Indulge in a Festive, Healthy Holiday Breakfast Recipe

By admin on December 16, 2010

During the rest of the year it’s nearly impossible to get the whole family together for breakfast; but during the holidays, big, unhealthy breakfasts become a tradition.  With a focus on health and wellness, this season, Southern Plastic Surgery suggests that you give your family the festive breakfast they want with fewer calories and less fat.  Dr. Whiteman believes plastic surgery patients should start with a healthy lifestyle to optimize their plastic surgery results.  Try this low fat French toast recipe topped with a Winter Fruit Sizzle that was submitted by one of Dr. Whiteman’s Facebook fans and adapted from www.foodfit.com.

Winter Fruit Sizzle

Servings:  4

Ingredients needed:

• 1/2 cup cranberry juice
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dried apricots,chopped
• Dash of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup pecans

Directions:

• In a small skillet, heat the cranberry juice, cranberries, apricots and cinnamon and allow to simmer until the fruit has soaked up the liquid and becomes plump (about 10 minutes).
• Once the fruit becomes plump, add the pecans and maple syrup. Allow to boil, and then take it off the heat.

Nutritional Info:

Serving Size: about 1/2 cup
Number of Servings: 4
Calories 440, Carbohydrate 87 g, Fat 10 g, Fiber 6 g, Protein 3 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Sodium 3 mg

Lower-Fat French Toast

Servings: 4

• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• peanut oil, as needed
• 8 slices whole wheat bread, slightly stale

Directions:

• Whisk the egg substitute, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.
• Heat a well-greased griddle or large frying pan with peanut oil until hot (not smoking).
• Soak the slices of bread in the egg mixture until moistened. Place the soaked slices on the griddle. Excess egg mixture can be thrown out.
• When the bottoms are golden brown, flip with a spatula and brown the other side. Keep them in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Nutritional Info:

Serving Size: 2 slices French toast
Number of Servings: 4
Calories 259, Carbohydrate 41 g, Fat 7 g, Fiber 4 g, Protein 9 g, Saturated Fat 1 g, Sodium 355 mg

Visit our website to learn more about plastic surgery, and continue reading our blog for more on health and wellness. If you have a favorite healthy recipe, share it with Dr. Whiteman on Facebook.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes, In the News |

Healthy and Savory Oven Roasted Winter Vegetables

By admin on November 16, 2010

Check out this healthy, anti-oxidant rich recipe submitted by Southern Plastic Surgery patient and Life After the Fight member JoAnn Stegagno.  JoAnn is a personal chef who specializes in preparing anti-cancer and healing recipes through her company Dinner’s Ready!

For exercise advice for the beginner or the advanced athlete, visit personal trainer Daryl Madison’s website at chairacise.com.

Oven Roasted Winter Vegetables

Servings: 8
1- 1/4 pound(s) rutabaga
1 pound(s) carrot
1 pound(s) onion
1 pound(s) yam, fresh
15 large garlic cloves, whole
7 sage leaves. fresh, whole
4 rosemary sprigs, fresh
4 tablespoon(s) olive oil

Directions:

• Place a large roasting pan in oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• Peel rutabagas, carrots, onions, and yams.

• Cut vegetables into large pieces (make yam pieces larger than the other vegetables so they will cook faster.)

• Place vegetables in a large bowl with whole, un-peeled garlic cloves and fresh herbs. Mix well.

• Separate out the herbed yams and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.   Toss yams in the olive oil to coat and set aside.

• Drizzle remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over the herbed rutabagas, onions, and carrots. Toss to coat well.

• Remove heated roasting pan from oven. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and place herbed rutabagas, onions, carrots, and unpeeled garlic onto the pan (keep yams separate).

• Season mixture with salt and pepper.

• Roast vegetables for about 20 minutes.

• Remove pan from oven and add herbed yams.

• Return pan to oven and roast vegetables until tender when pierced with fork (about 30 to 40 minutes) stirring occasionally with a spatula.

Posted in Diet, Exercise and Plastic Surgery, Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes | 3 Comments

Exercising during the Holidays

By admin on November 8, 2010

The holidays are a time for celebrating, spending time with family, and enjoying traditions; which usually includes eating your favorite foods. People tend to gorge over the holidays and devise New Year’s resolutions to lose the weight gained during the holiday season. Southern Plastic Surgery has some simple tips for these weight concerns: exercise during the holiday season so you won’t dig yourself into a deeper hole, or consider the benefits of cosmetic surgery procedures like liposuction, tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), or other weight loss procedures if you exercise regularly but still have problem areas.

