Yoga for your Health

http://www.thegloss.com/culture/
xojane-it-happened-to-me-yoga-post-jen-caron/

Yoga is an activity that many weight-loss surgery patients shy away from. They may feel uncomfortable in a classroom full of experienced Yogis, or think it isn't beneficial or believe it's simply too hard. 

Here's where we separate fact from fiction. Practicing yoga can actually help a lot after bariatric surgery. It's a great way to improve balance and flexibility, which tend to take a hit with rapid weight loss. Yoga can also improve mood, fitness, and may enhance your connection to your persona; spirituality. 

The Sanskrit word yoga means “yoke,” or bring together. The idea is to bring together the mind, body, and spirit. Yoga practitioners focus on living a harmonious life, helping to reduce the suffering of others and raising the awareness of their own minds.

http://www.fitnesshealth101.com/fitness/
yoga/styles/breathing-exercises

An example of connecting the body with the mind is breathing through a yoga pose. Often, when our bodies are holding a difficult pose, we take shallow breaths or don’t breathe at all. Poses are meant to strengthen and stretch the muscles. Breathing deeply through a pose helps the yogi stretch further, hold the pose comfortably, and concentrate on being in the present moment. When a pose is painful or too advanced, the mind instantly recognizes the body’s discomfort. At this time, a good yoga teacher will offer a modification to help the practice strengthen, stay in the present and continue the deep, calming breaths. 

Yoga doesn’t follow just one religion. There are manny different ways to practice, and all religions are accepted. Increased mindfulness is what improves spirituality. When the body is able to focus on deep breathing, mindfulness can lead to meditation, providing mind and body spiritual connection. During a state of improved mindfulness, our stress is reduced, we are in a state of calm and we observe the present moment without judgement. After the yoga practice is complete, we are better able to apply improved mindfulness in our daily lives. We learn to observe our own thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. This helps us live with reduce stress- improving our health. 

https://www.pinterest.com/mindfulTCME/
empowerment-through-mindful-eating/

Once a better state of mindfulness has developed from a yoga practice, we can then implement it into our eating habits. Mindful eating, being aware of our dietary decisions without judgment, can lead to better weight maintenance. Practicing mindful eating means we sit at a table for meals. We leave the TV off and stop scrolling through Facebook. We think about where the food came from: What did the chicken do before it became food? Who grew these carrots? How long did it take the food to get to the supermarket? We also must pay attention to the color, smell, taste, and flavor. Mindful eating allows to have a healthier, more appreciative relationship with food, and can reduce snacking. 

Giving yoga a try can benefit more than just flexibility. To start; find a studio near you that makes you feel comfortable and practices in a non-judgmental way. Many studios will offer classes to beginners, or may let you try the first class for free. Don’t worry if you don’t have the equipment. Just wear comfy clothes and ask to borrow a mat. If your experience is like mine, you'll soon see progress- improved health, less stress, and even a better relationship with food. 

Recipe Corner

The theme of this month’s recipe corner is hiding vegetables. It is no secret that the key to weight loss is a fruit or vegetable at every meal. But, I get so many patients that don’t like vegetables. In my opinion, they just haven’t taken time to make vegetables taste good for them. 

Brocoli Tots

Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 20 tots

Ingredients: 

2 cups (12oz) uncooked broccoli (frozen works too)

1 large egg

1/4 cup very small diced onions

1/3 cup cheddar cheese

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup Italian breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons parsley (cilantro or rosemary work too)

1/2 teaspoon salt (I completely forgot to add salt when I made these, they were still good)

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Set a large stock pot on the over to boil. Prep broccoli, dice onion, and measure out rest of ingredients. 
2. Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minutes, then remove and shock with cold trop water to stop cooking. Drain well.
3. Preheat over to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.  
4. Chop broccoli finely (a food processor does this for you in half the time).
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix broccoli, egg, cheese, breadcrumbs, and seasoning.
6. Scoop about 1.5 Tablespoons worth of mixture and press into a ball. Them shape into a tater-tot shape. Place on prepared baking sheet. 
7. Bake until golden brown and crispy. 18-24 minutes, turning half way. 
8. Remove from heat and enjoy hot. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce. 

6 Tots provides: 95 calories, 3.6 grams fat, 11.2 grams carbohydrate, and 5.4 grams protein.

These tots are perfect for those who want to increase their vegetable intake but don’t like to eat vegetables. These aren’t the ideal bariatric tots since they have breadcrumbs. But if it helps increase vegetables, I can’t complain. 

Recipe Credit: http://gimmedelicious.com/2015/05/17/healthy-baked-broccoli-tots/

Zucchini Parmesan Chips

Time: 35 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

2 lbs zucchini, thinly sliced (about 2)

1.5 cups freshly grated Parmesan

Coarse or Kosher Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven the 425°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange zucchini slices on baking sheets and top each with a generous amount of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. 
2. Bake until deeply golden and crisp, about 20-25 minutes. 
3. Serve hot. 

These are way too easy! The first time I tried them, I used olive oil and no parchment paper. They ended up soggy. Don’t bother using any oil, you want these to crisp up. Of course you could use the pre-grated Parmesan cheese to save money. But, freshly grating it will really enhance the flavor. 

Recipe Credit: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a43641/zucchini-parmesan-chips-recipe/

Zucchini Fries

Time: 40 minutes 

Serves 4

Ingredients: 

5 large zucchini, ends trimmed, cut into think matchsticks

1 cup flour

Coarse of Kosher Salt

2 large eggs, beaten

1/4 cup milk

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

Warm Marinara for dipping

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. Season zucchini with salt. Place flour in a shallow bowl or plate. 
3. Whisk eggs with milk in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix panko and Parmesan.
4. Dredge eat piece of zucchini into flour, then egg mixture (let excess drip off), then panko. Transfer to a baking sheet.
5. Drizzle with olive oil, season with pepper, garnish with Parmesan cheese
6. Bake until tender golden, 18-20 minutes. Serve with marinara. 

Not a fan of zucchini chips? Maybe the fries are more to your liking. 

Recipe credit: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a43640/zucchini-fries-recipe/

Zucchini Pizza Bites

Time: 20

Serves: 4

Ingredients: 

3 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4”rounds

1 tsp Extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup marinara or pizza sauce

1/3 cup shredded mozzarella

1/3 cup mini pepperoni

dried oregano, for sprinkling

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sliced zucchini on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil (do this very lightly or you will have soggy zucchini). Bake 5 minutes
2. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over each slice, then top with mozzarella and mini pepperoni. Sprinkle with oregano and bake until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted, about 10 more minutes. 

There has got to be a zucchini recipe out there for everyone. 

Recipe credit: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a43638/mini-zucchini-pizzas-recipe/

Red Velvet Pancakes

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients: 

1 cup flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup puréed canned beets (purée in a blender)

1 1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup plain greek yogurt

1 large egg

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Mix flour, whole wheat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt very well in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Mix beet purée, milk, yogurt, egg, butter, and vanilla in a separate mixing bowl. 
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, stir until just combined, some lumps are good. 
4. Drop about 2 tbsp of pancake mixture onto a greased griddle or pan over medium high heat. Cook 3 minutes on each side. 
5. Serve warm with sugar free syrup, peanut butter, or sugar free jelly. 

Again, normally this is not considered a bariatric recipe. But when was the last time you ate beets? We all need an excuse to add these vitamin and antioxidant packed super veggies into our diets. 

Recipe Credit: http://weelicious.com/2011/06/28/red-beet-pancakes/