The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf...Health Benefits of Coffee

I just pulled into a Coffee Bean to take a 30 minute break until my next meeting and thought Damn!!!!! I drink a lot of coffee. Granted I drink decaf so that's good and non fat milk maybe a third of a cup so no fat and minimal carbs (Cheat Day Diet friendly) but is there anything else that I should know about this oh so common bean.

I started doing my research and here is some of the information I found. Coffee drinkers are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and dementia, sounds wonderful. Also, coffee may help prevent not only certain cancers but also heart rhythm problems and strokes, this is getting better and better. I found another particularly well written article stating that coffee may lower your risk of not only Alzheimer's but also skin cancer. I read in total 9 articles (2 of which I included the links) all of which listed numerous health benefits of coffee without any real negatives other than the potential negative effects of caffeine.

I'm going to do a little research into decaf coffee and see if it contains the same health benefits. As of now I'm pretty excited to guzzle down my next coffee, in the interests of preserving my health of course ;)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/31/coffee-health-benefits_n_1064577.html#s440657&title=Coffee_Could_Save

harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_benefits

How Does your Diet Effect Your Largest Organ..... Your Skin?

I was given a very nice compliment today when someone told me that my skin was "beautiful." And what did I do to take care of it? Okay so its not the biggest compliment a guy can get but what the hell ill take it. I looked online to see what tips people had for clear skin and it seemd that the following advice was fairly universal. Follow a "clean" diet as in limit your fried food choices, and limit over processed foods. I also read that consumption of water is very important with most sites recommending at least eight glasses of water a day. There was also multiple references to vitamins and the consumption of vitamin rich foods, with a particular focus on vtamin C and the B vitamins. And, of course almost every article that I read suggested that you get enough sleep (this Im not doign a good job at).
So with the exception of the sleep I realized that The Cheat Day Diet is almost perfectly suited to following the advice provided in the articles. Check out this link which I thought did a good job of summarizing the information.

www.essortment.com/diet-affects-skin-49171.html

Great Artice On Dieting and Why Diets Fail Found on the Vitamix Site

Im constantly talking to people who have 101 excuses for why their diets fail. The excuses are varied and include everything from "I dont have the time," to "I dont have the money." I started to browse the internet to find articles on why diets fail and I found what I thought was a really good article on the Vitamix web site. Im not sure if your familiar with the Vitamix but its an incredible appliance that acts almost like a juicer/blender allowing you to make incredible smoothys and vegetable juices in the comfort of your own home. I just bought one of these for someone as a present and I think it has literally changed their lives. Everytime I speak with this individual he is blending meals, smoothies, juice even ice cream. Ive personally used it a number of times to blend fresh vegetables and make not only incredible vegetable juices but even fresh soups. So take a look at this article and read up on The Vitamix I think it is an invaluable component to any diet plan.


http://vitamix.com/household/health/fail6.asp

Leptin and The Science Behind The Cheat Day Diet

I've received some questions over the last couple days regarding The Cheat Day Diet and the science behind it. There are numerous articles online in support of this diet I've included a link to one that I thought was particularly well written.


Top Fat Loss Trainer Link

It would seem that Leptin is the key to this process so I've also included a link to the wikipedia article describing this hormone and it's actions and interactions within the body.

Leptin Wikipedia

So tomorrow its my cheat day and I'll be sure to squeeze in 12 hours of gluttony as that seems to be the optimal duration of increased calorie eating to increase Leptin. See you guys tomorrow I'll be sure to include pictures, happy dieting everyone.

All the celebs are cheating!!!

Take a look at the tabloids or just google cheat day diet and you will see that every celeb and their moms (literally) are following a cheat day diet. Whether it's getting in shape for a tv/movie role or to strut their stuff on stage stars are looking for a way to get into the best shape of their life and then maintain it. Katy Perry and Sandra Bullock amongst others have stated the value in cheat days and how they have when combined with a healthy diet helped them reach their weight loss goals. Get on board and get in the best shape of your life with The Cheat Day Diet! Happy dieting.

The Cheat Day Diet Snacks on the Go!