Even if you’re considering a cosmetic surgery procedure, it is still important to exercise. There are many obstacles that cause people to stray from their workout programs during the holidays. Here are some tips for staying fit and motivated this holiday season:

• Be creative: Holidays mean traveling to who knows where to shop and visit friends and family, so don’t expect that you will be able to do your usual routine. Take extra clothes with you wherever you go and make the time to work out.

• Make a plan: People tend to have everything planned out during the holidays, so don’t forget to incorporate your workout plans. This means deciding on a time, place, type of workout, etc.

• Set goals: Get a head start on your New Year’s resolutions and set some goals, maybe even enter a holiday road race with some of your loved ones. Setting goals is important and beneficial, but they need to be realistic. There’s no need to set yourself up for sure disappointment.

• Don’t let one off day throw you off track: Everyone has days that they slip up on their workout routine, but people need to be cautious, and get back on schedule the next day rather than dwelling on their slip up and doing nothing. In fact, to make it easier, schedule a day off from your workout plan to rest, just be sure to practice self-control and start again the next day.

•  Make a back-up fitness plan: Nothing ever goes exactly as planned. Just remain flexible and have a back-up plan. That way, you can enjoy time at family gatherings and not fret missing a workout.

• Plan family fitness outings: Walk to see the lights around your neighborhood, play touch football in the yard, go ice skating, or go on a shopping spree with the girls. Don’t be lazy! Incorporate exercise into your plans, even if it’s not the main goal of the outing.

• Do what you can where you are: Maybe your flight gets delayed and nothing goes as planned? Don’t use life as an excuse to just sit around and complain. Find a space and stretch, do pushups, sit ups, or walk the terminal.

• Make good food choices: Holiday foods are notoriously packed with calories.  It’s fine to enjoy these foods in moderation, but it’s important to not overindulge. People often make the mistake of not eating all day so that they can let loose at a holiday party. Dr. Whiteman recommends eating a healthy snack before going out to avoid eating extra calories to compensate for your hunger. Exercising in the morning will also help you relax more and provide some calorie wiggle room at the party.

Staying fit over the holidays is all about self-control and moderation. Dr. Whiteman believes that exercise is an important part in overall health and wellness, and plastic surgery should not replace any exercise plan. Exercise, along with improving overall health, can also improve your plastic surgery results. For information on health and wellness and plastic surgery, visit our website, and keep reading the blog.

Posted in Diet, Exercise and Plastic Surgery, Health and Wellness, In the News | 1 Comment

Are Herbal Supplements Safe to Take After Plastic Surgery?

By admin on October 11, 2010

The following blog is an adapted version of Southern Plastic Surgery intern David Gibson’s research findings:

More and more Americans are turning to herbals or alternative medicines for the management of various ailments.  This rings true for plastic surgery patients too. Up to 55% of plastic surgery patients take some kind of herbal medication on a regular basis.  Herbal medications can provide a benefit to a patient by either helping treat a disease or speed recovery after surgery.  However, due to the laws that are currently in place, there is no government regulation of herbal medications.

The FDA supervises which pharmaceutical medications are allowed on the market.  These drugs have to go through several trials to ensure that they are safe and effective for what they claim to treat.  Herbal medications, on the other hand, do not have to go through this process.   If you remember, Ephedra, which was a common weight loss medication, was taken off the market due to dangerous side effects.

It is important that you inform your plastic surgeon of all medications that you take on a regular basis, as there are certain types of medications that should be discontinued prior to plastic surgery as they can cause adverse drug interactions with common post-surgery prescriptions (i.e.- antibiotics and pain relievers.)  For instance, the National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) states that St. Johns Wort prolongs the effects of Coumadin, digoxin, and lidocaine in the body, and can lead to serious bleeding and heart palpitations if not monitored.

According to the National Institute of Health’s NCCAM, the following herbals and vitamins may help reduce surgical recovery time: arnica montana, bromelain, garlic, ginseng, vitamin C (60mg to a max of 200mg a day, used to help synthesis of collagen), vitamin B12 and folic acid (to help with anemia, which can reduce delivery of oxygen to tissues). Vitamin E and Echinacea should not be taken during your recovery. Vitamin E and Echinacea inhibit collagen synthesis, which slows healing.

While some herbal medications can help with plastic surgery recovery, some can do more harm than good and create additional issues.  For more information on medication interferences and cosmetic surgery, visit our website, continue to read our blog, or contact the office.

Posted in Health and Wellness, In the News | 2 Comments

Turkey Meatballs in Pitas

By admin on September 10, 2010

Another one of our wonderful Facebook fans shared this delicious “healthy recipe!”

Things needed:

• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 ounces ground turkey
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, cut in half
• 4 Romaine lettuce leaves
• 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

Preparation

Combine 1 cup tomato and 1/4 teaspoon each cumin, salt, and black pepper; set aside. Combine turkey, 3 tablespoons cilantro, and 1/4 teaspoon each cumin, salt, and black pepper. Shape into 12 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs. Divide among pita halves, and top each with 1 lettuce leaf, 1/4 cup tomato mixture, and 1 tablespoon yogurt.

