Archive for the ‘health’ Category
A good visual on why raw is easier on the digestion than cooked…
…though why taking plant-based enzymes will do in a pinch!
This is a short video from Holistic Nutritionist Rose Cole. Check it out! It’s pretty amazing. It sort of reminded me of being back in my high school chemistry class! Ah, the nostalgia of it.
And, even if you’re not interested in better digestion (or weight loss or having more energy), it will answer that question that you’ve always had – but were too polite to ask – about what really happens to corn after you eat it! I’ll just stop there in order to preserve the sensibilities of my readers, but I’m sure that you know what I’m talking about!
Note: depending on your bandwidth, you might want to let the video load up completely before watching it! Enjoy!
Nice Introduction to Living Raw
Filed under: Alkaline Diet, health, high water-content food, nutrition, raw food |
Leave a Comment This article was forwarded to me by my sister who has also recently gone raw and is loving it! It’s a great introduction to the lifestyle and just plain commonsense for those that aren’t.
“The biggest problem with the average American diet is not just how much we eat, it’s the percentage of our diet that’s made up of cooked and over-processed foods. Find out how eating “live” can help you live healthier, happier and longer.” – Steven Lang
Thanks for the recommendation; keep them coming!
Happy New Year! Live from the Raw Food Rehab Online Community
Filed under: Alkaline Diet, accountability, challenges, food, health, raw food |
Comments (1) It had been my intention to write a big year end blog and something motivating and meaningful about looking forward, but, to tell you the truth, I have spent almost the entire day over at some other woman’s site! Another Tulsan, mind you, but that’s beside the point.
If you’ve been following me at all these last few weeks, you’ll have noticed a new tag popping up on my entries: raw food.
After having recently gone gluten-free, my diet has taken yet another left turn. I think the correct term is “high raw,” which means raw until dinner. All that means is that I’m too big of a chicken to give up cooked food all together. I think that this topic deserves some thought, so hopefully I will be back online tomorrow with something meaningful and motivating.
Meanwhile, if you’re interested in what’s going on in Oklahoma (other than the two amazing raw food restaurants that I mentioned in my last post), go check out Penni Shelton’s blog. And if you’re interested in all things raw, you should check out her ning site: Raw Food Rehab. Or better yet, check out the video. Though be forewarned, it starts in the middle.
Or for the lower resolution clip in its entirely, see below:
I’ll have more to say on my own reasons for joining this year’s 11 week initiative next time!
May you all have a healthy and happy New Year!
KJ’s Favorite Green Smoothie (a/k/a Slime-ade)
Filed under: food, gluten-free, health, high water-content food, raw food, superfood |
Comments (3) For the last two weeks, I have been drinking green smoothies. That is, RAW green smoothies.
For the most part, green smoothies are very forgiving – some of them aren’t even green! In fact, my first one literally looked like a vat of figgie pudding. Well, I assume that that’s what it looked like. Too many blueberries.
Essentially, you put in a lot of leafy greens (spinach, cilantro, kale, romaine lettuce, etc) and whatever else strikes your fancy.
Some people put in a lot of fruit, because they like them sweeter.
I started there, but quickly moved to the less sweet variety.
My favorite to date, is sort of Mexican-y and smells a little bit like a summer garden. Check out the details here.
Over the holidays, I made one every day and split it with my sister. She, who has recently gone gluten-free, actually got a little zing of energy with her first slug. Talk about an instant convert. In fact, before the holidays were over, she had ordered her own high speed blender and packed a smoothie to go for her long drive ahead.
Not everyone in the house, however, was a convert. My parents were not sold – at all. And every time my father saw me with one, he’d just laugh and shake his head (not necessarily in that order).
My father’s snarky asides eventually got so bad that I eventually made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: you stop ragging on me because of my slime-ade and I’ll stop bitching at you about your Vienna Sausages (otherwise known as Viennie Weinies).
Personally, I think he got a pretty good deal. Because there’s a lot more that I could say about the wonders of potted meat than he could about the hazards or fresh, organic spinach.
Eating Your Way to Health: Reducing Inflammation
Great article from U.S. News and World Report on creating a diet that reduces inflammation in your system!
Inflammation, normally part of a healthy immune response, is increasingly thought to play a leading role in encouraging a number of major killers, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. Dangerous chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system stays turned on and starts attacking healthy cells and tissues-triggering, say, cancer-causing genetic mutations or the bursting of artery plaque. What you eat, though, helps determine how much inflammation you produce. Certain foods promote it, while others are inflammation-fighting superstars, says nutritionist and family physician Ann Kulze, author of Dr. Ann’s 10-Step Diet.
