6 Tips for Making Guacamole Healthier

May 3, 2013 by ascott • 3 Comments

Dr. Perricone is a big fan of avocados as a form of healthy fat on the anti inflammatory diet to keep the skin and hair supple and shiny. In light of Cinco de Mayo, we thought we’d share some tips to make your home made guac the healthiest and tastiest yet.

1. Avocados can be one of the trickier foods to determine ripeness. Avoid both the rock hard and mushy. Ripe avocados should have the slightest bit of give when squeezed.

2. Acidity is crucial for providing depth of flavor and keeping the guacamole green rather than brown. Classic guacamole calls for lime, but feel free to experiment and include other citrus fruits, such as lemon.

3. Make it hot for some metabolism boosting benefits. Try minced jalapeno, Serrano, Habanero peppers depending on your preferred level of spiciness.

4. Add garlic. Crush cloves first with the back of a butter knife to help release the active compounds.

5. Make it original. You can add diced grilled onions, pineapple, mango, shredded cheese etc.

6. Add extra Cilantro for a detox boost. Cilantro is thought to help support the body’s natural cleansing processes.

7. Substitute sliced bell peppers and radishes for chips.

What are your healthy Cinco de Mayo cooking tips?

Enjoy it Raw: Arugula

April 30, 2013 by ascott • 1 Comment

What’s the single nutritional maxim everyone can agree upon?

Eat your greens. And, as it turns out in the case of Arugula, serving it raw is especially key. Going raw is one of the best ways to preserve this leafy green’s delicate nutrients, enzymes and amino acids. Intact chlorophyll (raw) helps prevent DNA and liver damage from aflatoxins, which sometimes appear in corn-based products, peanut-based products and some tree nuts. And unlike many of members of the Brassicacae family, it also tastes delicious raw

Arugula’s dark color signifies its high levels of chlorophyll, which are molecularly similar to red blood cells (interestingly, the major difference is that red blood cells have iron atoms in their centers, while plant chlorophyll centers contain magnesium atoms). Dr. Perricone has written extensively on the health benefits of magnesium and its contribution to over 300 metabolic functions in the human body.

Arugula is also rich in the vitamin K family, a group of particular note for those with anti aging concerns such as bone density health, cardiovascular health and Alzheimer’s disease. Vitamin K2 is important for bone absorption of calcium vital for bone health, but not so understood is vitamin K’s contribution to cardiovascular health. Vitamin K is also thought to minimize brain matter calcifications that often result in Alzheimer’s disease.

What’s your favorite spring superfood?

Different Types of Omega-3s

April 22, 2013 by ascott • Comment

It’s no secret that regularly taking a high quality Omega-3 supplement is one of the best things you can do to positively impact your health. Studies suggest regular consumption of Omega-3s may help lower the risk of heart disease, protect against depression, dementia, cancer, and arthritis—not to mention leave you with glowing skin and hair.

But did you know that there are multiple types of Omega-3’s? It’s true, and different sources confer different benefits:

DHA and EPA, which are found in fish, have been the focus of most studies and seem to confer the greatest health benefits.
Another form, known as ALA, is found in vegetable sources such as flaxseed, vegetable oils, walnuts and dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard etc).
Fish -derived Omega-3’s (EPA & DHA) are thought by some to be more efficiently absorbed because there is no conversion necessary, whereas ALA is converted into EPA and DHA.

What are your questions about Omega-3 supplements or foods?

Spring Super Foods: Scallions

April 18, 2013 by ascott • Comment

Scallions are part of the allium family of root vegetables such as onion, shallots and garlic. Scallions, technically speaking, are the green tops of the onion bulbs. Dr. Perricone considers the allium family a super food and recommends enjoying them frequently on the anti inflammatory diet.

Scallions are low in calories; 100 g of fresh leaves provide just 31 calories. Despite their low calorie count, they contain many noteworthy flavonoid antioxidants, plant fiber, minerals, and vitamins that have proven health benefits.

Members of the allium family contain quercitin, an antioxidant that acts like an antihistamine, which is extremely beneficial for allergy sufferers. Quercetin also lowers blood pressure and is thought to prevent heart disease.

Spring onions contain healthy composition of vitamin-A (997 IU or 33% of RDA per 100 g) and other flavonoid phenolic antioxidants such as carotenes, zea-xanthin, and lutein. Together, they help the body protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

Tips:

Add scallions to soups, salads, and omelets.
Scallions make an elegant and savory garnish.
Ensure that you wash scallions thoroughly as dirt can be easily trapped in the thin tubes.
Opt for organic scallions as pesticides can cling to the thin leaves.

How do you like to enjoy scallions?

Avocado and Watercress Salad

April 2, 2013 by ascott • 1 Comment

Watercress is one of the planet’s healthiest greens. With each peppery bite, you’ll reap detoxing and skin clarifying benefits. Dr. Perricone recommends adding watercress to the base of soups and using it in salads.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon grated sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla (use large holes of a box grater)
1/4 cup finely grated peeled Gala apple (use small holes of box grater)
4 teaspoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 cups watercress (thin stems and leaves only; from 1 large bunch)
1 firm-ripe avocado

Preparation:

1.Stir together vinegar, onion, apple, soy sauce, until well blended, then stir in oil.

2. Just before serving, toss watercress with enough dressing to coat. Quarter, pit, and peel avocado, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Gently toss with watercress.

Recipe notes:

Watercress can be trimmed 1 day ahead and chilled in a sealed bag lined with damp paper towels.

Dressing can be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Stir or shake before using.

Amy: Start Fresh 1st Place Winner

March 11, 2013 by ascott • Comment

Here is Amy’s Start Fresh Testimonial.

The Perricone Lifestyle- A family affair.

I was very excited when I noticed an email introducing a health challenge from Dr. Perricone. I generally eat healthy and have read all of Dr. Perricone’s books. I try to follow an anti-inflammatory diet, but this time of year a challenge is a great way focus more on the importance of following these principles on a daily basis. This year I decide that not only would I try the challenge, but I would have my entire family join me. This consists of my husband and four year old son. They also generally follow a healthy diet; but I am quite sure my husband may fit in a lot of the foods I don’t serve at home when he is at work. My son doesn’t have much choice being four, so he was just along for the ride. He is not your typical four year old as his favorite foods are sushi, shrimp and oatmeal! I made a few changes for him such as more grains and a few healthy treats like organic goat milk gelato with berries and wheat free oatmeal peanut butter cookies made with honey.

I felt great after two days of following the plan. My cravings for foods were gone and often I did not need the snacks. I really did need to lose weight, but I was able to reduce my body fat 3% points which is something I have been trying to do for years, and also lost 3 pounds. We eat a plant based diet with the exception of seafood. I think the additional protein I added with the Fresh Challenge really seemed to help. My skin looks great, better than it has in years. I am quite sure the addition of a few wonderful Perricone products didn’t hurt! Overall I was really happy I started the challenge.

What I didn’t expect was the amazing improvement my husband would see. He totally jumped on board with the challenge. He decided to give up beers with coworkers and the typical lunch with clients. I sent him to work with salad, fish and berries and quinoa. We even found great precooked steel cut oatmeal and egg white veggie soufflé bowls at Costco for mornings when we didn’t have time for breakfast at home. His results were nothing less than amazing! He suffered from acid reflux and had to take medication daily, had frequent back pain due to a ruptured disk from an old injury, and high cholesterol despite watching his fat intake. His body benefited the most from this anti-inflammatory diet. I should actually say lifestyle as I don’t like the word diet. He noticed his heartburn was virtually gone with the exception of once or twice after something spicy, and is only taking medication as needed instead of daily. He also did not need to take Advil for back pain which occurred several times a week. The most amazing result was his reduction in bad cholesterol. He went for his annual check up and was astounded to learn he dropped his LDL cholesterol from 153 to 120! I had been worried about this for years and his doctor was talking about the need for a cholesterol medication. He also lost a few pounds even thought he is at a healthy weight.

My son really loved helping with growing watercress. I was able to find watercress once or twice at our grocery store and after reading about the amazing health benefits I decided my family could not go weeks without this nutritional powerhouse. I purchased seeds and started growing watercress in my Aero garden (a hydroponic home growing system). He loves watering and feeding the plants and checking to see how much they grow each day. We have loved all the wonderful recipes we tried and created some of our own. Thank you for this amazing opportunity to not only look and feel better, but to improve our health. The Lister family loves Dr. Perricone and his anti-inflammatory diet!!

Krystal: Start Fresh 1st Place Winner

March 11, 2013 by ascott • Comment

Krystal K. is one of our 1st place Start Fresh winners. Here is her testimonial:

After a year or so of all work, no play, way too many starchy carbs and sugars, and even though I knew better… even putting my regular fitness routine on the back burner in lieu of time spent working… I was ready to get these things back on track.

Having been a follower of the Perricone program, on and off, since the ‘The Wrinkle Cure’ and ‘The Perricone Prescription’, I was already familiar with, and a believer in, the diet and theory of the program, and it would have been my program of choice… once I came around to choosing…

Seeing the post for the Start Fresh Challenge on Pinterest was just perfect timing for me. If there was going to be a sign that it was time to get things back on track, this was it…And… at the age of 48, I am also interested in aging gracefully.

