OK I know it seems ridiculous that you could be addicted to food...I mean, we need food to live, right? Food isn't the addictive thing; it's the crap in the food that's addictive. Have you ever heard of anyone being addicted to cauliflower? No, because cauliflower is gross (just kidding...but I really don't like it).
It's because vegetables and other natural, healthy foods nourish you properly and calm your cravings. When you are eating a variety of foods containing all the nutrients you need to be healthy, your body has what it needs and doesn't crave anything. Trust me, it's true.
When you're eating processed foods that are full of sugar and have been stripped of their natural fiber, healthy fats, and nutrients, your body is OVERFED and UNDERNOURISHED. I remember the moment when I first heard this concept back when I was a teenager, and it blew my mind! Suddenly it all made sense...how we [Americans] can have such a problem with weight, and have tons of food swirling around us at all times, but we are still starving!
Have you ever wondered why people in other countries with less processed food available to them can eat so infrequently, or eat such low calorie food, and not be starving all the time? Or have you ever had one of those friends who can just eat regular, healthy meals and not worry about stuffing his or her face all day long? It's because they are getting the nutrients they need, and they aren't addicted to unhealthy additives.
When I was in high school, there was a pretty significant period of time when my regular daily diet looked something like this:
-Mountain Dew for breakfast (couldn't live without this!) and maybe a candy bar (but only one that contained nuts, so it was "healthy")
-Bread and cheese for lunch (we would leave campus and go to a local deli and get like a pound of cheese and several rolls and make sandwiches--it was the best thing ever!)
-After school (or, sometimes, if we decided school wasn't working for us that particular day, during school), we would go to my best friend's house and she would make me a big cheesy quesadilla with sour cream
-Maybe another soda and candy bar in the afternoon
-Pizza, or KFC biscuits (not the chicken--I was a vegetarian, for goodness sake!), or pasta for dinner
Now that I've written that down, I can hardly believe that was me. Any one of those things (except maybe the pizza and pasta) would send me into an absolute tailspin in my current life. And I was eating like that literally every day. No fruits, no vegetables, not even any nuts! Nothing healthy or natural. No fiber, very little vitamins, no phytochemicals. But PLENTY of saturated fat, processed white flour, sugar, and artificial colors and flavors.
Compare this to my best friend (the one who made me the quesadillas): she has a totally different body type than I, so it's not a perfect comparison. But she was raised on natural, more healthful foods, and simply didn't have any food addictions. Her mom made her a healthy breakfast every day, she brought vegetables to school to snack on, and she had a healthy dinner with her family every night. She just didn't obsess about food like I did. I remember one specific time, we had taken a impromptu trip to the beach for one night. Of course, I was so excited to visit the vending machine and get some candy to eat in the hotel room--after all, that's what you do in hotels, right? I remember her expression when I asked her what she wanted...she looked a little confused. She said, "I don't want anything. I'm not hungry." I remember thinking that was the craziest thing I'd ever heard--who cares if you're hungry...you can have CANDY!
There was even a brief period of time when I was 14 when I went on a candy bar diet. I knew I wanted to keep my weight under control, but I [obviously] didn't know how to do it. I just felt like I couldn't control myself around food, and all I wanted was sugar and fat (mostly cheese, please). So, I thought, if I just ate 1 candy bar 3 times per day in place of meals, that would be much better. Needless to say, it didn't work, and I didn't feel very great.
Anyway, the bottom line is that I've nursed a sugar addiction my entire life. I've always had a sweet tooth, and I really got to start indulging it when I got old enough to have my own money and buy my own food. The thought of not having any sugar in my diet still scares me a little bit, but I know I can do it if I focus on what's really best for me and makes me feel good.
How Do You Fix It?
Now that I've been eating tons of fruits and vegetables and natural grains and nuts and seeds, I can feel my cravings fading away. I never said: I'm not eating sugar anymore. Or: I'll never have cheese again. I know myself better than that--denying myself something makes me want it more. All I did was develop a healthy eating pattern that is giving my body what it needs, and suddenly sugar doesn't seem all that appealing anymore...most of the time.
Last night, I was home by myself. I didn't really have a plan for dinner, but I knew I wanted to make some soup. So, I made and ate some mushroom and spinach soup. It was delightful and I felt full and satisfied...for about an hour. Knowing I hadn't eaten enough calories, I began searching for something else to eat. I decided on hummus and Triscuits (my guilty pleasure). Then I was full, but I immediately wanted something sweet. Suddenly, I couldn't remember why I wasn't eating sugar. I couldn't remember why it would be wrong to raid the Halloween candy. I didn't care if I had a headache when I woke up in the morning, or if I got incredibly tired and had to go right to bed, or if my pancreas had to work too hard to pump insulin into my bloodstream to counteract the loads of sugar I was about the stuff into my mouth. None of it mattered--all I could think about was how good a handful of M&Ms would taste.
That was a huge eye-opener for me. Isn't the definition of addiction caring more about getting the thing you're addicted to than anything else in the world? If it isn't, it should be. I couldn't talk myself out of the damn M&Ms. So I walked over to the cabinet, and pulled out a bag, and even tore the top a little as I started to open it...then some magical force intervened and I managed to throw it back in the cabinet and grab a mandarin orange from the fruit bowl instead. It was a true miracle! Or maybe I really am becoming a healthier, more thoughtful person. Nah, it was probably a miracle.
(I apologize in advance if your kids trick-or-treat at my house and get the partially opened bag of M&Ms.)
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
6-Week Challenge
I'm reading a book right now called Eat to Live, by Dr.Joel Fuhrman. (http://www.drfuhrman.com/weightloss/why.aspx)
His basic premise is that overweight and most chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure can be reversed permanently with dramatic changes in your nutrition. This is not exactly a revelation, but he argues his case using a lot of science and a lot of statistics which really drive the point home.
He advocates for dramatic change, saying moderation is insufficient to counteract our horrendous eating habits as a society. The basic concepts are this: much less animal protein and animal fat, huge amounts of fruits and vegetables (approximately half cooked and half raw), lots of beans, moderate amounts of nuts and seeds, and small amounts of unprocessed whole grains.
He also says that vegetable oils (canola, olive, etc) are processed and unhealthy, because they are essentially the fat of the vegetable stripped of its natural vessel of fiber and nutrients. This isn't necessarily surprising to me, but is something I definitely hadn't thought about. I was on a quest to get more unsaturated fats into my diet for heart health, and was basically using as much oil in my cooking as I wanted.
One of the points he argues in his book is that there is no such thing as being too thin. He says at several points that the thinner you are, the more healthy you will be. And that most people who feel they've reached their ideal weight are not nearly thin enough. I am obviously not a doctor, so I can't speak to the medical validity of that point, but I think the very concept is a dangerous one. He probably does not have the perspective of a teenage girl agonizing over her body weight and dieting dangerously in the forefront of his consciousness.
Regardless, I am sold on the general idea of a vegan diet free of processed foods and sugars (and I was before I read this book). I feel motivated to take my nutrition to the next level. He challenges the readers to a very strict 6-week introductory period where the diet is very limited and the body goes through a detoxification process. It isn't hugely different from the breakfasts and lunches I already have on a daily basis, but it will mean dramatic changes for my dinnertime routine (and finally completely ridding my diet of sugar).
Basically, you can eat as much as you want--there is no calorie counting or any kind of quantity restrictions--but it must be almost completely plant-derived, and about 75% vegetables and fruits. I am still going to live by my normal rule of doing my best 90% of the time, and letting myself have a break 10% of the time (which he also advocates). It is not what you eat sometimes that makes you healthy; it is what you eat most of the time.
Telling people about it is a much more effective way to commit to something. If you were trying to quit smoking, you wouldn't keep it a secret--you would ask for support. So, I figure I might as well tell everyone and hopefully that will keep me motivated late at night when I'm staring at the Halloween candy in my cabinet and trying to remember why I thought this was a good idea...
I talked to Sydney and Katie about it this morning. Sydney's response was, "Go, Mom!" and Katie said, "Why can't we just all eat like that?" I love my kids!
His basic premise is that overweight and most chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure can be reversed permanently with dramatic changes in your nutrition. This is not exactly a revelation, but he argues his case using a lot of science and a lot of statistics which really drive the point home.
He advocates for dramatic change, saying moderation is insufficient to counteract our horrendous eating habits as a society. The basic concepts are this: much less animal protein and animal fat, huge amounts of fruits and vegetables (approximately half cooked and half raw), lots of beans, moderate amounts of nuts and seeds, and small amounts of unprocessed whole grains.
He also says that vegetable oils (canola, olive, etc) are processed and unhealthy, because they are essentially the fat of the vegetable stripped of its natural vessel of fiber and nutrients. This isn't necessarily surprising to me, but is something I definitely hadn't thought about. I was on a quest to get more unsaturated fats into my diet for heart health, and was basically using as much oil in my cooking as I wanted.
One of the points he argues in his book is that there is no such thing as being too thin. He says at several points that the thinner you are, the more healthy you will be. And that most people who feel they've reached their ideal weight are not nearly thin enough. I am obviously not a doctor, so I can't speak to the medical validity of that point, but I think the very concept is a dangerous one. He probably does not have the perspective of a teenage girl agonizing over her body weight and dieting dangerously in the forefront of his consciousness.
Regardless, I am sold on the general idea of a vegan diet free of processed foods and sugars (and I was before I read this book). I feel motivated to take my nutrition to the next level. He challenges the readers to a very strict 6-week introductory period where the diet is very limited and the body goes through a detoxification process. It isn't hugely different from the breakfasts and lunches I already have on a daily basis, but it will mean dramatic changes for my dinnertime routine (and finally completely ridding my diet of sugar).
Basically, you can eat as much as you want--there is no calorie counting or any kind of quantity restrictions--but it must be almost completely plant-derived, and about 75% vegetables and fruits. I am still going to live by my normal rule of doing my best 90% of the time, and letting myself have a break 10% of the time (which he also advocates). It is not what you eat sometimes that makes you healthy; it is what you eat most of the time.
Telling people about it is a much more effective way to commit to something. If you were trying to quit smoking, you wouldn't keep it a secret--you would ask for support. So, I figure I might as well tell everyone and hopefully that will keep me motivated late at night when I'm staring at the Halloween candy in my cabinet and trying to remember why I thought this was a good idea...
I talked to Sydney and Katie about it this morning. Sydney's response was, "Go, Mom!" and Katie said, "Why can't we just all eat like that?" I love my kids!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Give Your Leftovers a Facelift
In an ideal world, we would have the time, energy, and resources to prepare everything immediately before we eat it from fresh ingredients. Of course, many people can barely find time to eat a meal, much less prepare it themselves, much less from fresh ingredients. I would certainly find it difficult to take a 2-hour lunch break every day to cook fresh meals for myself.
So, we occasionally have to eat leftovers. It's a huge time-saver for me to make more than enough food for dinner, and be able to use it for lunches the next day or even another dinner. I am starting to experiment with ways to revamp the leftovers and turn them into something different so we're not eating the same exact thing for 2 days straight.
Here are some ideas:
1. Make a vegetable stir fry and cook a bunch of rice. For different meals, add different kinds of protein like peanuts, chicken, or tofu. When you heat up the food for a second or third meal, chop up some raw veggies and throw them on top. They add crunch and brightness and life to the leftovers--and help you get the mix of raw and cooked vegetables that many experts say is ideal. Also, don't add flavoring sauces (like soy sauce or teriyaki or sriracha) until right before you eat, so you can personalize each dish and create variety. One final idea is to create fajita filling out of the veggies and toss them in a tortilla for Mexican night.
2. Cook a bunch of pasta and a lot of tomato sauce. Create different meals by adding different things to the sauce. For example, one night could be meat sauce, the next night throw in a cup of pesto, and the third night mix it with some homemade alfredo. You can also make a casserole with the leftover pasta and sauce, and add a bunch of fresh veggies and maybe some italian sausage, and top it with cheese. Lastly, get creative and experiment with spaghetti tacos or spaghetti burritos--for an Italian/Mexican night.
