivitamins don’t come close to this number however. Vitamin K is essential for strong bones, healthy blood clotting, and can also reduce your risk of heart disease. You can naturally get your Vitamin K from eating dark leafy greens such as swiss chard, spinach, kale, and broccoli.

3. Vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is an essential vitamin for a healthy immune system. It also helps produce hormones and brain chemicals. It has been known to reduce depression, heart disease, and memory loss and also can help maintain your blood sugar levels. Pregnant women can use Vitamin B6 to help with morning sickness. 2 mg is all that is recommended and most multivitamins contain this vitamin. It can be found naturally in fortified cereals, beans, poultry, and fish.

4. Calcium. It’s no surprise that calcium makes our list. Its role in keeping your bones healthy and strong and preventing osteoporosis is well known. However, calcium also provides your body with many other additional benefits. These include lowering your risk of high blood pressure, and even colon cancer. Women can also reduce the effects of PMS and even help you lose weight! Check your multivitamin and make sure you are getting the proper amounts of calcium. You may need to buy a vitamin supplement just for calcium. Women ages 19 to 50 should take 1,000 mg of calcium and women over 50 need 1,200 mg. a day. You can also boost your calcium intake by eating leafy greens, dairy, and juice.

5. Vitamin A. Vitamin A, also known as beta carotene, is essential for a healthy immune system by helping to fight off infections and also plays a vital role in your eye health by promoting a healthy lining of the eye. It can also contribute to healthy bones and teeth. Up to 5,000 IU is an acceptable dosage. You can also find Vitamin A in whole eggs, liver, milk, fortified cereals, and dark fruits and vegetables such as carrots and apricots.

6. Vitamin D. While we all know that calcium can strengthen our bones, what most people don’t realize is our bodies can’t properly absorb calcium without Vitamin D. Vitamin D can also lower your risk of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain forms of cancer. This vitamin can also help reduce your PMS symptoms and protect your vision. You can get Vitamin D naturally from fortified milk, salmon, and egg yolks. 400 IU is the recommended dosage.

7. Vitamin E. Healthy hair and skin come from sufficient amounts of Vitamin E. It’s no coincidence that this vitamin is found in a lot of moisturizers and shampoos. Its anti-aging properties have been used for years because of its ability to fight cell damage. It can also help prevent heart disease, cataracts, memory loss, and certain types of cancer. Vitamin E occurs naturally in wheat germ, most nuts such as hazelnuts, almonds and peanuts, and spinach. The recommended dosage of Vitamin E is 30 IU.

8. Vitamin B12. Another essential vitamin in the B family, Vitamin B12 can help prevent heart disease, memory loss, and anemia. It has also been proven to help with depression and can help maintain nerve and brain functions. The recommended daily dosage is 6 mcg and can be found naturally in poultry, some lean meats, eggs, milk, and shellfish.

9. Vitamin C. Known as an immunity booster, Vitamin C has many health benefits including helping you heal faster, promoting tissue growth, and reducing your risk for certain kinds of cancer, heart disease, and tissue damage. 60 mg is the recommended daily dosage, but you can also try to eat any kind of citrus fruits, dark leafy greens, brussel sprouts and peppers.

10. Omega-3 Fats. Omega-3 fats are the kind so good fat that you hear so much about. We’re encouraged to eat foods rich in these kind of fats such as fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts. However, most people don’t get enough of their Omega 3s. This is one supplement you won’t find in your multivitamin, and require you to take a separate supplement. Fish oil or flax seed oil supplements are great options. Omega-3s can reduce your risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and bone loss, memory loss, as well as rheumatoid arthritis.

Taking a multivitamin made especially for women is a great start to getting the essential vitamins and minerals you need to stay fit and healthy. By keeping these 10 essential vitamins and minerals in mind as well as the daily dosages, you should be able to find all the vitamin supplements you need.

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Roasted Chicken

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This reminds me of Sunday dinners at Grandma’s house. No matter what we were having, seemed like there was always a roasted chicken on the table. Not only is it a nourishing main dish, it’s great for making sandwiches the next day and when it’s down to the bone, toss in a pot, add some veggies and rice and enjoy the comfort of homemade chicken soup.