Check out their recommendations of what to go for and what to avoid here. Admittedly, I don’t usually read US. News and World Report, but you’ve got to love any list that actually tells you to “go for” more wine and chocolate – within reason of course!
Now the funny thing about seeing this article this morning (as well as the one on pomegranates that I posted a few days ago), is that all week I’d been thinking about writing about these berries that I had started eating, which 1) are classed as superfoods and 2) reduce inflammation. Serendipity or synchronicity? Or both?
Just as a quick reminder, superfoods are foods that have high concentrated nutritional value that many physicians and holistic health practitioners believe also have healing properties.
While exploring warm wheat-free breakfast options (as drinking frozen hemp shakes in Northern New England gets increasingly challenging as you roll into winter) I came across a hot cereal recipe comprised of gluten-free oat bran, flax meal, and organic shelled hemp seeds. It was suggested that you also toss in some goldenberries, goji berries, and mulberries to “make it a tropical treat.”
No problem I thought. I like tropical treats. But what the heck is a goldenberry?
Well, it turns out that a goldenberry is one of those superfoods that reduce inflammation. As are goji berries and mulberries.
While you can buy them directly from Navitas Naturals (which has one of the most beautiful websites I’ve seen in a while), I admit that I tend to order things through Amazon for the convenience, since I tend to also be ordering things from Nutiva at the same time and, sadly, because it’s cheaper.
Just as an aside, it never ceases to amaze me that all of the healthy stuff is always about 15 times more expensive than the crap out there. Just think how many bags of Cheetos you could get for one bag of goji berries. Not that you’d want that many bags of Cheetos, mind you, even though they are technically gluten-free! 
The good news, however, is that the goldenberries, goji berries, and mulberries are so dense with nutritional value that you really don’t need that many in order to feel satisfied. Notably, since I’ve started eating a handful or so of them straight out of the bag (I’ve never gotten around to making the cereal that I bought them for!), I’ve actually stopped eating other calorie dense, quasi-expensive gluten free nutrition bars and organic nuts that I had been snacking on during the day. And finally, assuming that the legions of doctors and health care practitioners out there singing superfood’s praises are on to something, you’ll probably save a bundle over the long term by reducing future medical bills and lost productivity due to the experience of chronic illness!
Even if you’re not a fan of raisins or other dried fruits, check these out. The goji berries are reminiscent of dry cranberries, the mulberries figs or nuts, and the golden berries sweet tarts. They’re really quite delicious! And seriously, check out the nutrition on these things: in addition to sugar, which granted there is a lot, there are also a ton of vitamins, fiber, and even protein!
Alternate markers of health
I went to the doctor today and while the scale was up (I’m sure it was the shoes and the fleece!), my blood pressure was 106/50 and my heart rate was 42! Without a second glance, the nurse said something about how that’s a great resting heart rate, though not uncommon among athletes! I wanted to jump up and down like Rudolph after Clarice tells him he’s cute: She thinks I’m an athlete! She thinks I’m an athlete!
Tired of water? Mix it up (and drink it down)
Filed under: health, nutrition, product recommendations, superfood, water, weight loss |
Leave a Comment No matter whether it’s six or eight glasses a day, it’s common knowledge that the body needs water to function properly – it is primarily made of water after all! When you’re dieting or trying to lose fat, it’s even more important to drink water, as it’s the water (and the associated lymph) that carries all of that fat out of the system! When you drink lots of water (another recommendation is half of your body weight in ounces), you’re also less likely to be hungry, less likely to overeat or to fill up on junk in order to feel more energetic. The latter is especially true because water actually gives you energy by removing all of the toxic stuff out of your body! And if that wasn’t enough of a why, it also improves skin elasticity and makes you look younger!
Even though I know that drinking water is just as important (if not more so) as maintaining a healthy food diet and getting regular exercise, it tends to be the first thing I let slip when I’m tired or stressed. It’s ridiculous. Why would I stop doing something that’s so simple, especially when it gets me such great results? It’s particularly stupid because I’ll exercise and not drink enough water, which leads to an even more advanced stage of dehydration. Now a lot of people think that they’re not dehydrated because they’re not thirsty. Thirst is a warning sign! When you start feeling thirsty, it’s too late. Most nutritionists recommend that you take a sip of water every fifteen minutes! Whether you feel thirsty or not!