3. Make a big pot of chili full of vegetables. Serve it in the traditional way with biscuits and cheese, onions, and sour cream the first night. For a change, serve it will rice or pasta. A third meal could be nachos with chili on top, or even tacos or burritos filled with chili.
Good luck with your leftovers, friends!
So, we occasionally have to eat leftovers. It's a huge time-saver for me to make more than enough food for dinner, and be able to use it for lunches the next day or even another dinner. I am starting to experiment with ways to revamp the leftovers and turn them into something different so we're not eating the same exact thing for 2 days straight.
Here are some ideas:
1. Make a vegetable stir fry and cook a bunch of rice. For different meals, add different kinds of protein like peanuts, chicken, or tofu. When you heat up the food for a second or third meal, chop up some raw veggies and throw them on top. They add crunch and brightness and life to the leftovers--and help you get the mix of raw and cooked vegetables that many experts say is ideal. Also, don't add flavoring sauces (like soy sauce or teriyaki or sriracha) until right before you eat, so you can personalize each dish and create variety. One final idea is to create fajita filling out of the veggies and toss them in a tortilla for Mexican night.
2. Cook a bunch of pasta and a lot of tomato sauce. Create different meals by adding different things to the sauce. For example, one night could be meat sauce, the next night throw in a cup of pesto, and the third night mix it with some homemade alfredo. You can also make a casserole with the leftover pasta and sauce, and add a bunch of fresh veggies and maybe some italian sausage, and top it with cheese. Lastly, get creative and experiment with spaghetti tacos or spaghetti burritos--for an Italian/Mexican night.
3. Make a big pot of chili full of vegetables. Serve it in the traditional way with biscuits and cheese, onions, and sour cream the first night. For a change, serve it will rice or pasta. A third meal could be nachos with chili on top, or even tacos or burritos filled with chili.
Good luck with your leftovers, friends!
Friday Night...Party Time!
So, my daughters had their long-anticipated Halloween Extravaganza last night (complete with a sleepover). I knew I was going to need to keep my energy up all day, so I made a point to eat especially well yesterday. I had a salad with salmon for lunch (hold the croutons and cheese, please), and then a bowl of vegan chili when I got home. I really felt great and happy and energetic all day.
Then the girls settled down to watch a movie, and the pizza and Halloween candy in the kitchen began to lovingly beckon me. I really felt like I deserved a reward for my hard work. I ate some pizza for dinner, and then I ate about 50% more pizza than I really needed or wanted...just because it was there and I was "cutting loose!" Then Bill started eating little Snickers bars, so of course that means I can eat them, too, right? It is so amazing how we unconsciously enable each other.
The end result was that I went to bed with a headache and tummy ache, and I was incredibly grumpy. The contrast between the way I felt before and after eating that food was measurable. Eating the pizza actually gave me an asthma attack that lasted until this morning.
When I am eating well most of the time, I am much more sensitive to unhealthy foods. And it really highlights for me how bad that food really is. I think when I was eating badly all the time, I just didn't really know what it felt like to feel good...so there was no contrast.
Anyway, hopefully I can recover today and learn from my experience last night. I am really good at teaching myself lessons over and over again, aren't I?
Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
Then the girls settled down to watch a movie, and the pizza and Halloween candy in the kitchen began to lovingly beckon me. I really felt like I deserved a reward for my hard work. I ate some pizza for dinner, and then I ate about 50% more pizza than I really needed or wanted...just because it was there and I was "cutting loose!" Then Bill started eating little Snickers bars, so of course that means I can eat them, too, right? It is so amazing how we unconsciously enable each other.
The end result was that I went to bed with a headache and tummy ache, and I was incredibly grumpy. The contrast between the way I felt before and after eating that food was measurable. Eating the pizza actually gave me an asthma attack that lasted until this morning.
When I am eating well most of the time, I am much more sensitive to unhealthy foods. And it really highlights for me how bad that food really is. I think when I was eating badly all the time, I just didn't really know what it felt like to feel good...so there was no contrast.
Anyway, hopefully I can recover today and learn from my experience last night. I am really good at teaching myself lessons over and over again, aren't I?
Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
Friday, October 25, 2013
"Are You Getting Enough Protein?" ...everyone asks every vegetarian all the time
In our weight-obsessed culture, we spend a lot of time thinking about macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Many recent diets have been based on the theory that eating more or less of any of these three things will lead to miraculous weight loss.
What category do vegetables, fruits, and other plant foods fall into? Most everyone knows fruits are high in natural sugar, so we would classify those as carbs, right? What about lettuce? Is there protein or fat in lettuce or is it all carbs? It may surprise you to learn that romaine lettuce, for example, is 17% protein and an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. An entire head of lettuce only has about 100 calories and 7.7 grams of protein. Other rich sources of plant protein are beans, of course, and asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, watercress, and artichoke. Fun fact: 100 calories of broccoli has 11 grams of protein (along with huge amounts of many other nutrients), and 100 calories of steak only has about 8.
Think about huge, muscular animals like cows, elk, and even some dinosaurs. They are herbivores and only eat plants foods for their entire lives (after being weaned). No one's asking them if they get enough protein. Grains like oats, quinoa, amaranth, and spelt have high protein-to-carb ratios.
Consider nuts and seeds. Peanuts have the highest protein content of any nut, with about 7 grams per ounce. The highest protein containing seeds are pumpkin seeds and pine nuts. Close runners up are almonds, hemp seeds, pistachios, and sunflower seeds (all about 6 grams per ounce). Nuts and seeds also contain hundreds of nutrients and phytochemicals, antioxidants, and fiber.
How Much Is Enough?
Many people are convinced that without huge amounts of protein, we will become weak and lose muscle mass. This is simply not the case. The average person needs somewhere in the range of 50 grams of protein per day. Pregnant and breastfeeding women may need a little more, and endurance athletes may need a little more. The average person in our culture gets plenty of protein on a daily basis. Protein deficiency is only common in underdeveloped countries where there are very limited food sources. For example, one eight-ounce steak has over 50 grams of protein.
Eating too much protein can wreak havoc on your body. It can cause build up of toxins like ammonia in your blood, and is very hard on your liver and kidneys. Your body has to do a lot of work to process and excrete excess protein, and it has been linked with kidney disease. Also, if you are eating too much protein from animal foods, it is likely you are also eating too much fat and cholesterol.
Have a nutty day, friends!
What category do vegetables, fruits, and other plant foods fall into? Most everyone knows fruits are high in natural sugar, so we would classify those as carbs, right? What about lettuce? Is there protein or fat in lettuce or is it all carbs? It may surprise you to learn that romaine lettuce, for example, is 17% protein and an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. An entire head of lettuce only has about 100 calories and 7.7 grams of protein. Other rich sources of plant protein are beans, of course, and asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, watercress, and artichoke. Fun fact: 100 calories of broccoli has 11 grams of protein (along with huge amounts of many other nutrients), and 100 calories of steak only has about 8.
Think about huge, muscular animals like cows, elk, and even some dinosaurs. They are herbivores and only eat plants foods for their entire lives (after being weaned). No one's asking them if they get enough protein. Grains like oats, quinoa, amaranth, and spelt have high protein-to-carb ratios.
Consider nuts and seeds. Peanuts have the highest protein content of any nut, with about 7 grams per ounce. The highest protein containing seeds are pumpkin seeds and pine nuts. Close runners up are almonds, hemp seeds, pistachios, and sunflower seeds (all about 6 grams per ounce). Nuts and seeds also contain hundreds of nutrients and phytochemicals, antioxidants, and fiber.
How Much Is Enough?
Many people are convinced that without huge amounts of protein, we will become weak and lose muscle mass. This is simply not the case. The average person needs somewhere in the range of 50 grams of protein per day. Pregnant and breastfeeding women may need a little more, and endurance athletes may need a little more. The average person in our culture gets plenty of protein on a daily basis. Protein deficiency is only common in underdeveloped countries where there are very limited food sources. For example, one eight-ounce steak has over 50 grams of protein.
Eating too much protein can wreak havoc on your body. It can cause build up of toxins like ammonia in your blood, and is very hard on your liver and kidneys. Your body has to do a lot of work to process and excrete excess protein, and it has been linked with kidney disease. Also, if you are eating too much protein from animal foods, it is likely you are also eating too much fat and cholesterol.
Have a nutty day, friends!
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
You Are A Bright, Colorful, Vibrant Rainbow
What Kind of Energy Are You Getting From Your Food?
I've mentioned before that I completely adhere to the philosophy that You Are What You Eat. The energy of your food becomes your cells and tissues and bones and blood. So, in the most literal sense, you turn into what you eat.
Think about the difference in your energy level when you eat a salad versus when you eat a big greasy burger. Once I started thinking about the process of my body incorporating the energy of that food into every cell I have, I wanted to eat better. I want to be made up of vegetables and fruits and healthy grains and nuts and things that came from the earth. I don't want to be made up of grease and refined sugar (I'm already sweet enough :-) and chemicals and artificial things.
Also, think of the energy that went into creating the food you are eating. Without getting too graphic, we all know that conventionally raised meat and dairy products are the result of an intense and brutal life of suffering for the animals involved. So, that food has the energy of sadness and pain and fear. The energy of plants is much different.
A long time ago, I heard that dogs who are aggressive or anxious by nature should eat less meat protein, because meat protein promotes aggression, and plant-based food promotes calmness. That completely made sense to me when thinking about my dogs, but it took me a long time to apply that concept to my own eating habits. Now, I can really feel the difference in my demeanor depending on what I eat.
Here's an example: when I was a senior in high school, I was vegan. Not for very long, and I probably wasn't very "good" at it (I ate a lot of boca burgers and tortilla chips and not a lot of vegetables), but I did it for about a year. Honestly, I have never felt better. I still think back on that period of time and wish my digestion was in order like back then. I was maintaining a healthy weight and my stomach never hurt. I just felt good.
Since then, over the past 18 years, I have struggled with depression and anxiety and all kinds of digestive issues, not to mention back pain and irregular menstrual cycles and headaches and joint pain. I had the mentality that I was just unlucky...I was one of those people who was fragile and weak and had all kinds of health problems, and I just had to deal with it. After all, I was eating just like everyone else in America, and they all seemed to be fine.
But we're not fine, are we? Many of us are overweight, and cancer and diabetes and cardiovascular disease rates and depression are skyrocketing. I think there are very few people in this society who really know what it feels like to be healthy and feel great. I heard a statistic yesterday that on average, only 5% of the average American's caloric intake comes from fresh fruits and vegetables. Something like 60% comes from processed foods. That struck me as totally insane.
So, yesterday, I challenged myself to have a vegan day (with the exception of fish--because I feel that fish is one of my personal super foods). I didn't make any long term commitments or promises to myself. I just set a goal for one day. I will admit that last night all I wanted was a cheeseburger or toast smothered in butter, but I stuck to my plan and ate healthy vegetables and fruits and nut butters, and a piece of leftover salmon for dinner.
I woke up feeling like a new woman. My stomach felt great and I was full of energy and practically had a smile on my face when I opened my eyes. I honestly feel transformed. I am not saying I will never eat meat or dairy again, but I am definitely re-learning a lesson from 18 years ago about how good I can feel when I nourish my body in the proper way.
This morning, I was inspired to make vegan chili using all the vegetables I have in my house.
It took my about a half hour to put it all together, and it's still simmering right now. It made an enormous amount, and I'm sure it will be plenty for lunches for me for the rest of the week, and maybe a dinner for all of us. And I feel great about it. I loved chopping up all those veggies and feeling like I am setting myself up for good health for the next few days. I was excited while making it. I am just going to say it: vegetables make me happy.
Have a wonderful day, friends!
I've mentioned before that I completely adhere to the philosophy that You Are What You Eat. The energy of your food becomes your cells and tissues and bones and blood. So, in the most literal sense, you turn into what you eat.
