June 2009

Susan's Introduction Featured Article Susan's Healthy Hints Success Story Chef's Specials Ask Susan Free Offers Susan's Healthy Gourmet's award winning chefs have over 100+ years of combined culinary experience. Each month our chefs will prepare a list of special meals. These delicious and nutritious meals cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and even healthy desserts. Each meal can be delivered directly to your home or office. To learn more about our Chef's specials please contact us at: 1.888.396.3257 In each issue of Susan's Healthy Lifestyle our founder, Susan Johnson, will answer a question from one of our readers. If you would like to submit a question to Susan for a future issue please send it to: info@susansheatlhygourmet.com Make sure to place "Ask Susan" in the subject line. Dear Susan, I know that breakfast is the most important meal but most days I am just not hungry! Is breakfast really that important? If so, why? What is it that makes breakfast the most imporant meal of the day? Patricia Bush West Hollywood, CA Dear Patricia, Many studies have shown that a healthy balanced morning meal provides energy and helps fuel your brain, allowing you to be more alert. Eating breakfast has also been associated with better cholesterol levels and healthier eating patterns throughout the day. In turn, people who skip breakfast are more likely to struggle with obesity or are already obese. When you sleep at night your body is in fasting mode so however long you sleep, that's how long your body has been fasting. The word breakfast means "breaking" the "fast." So, it literally refers to the first bit of food you have when you wake up regardless how long you slept. When you fast, whether it's awake or asleep, you deprive your body of necessary energy. A reason why people can go 8-12 hours at night without eating is because most of the time they are in low-energy mode, sleeping or engaging in extremely sedentary activity. Although we are asleep, our cells are always active, so the body still requires energy. The body plans for this ahead of time and it uses body fat stores and carbs from the liver. In the morning, after a night of not eating these fat and energy stores need to be replenished, that's what breakfast does, it replenishes these important stores for the day and for the next night. The longer you fast, the sooner your body needs energy (i.e food, calories, carbs), especially if you live an active life. If you are walking the dog in the morning, exercising before work or running around the house chasing kids before school and work, you live an active life and need to give your body energy to do all these things. This is true not only in the morning, but all day everyday! Even if you are not hungry in the morning (the most common excuse), it doesn't mean you don't need breakfast or your body won't benefit tremendously from eating it. When your body stays in fasting mode it uses whatever stores are available to get the energy it needs to do its everyday functions, even if this means taking from your lean muscle stores rather than your preferred fat stores. Breakfast doesn't always have to be something extravagant, it can be simple. I know for me personally during the week I keep it simple with a bowl of whole grain cereal and low fat milk, smoothie, or wheat English muffin with peanut butter and juice. On the weekends I enjoy my egg entrees with toast, turkey bacon, coffee and morning paper. You could do the same or try keeping quick, easy snacks on hand to nibble on in the car (trail mix, granola bar, or piece of fruit), something small and healthy is better than nothing at all. Thanks for the great question! To Your Health, Susan Johnson Referral Program - A large part of our continued success is due to our loyal customers referring their family, friends and colleagues. For that reason we have set up a referral program to reward those who so generously give to us. Each new customer you refer (who doesn't reside in your household) will entitle you to a $25 credit towards your next set of orders from Susan's Healthy Gourmet. Refer a Friend Today! by having them call (888) EZ-MEALS and be sure to remind them to mention your name and Susan's Healthy Lifestyle.		Welcome to Our June Newsletter , We hope you and yours are enjoying the beginning of a hot summer, anticipated vacation and tasty BBQ season! This month's issue will provide you with answers to some of the most pressing questions we hear about eating and maintaining a healthy diet. As always, my sincere hope is that you find our online publication as beneficial to you as our meals have been. Be sure to check out our monthly specials at the beginning of every month. Also, SHG is now blogging, check out our "Chatty Gourmet" Blog and let us know what you think! Remember, you can refer each issue to your friends, colleagues and family by simply clicking on the "Send to Friend" link at the bottom of the newsletter. I'm sure they will enjoy it and find it as beneficial to them as you have. In the meantime, I want to wish all of our customers and readers a wonderful summer! Susan Johnson Founder & CEO Susan's Healthy Gourmet To learn more about eating healthy all year round and enjoying a healthy lifestyle you can visit us online at www.susanshealthygourmet.com Go Green! Did you know that Susan's Healthy Gourmet has been "Going Green and Reducing Our Carbon Footprint" since the day we opened our doors! Here's how: • We use recyclable food containers • We re-use our delivery coolers • Delivery is made bi-weekly rather than daily • Delivery is made during early morning hours to avoid both rush hour traffic and further contributing to the pollution already on the freeways • Organic Produce when available • Use of local vendors and local produce when available • Hormone-free poultry "At the Gym: Elliptical vs. Treadmill" By Carissa Sanchez There are so many opinions on which one is better, but really it's different for everyone. It's a matter of preference, comfort, and body type and only we can decided which one works best for ourselves. Some people think that by using the elliptical your legs wont bulk up like they would on a treadmill, but that is not true. Since you can't dictate where you want your body to shed its fat, you need to aim for overall body fat loss. Both machines offer a great calorie burning workout. It all just depends on how hard and how long you work to get the quickest fat-loss results. Elliptical machines have different levels of resistance. To maximize your calories burned, I suggest some sort of interval training. You may chose one of the programs that they offer or you can try increasing resistance every two minutes until you reach the max and then come back down decreasing resistance every two minutes. Most machines have fifteen levels of resistance, so if you do intervals every two minutes going up and then back down it will take approximately 60 minutes of great cardio and calorie burning. Strive to workout at the highest levels of intensity that you feel most comfortable with, push