Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

Popeye had it right years ago when he said "I'm strong to the finish cause I eats me spinach..." Spinach is just awesome, packed with protein, vitamin A, vitamin K, magnesium, folate, manganese, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2, potassium, and vitamin B6. Plus, it also has selenium, an important nutrient that many people lack in their diets.

I need a lot of protein in my diet and this is one of the many foods that I try to have every day. I usually cook it, but it's great raw too. Just make sure you wash it well or buy organic. Spinach can have a lot of pesticides.

I want to start this article by thanking Dr. Oz for mentioning quinoa on his show a few months ago. I had never heard of this grain before and learned about it's health benefits when it was featured on the Oz show. This healthy grain has been an important part of my diet ever since.

When I was working out a while back, someone was talking to me about protein. I've been doing strength training and protein is especially important for gaining muscle. He felt I was getting a low amount of protein. I am now trying to get around 120 grams of protein each day, but it's easier said than done.

I know a lot of people are tired of hearing about "superfoods". It seems like that's all you hear about when you read health related news. But I thought you would like to learn about some of my favorite superfoods that I've been eating daily. I'm certain these foods helped with my weight loss and lowered my blood pressure. Over the next few days I will focus on a different food.

First up is pomegranates. I learned about this fruit when searching the internet for foods that would help to lower blood pressure. This food apparently is as effective in lowering blood pressure as a medication. Another benefit that I read about recently, that everyone will love: pomegranates have the ability to get rid of abdominal fat.

Do you remember these?  Popularity for Chia pets was growing all over the place when I grew up. (every pun intended)

You just spread some seeds on your clay figure, add water and poof!  Would you ever think you could eat those things? You might be surprised of the overwhelming benefits!

A few months back, I reached my goal weight and I've been maintaining. Of course maintaining your weight is always a big concern for dieters. So many people end up gaining the weight back and then some.

Something I never thought about when losing the weight is having to deal with loose skin, particularly around the abs and inner thighs. I've gotten a lot of advice about it and strength training should be a way to lessen the amount of loose skin. The faster you go with weight loss, the more loose skin you will have. I think I lost weight slow enough as I averaged around 3 pounds per week.