Think about the difference in your energy level when you eat a salad versus when you eat a big greasy burger. Once I started thinking about the process of my body incorporating the energy of that food into every cell I have, I wanted to eat better. I want to be made up of vegetables and fruits and healthy grains and nuts and things that came from the earth. I don't want to be made up of grease and refined sugar (I'm already sweet enough :-) and chemicals and artificial things.
Also, think of the energy that went into creating the food you are eating. Without getting too graphic, we all know that conventionally raised meat and dairy products are the result of an intense and brutal life of suffering for the animals involved. So, that food has the energy of sadness and pain and fear. The energy of plants is much different.
A long time ago, I heard that dogs who are aggressive or anxious by nature should eat less meat protein, because meat protein promotes aggression, and plant-based food promotes calmness. That completely made sense to me when thinking about my dogs, but it took me a long time to apply that concept to my own eating habits. Now, I can really feel the difference in my demeanor depending on what I eat.
Here's an example: when I was a senior in high school, I was vegan. Not for very long, and I probably wasn't very "good" at it (I ate a lot of boca burgers and tortilla chips and not a lot of vegetables), but I did it for about a year. Honestly, I have never felt better. I still think back on that period of time and wish my digestion was in order like back then. I was maintaining a healthy weight and my stomach never hurt. I just felt good.
Since then, over the past 18 years, I have struggled with depression and anxiety and all kinds of digestive issues, not to mention back pain and irregular menstrual cycles and headaches and joint pain. I had the mentality that I was just unlucky...I was one of those people who was fragile and weak and had all kinds of health problems, and I just had to deal with it. After all, I was eating just like everyone else in America, and they all seemed to be fine.
But we're not fine, are we? Many of us are overweight, and cancer and diabetes and cardiovascular disease rates and depression are skyrocketing. I think there are very few people in this society who really know what it feels like to be healthy and feel great. I heard a statistic yesterday that on average, only 5% of the average American's caloric intake comes from fresh fruits and vegetables. Something like 60% comes from processed foods. That struck me as totally insane.
So, yesterday, I challenged myself to have a vegan day (with the exception of fish--because I feel that fish is one of my personal super foods). I didn't make any long term commitments or promises to myself. I just set a goal for one day. I will admit that last night all I wanted was a cheeseburger or toast smothered in butter, but I stuck to my plan and ate healthy vegetables and fruits and nut butters, and a piece of leftover salmon for dinner.
I woke up feeling like a new woman. My stomach felt great and I was full of energy and practically had a smile on my face when I opened my eyes. I honestly feel transformed. I am not saying I will never eat meat or dairy again, but I am definitely re-learning a lesson from 18 years ago about how good I can feel when I nourish my body in the proper way.
This morning, I was inspired to make vegan chili using all the vegetables I have in my house.
It took my about a half hour to put it all together, and it's still simmering right now. It made an enormous amount, and I'm sure it will be plenty for lunches for me for the rest of the week, and maybe a dinner for all of us. And I feel great about it. I loved chopping up all those veggies and feeling like I am setting myself up for good health for the next few days. I was excited while making it. I am just going to say it: vegetables make me happy.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Fat Is Great
I grew up in the 80s, when the trend was low-fat, high-carb. I can remember going grocery shopping and picking out prepackaged, sugary cookies and cakes which proudly advertised themselves as "Fat Free!" and thinking I was the picture of healthy eating. Luckily, we have recovered from that trend a bit, but I think fat=bad is still the predominant thinking in our culture.
1. Body fat is not the same thing as dietary fat. Eating fat does not necessarily make you fat. Eating too many calories makes you fat, because your body stores the excess energy that it cannot use immediately. Your body is very efficient at storing excess carbohydrates and sugar as fat.
2. Your entire body needs sufficient amounts of fat to function properly. You need fat for skin health and eye health and brain health. Fat is necessary in order for your body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. You need fat.
3. All fats are not created equal. By now, hopefully you know trans-fats are bad. Really bad. They are human-made, unnatural, artery-clogging, carcinogenic, awful little devils. Trans-fats are present in the form of partially hydrogenated oils, which can be found in packaged baked goods, fast food (some fast food chains cook their foods in giant fryers filled with trans-fats), some margarines, and microwave popcorn. Saturated fats are not as bad as trans-fats, but should be limited. Saturated fat is found predominately in animal foods, and should make up no more than 7% of your total fat intake.
4. Unsaturated fat is good for your health, and you should eat more of it. Of course, your total caloric intake should not be too high, but the health benefits of unsaturated fats are very important. Unsaturated fats can be found in most plant oils, like canola oil, olive oil, avocados, and nut oils. In addition, seafood is an important source of Omega-3 fatty acid which is essential for heart and cardiovascular health, as well as brain and eye development.
In order to avoid bad fats and get enough good fats, the general rules are to eat many plant foods and nuts, lean meats, and seafood. Avoid red meats and fatty animal products like butter and cheese. And most importantly, avoid packaged foods whenever possible. Even if a product says No Trans Fat, it can legally contain up to half a gram of trans fat per serving. That can really add up (the maximum recommended amount for adults is only 2 grams).
Enjoy your healthy eating, friends!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Stop Drinking Milk.
Ok, I'm going to give you a fact about the government-generated nutrition guidelines (food pyramid, My Plate, etc): like all laws and government decisions, they are highly influenced by lobbyists. They require extensive compromise in order to be "approved" by the various politicians (protecting the interest of lobbyists who are giving them money) that are involved in the process. The politicians may consider advice from nutrition experts, but the final product is influenced by many more people--people with a financial stake in the outcome.
So, what are the implications of this? Let's consider milk. Why are we supposed to drink milk? Because the government tells us that it is important for strong bones. It is the drink served exclusively in schools. I have kids tell me proudly that they drink 4-5 glasses of milk every day, because they and their parents are so convinced that it is the key to good health.
Where is the evidence that milk strengthens bones? It doesn't exist. In fact, long-term health studies show that people who drink the most milk throughout their lives have the highest rates of bone fracture later in life. Osteoporosis is virtually unheard of in countries where people don't regularly drink milk.
Why? Milk is acidic. It throws off the pH balance in your body. In order to correct this, your wonderful body needs to find an acid neutralizer to fix the problem before it reaches and causes damage to your kidneys and urinary tract. So, your body voluntarily leaches calcium from your bones in order to neutralize the acidifying milk, resulting in a net loss of calcium after drinking milk.
The dairy people have done an excellent job convincing the American public otherwise. Their "Got Milk?" ad campaign has thoroughly permeated our culture. It is very influential to see all those famous, beautiful, happy, beaming people with milk mustaches, isn't it? It must be good for you. In fact, they have a spiffy website with stylish graphics and a whole new campaign, complete with a female narrator with a foreign accent, to make milk your go-to bedtime drink.
Using our common sense, let's consider the facts of nature. Cows make milk to feed their enormous 100lb calves. Once the calves get old enough, they are weaned from their mother's milk and eat an exclusively vegetarian diet rich in nutrients and calcium (in an ideal world, of course; these days factory farms feed cows all manner of unhealthy and unnatural things to fatten them faster). Like cows, human babies drink their mother's milk and then are weaned, and under natural conditions would not ever consume milk again in their lives.
Why are so many people lactose-intolerant...not just individuals, but entire cultures and races of people? Because humans are not supposed to drink milk after they are weaned as babies. That is a fact.
In addition to leaching calcium from our bones, milk also contains an enormous amount of sugar and is high in calories. It is not a health beverage. Also, in our current factory farming climate, milk is just chocked full of chemicals and steroids and hormones that are extremely detrimental to health, particularly the health of the vulnerable children who are guzzling so much of it.
What is the alternative? Almond milk is a great option. It has twice the calcium of cow's milk, and contains many more important nutrients like potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin A, and iron. It is also low in fat, cholesterol-free, low in sodium, and low on the glycemic index. And it's mildly alkaline. I find almond milk to be much richer and pleasant-tasting than soy or rice milk (it is less processed than these options, also--it is made by simply blending almonds with water and salt). It is also very easy to obtain--I see it in every grocery store and "big box" store in the area. And it's vegetarian, and cruelty-free.
So, drink your [almond] milk, friends!
So, what are the implications of this? Let's consider milk. Why are we supposed to drink milk? Because the government tells us that it is important for strong bones. It is the drink served exclusively in schools. I have kids tell me proudly that they drink 4-5 glasses of milk every day, because they and their parents are so convinced that it is the key to good health.
Where is the evidence that milk strengthens bones? It doesn't exist. In fact, long-term health studies show that people who drink the most milk throughout their lives have the highest rates of bone fracture later in life. Osteoporosis is virtually unheard of in countries where people don't regularly drink milk.
Why? Milk is acidic. It throws off the pH balance in your body. In order to correct this, your wonderful body needs to find an acid neutralizer to fix the problem before it reaches and causes damage to your kidneys and urinary tract. So, your body voluntarily leaches calcium from your bones in order to neutralize the acidifying milk, resulting in a net loss of calcium after drinking milk.
The dairy people have done an excellent job convincing the American public otherwise. Their "Got Milk?" ad campaign has thoroughly permeated our culture. It is very influential to see all those famous, beautiful, happy, beaming people with milk mustaches, isn't it? It must be good for you. In fact, they have a spiffy website with stylish graphics and a whole new campaign, complete with a female narrator with a foreign accent, to make milk your go-to bedtime drink.
Using our common sense, let's consider the facts of nature. Cows make milk to feed their enormous 100lb calves. Once the calves get old enough, they are weaned from their mother's milk and eat an exclusively vegetarian diet rich in nutrients and calcium (in an ideal world, of course; these days factory farms feed cows all manner of unhealthy and unnatural things to fatten them faster). Like cows, human babies drink their mother's milk and then are weaned, and under natural conditions would not ever consume milk again in their lives.
Why are so many people lactose-intolerant...not just individuals, but entire cultures and races of people? Because humans are not supposed to drink milk after they are weaned as babies. That is a fact.
In addition to leaching calcium from our bones, milk also contains an enormous amount of sugar and is high in calories. It is not a health beverage. Also, in our current factory farming climate, milk is just chocked full of chemicals and steroids and hormones that are extremely detrimental to health, particularly the health of the vulnerable children who are guzzling so much of it.
What is the alternative? Almond milk is a great option. It has twice the calcium of cow's milk, and contains many more important nutrients like potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, vitamin A, and iron. It is also low in fat, cholesterol-free, low in sodium, and low on the glycemic index. And it's mildly alkaline. I find almond milk to be much richer and pleasant-tasting than soy or rice milk (it is less processed than these options, also--it is made by simply blending almonds with water and salt). It is also very easy to obtain--I see it in every grocery store and "big box" store in the area. And it's vegetarian, and cruelty-free.
So, drink your [almond] milk, friends!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Someone Just Tell Me What To Do!
Do you feel overwhelmed by the amount of [conflicting] information about health and weight loss? We get so many messages every day from friends and the media about what to eat and how to exercise. I used to find myself just wishing someone would tell me what to do, because I constantly felt like I was guessing.
Low carb, high protein, low fat, all organic, nothing white, nothing after 6pm, fast 2 days a week, only eating prepackaged foods delivered to your house?! What's the best way?
First of all, be highly skeptical of the claims of anyone who stands to make money on your health choices. If a company is telling you that their product or their food is the key to health and wellness, you cannot trust what they are saying because they are simply a business trying to make money and your best interest is not their priority.
Second of all, listen to your body. What makes you feel good? Figure out how much exercise energizes you and makes you happy, rather than exhausting you and making you grumpy. Experiment with different types of diets to see which one works best for you (and by "diet," I mean way of eating, not Atkins Vs. Weight Watchers). Some people thrive on a mostly vegetarian diet (me!), and some people require more meat to be satisfied (my husband!).
Thirdly, use your common sense. You know prepackaged foods with artificial colors and flavors are not good for you. You know eating McDonald's does not support your long term health. You know you should be eating more vegetables and fish and less red meat and fried foods. None of this is particularly mysterious.
