Salmon with Spinach and Whipped Parsnip

This recipe is easy to prepare and when stacked creates an elegant presentation.

Salmon

Prepare Marinade for 1 lb. salmon filet

1/2 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos             1/4 cup raw honey

1/4 cup fresh orange juice                     4 cloves minced garlic

        1 tsp fresh ginger, ground                     1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Whisk together all 6 ingredients… pour over salmon and refrigerate 30 minutes, no longer.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Loosely wrap salmon on parchment paper or foil to hold in juices and trap steam; lay on baking sheet; bake for 15-20 minutes til salmon flakes easily with a fork. 

Parsnips

Cut the ends off 1 lb. of parsnips and scrub any dirt from the skins. Boil in salted water until tender and drain.  Whip with butter and small amount of milk; add 2 garlic cloves, pinch of nutmeg salt and pepper to taste. 

Spinach

Take a pre-washed bunch of organic spinach and briefly steam until wilted. 

Assembly:

Place a mound of whipped parsnips in the center of each plate.  Use a slotted spoon to place drained spinach over the parsnips. Lay the salmon on top and garnish with flat parsley. 

Parsnips contain several vitamins and minerals and are fiber-rich: cooked parsnips contain potassium, folate, vitamin C and manganese 

Spinach contains calcium and vitamins A and C, fiber, folic acid, and other nutrients that protect you from  colon and breast cancers. Spinach can protect you from high blood pressure and heart disease. Always buy organic. 

Liquid Aminos is a pure soy vegetable protein.  While high in sodium, it is preferable to conventional soy sauce which may contain GMOs and numerous additives like MSG. 

Do Men Lose Weight Faster than Women?

You may have heard of a woman starting a weight loss regimen with a male companion, and with both doing essentially the same things - eating well, hydrating and exercising - the man initially loses significantly more weight than the woman. It doesn’t seem fair, but there is a physiological reason for this.

If you’re a man, you can thank the hormone testosterone -- and the low amount estrogen you do have -- for your weight-loss edge. On average, women have between six and 11 percent more body fat than men, all built in for anticipated child-bearing.

I worked with a couple recently where both wanted to learn to eat well and lose weight. They had been fast food diners. His job required physical activity; hers was sedentary. They enrolled in my 6 Weeks to Diet Freedom on line program and we had weekly coaching calls. At the end of week 1, both were eating well, following my recommendations. She lost 1 pound. He lost a whopping 11 pounds! The difference? testosterone for sure, but also he was very overweight and had more to lose. Just stopping his 3-4 cans of soda surely made a difference not only in his weight but in his health.

What a study in England found, though, that the weight loss evens out after 6 months when both men and women continue the regimen.

The Magic of Muscle Mass

Here’s what’s most important to me: every pound of muscle you have in your body burns 38 calories per day. Every pound of fat old requires 9 calories per day. Men, on the whole, have more lean muscle mass, so that’s what gets the weight loss engines running initially for men. My sense is that as women continue to exercise through their weight loss program, they slowly build more muscle mass, allowing for more weight loss.

Adults begin to naturally lose muscle mass around age 38. Several factors account for that: a more sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise and poor diet. If you don’t consciously work at maintaining muscle mass, you will gain weight, because your calorie burning muscle mass is decreasing, even if you don’t increase your food intake. The good news is you will not struggle with weight gain if you eat high nutrient low calorie foods and exercise throughout life.

Muscles are your weight loss friends

Health Coaching

Reaching your goals in isolation requires enormous discipline. Most of the people I work with on nutrition and lifestyle issues know that, and realize that when accountability and positive support is available, they do better. My program offers individualized coaching for those who feel they need in person support, and online coaching for those who need tools like menus, shopping lists, recipes and motivation to reach their goals. You can read more about both on my Wellness and You Programs page.