Calories of Lebanese Sweets!

Hi guys !!! Prepare yourself to read what you always wanted to know and think twice before indulging many sweets at a time if you want to stay in shape!

Depending on each person’s age, height, weight, if you are a male or female, sedentary or active, or if you have a certain medical condition or not: the number of calories you should consume daily to lose weight or to maintain weight varies. Sometimes a lady can consume 1200 calories and lose weight, some ladies need to consume 1200 calories to maintain their weight while others need 1500 calories to lose weight, there are no general rules, and only the dietitian can know how much a person should consume daily. Same for men, sometimes they lose weight with 2000 calories daily sometimes they maintain with 2000, sometimes with 2500 calories and sometimes 1500 or 1700 calories. Some men exercise so much that they can eat 3000 calories daily and still stay fit!

Well, lucky people because me…if I breathe air I gain weight easily J it’s true!!! I burn very little and so I have to exercise a lot and always watch what I eat and sometimes be a bit more flexible. But it’s okay I got used to it, as long as I fit well in my clothes and I am happy with my body and health, this is what really counts at the end!

So if you are like me, you love sweets but always have to watch what you eat to stay in shape or lose some weight, then check the following calorie facts of most of them especially Lebanese sweets according to AUB food composition.

-          22g of any regular chocolate usually has = 120 calories (so usually a 100g tablet chocolate has 500 calories)

-          Namoura 41g (4cm) 1 small = 89 calories

-          Knefe b’jibne 136g (8cm) = 484 calories

-          Znood el sit 57g = (7cm) = 212 calories

-          Osmalleyeh 115g (8cm) = 400 calories

-          Maamoul bi joz 52g ( 6cm) = 260 calories

-          Maamoul bi tamer 52g (6cm) = 245 calories

-          Mughli 1 bowl of 240g = 220 calories

-          Muhalabieh 1 bowl of 240g = 390 calories

-          Milk and rice (riz bi 7alib) 1 bowl of 240g = 331 calories

-          Halawi a small cube of 2.5cm = 155 calories

-          Rahet el halkoum a small piece that we eat inside of biscuits, the small piece 22g = 65 calories (without the biscuit)

-          Ghraibeh a small one = 56 calories

-          Macaroon 23g = 88 calories

-          Jazariyeh 25g = 77 calories

-          Halawet el jibn small = 62

-          1 tablespoon of jam = 60 calories

So what are you thinking about? I think after reading this you guys must be shocked because you must think you eat so much of those and don’t know they have so much calories, and in fact they must be the ones making you gain so much weight!!

Guys I hope this helped you notice where in your diet you are doing wrong and correct it!

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Yalla I am waiting for you to help you lose weight or consult you on health issues at my clinic in Lebanon or over the web wherever you live! Just contact me at 00 961 3 48 31 86 or via email to take an appointment live or online.

Email: samia.khoury@gmail.com

Please LIKE my Facebook Page: Samia Khoury Diet Clinic

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November 14th is The World’s Diabetes Day!

So today I’d like to talk about this threatening disease because if you know about it you can prevent it, or if you have it, you can live with it easily and happily…so guys make sure you get these tips!

Today, all over the world, in every city, a monument is lit in blue to raise awareness about diabetes. We are all united to prevent it and fight it! The picture you see in this article is the Lady of Lebanon – Harissa which I asked to lit up in Blue in 2007 and 2008 the years I organized the world diabetes day in Lebanon along with big campaigns with walks, blood test exams, lectures, distribution of measuring tapes and educational tools. Diabetes is remembered to raise awareness to everyone about its prevention, treatment, causes and consequences because truly everyone is concerned. Why? Because delicious fatty and sweet foods are available more and more in the market to tempt us and make us gain weight! And becoming overweight is the number 1 reason to develop diabetes! We’re talking about type 2 diabetes which represents 90% of the cases of the disease and every 10 seconds someone dies of it!

We can’t let a disease kill people every 10 seconds. We just can’t guys. And it’s all in our hands. 80% of it can be prevented if people are in their ideal weight! Can you believe it? So being in your ideal weight is not only good to feel pretty or handsome, ideal weight is very important to prevent tons of diseases including diabetes!

Also your waist measurement should be less than 80cm if you are a woman and less than 94cm if you are a man (you measure it 1 or 2 cm above your umbilical). Exercising 30 minutes daily is very important too, being active and eating healthy food full of fibers, vegetables and homemade meals will help a lot!

Now if you have the disease, it is also very important to lose weight and keep your ideal weight so that you can control it very closely and avoid all the complications that diabetes can lead to if the person concerned is not careful about his food! It is important to check your HBA1C levels every 3 months, which is the average blood sugar levels in your body in a period of 3 month. It should be less than 6.5%. Every time it’s high (8, 9, 10, 12, 14%), you increase your risk of becoming blind, or having a foot amputated, or going thru dialysis of kidneys, or having serious arteries and nerves problems in your heart and all over your body. But the good news is that every 1% decrease in HBA1C levels decreases the risks of complication and the person concerned can live happily and longer! So keep it controlled by searching for a dietitian who will help you lose weight and maintain it by teaching you to have a healthy lifestyle with the right amount of food to eat and help you control your blood sugar and HBA1C levels.