Lastly, find support. Reach out to friends or a personal trainer or health coach or your spouse and tell them your goals. Ask for help. Formulate a plan to incorporate more healthy choices into your life, and get your family involved. Long term change is not easy or immediate, and you'll need help remembering your priorities to make new habits.
Beginner Cheat Sheet
The fact of the matter is that while we are all individuals with unique needs, there are some basic changes that will improve everyone's health. Incorporate the following steps into your life at a rate you feel comfortable, and in whatever order strikes your fancy. You will feel better and be healthier...I promise!
1. Drink more water, and try to make water the only thing you drink. The more you have, the more you will want.
2. Get some exercise every day. For some people that means a 5-mile run, but for others that means a 20-minute walk. Don't compare yourself with others--do what is right for you. Different body types really do require different levels of rigor when it comes to exercise. If you're short on time, do something for 15 minutes in the morning, and then again in the evening. You know you have 15 extra minutes.
3. Make half of what you eat every day be vegetables and fruit (70% vegetables, 30% fruit). In the beginning, don't even worry about what else you eat as long as you are maintaining this ratio. You will naturally crowd out other, unhealthy foods as you move toward this goal.
4. Take a multi-vitamin every day.
5. Eat closer to the source, and organic whenever possible. Think about how far the food you are eating had to come, and how many things had to be done to it, to get it in the form in which you are eating it. The fewer steps, the better.
Best of luck, friends!
Low carb, high protein, low fat, all organic, nothing white, nothing after 6pm, fast 2 days a week, only eating prepackaged foods delivered to your house?! What's the best way?
First of all, be highly skeptical of the claims of anyone who stands to make money on your health choices. If a company is telling you that their product or their food is the key to health and wellness, you cannot trust what they are saying because they are simply a business trying to make money and your best interest is not their priority.
Second of all, listen to your body. What makes you feel good? Figure out how much exercise energizes you and makes you happy, rather than exhausting you and making you grumpy. Experiment with different types of diets to see which one works best for you (and by "diet," I mean way of eating, not Atkins Vs. Weight Watchers). Some people thrive on a mostly vegetarian diet (me!), and some people require more meat to be satisfied (my husband!).
Thirdly, use your common sense. You know prepackaged foods with artificial colors and flavors are not good for you. You know eating McDonald's does not support your long term health. You know you should be eating more vegetables and fish and less red meat and fried foods. None of this is particularly mysterious.
Lastly, find support. Reach out to friends or a personal trainer or health coach or your spouse and tell them your goals. Ask for help. Formulate a plan to incorporate more healthy choices into your life, and get your family involved. Long term change is not easy or immediate, and you'll need help remembering your priorities to make new habits.
Beginner Cheat Sheet
The fact of the matter is that while we are all individuals with unique needs, there are some basic changes that will improve everyone's health. Incorporate the following steps into your life at a rate you feel comfortable, and in whatever order strikes your fancy. You will feel better and be healthier...I promise!
1. Drink more water, and try to make water the only thing you drink. The more you have, the more you will want.
2. Get some exercise every day. For some people that means a 5-mile run, but for others that means a 20-minute walk. Don't compare yourself with others--do what is right for you. Different body types really do require different levels of rigor when it comes to exercise. If you're short on time, do something for 15 minutes in the morning, and then again in the evening. You know you have 15 extra minutes.
3. Make half of what you eat every day be vegetables and fruit (70% vegetables, 30% fruit). In the beginning, don't even worry about what else you eat as long as you are maintaining this ratio. You will naturally crowd out other, unhealthy foods as you move toward this goal.
4. Take a multi-vitamin every day.
5. Eat closer to the source, and organic whenever possible. Think about how far the food you are eating had to come, and how many things had to be done to it, to get it in the form in which you are eating it. The fewer steps, the better.
Best of luck, friends!
Friday, October 18, 2013
The Skinny on Self-Love
By now you probably know that I feel strongly about respecting individual body types, and not expecting everyone to be the same shape or size. People can be super healthy and be overweight, and people can be super skinny and super unhealthy. However, we cannot ignore the fact that there are many inherent health problems that go along with being overweight and obese. In fact, scientists are now saying that obesity is as much of a risk factor for cancer as tobacco use! That's a pretty sobering statement.
Losing weight and changing eating habits is not easy. All kinds of social traditions are woven throughout our eating habits, and people often use food as a palliative drug to mask emotional issues. It is not simply a physical act of putting food into your mouth.
I am convinced that the reason people "fail" on diets is because they are unrealistically restrictive. You are not going to eat 1200 calories a day for the rest of your life, or through the holidays. You are not going to go to the gym every day for the rest of your life. You are not going to eat only pre-packaged brand name diet foods for the rest of your life (thank goodness!). And once you blow it, you feel like you've failed (again) and go completely off the program.
It's much easier, and more realistic, and healthier to make subtle changes that you can stick with for the long-term. Change your mindset about eating and health and exercise. Don't set yourself up for failure by making unrealistic rules and unattainable goals for yourself.
We have completely bought into the "Lose 20 Pounds in 20 Days" mentality that the multi-billion dollar diet industry is selling us. Their promises are so alluring...it's hard not to get sucked in. Their programs might be successful for the short-term, but as we all know, you can't live that way forever and inevitably you will go off the program and gain back what you lost, plus more in most cases.
Diets also don't teach you anything about the way to be healthy and nourish yourself. They only teach you how to lose weight, and only for a short period of time. Once you don't follow those restrictions and rules anymore, there's nothing to fall back on, because you haven't learned anything or changed your mindset...or dealt with the emotional issues that may have contributed to your overeating in the first place.
If you are overweight or unhappy with your body, chances are you've spent a long time and a lot of energy criticizing and critiquing yourself. You know what it feels like to check the mirror a hundred times a day to make sure you don't look too fat, or to avoid mirrors altogether because you can't stand the way you look. Or to be constantly wondering what people think of you or whether the clothes you are wearing are flattering. Or to hide, or even lie about, your actual weight for fear people will find out how fat you really are. Can you imagine how it would feel to be free from that burden? To feel confident all the time, and not worry about how you look? To a lot of people, especially women, this might sound like a completely foreign concept.
I'm going to tell you a secret: everyone knows what you look like. This might seem obvious, but when I realized this and really thought about it, it was incredibly liberating! Oh, you mean I'm not fooling anyone when I wear baggy sweatshirts or tell people I'm actually 30 pounds lighter than I really am?! Oh, and people still love me and want to be friends with me and think I'm smart?! Now I can just be myself!
Once you start loving and respecting yourself, you will be more beautiful. Confident people glow. And I promise you: 99% of the people you come into contact with on a daily basis could not care less about how much you weigh.
Health comes from, and creates, love. Loving yourself and respecting yourself and being calm and happy with the body in which you were born is step 1 in losing weight and being healthy for the long term. It is impossible to have good health when you are berating yourself or hating yourself. And once you really begin to love yourself and your body, you want to take better care of yourself. It's not difficult or painful to be healthy.
Losing weight and changing eating habits is not easy. All kinds of social traditions are woven throughout our eating habits, and people often use food as a palliative drug to mask emotional issues. It is not simply a physical act of putting food into your mouth.
I am convinced that the reason people "fail" on diets is because they are unrealistically restrictive. You are not going to eat 1200 calories a day for the rest of your life, or through the holidays. You are not going to go to the gym every day for the rest of your life. You are not going to eat only pre-packaged brand name diet foods for the rest of your life (thank goodness!). And once you blow it, you feel like you've failed (again) and go completely off the program.
It's much easier, and more realistic, and healthier to make subtle changes that you can stick with for the long-term. Change your mindset about eating and health and exercise. Don't set yourself up for failure by making unrealistic rules and unattainable goals for yourself.
We have completely bought into the "Lose 20 Pounds in 20 Days" mentality that the multi-billion dollar diet industry is selling us. Their promises are so alluring...it's hard not to get sucked in. Their programs might be successful for the short-term, but as we all know, you can't live that way forever and inevitably you will go off the program and gain back what you lost, plus more in most cases.
Diets also don't teach you anything about the way to be healthy and nourish yourself. They only teach you how to lose weight, and only for a short period of time. Once you don't follow those restrictions and rules anymore, there's nothing to fall back on, because you haven't learned anything or changed your mindset...or dealt with the emotional issues that may have contributed to your overeating in the first place.
If you are overweight or unhappy with your body, chances are you've spent a long time and a lot of energy criticizing and critiquing yourself. You know what it feels like to check the mirror a hundred times a day to make sure you don't look too fat, or to avoid mirrors altogether because you can't stand the way you look. Or to be constantly wondering what people think of you or whether the clothes you are wearing are flattering. Or to hide, or even lie about, your actual weight for fear people will find out how fat you really are. Can you imagine how it would feel to be free from that burden? To feel confident all the time, and not worry about how you look? To a lot of people, especially women, this might sound like a completely foreign concept.
I'm going to tell you a secret: everyone knows what you look like. This might seem obvious, but when I realized this and really thought about it, it was incredibly liberating! Oh, you mean I'm not fooling anyone when I wear baggy sweatshirts or tell people I'm actually 30 pounds lighter than I really am?! Oh, and people still love me and want to be friends with me and think I'm smart?! Now I can just be myself!
Once you start loving and respecting yourself, you will be more beautiful. Confident people glow. And I promise you: 99% of the people you come into contact with on a daily basis could not care less about how much you weigh.
Health comes from, and creates, love. Loving yourself and respecting yourself and being calm and happy with the body in which you were born is step 1 in losing weight and being healthy for the long term. It is impossible to have good health when you are berating yourself or hating yourself. And once you really begin to love yourself and your body, you want to take better care of yourself. It's not difficult or painful to be healthy.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Enjoy Your Butter, Cheese, and Chocolate
These are my three favorite things (wait, I mean foods...) in the world: butter, cheese, and chocolate. I really crave them on a regular basis. I used to have the attitude that these things were supposed to be on the No-No list. I mean, they really have no nutritional benefits and are loaded with saturated fat. I guess you could argue that chocolate has some antioxidant benefits...but not the type that I crave. I am not craving dark, organic, pure chocolate. I want Hersheys. Isn't that awful? I want M&Ms and Hershey Bars with almonds. It's my dirty little secret.
So, in my efforts to be healthier, I tried really hard not to eat these things. I made silent promises to myself that I would not eat any chocolate, and stop cooking with butter, and avoid all cheese. The end result was that I would just eat everything else in the house in my efforts to avoid these naughty items. And I realized I was probably eating far more calories trying to avoid these things than if I had just had indulged a little.
Tonight, I was tired and hungry, as usual. All I wanted was potato skins loaded with cheese, and beer, and Hershey bars.
So I made eggplant...bitterly. I don't like eggplant at all. I have never liked it. I carefully cut it up, and salted it (to get the evil out), and breaded it, and fried it. It actually tasted pretty good...but made me feel awful. I immediately got a stomach ache and headache. So I stopped eating that.
Then I realized what I really wanted was this fabulous cheese I have, and some organic grapes, and organic apple slices, with a glass of wine. Why not? The kids weren't here, and Bill was at work. SO...I fixed myself a hearty plate of cheese slices and yummy sweet grapes and tart apple slices, and washed it all down with a glass of local fruit wine. And you know what? I felt fabulous. My whole body relaxed and I was energetic and happy.
And I learned an important lesson--that attitude you have about your food is very important. Feeling happy and excited about the food you are eating is as important as the nutritional benefits. So, while it wasn't potato skins and beer, the cheese plate and wine was my perfect indulgence for tonight and I feel fantastic about eating it. I actually feel a little excited just remembering how happy it made me. That counts for quite a lot.
Enjoy your life, friends!
So, in my efforts to be healthier, I tried really hard not to eat these things. I made silent promises to myself that I would not eat any chocolate, and stop cooking with butter, and avoid all cheese. The end result was that I would just eat everything else in the house in my efforts to avoid these naughty items. And I realized I was probably eating far more calories trying to avoid these things than if I had just had indulged a little.
Tonight, I was tired and hungry, as usual. All I wanted was potato skins loaded with cheese, and beer, and Hershey bars.
So I made eggplant...bitterly. I don't like eggplant at all. I have never liked it. I carefully cut it up, and salted it (to get the evil out), and breaded it, and fried it. It actually tasted pretty good...but made me feel awful. I immediately got a stomach ache and headache. So I stopped eating that.
Then I realized what I really wanted was this fabulous cheese I have, and some organic grapes, and organic apple slices, with a glass of wine. Why not? The kids weren't here, and Bill was at work. SO...I fixed myself a hearty plate of cheese slices and yummy sweet grapes and tart apple slices, and washed it all down with a glass of local fruit wine. And you know what? I felt fabulous. My whole body relaxed and I was energetic and happy.
And I learned an important lesson--that attitude you have about your food is very important. Feeling happy and excited about the food you are eating is as important as the nutritional benefits. So, while it wasn't potato skins and beer, the cheese plate and wine was my perfect indulgence for tonight and I feel fantastic about eating it. I actually feel a little excited just remembering how happy it made me. That counts for quite a lot.
Enjoy your life, friends!
What's Up With Sports Drinks?
I wonder if I'm the only one who cringes when I see well-meaning athletes guzzling huge amounts of neon green sports drinks after a hard workout. I know we need to replenish fluids and electrolytes after excessive sweating or other dehydrating activities (like drinking alcohol), but do we really need to compromise other aspects of our health in the process?
Can you imagine what shady characters had to be added to sports drinks to get those bright colors? And fruity flavors--when they contain NO fruit juice? Not to mention the huge amounts of sugar necessary to make it taste good. I don't really care to explore the details, but my common sense tells me that commercial sports drinks should be avoided.
So, the primary electrolytes we need to pay attention to after exercising are potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. By the way, for workouts up to an hour, or on cooler days when there is not as much sweating going on, plain water is perfectly acceptable for hydration. Our bodies are adapted for exercise and sweating, so we need not panic and think we are going to die if we don't have some expensive sports drink on hand at all times.
I do need to replenish electrolytes after exercising because I sweat like some kind of farm animal once I get warmed up. Guess what the highest electrolyte-containing citrus fruit is? That's right...lemon. So, if you're having lemon water every day, you're on the right track.
Here are two simple recipes for totally natural "sports drinks" you can make at home, using ingredients you probably already have:
juice of a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon of maple syrup (of course, this means real maple syrup...don't even get me started on those "pancake syrups" you get at the grocery store)
(This next one closely resembles my morning smoothies...coincidence? Probably not.)
1 cup Almond milk
Handful of Kale
1 Banana
Enjoy this with a handful of almonds or peanuts, and your post-workout nutrition is complete.
Short on time? Grab a coconut water. It's easy to find now that it's popularity has exploded (be sure to get the plain kind with no added sugar or flavorings). It's a natural electrolyte boost and prevents muscle cramping.
Happy Exercising, friends!
Can you imagine what shady characters had to be added to sports drinks to get those bright colors? And fruity flavors--when they contain NO fruit juice? Not to mention the huge amounts of sugar necessary to make it taste good. I don't really care to explore the details, but my common sense tells me that commercial sports drinks should be avoided.
So, the primary electrolytes we need to pay attention to after exercising are potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. By the way, for workouts up to an hour, or on cooler days when there is not as much sweating going on, plain water is perfectly acceptable for hydration. Our bodies are adapted for exercise and sweating, so we need not panic and think we are going to die if we don't have some expensive sports drink on hand at all times.
I do need to replenish electrolytes after exercising because I sweat like some kind of farm animal once I get warmed up. Guess what the highest electrolyte-containing citrus fruit is? That's right...lemon. So, if you're having lemon water every day, you're on the right track.
Here are two simple recipes for totally natural "sports drinks" you can make at home, using ingredients you probably already have:
juice of a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
teaspoon of maple syrup (of course, this means real maple syrup...don't even get me started on those "pancake syrups" you get at the grocery store)
(This next one closely resembles my morning smoothies...coincidence? Probably not.)
1 cup Almond milk
Handful of Kale
1 Banana
Enjoy this with a handful of almonds or peanuts, and your post-workout nutrition is complete.
Short on time? Grab a coconut water. It's easy to find now that it's popularity has exploded (be sure to get the plain kind with no added sugar or flavorings). It's a natural electrolyte boost and prevents muscle cramping.
Happy Exercising, friends!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Fony Food, or Phony Phood
I coach Girls on the Run at my daughters' school. You can imagine my delight when I was reviewing the curriculum for one of last week's meetings, and saw that it was about nutrition and healthy eating. Turns out I have a lot more to say about that particular subject than they want to hear, and, as my mom would say, they finished listening long before I finished talking.
Regardless, I was able to get the conversation flowing with a little visualization exercise. I asked the girls to close their eyes, and imagine someone who lived in this country 200 years ago. Whether it was a native American, or a well-dressed politician, or a rural farmer wearing overalls. Then, I told them to picture that person walking into one of our modern-day grocery stores, and then trying to find something to eat. What sections of the store would look familiar to him or her? What would be confusing or totally foreign?
All the girls immediately knew that the produce section, the dairy section (including eggs), the bakery, and the meat counter would be where this person would shop. I asked them to picture their historical person's reaction when going down the Hawaiian Punch aisle, or the Oreo aisle. Would these "foods" make sense to their person? What would they think about goldfish crackers, or blue colored fruit punch?
I made the bold statement that those types of processed foods are made up, make-believe. At one point, long ago, their basic ingredients were food, but they have been so manipulated and artificialized that they barely resemble food in their finished state. I told the girls that these foods were created in laboratories by "food scientists" with beakers and scales and chemicals. Their eyes got wide and they stared at me in disbelief. It was abundantly clear that this was very new information, and these young ladies had never thought about the source of their food.
And that's probably true for the vast majority of Americans...particularly of my generation and younger. We were raised on packaged, processed, chemicalized food, and have never given a thought to what that really means.
Take the basic premise of You Are What You Eat and apply that to everything you consume. Produce is crisp, fresh, vibrant, colorful, nourishing. I want to be crisp, fresh, vibrant, colorful, and nourishing. That kind of food comes directly from the earth, and it is perfect for us to eat.
Think about how many steps it took for the food you are eating to get from the earth to your mouth, and how much it has changed since being in the earth. How long does an Oreo take to get from the earth to your mouth? At some point, there was some natural wheat involved, but many, many unhealthy ingredients and many, many steps were required to get it to the grocery store shelf. The process involved huge metal machines in huge warehouses and lots of transportation on trucks and being handled by many different people. I am thinking from wheat to Oreo is a least 50 different steps.
On the other hand, think about going to the Farmer's Market and buying a squash, and purchasing a piece of fish from the local fishmonger. These things may have been handled by two or three people before they got to you. And you can take them directly home and cook them in a simple way and be nourished by their natural state and freshness. It's a huge difference.
My mom came over last night and we decided to roast some butternut squash as our vegetable. I was a little nervous about how my girls would react to that, since I had never served it "naked" before. All it had on it was a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Both of my little ladies asked for seconds. Score!
Have a beautiful Monday!
Regardless, I was able to get the conversation flowing with a little visualization exercise. I asked the girls to close their eyes, and imagine someone who lived in this country 200 years ago. Whether it was a native American, or a well-dressed politician, or a rural farmer wearing overalls. Then, I told them to picture that person walking into one of our modern-day grocery stores, and then trying to find something to eat. What sections of the store would look familiar to him or her? What would be confusing or totally foreign?
All the girls immediately knew that the produce section, the dairy section (including eggs), the bakery, and the meat counter would be where this person would shop. I asked them to picture their historical person's reaction when going down the Hawaiian Punch aisle, or the Oreo aisle. Would these "foods" make sense to their person? What would they think about goldfish crackers, or blue colored fruit punch?
I made the bold statement that those types of processed foods are made up, make-believe. At one point, long ago, their basic ingredients were food, but they have been so manipulated and artificialized that they barely resemble food in their finished state. I told the girls that these foods were created in laboratories by "food scientists" with beakers and scales and chemicals. Their eyes got wide and they stared at me in disbelief. It was abundantly clear that this was very new information, and these young ladies had never thought about the source of their food.
And that's probably true for the vast majority of Americans...particularly of my generation and younger. We were raised on packaged, processed, chemicalized food, and have never given a thought to what that really means.
Take the basic premise of You Are What You Eat and apply that to everything you consume. Produce is crisp, fresh, vibrant, colorful, nourishing. I want to be crisp, fresh, vibrant, colorful, and nourishing. That kind of food comes directly from the earth, and it is perfect for us to eat.
Think about how many steps it took for the food you are eating to get from the earth to your mouth, and how much it has changed since being in the earth. How long does an Oreo take to get from the earth to your mouth? At some point, there was some natural wheat involved, but many, many unhealthy ingredients and many, many steps were required to get it to the grocery store shelf. The process involved huge metal machines in huge warehouses and lots of transportation on trucks and being handled by many different people. I am thinking from wheat to Oreo is a least 50 different steps.
On the other hand, think about going to the Farmer's Market and buying a squash, and purchasing a piece of fish from the local fishmonger. These things may have been handled by two or three people before they got to you. And you can take them directly home and cook them in a simple way and be nourished by their natural state and freshness. It's a huge difference.
My mom came over last night and we decided to roast some butternut squash as our vegetable. I was a little nervous about how my girls would react to that, since I had never served it "naked" before. All it had on it was a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Both of my little ladies asked for seconds. Score!
Have a beautiful Monday!
Friday, October 11, 2013
Making Lemonade Out of Lemons
In the not so distance past, I used to always ask for water with "no lemon" because I didn't like the taste in my water. Then I read one little article about the health benefits of lemon, and I was sold.
I started squeezing an entire lemon into a cup of water each morning, and drinking it on an empty stomach. This routine has provided amazing benefits in the way I feel each day. It is cleansing and hydrating, and I really feel that it boosts my energy. I buy lemons in bulk in those mesh bags in the produce department. They are smaller and much juicier than the big shiny lemons you buy individually. I go through a bag per week.
Some people prefer warm water with lemon in the morning, but I drink it cold as a post-exercise refresher.
We tend to think of lemon as a garnish, but, like parsley, it is a garnish with amazing health benefits! Lemons contain fiber, calcium, huge amounts of vitamin C, iron, vitamin B6, potassium, folate, and even some Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Check out these fun facts:
-Lemons can be used in a whole host of beauty routines, including highlights in hair, nail strengthening, treating dandruff, and clearing up acne (literally rub a cut lemon all over your face!)
-Lemon is a natural liver cleanser and digestive aid
-Lemons are naturally antibacterial
-Lemons can protect against intestinal parasites
-Lemons help reduce gallstones and kidney stones
-Lemons have a host of anti-cancer properties
-Lemons help strengthen your blood vessels
This past summer, my girls wanted to have a lemonade stand. This requires hours of me squeezing lemons and making simple syrup and mixing huge quantities of lemonade in my kitchen...so naturally I procrastinated as long as possible. The dreaded day finally came, and one of my neighbors came over to buy a cup.
I happened to be outside refilling their supply, and the neighbor said to me, "This tastes great! What brand is it?"
I said, "I made it."
And she said, "I know, but from what mix?"
God's mix, lady!
Have a happy, lemony day!
I started squeezing an entire lemon into a cup of water each morning, and drinking it on an empty stomach. This routine has provided amazing benefits in the way I feel each day. It is cleansing and hydrating, and I really feel that it boosts my energy. I buy lemons in bulk in those mesh bags in the produce department. They are smaller and much juicier than the big shiny lemons you buy individually. I go through a bag per week.
Some people prefer warm water with lemon in the morning, but I drink it cold as a post-exercise refresher.
We tend to think of lemon as a garnish, but, like parsley, it is a garnish with amazing health benefits! Lemons contain fiber, calcium, huge amounts of vitamin C, iron, vitamin B6, potassium, folate, and even some Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Check out these fun facts:
-Lemons can be used in a whole host of beauty routines, including highlights in hair, nail strengthening, treating dandruff, and clearing up acne (literally rub a cut lemon all over your face!)
-Lemon is a natural liver cleanser and digestive aid
-Lemons are naturally antibacterial
-Lemons can protect against intestinal parasites
-Lemons help reduce gallstones and kidney stones
-Lemons have a host of anti-cancer properties
-Lemons help strengthen your blood vessels
This past summer, my girls wanted to have a lemonade stand. This requires hours of me squeezing lemons and making simple syrup and mixing huge quantities of lemonade in my kitchen...so naturally I procrastinated as long as possible. The dreaded day finally came, and one of my neighbors came over to buy a cup.
I happened to be outside refilling their supply, and the neighbor said to me, "This tastes great! What brand is it?"
I said, "I made it."
And she said, "I know, but from what mix?"
God's mix, lady!
Have a happy, lemony day!
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Results of Week-Long Focus on Healthy Evenings (see: Confessions)
Good morning! It's been a week since I wrote my Confessions post, in which I admitted to my secret evening demons. I was overeating and occasionally drinking too much beer on a regular basis. It was commonplace for me to snack up until I went to bed, and eat far too much sugar. I outlined some action steps to curb this behavior, which included eating a large, healthy snack in the afternoon so I didn't get too hungry at night, taking some time to focus and decompress after my long day (yoga), and planning and eating a healthy, early dinner.
The first night was picture-perfect--healthy, vegetarian dinner, long walk, no alcohol, in bed by 9. The other nights, I did a fairly good job. Much different than what I was doing before, at least. I did yoga probably 5 of the nights, and did eat a healthy early dinner all the nights except one. And I managed the substantial healthy snack every day.
This made a huge difference in the way I felt at night, and also how I felt in the morning. I went to bed every night feeling calm and peaceful, and woke up feeling well-rested and healthy, not to mention proud. Remembering how good I would feel in the morning was a huge motivation for me when I was feeling weak at night. It would be easy to feel like I was making a lot of sacrifices, but I was really figuring out a way to serve my whole self better.
Oh, and I lost 5 pounds.
I also learned an important lesson: we beat ourselves up too much. We are our own worst critics, but we should be our own best cheerleaders. I had a problem in my life, and it took me years to figure out that I could just sit down and work out a solution. Outline some steps and follow them. I was criticizing myself over and over again, rather than helping myself get to a better place. Would I ever do this to my kids? Or my coworkers? Or my husband? No way! So, why is it ok to treat myself badly? It isn't!
So this exercise in trying to remedy a specific problem in my life really became a lesson in self-love. Treat yourself the best you can. When you eat healthier or exercise more or focus on your spiritual life, you are helping yourself. So many people think of it as punishment. Think of it as doing yourself a favor...treating your body and your mind the best you can.
Have a beautiful rainy Thursday morning!
The first night was picture-perfect--healthy, vegetarian dinner, long walk, no alcohol, in bed by 9. The other nights, I did a fairly good job. Much different than what I was doing before, at least. I did yoga probably 5 of the nights, and did eat a healthy early dinner all the nights except one. And I managed the substantial healthy snack every day.
This made a huge difference in the way I felt at night, and also how I felt in the morning. I went to bed every night feeling calm and peaceful, and woke up feeling well-rested and healthy, not to mention proud. Remembering how good I would feel in the morning was a huge motivation for me when I was feeling weak at night. It would be easy to feel like I was making a lot of sacrifices, but I was really figuring out a way to serve my whole self better.
Oh, and I lost 5 pounds.
I also learned an important lesson: we beat ourselves up too much. We are our own worst critics, but we should be our own best cheerleaders. I had a problem in my life, and it took me years to figure out that I could just sit down and work out a solution. Outline some steps and follow them. I was criticizing myself over and over again, rather than helping myself get to a better place. Would I ever do this to my kids? Or my coworkers? Or my husband? No way! So, why is it ok to treat myself badly? It isn't!
So this exercise in trying to remedy a specific problem in my life really became a lesson in self-love. Treat yourself the best you can. When you eat healthier or exercise more or focus on your spiritual life, you are helping yourself. So many people think of it as punishment. Think of it as doing yourself a favor...treating your body and your mind the best you can.
Have a beautiful rainy Thursday morning!
Break All the Rules; Better Yet, Don't Have Rules!
I am thinking about that hilarious Little Caesar's commercial:
"There are no rules!"
"Put your shirt back on!"
"There's one rule!"
Anyway, there seems be a lot of rules when it comes to healthy living.
-No sugar
-No trans fat
-No saturated fat
-No while flour
-No red meat
-No artificial sweeteners or colors
-No preservatives
-No eating after 7pm
-No alcohol
-No pizza
-Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes every day
What really matters? What rules do we have to follow? What happens when we break the rules?
People who are focused on their health really want to do the right thing. And it's so much easier when we have guidelines. That's the whole premise of a diet--do these things, and you will lose weight. However, most people find it very hard to stick to those rules. Personally, I feel that I mentally rebel when I'm told (or tell myself) that I can't do or eat something.
Supposed you wanted health advice, and you came to me and asked for help. How would you feel if I said, "You are never allowed to eat chocolate again," or "You are never allowed to drink beer again." Or red meat, or wine, or cheese. Whatever you love...you can't have it anymore. My guess is, you would either politely tell me to go to hell, or you would adhere to my restrictive way of eating for a couple of day or weeks, but then eventually succumb to your cravings and go back to square one.
Wouldn't it be totally different if I said, "Try to only eat red meat twice a week," or "Chocolate is ok, but keep it to an ounce or two of high quality organic chocolate, and not every day." And, "You really should exercise as much as you can, even if that's only a 20-minute walk after dinner most days of the week." Or even, "Do the best you can five days a week, and do whatever you want on the other two days."
It's the difference between making restrictions, and finding a way of living that you can stick with for the rest of your life. I personally don't have any rules for myself. My guidelines for health are only doing what makes me feel my best and cutting myself some slack when I need to relax a little. I eat red meat, and I eat chocolate, and drink beer. But not too much. Five nights of the week, I am cooking healthy meals at home and doing my best to avoid sweets and get to bed early. When Bill wants to go get a burger and have a few beers, I do that too.
There is a huge difference between saying, "I'm doing this for a while to lose some weight, and then I'll be finished," and "I'm changing my eating and exercise patterns for the better, and will continue to do so forever." Figure out what you can handle. Some people can handle being vegan and only eating organic and raw foods and running marathons every weekend. I am not one of those people! Get to know yourself. Figure out what you want and what your body needs to be healthy, and strike a balance.
"There are no rules!"
"Put your shirt back on!"
"There's one rule!"
Anyway, there seems be a lot of rules when it comes to healthy living.
-No sugar
-No trans fat
-No saturated fat
-No while flour
-No red meat
-No artificial sweeteners or colors
-No preservatives
-No eating after 7pm
-No alcohol
-No pizza
-Exercise a minimum of 30 minutes every day
What really matters? What rules do we have to follow? What happens when we break the rules?
People who are focused on their health really want to do the right thing. And it's so much easier when we have guidelines. That's the whole premise of a diet--do these things, and you will lose weight. However, most people find it very hard to stick to those rules. Personally, I feel that I mentally rebel when I'm told (or tell myself) that I can't do or eat something.
Supposed you wanted health advice, and you came to me and asked for help. How would you feel if I said, "You are never allowed to eat chocolate again," or "You are never allowed to drink beer again." Or red meat, or wine, or cheese. Whatever you love...you can't have it anymore. My guess is, you would either politely tell me to go to hell, or you would adhere to my restrictive way of eating for a couple of day or weeks, but then eventually succumb to your cravings and go back to square one.
Wouldn't it be totally different if I said, "Try to only eat red meat twice a week," or "Chocolate is ok, but keep it to an ounce or two of high quality organic chocolate, and not every day." And, "You really should exercise as much as you can, even if that's only a 20-minute walk after dinner most days of the week." Or even, "Do the best you can five days a week, and do whatever you want on the other two days."
It's the difference between making restrictions, and finding a way of living that you can stick with for the rest of your life. I personally don't have any rules for myself. My guidelines for health are only doing what makes me feel my best and cutting myself some slack when I need to relax a little. I eat red meat, and I eat chocolate, and drink beer. But not too much. Five nights of the week, I am cooking healthy meals at home and doing my best to avoid sweets and get to bed early. When Bill wants to go get a burger and have a few beers, I do that too.
There is a huge difference between saying, "I'm doing this for a while to lose some weight, and then I'll be finished," and "I'm changing my eating and exercise patterns for the better, and will continue to do so forever." Figure out what you can handle. Some people can handle being vegan and only eating organic and raw foods and running marathons every weekend. I am not one of those people! Get to know yourself. Figure out what you want and what your body needs to be healthy, and strike a balance.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Whole-istic Health...it's all in your head.
I think people are intimidated by the concept of holistic or natural health, mostly because they don't really know what it means. Accordian to Merriam-Webster online, holistic is defined as "relating to or concerned with complete systems rather than with individual parts." Wikipedia says, "Holistic health (or holistic medicine) is a diverse field of alternative medicine in which the "whole person" is focused on, not just the malady itself."
Ok, so we're looking at the whole person. What does that mean? Health is in your physical body, but also in your mind and your spirit. Many things affect your health, including your happiness in your relationships and your career. All of that feels a little overwhelming to focus on, but my experience has been that once you start "fixing" one aspect of your life (like finances or relationships), the other parts magically come into alignment also. All the various aspects of our bodies, minds, and spirits are very closely related and affected by each other.
It's easy to focus on physical health, because that's really tangible. You can eat certain things and exercise a certain amount, and the doctor can even do certain scientific tests to see how healthy you are. How do you quantify spiritual health? How do you work on being happier?
Let me suggest two very simple exercises:
1. Make a habit of focusing on the positive. Express gratitude for everything you have. Think about how well you are served by the possessions you already have, and forget about things you think you need. Appreciate the food you have, and the car you drive, and the fact that you have a reliable job, and your family, and your sturdy house that keeps you warm and dry. Notice every detail of your life that works well and brings you joy or stability. The more you do this, the more natural it will become. And I promise you will be smiling more.
2. Pay it forward. Be very generous with compliments. Tell people what they mean to you. Say thank you to people and explain how they've helped you in your life. Have you ever run across someone who really just made you feel good? They gave you an unexpected compliment or noticed something about you that they appreciated. Didn't that completely change your mood?
I felt really compelled to write this blog, for no particular reason. I just had things I wanted to say, and didn't have a specific audience in mind. Now that I've started doing it, I realize it's like a journal. And I think it might be useful in my new career as a health coach. I have to admit my confidence was waning a little because I haven't gotten too many comments, and not very many people are reading each post.
Yesterday, someone I know and love came up to me and told me that they love this blog, they find it inspiring, they make a point to read it every morning, and they've started to get back on a healthy track because of it. I cannot explain what a huge difference this made to me. It completely changed my perspective, and gave me a huge boost of motivation and confidence. Thanks, that guy.
I hope everyone has a peaceful and productive Wednesday!
Ok, so we're looking at the whole person. What does that mean? Health is in your physical body, but also in your mind and your spirit. Many things affect your health, including your happiness in your relationships and your career. All of that feels a little overwhelming to focus on, but my experience has been that once you start "fixing" one aspect of your life (like finances or relationships), the other parts magically come into alignment also. All the various aspects of our bodies, minds, and spirits are very closely related and affected by each other.
It's easy to focus on physical health, because that's really tangible. You can eat certain things and exercise a certain amount, and the doctor can even do certain scientific tests to see how healthy you are. How do you quantify spiritual health? How do you work on being happier?
Let me suggest two very simple exercises:
1. Make a habit of focusing on the positive. Express gratitude for everything you have. Think about how well you are served by the possessions you already have, and forget about things you think you need. Appreciate the food you have, and the car you drive, and the fact that you have a reliable job, and your family, and your sturdy house that keeps you warm and dry. Notice every detail of your life that works well and brings you joy or stability. The more you do this, the more natural it will become. And I promise you will be smiling more.