1 whole chicken
1 clove garlic, grated
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp sage
2 Tbsp rosemary
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
Salt and pepper for flavor

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare a roasting pan with rack to keep chicken from sitting in its own juices.
3. Remove any internal organs, like heart, kidney, liver.
4. Wash chicken and pat dry.
5. Rub entire chicken with olive oil and garlic, be sure to rub inside of cavity.
6. Season completely with sage, rosemary and thyme.
7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
8. Place on roasting rack and cook for 45 to 55 minutes.

Health Benefits
High in protein but low in fat, sodium and sugar. An excellent source of niacin and Vitamin B6. Chicken also includes selenium, which is fundamental to women’s fitness and health and is an essential component to your metabolism. Using herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme add health benefits too, containing antioxidants that help to repair cell damage and aid in digestion, as well as helping your body to fight off diseases. When it comes to women’s fitness, your body needs to be at the top of its game, don’t scrimp on your nutrition.

Another excellent chicken recipe!  Share your opinion in the comment space below:

Seeing the Truth About Eye Care

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It’s what allows you to appreciate a golden sunset sitting poolside on a warm summer’s day. It captures your children as they take their first hesitant steps on their own. And it let’s you see the world around you in all its perfect splendor. Your eyesight does so much for you, and yet most people don’t think twice about their eyes or how to keep them healthy.

The truth of the matter is though that there are 37 million people worldwide that suffer from blindness, and about two-thirds of them are women. Women tend to have a genetic predisposition to developing eye conditions and often ignore the warning signs because we often put the health of our families in front of our own. However, more than three-fourths of the eye conditions that we suffer from can be easily prevented with regular eye exams and a healthy lifestyle.

So what exactly can you do to keep your eyes healthy and able to see the things around you clearly? For starters, if you’re a smoker, quit the habit immediately. You probably already know the negative affects that smoking can have on your body when it comes to lung cancer and heart disease. What you probably don’t know is that in addition to these devastating diseases, smoking has also been directly linked to cataracts and age-related macular degeneration or AMD, a disease that will eventually cause you to lose your sight completely.

Another lifestyle change you can work on is keeping yourself and your family at a healthy weight. That’s right. Being overweight has been known to cause Type 2 Diabetes, which can have a huge impact on your eyesight and can lead to cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, which is when damage occurs to the retina. Symptoms can include blurred vision, floaters, and even blindness.

In addition to seeing an eye doctor on a regular basis, there are several warning signs of eye conditions that you should be aware of. These include the following:

• A decrease in your vision, such as issues reading or watching TV, or trouble seeing to the side.
• Floaters in your vision or flashes of light
• Eye pain of any kind including persistent pain or pain when touched
• Redness or drainage of the eye
• Double vision
• Seeing halos around lights

Any of these symptoms are clear warning signs that something is not right with your eyes, and you should schedule an appointment with your eye care professional immediately.

With just a few simple changes in your lifestyle and an added awareness to the issues that can affect your eyes, preventing eye conditions before they can become a serious problem should be a much easier task for you and your family.

Let us and our readers see your thoughts in the comment space below:

Roasted Vegetables

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Great accompaniment to the Roasted Chicken main dish. Roasted veggies are a great alternative to fried foods but still have that same great taste.

1 large onion, sliced or cubed
2 large baking potatoes, cubed
1 pkg. baby carrots, peeled and trimmed
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper for flavor
Red or green peppers (optional)

Directions
1. Rub veggies with olive oil.
2. Salt and pepper minimally for taste.
3. Place vegetables in a roasting pan, you may need to spray it lightly with PAM.
4. Roast in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes.
5. Test for doneness by pricking potatoes with fork, if it goes in easily, veggies should be ready.
6. Serve with roasted chicken, steak or pork chops.

Health Benefits
Nutrient dense, meaning you get a packed house of nutrients for the amount of calories that carrots, red peppers and potatoes have. The great thing about a potato is that it has both soluble and insoluble fiber. It helps to lower cholesterol and aid digestion. Eating foods like these are a great way to ensure women’s fitness and health.

See how vegetables can be so tasty?  Give us your opinion of this recipe in the comment space below: