The Incredible Edible Egg

Peace and Blessings,

I love eggs and decided to have some for breakfast today. As usual, I sipped on a cup of green tea first thing this am. I ate a roasted apple and a handful of pumpkin seeds (you can check them out below) before my meal. The actual breakfast consisted of 4 egg whites and 1 yolk cooked with Pam cooking spray. I wrapped the eggs in a whole wheat, spinach tortilla...the rest is history.

Often, I am asked how many eggs one should eat in a week. Eggs have gotten a bum wrap because of the cholesterol content found in the yolk. According to Dr. Gerald Gau, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, one large yolk has approximately 213 milligrams (mg) of cholesterol. He advises healthy individuals to limit their daily intake to less than 300 mg. Individuals suffering from cardiovascular disease, diabetes or high "LDL" cholesterol - also referred to as "lousy" cholesterol- should limit their intake to less than 200 mg.

So how many should you eat? Well that depends on your health status, as mentioned above, and your overall eating habits. And don't forget, it's the yolk that is harmful, not the white of the egg. The egg white is an excellent source of protein. Back to the question. If you're going to blow your daily limit of cholesterol at breakfast by scoffing down the egg special at the local diner, then you should limit the amount of cholesterol you consume for the remainder of the day.




OK, I stumbled accross these at Whole Foods the other day. They're pretty tasty and low in saturated fat but high in the omegas. Look for them at your local "whole paycheck" or health food store, or go to www.Gerbspumpkinseeds.com. I'm just an email away if you'd like more info on cholesterol or the omegas.

Keep it moving!

Looking Fit & Being Fit

I've been working with people of all ages and fitness levels for over 12 years now. And let me be the first to tell you that just because a person looks fit does not mean that he or she is fit. I've worked with chisled men who looked the part but smoked, suffered from high blood pressure and didn't have the flexibility to touch their toes. On the other hand, I've worked over-weight women who had ideal blood pressure, healthy hearts and great flexibility.



Last week, a "muscle head" (and before anyone gets offended, I used to be a muscle head and I love muscle heads! Their passion for and dedication to the art of bodybuilding is inspiring. So, don't get all bent out of shape) scoffed at a core exercise I was doing with a client. "Muscles" could bench 300 lbs but he didn't have the core stability or balance to do some basic exercises with a stability ball.



Ok, my point is that physical fitness means more than fitting into a certain dress or suit size. It entails more than having the brute strength to bench several hundred pounds. What's your blood pressure? Resting heart rate? Blood chemistry (cholesterol and triglycerides)? How flexible are you? Do you lead a balanced life?