2. Pay it forward. Be very generous with compliments. Tell people what they mean to you. Say thank you to people and explain how they've helped you in your life. Have you ever run across someone who really just made you feel good? They gave you an unexpected compliment or noticed something about you that they appreciated. Didn't that completely change your mood?
I felt really compelled to write this blog, for no particular reason. I just had things I wanted to say, and didn't have a specific audience in mind. Now that I've started doing it, I realize it's like a journal. And I think it might be useful in my new career as a health coach. I have to admit my confidence was waning a little because I haven't gotten too many comments, and not very many people are reading each post.
Yesterday, someone I know and love came up to me and told me that they love this blog, they find it inspiring, they make a point to read it every morning, and they've started to get back on a healthy track because of it. I cannot explain what a huge difference this made to me. It completely changed my perspective, and gave me a huge boost of motivation and confidence. Thanks, that guy.
I hope everyone has a peaceful and productive Wednesday!
Monday, October 7, 2013
Stick to the Routine
Eating well and cooking at home takes a lot of time. It also takes a lot of thought and planning. Preparing breakfast and lunch for all 4 of us at home takes me a full hour each morning. And don't even get me started on dinner!
Wouldn't it be so much easier to just jam a granola bar in their hands as they're running out the door, and give them a couple of dollars for lunch? Yes, that would be super easy. But think of all the benefits they, and I, would be missing. First and foremost, starting the day with a quiet meal together is incomparable. And when it's a homecooked, tasty, nutritious meal, I really feel like I'm doing my mom-job the best I possibly can. It's tremendously satisfying.
I have to have my own eating habits well thought-out in order to focus so much attention on everyone else. I don't have time to sit down and think about what I'm going to eat every day, so I have to have a routine.
Yesterday, I strapped on my frilly apron (just kidding...I was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt) and baked zucchini muffins and made vegetable soup. This will provide me with breakfasts, snacks, and possibly some desserts for the rest of the family all week, and the soup will be my lunches all week.
Every morning, I make myself a smoothie in my Magic Bullet with some kind of greens (this week it's baby kale), plain greek yogurt, half a banana, coconut water, and whatever other fruit I have lying around. The Magic Bullet has these little cups with handles and tops you can screw on, so I can grab it and take it to work with me. (For added fun, it freaks out my corkers that I'm drinking a thick green drink every morning--they don't know how delicious it is!) For lunch, I have the vegetable soup, and an apple with peanut butter in the afternoon. I also make hummus frequently and eat that with carrot sticks while I'm at work.
I eat like this 80% of the time. And then the 20% of the time when we are going out, or the kids really want pizza on Friday night, I feel perfectly fine about cutting loose and having whatever I want. And I am able to tolerate those indulgences so much better because my system is working well and I am well hydrated.
Good luck coming up with your own routine, and Have a Healthy Monday!
Wouldn't it be so much easier to just jam a granola bar in their hands as they're running out the door, and give them a couple of dollars for lunch? Yes, that would be super easy. But think of all the benefits they, and I, would be missing. First and foremost, starting the day with a quiet meal together is incomparable. And when it's a homecooked, tasty, nutritious meal, I really feel like I'm doing my mom-job the best I possibly can. It's tremendously satisfying.
I have to have my own eating habits well thought-out in order to focus so much attention on everyone else. I don't have time to sit down and think about what I'm going to eat every day, so I have to have a routine.
Yesterday, I strapped on my frilly apron (just kidding...I was wearing cargo shorts and a t-shirt) and baked zucchini muffins and made vegetable soup. This will provide me with breakfasts, snacks, and possibly some desserts for the rest of the family all week, and the soup will be my lunches all week.
Every morning, I make myself a smoothie in my Magic Bullet with some kind of greens (this week it's baby kale), plain greek yogurt, half a banana, coconut water, and whatever other fruit I have lying around. The Magic Bullet has these little cups with handles and tops you can screw on, so I can grab it and take it to work with me. (For added fun, it freaks out my corkers that I'm drinking a thick green drink every morning--they don't know how delicious it is!) For lunch, I have the vegetable soup, and an apple with peanut butter in the afternoon. I also make hummus frequently and eat that with carrot sticks while I'm at work.
I eat like this 80% of the time. And then the 20% of the time when we are going out, or the kids really want pizza on Friday night, I feel perfectly fine about cutting loose and having whatever I want. And I am able to tolerate those indulgences so much better because my system is working well and I am well hydrated.
Good luck coming up with your own routine, and Have a Healthy Monday!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
The Secret to Happiness
Running is not just a way to get exercise, at least not for me. The benefits of running extend far beyond the physical conditioning. Running has meaning.
I know not everyone has followed my exact path of complete lack of personal care to focusing on my health. But I know many, many people who think running is the ultimate challenge. I can't begin to count the number of people that roll their eyes or sigh in disbelief when the subject of running comes up. It just seems so hard. And it is.
Running is the best cardiovascular workout there is. It is a full-body workout. Run once after not running for a while and see how sore your abs and arms are. Running is primal. We are born knowing how to run. Little kids would rather run than walk. Our ancestors ran to get places, and to hunt.
There are few other opportunities in life where you are getting so completely oxygenated yet have little to think about or focus on. I am always pleasantly surprised by the places my mind goes while I am running. Sometimes I just muse about little things, and sometimes I have huge, exciting epiphanies about my life.
I am always elated after a run. I always feel different and better after a run. And most of the change is mental. I feel relaxed and happy, and excited and confident. And proud. You breathe fresh air, and connect with nature, and get sunshine on your skin to make Vitamin D, and see people you know.
It is not always easy to get out there and get started. In fact, there have been times that I sat outside with my running clothes on and cried because I wanted so badly to run and not to run at the same time. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. And once you get started, you will never regret it.
There is nothing else in life that can immediately change your mood, make you feel like a complete rockstar, and get your body healthier in such a short amount of time. I am convinced that running can cure depression in certain people, if they can just muster the energy to get started.
If you feel the slightest motivation to get outside and walk or run or jog or "hurry," as my mom says, do it. Immediately. Don't give your brain time to talk yourself out of it. Throw your shoes on and get started. You don't have to have a plan, or fancy gear, or an iPod, or Garmin. You just have to have 1 minute of motivation and the knowledge that it will change your life.
Have a great day!
I know not everyone has followed my exact path of complete lack of personal care to focusing on my health. But I know many, many people who think running is the ultimate challenge. I can't begin to count the number of people that roll their eyes or sigh in disbelief when the subject of running comes up. It just seems so hard. And it is.
Running is the best cardiovascular workout there is. It is a full-body workout. Run once after not running for a while and see how sore your abs and arms are. Running is primal. We are born knowing how to run. Little kids would rather run than walk. Our ancestors ran to get places, and to hunt.
There are few other opportunities in life where you are getting so completely oxygenated yet have little to think about or focus on. I am always pleasantly surprised by the places my mind goes while I am running. Sometimes I just muse about little things, and sometimes I have huge, exciting epiphanies about my life.
I am always elated after a run. I always feel different and better after a run. And most of the change is mental. I feel relaxed and happy, and excited and confident. And proud. You breathe fresh air, and connect with nature, and get sunshine on your skin to make Vitamin D, and see people you know.
It is not always easy to get out there and get started. In fact, there have been times that I sat outside with my running clothes on and cried because I wanted so badly to run and not to run at the same time. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. And once you get started, you will never regret it.
There is nothing else in life that can immediately change your mood, make you feel like a complete rockstar, and get your body healthier in such a short amount of time. I am convinced that running can cure depression in certain people, if they can just muster the energy to get started.
If you feel the slightest motivation to get outside and walk or run or jog or "hurry," as my mom says, do it. Immediately. Don't give your brain time to talk yourself out of it. Throw your shoes on and get started. You don't have to have a plan, or fancy gear, or an iPod, or Garmin. You just have to have 1 minute of motivation and the knowledge that it will change your life.
Have a great day!
Saturday, October 5, 2013
40-Mile Walk to School
We live about a half mile from the elementary school my daughters attend. This year, we made an agreement before school started that we would walk to and from school whenever possible. I realized it only takes an extra 10 minutes when compared with driving, and I avoid having to sit in that horrible car loop line.
Not counting the days that their dad drops them off or picks them up, and subtracting the two days I drove instead of walked (the first time was when they were bringing in all their school supplies on the first day and it was too much to walk with, and the second time was when I was running late from "work" [read: lunch with my sisters] and had to go straight to the school), we have walked to or from school 40 times.
This means the girls have walked 20 miles (1/2 mile each time because they are only going one way), but I have walked 40 miles (because I have to make the round trip each time). Isn't this amazing? In the 6 weeks since school has started, I have added 40 miles to my exercise just by strolling up to the school (which takes me 9 minutes) to pick up my beautiful children.
I have been so surprised by the additional benefits of this time with my kids. It is such a wonderful experience to walk calmly home while listening to them chatter on about what happened at school. They actually fight over who gets to walk next to me. It is such a glorious, calm, loving time that we get to enjoy before and after school almost every day.
Since we've started walking almost exclusively, I realize how many other people could be walking, but don't. I see families that live literally a block from the school get into their cars and go sit in that horrible line and come right back home and park in their driveways. It amazes me...especially since the weather has been almost perfect for walking every day since school started.
I am also amazed at how much attention we get and how much more involved in the community we feel since walking. We see so many people driving by, and many honk and wave. When I run into them later, they say, "We see you walking every day! We are going to get out there and join you one of these days!" We pass people on the sidewalk and everyone is so nice and friendly. I am so thrilled that my kids get to grow up in this place with all this positive energy.
So, walk to school if and when you can. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that it has literally changed our lives.
(P.S. By the end of the school year, making adjustments for sick days or bad weather or whatever, we will have walked at least 200 more times. That means 200 more miles for me, and 100 for the kids.)
Not counting the days that their dad drops them off or picks them up, and subtracting the two days I drove instead of walked (the first time was when they were bringing in all their school supplies on the first day and it was too much to walk with, and the second time was when I was running late from "work" [read: lunch with my sisters] and had to go straight to the school), we have walked to or from school 40 times.
This means the girls have walked 20 miles (1/2 mile each time because they are only going one way), but I have walked 40 miles (because I have to make the round trip each time). Isn't this amazing? In the 6 weeks since school has started, I have added 40 miles to my exercise just by strolling up to the school (which takes me 9 minutes) to pick up my beautiful children.
I have been so surprised by the additional benefits of this time with my kids. It is such a wonderful experience to walk calmly home while listening to them chatter on about what happened at school. They actually fight over who gets to walk next to me. It is such a glorious, calm, loving time that we get to enjoy before and after school almost every day.
Since we've started walking almost exclusively, I realize how many other people could be walking, but don't. I see families that live literally a block from the school get into their cars and go sit in that horrible line and come right back home and park in their driveways. It amazes me...especially since the weather has been almost perfect for walking every day since school started.
I am also amazed at how much attention we get and how much more involved in the community we feel since walking. We see so many people driving by, and many honk and wave. When I run into them later, they say, "We see you walking every day! We are going to get out there and join you one of these days!" We pass people on the sidewalk and everyone is so nice and friendly. I am so thrilled that my kids get to grow up in this place with all this positive energy.
So, walk to school if and when you can. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that it has literally changed our lives.
(P.S. By the end of the school year, making adjustments for sick days or bad weather or whatever, we will have walked at least 200 more times. That means 200 more miles for me, and 100 for the kids.)
Friday, October 4, 2013
Update on my 'Confessions' Post from Yesterday
Last night, I was alone. This always send me into a tail spin. I am so used to having the kids and/or Bill around, that when the house is quiet I really feel discombobulated. I was starving, and really kind of sad. Perfect storm scenario for debauchery, right? I really had to focus on maintaining my commitment to the week of healthy evenings...let's call it Operation Stop-Letting-My-Crappy-Evenings-Ruin-My-Good-Days. Writing that blog post about it really helped focus my efforts!