Whether you find yourself at an AM PM mini-market, a Starbucks or a Subway here is some safe and easy ideas to keep your diet on track.
For the past year my business has required quite a good deal of travel forcing me to find reasonable food options while on the road and in the airport. As I've mentioned multiple times before Starbucks always works for me to grab a quick bite, a decaf drip or a decaf non fat latte and a package of almonds is a great snack that keeps me going and doesn't compromise my diet. If I find myself at an AM-PM or 7-Eleven I'll usually go for a Muscle Milk Light or similar low carb protein and again look for almonds or even peanuts just be careful with the nuts to check the sodium as it can be a big bad surprise. There are also some fairly good protein bars around now I'm partial to the Power Crunch or if I'm in a bind the Pure Protein bars. Recently I've found myself at Subway on a regular basis, they make great made to order salads which you can specify spinach instead of lettuce for a nutritionally packed salad. I usually order the grilled chicken breast and add avocado for taste. The other life savor for me has been Whole Foods. Their rapid expansion incredible salad bars and customizable vegetable juice bars have made them one of my daily staples. Oh and of course I can't leave out Stout Burgers and Beers, go skinny style and double up the quinoa patty for a high protein, high fiber power packed meal....


Hope this gives you guys some ideas for your next road trip or flight to unfamiliar territory. Happy dieting :)

Cypress In Walnut Creek followed by Ginger and Anisette Tea

We decided to take a trip up to San Francisco for the weekend. I have to say first of all it was the worst traffic I have ever seen in Los Angeles. It took us about 9 hours and three Decaf Non Fat Latte's from Starbucks to get there. When we finally arrived it was the middle of the night so I ate a Power Crunch low carb protein bar and called it a night. Today I managed to make it to the gym and and followed my diet perfectly eating fresh vegetables, and chicken more of less the entire day.

For dinner we decided to try out Cypress in Walnut Creek. I have to say that it was very simplistic in design. Clean lines and intelligently placed lighting and fixtures provided a visually pleasing aesthetic. The waiter was very friendly, not overbearing but always seemed to be there when we needed him. Another note was that the support staff bussers etc were very on point, our glasses were never less than half full.

I noticed almost immediately that there appeared to be a reasonable amount of options for my low carb diet, and there also seemed to be some relatively healthy options especially on the waves (fish) side of the menu.

I started with the Bibb Salad, it was fresh, well plated generous size and the champagne vinaigrette was delicious. For my entree I opted for the filet mignon and asked the waiter if I could replace my mashed potato's with extra green beans. He graciously agreed stating that it would be no problem (always a good sign).

The fillet made it to the table with our other entrees in a reasonable time and I have to say that the plating was absolutely beautiful. There was a substantial amount of vegetables on the plate including green beans and onion bulbs. Im not sure what it was about the steak but it was a little underwhelming. It definitely was not bad, just not a steak that I would ever crave or talk about the following day. Everyone else in my party chose some type of fish or scallops and the general consensus was that their meals really quite good. On another note there was a piano player and the ambiance of the venue was lively without being overbearing.

I got home and had hot tea made from ginger and anisette....try it...all I can say is AMAZING!
Okay well tomorrow will be gluttonous Ill make sure to take pictures to prove it. Have a wonderful night, see you guys tomorrow

Back and Better than Before on The Cheat Day Diet

So I hope everyone has been doing wonderful and sticking to their diets during my absence. Ive been crazy trying to wrap up one of my reality tv projects, start two more and open the other Stout Burgers and Beers locations. Im happy to report that in spite of the current madness I have been ever so diligent in my diet and I have managed to drop about a pound since my last entry. I know that doesnt sound like a huge deal but the wonderful thing about this diet is there realy is no yo-yo ing at all. Im either losing weight or Im maintaining but its definitely continuing to bring positive results.

I have also found some other low carb friendly options which Im going to share with you now. So first I took a trip to Peet's Coffee. Im happy to say that they had multiple options including a great low card mixed nut selection and for those of you not as concerned with carbs but instead searching for quality carb options a great steel cut oatmeal product. I also want to add Coral Tree Cafe in Brentwood to my list of restaurants with great low carb and diet options. Ive eaten at Coral Tree almost every day for the past week, their salads are amazing, their product is very fresh and they always have a number of delicious soups on the menu. I've also found myself eating more sushi lately the edamame, ssashimi salads and variety of cooked vegetables makes for multiple options.

I also happy to report I'm back in San Francisco for the weekend so expect some yummy entries in my future. Goodnight and happy dieting everyone.