Nutritional Info

• CALORIES 264
• FAT 11g (sat 3g, mono 4g, poly 4g)
• PROTEIN 20g
• CARBOHYDRATE 21g
• FIBER 3g
• CHOLESTEROL 74mg
• IRON 3mg
• SODIUM 435mg
• CALCIUM 64mg

As seen on Health.com

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes |

Grilled Chicken with White Barbecue Sauce

By admin on September 10, 2010

Another one of our wonderful Facebook fans shared this delicious “healthy recipe!”

Things needed:

• Chicken: 8 (8-ounce) bone-in chicken breast halves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• Cooking spray 

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• Dash of salt

Preparation

Preheat grill to medium-hot using both burners.

To prepare chicken, loosen skin from breasts by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Combine salt and next 4 ingredients (salt through chile powder); rub under loosened skin.

Turn left burner off (leave right burner on). Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Place chicken on grill rack over right burner; grill 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Move chicken to grill rack over left burner. Cover and cook 35 minutes or until done, turning once. Remove chicken from grill; discard skin.

To prepare sauce, combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk.  Serve with chicken.

Nutritional Info

• CALORIES 252 (25% from fat)
• FAT 6.9g (sat 1.3g, mono 1.4g, poly 3.4g)
• PROTEIN 34.4g
• CARBOHYDRATE 10.9g
• FIBER 0.6g
• CHOLESTEROL 91mg
• IRON 1.5mg
• SODIUM 536mg
• CALCIUM 26mg

(As seen on Health.com)

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes |

Weight Watchers 2 Point Gumbo

By admin on August 20, 2010

Things You Will Need:

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts(cubed)
• 8 cups water
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 8 celery stalks, diced
• 1 bunch scallions, diced
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• ¼ cup flour
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 tbsp oil
• ½ tbsp oregano
• ½ tbsp thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp salt

Instructions:

Boil chicken in water until done.  Set meat & broth aside.  Toast flour in a large dry skillet, stirring constantly, until deep brown(about the color of a penny).  Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan & sauté vegetables & garlic until soft.  Add toasted flour & mix well.  Add broth slowly, mixing well.  Add cubed chicken & spices.  Cover & simmer on low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add rice & simmer another 30 minutes. 

Makes 8 servings (about 1 ½ cup per serving).

Weight Watchers Points: 2 per serving

You may also add 1 can diced tomatoes & 1/4tsp red pepper flakes for extra flavor.

May substitute white rice for brown rice, if desired.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes |

Weight Watchers 1 Point Hearty Chili

By admin on August 20, 2010

Things You Will Need:

• 10 oz. extra-lean ground turkey
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 (28oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 2 ea. Zucchini & yellow squash, diced
• 1 (15oz.) can black beans, rinsed & drained
• 2 (15oz.) cans fat free reduced sodium beef broth
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 (1.25oz.) pkg. dry chili or taco seasoning

Instructions:

Brown turkey & onions. Add remaining ingredients & bring to simmer until veggies are tender(about 20 minutes).

Makes 20 servings, Weight Watchers Points: 1 per serving

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes |

Chicken Tortilla Soup

By admin on August 19, 2010

Things You Need:

• 1 Cup onion, chopped
• 2 Cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2(12oz) cans diced tomatoes
• 4 cups low fat chicken broth
• 1/3 cups salsa
• ½ red pepper, chopped
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½tsp chili powder
• fat free sour cream
• flour(to thicken)

Instructions:

Simmer onions, garlic, & green onions in pan until tender. Combine all ingredients in pot & simmer until all veggies are tender.

Makes 9 servings

Weight Watcher Points: 0 per serving

Special notes: If you add chicken, divide the points by 9 servings.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes |

Cowboy Caviar

By admin on August 18, 2010

Another one of our wonderful Facebook fans shared this delicious “healthy recipe” that will make a perfect hors d’oeuvres (served with tortilla chips), topping on salad, tacos, etc.

Things Needed:

• 2 table spoons red wine vinegar
• 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of hot red pepper sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground pepper
• 1 firm avocado cubed
• 1 (15 oz) can black eyed peas or black beans rinsed/drained
• 1 can corn (rinsed/drained)
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 2/3 cup chopped cilantro
• ½ lb roma tomatoes, chopped. 

In large bowl, combine vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic & pepper.  Stir to mix well.  Add avocado.  Rinse and drain peas/beans & corn.  Stir into mixture along with green onion, cilantro & tomatoes.  Mix well.   Salt & pepper to taste.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Healthy Recipes |