Cheers to LIFE! Let’s have life and have it more abundantly! Some spiritual people will recognize this famous quote but I hope most people will practice what it says! And to have life abundantly we need health! So let’s fill our plates with HEALTH!

Samia Khoury Dietitian
Yalla I am waiting for you to help you lose weight or consult you on health issues at my clinic in Lebanon or over the web wherever you live! Just contact me at 00 961 3 48 31 86 or via email to take an appointment live or online.

Email: samia.khoury@gmail.com


http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Samia-Khoury-Diet-Clinic/245139520495

Twitter: @samiakdietitian

source: yesterday this was published by me Samia Khoury Dietitian on http://lifestyle.beiruting.com/2011/november-14th-is-the-world%e2%80%99s-diabetes-day/

In this pic: Samia Khoury Dietitian giving a lecture on World Diabetes Day about diabetes, weight control and healthy lifestyle

Pomegranate infinite benefits…if only people knew…

Guys!!! Today I chose to talk about pomegranate (reman in Arabic) because it’s its season now and it’s a must for all of you to know how beneficial it is for our health!! We have to consume it guys! Don’t miss it when your mom tells you to eat it or gives you pomegranate juice to drink or pours pomegranate molasses (The famous debess el reman) on your salads!

à Just careful because some pomegranate molasses come with too much added sugar and some don’t, and of course it is better to consume without or with very little sugar added. The best option is to do it at home! Boil 4 cups of pomegranate with ¼ cup of sugar and ¼ cup lemon juice for 1 hour while simmering. Pour out into a jar. Let cool. Store chilled in the refrigerator.

à Also don’t allow yourself to drink more than 1 glass of juice (made with 1 fruit). This was just 2 quick advices before I start listing the numerous benefits of this wonderful and yummy fruit!

Oh but before let me just tell you a short story, last March I was in Istanbul and I saw so many people in the streets squeezing pomegranate and selling the juice, I really loved it and I loved the machine to squeeze the pomegranate, actually it’s amazing! I don’t know if they sell it in Lebanon but it would be nice to have one at home! A machine that squeezes some health for our heart!

I knew how healthy it was and decided to take advantage of this opportunity of having someone squeeze the pomegranate juice for me and I decided to drink one everyday.

And check what BBC news posted about a study conducted a few years ago: Dr Bogle said: "This study tests the idea that drinking a glass of pomegranate juice every day improves the function of blood vessels, reduces hardening of the arteries and improves heart health."

"Pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, red wine and green tea," said Professor Michael Aviram, who led the team.

Researcher Dr Richard Bogle said the fruit contained polyphenolics, tannins and anthocyanins - all compounds that could have a beneficial effect.

Guys and this is just the beginning...

1-      Pomegranate reduces total cholesterol and LDL bad cholesterol levels.

2-      HDL cholesterol protects our heart and arteries but to be functioning well it has to be linked to an enzyme called paraoxonase-1 (PON-1). When we age the production of the enzyme diminishes thus the capacity of protection against infarction reduces too. Some nutrients are capable of increasing the production of PON-1 like resveratrol, quercetin and pomegranate!

3-      Because it’s a powerful antioxidant and because it reduces inflammation: pomegranate prevents diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, depression

4-      For the same reason it prevents the fast aging of the skin

5-      It strengthens your immune system preventing you from having flu

6-      Boiling the shell helps soothe a sore throat and helps reduce menopause symptoms because it has a similar action as estrogen

7-      It is rich in vitamins A, C, E and iron

8-      The presence of anthocyanins which give pomegranate the red color prevents from cancer and from the multiplication of cancerous cells by reducing the proliferation of new blood vessels that feed these cells.

9-      Pomegranate juice contains: anthocyanins, quercetin, catechins and tannins, all so powerful against the murderers of this century: cardiac diseases, diabetes and cancer!

But guys careful with quantities…even too much of something good can be bad

Now try sprinkling some over your breakfast muesli, or lunchtime baba ghanouj (smashed eggplant)! Sahtein!!

Samia Khoury Dietitian

Yalla I am waiting for you to help you lose weight or consult you on health issues at my clinic in Lebanon or over the web wherever you live! Just contact me at 00 961 3 48 31 86 or via email to take an appointment live or online.

Email: samia.khoury@gmail.com

Please LIKE my Facebook Page: Samia Khoury Diet Clinic

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Samia-Khoury-Diet-Clinic/245139520495

Twitter: @samiakdietitian

http://www.samiakhoury.com/