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eggplant-related stories

Eric Stoltz - How He Cuts Weight for a Movie Role

Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

eric stoltzEric Stoltz has one of those careers any actor would kill for. Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Mask, Pulp Fiction ... the list goes on and on. He's currently on a tear, directing all sorts of hit primetime shows too, but this week we sat down to chat about his guest role on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. My opinion: Eric is really smart, relaxed and funny. He also happens to know the secret to losing weight -- you might be surprised by how simple it actually is!

Fitz: You're playing a serial killer on Death Row for a couple of weeks on ABC's Grey's Anatomy. Any similarities between you and your character?

Eric: Fortunately, no. But it did get me interested in reading and learning more about serial killers. Although repellent, they're often very brilliant, bold and fearless people. Evil characters like that offer me a great opportunity to be creative.

Fitz: Does that mean you're really a super nice guy?

Celebrity Fitzness Report: Eric Stoltz(click thumbnails to view gallery)

He's not trying to get bigger. Last meal on Death Row?Eric's a vegetarian. Eric has lost weight for various roles.Eric's also a director.

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Eric Stoltz - The Actor Chooses His Last Meal on Death Row

Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements

Actor Eric Stoltz and I just had one of the most interesting and funniest conversations I've had in a long time. He's presently guest starring on ABC's hit show Grey's Anatomy as a Death Row serial killer. Charming. While interviewing my guests for Celebrity Fitzness Report, we always talk fitness, but we also talk about the projects each celebrity is working on at the moment.

So first Eric and I talk fitness. Eric is a guy who works out not because he's desperate to get big, he just really wants to be healthy and fit. He makes a habit of doing cardio and strength training on alternating days. Great! He's also a vegetarian who loves a healthy meal of pasta with eggplant and mushrooms.

Now to the serial killer/last meal part. I asked Eric what his favorite not-so-healthy food is, and he told me he loves pizza. So, going back to his role on Grey's Anatomy, I asked him if pizza is what he'd choose for his last meal.

Walking the Walk: Day 7

Day 7: You know what? I've decided to quit counting calories when it comes to non-starchy vegetables. The calorie content is negligible at best. Take the following foods, for instance:

  • 1 cup of broccoli -- 40 calories
  • 1 cup of cauliflower -- 48 calories
  • 3 stalks of celery -- nine calories ... I mean, come on. Is that worth writing down?
  • 1 cup Swiss chard -- 32 calories
  • cucumber -- 30 calories, for the whole thing!
  • 1 cup eggplant -- 38 calories

You get the idea. These foods are jam-packed with nutrition and carry little weight when it comes to calories, so to make my life simpler, I've decided not to write them down. Will it make a difference in my weight loss? In the long run, I doubt it. This is about teaching myself life long healthy habits, not about obsessively tracking every last calorie.

Baby eggplant: Healthy and delicious

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

Substantial enough to substitute for meat in a meal, eggplant is chock-full of phytonutrients as well as being rich in many vitamins and minerals. Other than in pasta dishes, I haven't cooked much with eggplant in the past. I don't know why... I think it's wonderfully tasty. Baby eggplants are in season right now, so it's the perfect time to try out some new recipes.

Shape Magazine shares a few ideas for trying out this tasty and nutritious food. I love their idea for sauteeing diced baby eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes in olive oil and then baking in the eggplant skin. I think I'll substitute the tomatoes for summer squash. (I'm not a tomato fan... which is too bad because they're so rich in lycopene.) How about you? Do you have any favorite eggplant recipes to share?

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Skins to win

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health

When I eat a kiwi, I do everything in my power to remove every bit of the skin. Frankly, I'm disgusted by the texture of it, I don't know why. However, an article in the most recent issue of Women's Health magazine suggests that when we don't eat the skin of a kiwi -- as well as many other fruits -- we're squandering a great deal of their antioxidants and healthy compounds.