yourself but try not to over do it. When it comes to burning calories on a treadmill, there is a big difference between walking, jogging and running. It all has to do with the amount of intensity in your workout. You can make a walk more intense by mixing up the incline and speed levels. Try increasing the incline every two minutes, go up then come back down. You can also try walking at a 4-5 mph rate for five minutes then jog for five minutes, go off and on for 45-60 minutes. Not only do these two methods help increase the amount of calories burned, but I find that they also help the time go by a bit faster. Again, listen to your body and challenge yourself a bit to get the results you are looking for. This advice does not only pertain to these two machines but also to all the common cardio machines that you will find at any gym. You can also apply these methods to any indoor/outdoor activity. Remember, all of our bodies are different and what works for one may not work for another. The most important thing to remember is to stay active, 60 minutes at least three to four times a week and challenge yourself. Only you can achieve your goal! To learn more about eating healthy all year round and enjoying a healthy lifestyle you can visit us online at www.susanshealthygourmet.com "Take Off Years with Anti-Aging Foods " By Carissa Sanchez We're all searching for the fountain of youth. Every day brings news of the latest moisturizers, creams and surgeries guaranteed to keep us young. With 60 touted as the new 50, and 50 the new 40, more emphasis is being placed on the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet to prevent disease and increase longevity. Still, many are surprised at how easily good food choices can naturally help defy the effects of aging. For Healthy Skin Most experts agree that eating a balanced diet is the best way to get healthy skin. Here are a few foods that are more likely to give your skin a boost of glow. • Blueberries and Tomatoes – Especially with summer right around the corner these super foods are essential to your everyday diet. Both are antioxidant rich and offer prevention from sun burn and promote skin repair after sun exposure. • Water – The secret to keeping skin looking young and healthy, water, remains, the best way to hydrate your skin and body. • Seeds – Packed with essential fatty acids, seeds such as sunflower, flax, and pumpkin help with the development of healthy cell membranes, which act as barriers to inflammatory agents that can damage the skin. Adding seeds is a great way to jazz up a salad and make it crunchy; not only is it tasty, but it will help you save on calories if you choose them over croutons. For Increased Memory For many of us memory will be one of the first signs of aging, and our concern will be great even before we hit our 50's. Just because you can't remember where you left your car keys does not mean that you are getting old, it just means it's slipped your mind in the hustle and bustle of the busy day. • Blueberries - An antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, this food keeps your memory sharp, decreases mental deterioration and actually increases coordination and balance. These little berries are on the top of my list as a super food- so much is packed into such a small berry! To Improve Heart Health After a check-up with the doctor this is usually the most important thing many of us have to go home and work on. As we walk out the door we leave with the assignment to lower our cholesterol, but we don't quite understand how we are going to achieve this big task that lies ahead. • Almonds – Rich in monounsaturated fat (the good kind) and protein, they contain many heart healthy benefits. These crunchy nuts play an important role in lowering LDL cholesterol levels, decreasing your risk of heart disease and cancer. • Sunflower Seeds – Anti-oxidants and anti-carcinogens, these little guys support prostate health and aid in lowering your cholesterol. They contain potent antioxidants, selenium and Vitamin E to aid in the fight against cancer and heart disease. Who knew so much could come from something so little! • Legumes – Beans, peas and lentils are packed with soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol. Research shows that people who ate legumes at least four times a week had a 22 percent lower risk of heart disease. For Disease Prevention: Nutrient-dense foods, particularly those rich in antioxidants, contain a wealth of disease-fighting substances. • Whole grains/brown rice - Offering a wide array of health benefits, not only do they contain a rich source of fiber and the usual nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, and iron, but they also contain numerous disease-fighting phytochemicals and antioxidants that are not found in fruits. By simply replacing white bread with whole wheat bread, you can potentially reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. • Pomegranate - Rich in potassium and vitamin C. This unique fruit helps keep arteries clear of fatty deposits, which prevents heart attacks, strokes, premature aging, Alzheimer's and cancer. For all those benefits, why not make it part of your healthy diet? Not only is this fruit good as a juice, but the seeds can also be enjoyed on their own as a snack or added to your favorite salad! • Yogurt/low fat dairy - Both are a great source of protein and calcium. Yogurt in particular contains probiotics, which give the immune and intestinal systems a boost. Low-fat dairy provides an amazing amount of calcium, potassium and magnesium, all key to the prevention of hypertension and osteoporosis. • Berries - Antioxidant-rich blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries fight off free radicals, which cause disease. All of these everyday foods can easily be added into your diet. Adding berries and seeds to salads and cereals, choosing wheat pasta and breads and enjoying low-fat dairy daily will naturally help you look and feel younger. Also, try our Anti-aging Purification meal plan, it provides you with all of these super foods without having to do any work. Bon apetite! To learn more about eating healthy all year round and enjoying a healthy lifestyle you can visit us online at www.susanshealthygourmet.com Do You Have A Success Story? As a result of our commitment to your health, countless numbers of our customers have experienced dramatic improvements in their health, weight and overall lifestyle. To celebrate their achievements we profile success stories from Susan's Healthy Gourmet's very own customers. If you are a Susan's Healthy Gourmet customer and would like to share your success story, please email us at info@susanshealthygourmet.com Please make sure to place "My Success Story" in the subject line of the email. You can also call 1.888.396.3257 (EZ-MEALS). To learn more about eating healthy all year round and enjoying a healthy lifestyle you can visit us online at www.susanshealthygourmet.com
Make the Healthy Choice Today!
Call (888)396-3275 (EZ MEALS) or visit us at > info@susanshealthygourmet.com