Did You Know – Protein: Less is More?

If you want to build lean muscle mass for a strong, toned body and a faster metabolism, your first instinct may be to increase your protein portions. However, research out of the University of Texas shows that the body uses smaller servings more efficiently.

Experts have discovered that only the first 30g of dietary protein in a meal produces protein. That’s about 100g of chicken, fish, beef, dairy or say. The rest can end up as glucose or fat.

Recipe of the Week – Tuna, Potato and Herb Risoni

Serves 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

500g risoni

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

250g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

Olive oil or canola oil spray

1 onion, finely chopped

300g jar tomato and basil pasta sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

100g baby spinach leaves

400g can chunk-style tuna in brine, drained

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons shaved parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Cook the risoni, potato and sweet potato in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, spray a non-stick frying pan with oil and heat. Add onion and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add pasta sauce, vinegar and sugar. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly. Drain risoni and vegetables and return to the saucepan. Add spinach, tuna and pasta sauce mixture, and cook over low heat until heated through. Season with ground black pepper and serve topped with Parmesan.

Nutritional Analysis

Energy 458 cal (1915 cal)

Carbohydrates 76g

Protein 28g

Fat 4g

Exercise of the Week – Gorilla Chin-up/Crunch

Using this variation of the chin-up is a great way to maximize the efficiency of your workouts by combing core strength work with a traditional resistance training exercise!

Instructions:

Start with your hands approximately 12 inches apart on a chin-up bar, maintaining a straight line between your hands and your knees, with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle behind your body.

Begin the exercise by pulling yourself up with your arms while simultaneously raising your knees up towards your chest.

At this point, your chin should be just above the bar with your knees tucked in at the chest.

From this position, lower your body from the bar and your knees from your chest in a controlled manner, returning to the initial position.

Did you know? Weight Training will not make females “bulk up”

Attention all females: Weight training will not make you bulk up!

Unless you are taking vast amounts of steroids, it is physically and genetically impossible for females to produce enough testosterone to make significant gains in muscle mass. Men who lift weights bulk up because they produce between 10 and 30 times more testosterone than women! In fact, strength training will help you slim down. Here’s why:

• An average woman who participates in strength training twice a week for 8 weeks can expect to gain 1kg of muscle, while losing 1.5kg of fat. Muscle tissue is four times as dense as fat tissue, which means that 1kg of fat takes up four times as much space as 1kg of muscle.
• For each kilogram of muscle you gain, you’ll burn between about 300 and 400kJ more per day due to the increase in your basal metabolic rate. This means that even while you do nothing, you’re burning more energy!

Recipe of the Week – Thai Chicken Salad

Serves 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

500g dried rice vermicelli noodles

Olive oil or canola oil spray

500g or 2 skinless breast fillets, cut into thin strips

2 small mangoes, peeled and sliced

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, quartered

4 spring onions, sliced diagonally

1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways and sliced

2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce

1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves

2 tablespoons crushed peanuts

1 small cos lettuce

Instructions

Cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water until tender. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold water and drain well. Spray a non-stick frying pan with oil and heat. Cook chicken over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Place noodles, mango, tomato, spring onion, cucumber and chicken in a bowl. In a small bowl or jug, mix lime juice and sauces. Pour over noodle salad and toss well to combine. Divide among serving plates, and sprinkle with coriander and peanuts. Serve lettuce on the side

Nutritional Analysis

Energy 417 cal (1745 kJ)

Carbohydrates 64g

Protein 25g

Fat 6g