I coach my clients to discover their thoughts, beliefs, and feelings about an area of their life that they would like to experience change in… and it’s always a big surprise (to them, not me)… that the thoughts, beliefs, and feelings they have go back to such a young age… an age when they probably weren’t even reasoning these ideas they now carry as personal truths, but more so just taking it all in…

And I believe that, like everything else in our lives, much of what we think, believe, and feel about how we should be aging is like a road map of aging we laid out for ourselves many years ago, via our observations of our mothers, grandmothers, and society as a whole. And, while the aging process is inevitable, I believe we do have the ability to re-draw that map… to the degree that we can alter our thoughts, beliefs, and feelings about it.

Just yesterday, I was at a hair salon, and just in the short time I was there, I overheard another customer stating, “Watch that area there, you know how hair thins as we age.” And my own hairdresser said, “I told my husband he is old. I told him, “Look at yourself, you’re 50… you’re old.” ”

I’m not saying these people are wrong in their observations… the body is going to follow the road map we have laid out for it… but I am saying, I believe we have some choice over the map we choose to continue following.

This is a huge win for me… thank you!

And now, my personal gains and losses…

In following the program, my crazy carbohydrate cravings were gone within a few days, my energy skyrocketed about the same time, and my skin took on that healthy ‘Perricone’ glow just a short time later.

I don’t do scales, so I don’t know the pounds lost, but judging by my clothes… my jeans, that I couldn’t fasten by at least 3 inches and were pulling in the thighs, now fit beautifully.

I feel great! I have my nutrition and fitness back on track… I’m making time for working out again and I love it! Thank you for giving me the extra incentive I needed… at just the right time…

Healthy Hair, Healthy Skin

February 20, 2013 by ascott • 2 Comments

When it comes to healthy hair, it’s not just what you put on your tresses that counts — it’s what you put in your body, too.

Besides being rich in protein and vitamin D (both are key to strong hair) the omega-3 fatty acids found in this tasty cold-water fish, such as salmon are the true superstar. Your body can’t make those fatty acids, which your body needs to grow hair. About 3% of the hair shaft is make up of these fatty acids, Drayer says. Omega-3s are also found in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp, and in the natural oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated.

Better-looking hair can start at your next meal.

Which foods do you enjoy for healthy hair and skin?

Start Fresh Breakfast Contest

January 16, 2013 by ascott • Comment

Dr. Perricone fans know that he recommends an antioxidant and protein-rich breakfast such as:

An egg white and fresh vegetable omelet or a serving of grilled salmon.
Low-fat Greek Yogurt
Cantaloupe, apples, pears, berries, grapefruit or honeydew slices.
Slow-cooked (not-instant) oatmeal with berries and cinnamon.

And since it’s the most important meal of the day, we’ve decided to kick off our Fresh Start Recipe Contests with Breakfast. We’re giving away a box of Skin & Total Body Supplements for the best Perricone-inspired healthy breakfast.

Entering is easy. Email us the recipe and a picture of your Perricone-inspired breakfast to startfresh@perriconemd.com from Monday 1/21/2013 to 1/25/13. We’ll post the official entrants on the DailyPerricone, on the Start Fresh Pinterest Album as well as the Facebook Album ‘Start Fresh Recipes’ where you can ‘like’ your favorite photos to help choose the winner. Recipes will be evaluated on nutritional content, presentation and creativity. Stay tuned! We’ll announce the winner on the DailyPerricone, Friday 1/25/13.

Good luck!

Preserving Muscle

January 13, 2013 by ascott • 1 Comment

“An undeniable aspect of the aging process is a change in body composition. In fact, the average woman gains ten pounds of fat and loses five pounds of muscle with each decade of life. As part of the normal occurrence of aging, when we put on unwanted weight, the loss of muscle mass and muscle tone actually increases.”- Dr. Perricone

As Dr. Perricone discussed recently, this process known as Sarcopenia (from the Greek meaning “poverty of flesh”) is defined as the degenerative loss of muscle mass, quality and strength associated with aging. The beginning stages of sarcopenia are marked muscular atrophy. Factors such as a sedentary life style and a diet high in refined carbohydrates, processed foods and sugars can increase the rate of this process. Lack of exercise is thought to be a significant risk factor in sarcopenia.

It’s Never Too Late

Fortunately, the human body is incredibly robust and self healing. Even if the process has begun, you can control and reverse it through diet and exercise. Exercise and increases in physical activity have been shown to be benefit individuals with symptoms of sarcopenia, even the very old. Some of the best strength building exercises can even be done at home. These include:

Yoga
Pilates
Push ups
Lunges

Dr. Perricone recommends:

30 minutes of cardio 4-5 times per week
30minutes of weight training at least 3 times per week
Flexibility/yoga 2-3 times per week

How do you like to stay active?

Join Start Fresh, Dr. Perricone’s 28-Day Skin & Total Body Challenge! Enter here to learn more.