Here is a quick breakdown of what we''re missing by removing the skin from our produce:

Apples - A Cornell University study revealed that 87 percent of an apple's cancer-fighting phytochemicals are found in the skin, not the crunchy white flesh inside

Eggplant - Remove the skin of this favorite vegetable of many Italian grandmothers (mine notwithstanding) and you remove 300 milligrams of brain-cell preserving antioxidants in the process

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Scrap the peeler, these skins are for eating

Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

I refuse to serve my kids skinless apples. There's just too much work involved. And there's too much my boys stand to lose if I peel apple after apple. Science backs me up on this one: Some of the most health-protecting antioxidants in fruit are found in the peel, says Susan Percival, Ph.D. and professor of nutrition at the University of Florida.

Before you get your peeler out, take a look at these five fruits with skin that should stay put.

  • Apple -- Apple peels have 87 percent more cancer-fighting phytochemicals than the white flesh found inside.

  • Cucumber -- Cucumber peels are made of silica, a collagen building block. Eat the skin of one cucumber and you'll get about five milligrams of this good stuff, the exact amount experts suggest eating. Buy organic and you'll avoid the waxy film found on some cucumber skin.

  • Eggplant -- Eggplant skin contains nasunin, an antioxidant that may prevent brain damage. Potassium and fiber provided too.

  • Kiwi -- Chemical compounds found in kiwi skin fight off bugs like staph and E. coli.

  • Orange --Don't chomp right into this peel. Just add a little orange zest on salmon and salads and you'll be one step closer to preventing skin cancer.

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Yummy recipe: Spicy tofu with eggplant

While I'm not a vegetarian, I don't eat much meat either so I'm always on the hunt for yummy veggie recipes that use healthy protein alternatives like tofu and Quinoa. I suspect there are other people like me out there, so I decided I had to share this yummy recipe that I found through SELF Magazine: Spicy Asian Eggplant with Tofu and Red Pepper. Check it out! I had it for dinner tonight.

I'm a habitual recipe-modifier, so of course I made some changes, name adding more vegetables -- including zucchini and green onions. And all the produce I used was picked up this past weekend at my local farmers market, so it was all really fresh. And I served it with a side of Quinoa.

What's your favourite veggie recipe?

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Recipe Rehab: Eggplant Parmesan

Recipe Rehab with Tanya Zuckerbrot, Diet & Weight Loss, Alternative & Green Health, Nutrition & Supplements

Our weekly feature, Recipe Rehab, takes a recipe -- sometimes basic, sometimes decadent and sometimes just plain unhealthy -- and turns it into a scrumptious and healthy dish, pumped up with nutrition. Sometimes all it takes is a few alterations to prepare a dish that would make even your nutritionist proud.

It's cold outside - which means it's the perfect time for baking and casseroles. Eggplant Parmesan is a favorite in my family, but the calories from frying the eggplant and all the cheese really add up. This recipe delivers all of the flavor without all the fat, and is easy to make too.

Eggplant Parmesan


2 cups plain breadcrumbs, preferably whole wheat
1 tsp salt-free Italian seasoning
2 medium eggplants -- cut into 1/4" slices
water
cooking spray
1 28-ounce jar low sodium tomato sauce, such as tomato and basil
8 ounces thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
handful fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix together the breadcrumbs and Italian seasoning in a wide shallow bowl and fill another bowl with water. Dip the eggplant into the water and then into the breadcrumbs so the breadcrumbs form a light crust. Place
eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, turning once, until lightly browned on each side.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Layer half the eggplant and top with another 1/3 sauce, half the cheese and half the basil. Repeat with the remaining ingredients and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Serve with a green salad and whole wheat pasta.

Rehab Rundown

  • Water was substituted for the egg wash in the breading and the eggplant was baked and not fried, cutting down the cooking time, fat and calories
  • Fresh mozzarella, which is lower in fat and sodium, was substituted for regular mozzarella and the total amount of Parmesan was cut in half
  • Fresh basil was added for extra flavor without extra salt or fat

Rehab Reveal

Based on 1 serving (1/8 of recipe)

Original

Adapted

Calories

442 (40% from fat)

281 (20.5% from fat)

Fat

19g

6g

Saturated Fat

8g

2g

Protein

21g

11g

Carbohydrate

45g

45g

Fiber

6

6g

Sodium

1593mg

900mg

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