I forced myself to do some yoga, even though I was really hungry and grumpy. I knew I would feel more relaxed and centered. So I did. And I did.
Then, although I kept thinking I wanted greasy meat and cheese, I forced myself to make the dinner I had planned, which was butternut squash, corn, and yellow squash soup. The word on the street is that eating more "sweet" vegetables like squash will naturally calm sugar cravings--I was skeptical, to say the least. When I want a Hershey bar, butternut squash just doesn't have the same appeal. However, the soup was fantastic and really, really satisfying.
THEN, and this is the real miracle, I had the strongest desire to go for a walk! Normally at night, I am so tired and run down, I can't imagine doing anything but sitting on the sofa and zoning out. Last night, I felt so energetic and happy, and genuinely calm. I put on my sneakers and headed out. Even though it was dark, it was really relaxing to be out in the quiet evening by myself, and I had a great time.
I came back, took a shower, and went right to bed, without even the thought of a beer or ice cream or M&Ms! Success!
I forced myself to do some yoga, even though I was really hungry and grumpy. I knew I would feel more relaxed and centered. So I did. And I did.
Then, although I kept thinking I wanted greasy meat and cheese, I forced myself to make the dinner I had planned, which was butternut squash, corn, and yellow squash soup. The word on the street is that eating more "sweet" vegetables like squash will naturally calm sugar cravings--I was skeptical, to say the least. When I want a Hershey bar, butternut squash just doesn't have the same appeal. However, the soup was fantastic and really, really satisfying.
THEN, and this is the real miracle, I had the strongest desire to go for a walk! Normally at night, I am so tired and run down, I can't imagine doing anything but sitting on the sofa and zoning out. Last night, I felt so energetic and happy, and genuinely calm. I put on my sneakers and headed out. Even though it was dark, it was really relaxing to be out in the quiet evening by myself, and I had a great time.
I came back, took a shower, and went right to bed, without even the thought of a beer or ice cream or M&Ms! Success!
All or Nothing
I see so many people struggling with an all or nothing approach to life, and I am certainly guilty of it too. Everyone knows you're supposed to do everything in moderation, but we don't! How many times have you woken up on a Monday morning and said, "Today, I am starting [XYZ] diet, and I am going to stick with it for [X] months, and lose [X] pounds!" You may have a strong start and stick to it for a couple hours, a couple of days, or even weeks, but inevitably that extreme lifestyle change is difficult to maintain and you "fall off the wagon."
I guess we naturally try and protect ourselves from failure or disappointment. If I'm not even trying, then I can't fail right?
I would stick with something for a while, and when it became challenging or I felt like I wasn't going to be successful, I would go to the other extreme of complete debauchery. I picture a pendulum swinging wildly from one side to the other: side A is exercising every day, eating very restrictively, and focused only on losing weight. Side B is just throwing every healthy habit out the window and sabotaging myself over and over again. This is the classic yo-yo dieting scenario.
I did it with exercise, too. Either I was convinced that I had to do an hour of spinning or run at least 3 miles every single day, or I was a complete couch potato doing absolutely nothing physical except cleaning the house.
So what's the solution? Slowly, the idea that I could find balance started creeping into my awareness. I made it a point to try and internalize the idea that I could really focus on good health and consistency, rather than this all or nothing approach. This did NOT happen overnight.
The first big step was allowing myself to completely forget about calories, fat, carbs, etc., and just try and eat really well. The goal of making half of what I eat every day be vegetables seemed impossible at first. But once I found several recipes that I knew I could make and I really enjoyed, I found success. I'm not just munching on raw carrots all day--I eat a variety of really yummy things that make me feel really good. And naturally, that leaves less room for other things that may not be so healthy, like junk food, sugar, meat, and dairy. I do have to spend more time in the kitchen, but cooking natural healthy foods for myself and my family is so darn satisfying. It really excites me to make something great that we all enjoy.
The next big step was to really understand that extreme exercising was not serving my body well. I started to get some really painful problems in my legs and feet, and was forced to slow down. And, much to my surprise, I did not gain any weight and the earth did continue to spin. As much as I wanted exercise to be the answer to my weight issues, it just wasn't. I have learned that while exercise is very important, 90% of weight gain or loss is controlled by what you eat.
I guess we naturally try and protect ourselves from failure or disappointment. If I'm not even trying, then I can't fail right?
I would stick with something for a while, and when it became challenging or I felt like I wasn't going to be successful, I would go to the other extreme of complete debauchery. I picture a pendulum swinging wildly from one side to the other: side A is exercising every day, eating very restrictively, and focused only on losing weight. Side B is just throwing every healthy habit out the window and sabotaging myself over and over again. This is the classic yo-yo dieting scenario.
I did it with exercise, too. Either I was convinced that I had to do an hour of spinning or run at least 3 miles every single day, or I was a complete couch potato doing absolutely nothing physical except cleaning the house.
So what's the solution? Slowly, the idea that I could find balance started creeping into my awareness. I made it a point to try and internalize the idea that I could really focus on good health and consistency, rather than this all or nothing approach. This did NOT happen overnight.
The first big step was allowing myself to completely forget about calories, fat, carbs, etc., and just try and eat really well. The goal of making half of what I eat every day be vegetables seemed impossible at first. But once I found several recipes that I knew I could make and I really enjoyed, I found success. I'm not just munching on raw carrots all day--I eat a variety of really yummy things that make me feel really good. And naturally, that leaves less room for other things that may not be so healthy, like junk food, sugar, meat, and dairy. I do have to spend more time in the kitchen, but cooking natural healthy foods for myself and my family is so darn satisfying. It really excites me to make something great that we all enjoy.
The next big step was to really understand that extreme exercising was not serving my body well. I started to get some really painful problems in my legs and feet, and was forced to slow down. And, much to my surprise, I did not gain any weight and the earth did continue to spin. As much as I wanted exercise to be the answer to my weight issues, it just wasn't. I have learned that while exercise is very important, 90% of weight gain or loss is controlled by what you eat.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Confessions of my dark side
I know what you're thinking: "Teddey?? Dark side? No way!" (I think I hear my mother's laughter in the distance...)
But it's true. It's so cathartic to admit when you have a problem. And sometimes the simple act of just telling someone about it is half the battle in getting it resolved. So I'm going to tell, according to my page-view stats on Blogger, about 30 people.
So here it is: I have a seriously hard time controlling what I eat and drink at night. I have a very strong association with evening/dinner time and debauchery. As I walk into the house at the end of the day, it's like this little demon inside me starts rubbing her hands together and saying, "Oooh...what can we get into?!" I'm sure it's some combination of hunger, exhaustion, and typical Happy Hour mentality--let's cut loose at the end of a stressful day and drown our sorrows!
I can eat perfectly all day with absolutely no problem. In fact, I enjoy planning what I eat and sticking to the plan; carefully spacing out my meals to keep my blood sugar steady and only eating what I've brought from home. There's a sense of calm and control that comes along with that kind of structure for me. But at night? Forget it.
I need to formulate a plan. I'm sure this is a common problem, so please feel free to share if you have some strategies that work for you. Here is my action plan:
1. Eat a large, satisfying snack in the early afternoon.
Hot soup or an apple with peanut butter are things I love and will look forward to.
2. Plan my dinner!
When the kids are with me, which is most nights, I have no problem planning and eating a healthy dinner. I need to have a plan and stick to it even when I am alone or it's just me and Bill.
3. Stop eating after dinner.
I'm sure it's some combination of boredom and the need for comfort, but I have a tendency to snack continuously until bedtime. I know if I can force myself to drink a cup of hot herbal tea and do 20 minutes of yoga, I will feel more relaxed and less likely to snack.
4. Drink a cup of hot herbal tea and do at least 20 minutes of yoga.
See above.
See? I already feel better. I'm going to do my darnedest to stick to this plan for the next week and post an update on my progress. Good luck if you are struggling with a similar "problem area!"
Have a wonderful day!
But it's true. It's so cathartic to admit when you have a problem. And sometimes the simple act of just telling someone about it is half the battle in getting it resolved. So I'm going to tell, according to my page-view stats on Blogger, about 30 people.
So here it is: I have a seriously hard time controlling what I eat and drink at night. I have a very strong association with evening/dinner time and debauchery. As I walk into the house at the end of the day, it's like this little demon inside me starts rubbing her hands together and saying, "Oooh...what can we get into?!" I'm sure it's some combination of hunger, exhaustion, and typical Happy Hour mentality--let's cut loose at the end of a stressful day and drown our sorrows!
I can eat perfectly all day with absolutely no problem. In fact, I enjoy planning what I eat and sticking to the plan; carefully spacing out my meals to keep my blood sugar steady and only eating what I've brought from home. There's a sense of calm and control that comes along with that kind of structure for me. But at night? Forget it.
I need to formulate a plan. I'm sure this is a common problem, so please feel free to share if you have some strategies that work for you. Here is my action plan:
1. Eat a large, satisfying snack in the early afternoon.
Hot soup or an apple with peanut butter are things I love and will look forward to.
2. Plan my dinner!
When the kids are with me, which is most nights, I have no problem planning and eating a healthy dinner. I need to have a plan and stick to it even when I am alone or it's just me and Bill.
3. Stop eating after dinner.
I'm sure it's some combination of boredom and the need for comfort, but I have a tendency to snack continuously until bedtime. I know if I can force myself to drink a cup of hot herbal tea and do 20 minutes of yoga, I will feel more relaxed and less likely to snack.
4. Drink a cup of hot herbal tea and do at least 20 minutes of yoga.
See above.
See? I already feel better. I'm going to do my darnedest to stick to this plan for the next week and post an update on my progress. Good luck if you are struggling with a similar "problem area!"
Have a wonderful day!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Customize Your Soup, and get your kids to eat vegetables
A couple months ago, I started making a recipe I saw on the boob tube from Barefoot Contessa--Pappa Al Pomodoro. It's basically vegetable soup made with a fresh fennel bulb (also called anise), San Marzano tomatoes, carrots, onions, and a little red wine. During the cooking, you add cubed ciabatta to the soup, and serve it with ciabatta croutons on top. The bread that's in the soup of course gets super soggy and mushy, and is an interesting texture contrast to the vegetables. You're also supposed to put pancetta on top, but I skip that part.
So, I made this delicious soup like 5 times, and then realized the bread wasn't making me feel great (and the buttered croutons I was putting on top...well, let's say they were not contributing to my overall good health). So I started leaving out the bread altogether. And it's still delicious! I went to make it the other day, and there was no fennel in the grocery store, so I made it with leeks instead. It was even MORE delicious!
Sydney likes tomato soup, but does not like to bite into big chunks of vegetables in her food (she likes all her spaghetti sauce to be smooth). I started pureeing the soup in my Magic Bullet--it still has some texture, but it's not chunky at all. And I sprinkle a little grated parmesan on top before serving. Sydney loves it. It is the perfect after school snack, or sometimes I'll give them a bowl to prevent mayhem while I'm still working on dinner. It is such a huge deal for me because Sydney is really a meat and potatoes (and pizza) girl, and I really struggle with how to get her to love veggies. Score!
This is what it looks like in the beginning stages:
So, I made this delicious soup like 5 times, and then realized the bread wasn't making me feel great (and the buttered croutons I was putting on top...well, let's say they were not contributing to my overall good health). So I started leaving out the bread altogether. And it's still delicious! I went to make it the other day, and there was no fennel in the grocery store, so I made it with leeks instead. It was even MORE delicious!
Sydney likes tomato soup, but does not like to bite into big chunks of vegetables in her food (she likes all her spaghetti sauce to be smooth). I started pureeing the soup in my Magic Bullet--it still has some texture, but it's not chunky at all. And I sprinkle a little grated parmesan on top before serving. Sydney loves it. It is the perfect after school snack, or sometimes I'll give them a bowl to prevent mayhem while I'm still working on dinner. It is such a huge deal for me because Sydney is really a meat and potatoes (and pizza) girl, and I really struggle with how to get her to love veggies. Score!
This is what it looks like in the beginning stages:
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