So why would I not drink water? Why might you not be drinking enough?
Personally, I get bored. It’s not that I don’t like the taste of water; I do. But then again I have a well and am not dependent on city tap water, which does (unfortunately) come in a variety of flavors, largely based on your location! But filters do work wonders and there are a number available all at varying price-points for sale on-line.
But, when I am legitimately tired of water, I do sub in other options that still count as water. So, how to get more water into your diet?
As I mentioned before, I make protein shakes. I tend to mix the protein powder and liquid with two trays of ice cubes; although frozen, ice does count as water! You even burn more calories because your body has to bring it up to temperature!
Another way to make water more exciting is just to simply make up a pitcher of ice water and cucumber slices and let the flavor seep in. I had this at a spa recently and it was fabulous! Unbelievably refreshing! Since then, I’ve seen people do the same thing with fresh mint, fresh blackberries or fresh raspberries.
My personal favorite, especially in the winter months (which, unfortunately are back on the horizon) is to drink caffeine-free herbal tea. Stay away from decaffeinated coffees or black tea, which contain marginal amounts of caffeine, as well as all of the residual chemicals that it took to decaffeinate it to begin with! This works especially well for me because you can really mix up the flavors and you can mess with the intensity and sweetness by varying the steeping time as well as the amount of sweetener (if any) that you use. My favorite sweetener is Stevia Plus, by Sweet Leaf. Stevia Plus is an all natural supplement that contains no saccharin, Nutrasweet, aspartame, refined sugar, maltodextrin fructose, or any artificial sweeteners of any kind! It’s called plus, because it also contains inulin fiber (F.O.S.) which selectively nourished the friendly bacteria (lactobaciilus and bifidobacteria) in the intestines!
During the winter I tend to drink eight to ten cups of herbal tea a day! I drink a number of brands, but my house tea is Celestial Seasonings. 1) It’s cheap (as am I). 2) There are a ton of flavors so I am less likely to get bored. 3) There is minimal packaging – they are the ones that don’t use strings or tags!
And for those who can’t imagine drinking hot tea in the summer (or are too impatient to brew it hot and then ice it), they have just come out with a product that steeps in cold water in just five minutes! Unfortunately only of of these is caffeine-free, but I’m hopeful they’ll expand the line if it’s a success! Or with enough push-back from interested buyers!
Another way I get my water in is to drink my green stuff mixed in 24 ounces of water! Again, cold improves the taste. Sometimes I toss the glass into the freezer for 15 minutes or I mix it with ice.
And, finally, a fourth way I get water in when I’m bored is to drop in a couple of nuun tablets in a quart sized Sigg bottle. Nuuns are electrolyte-enhance sports drink tabs, which I drink while I exercise, especially if I am doing something that is going to involve a lot of sweat. Six calories per tablet; all are caffeine free with the exception of the cola flavored one, which has about as much caffeine as a cup of green tea. So, although it doesn’t count as water, per say, because of the caffeine, it does actually taste enough like cola to kill the craving (that is, if you have craving for cola). Personally, the lemon-lime and ginger orange are my favorite!
So, if you find yourself feeling sluggish or overly hungry during the day, ask yourself the following question: How much water have I had today?
And if you’re not even close to 1/2 your body weight in ounces, drink some water! If you don’t like water (or think you don’t) because it doesn’t taste like anything, try something new to jazz it up. And you’d be surprised. Just as it does with sugar, the more water you drink, the more your body will want.
Let me know what you come up with!
Scale-less dieting
Filed under: accountability, goals, health, maintenance, strategies, weight loss |
Comments (2) I realized the other day that I haven’t been on a scale in two months. Actually, the last time was June 17, so technically it’s been a little over two months. That’s the longest time I’ve been off a scale in years! Does that mean I’m not dieting or watching my weight or maintaining (or whatever you want to call it)? No; it means I am dieting/maintaining/releasing without being tied to a meaningless number!
Given that most people who are actively involved in monitoring their own or others’ weight either propose weighing once a day or once a week, why would I choose to do it without a scale? More importantly, why would I suggest that you try it as well?
Practical whys first:
- I don’t have a scale. I always used one at the gym. When I started working out at home this summer, I decided that it just seemed silly to waste the gas and the time to go to the gym just to weigh myself.
- I also didn’t want to buy a scale, because I know that the one at the gym – which I have used diligently for the last five years – is at least consistent! I also have to wonder how many scales find themselves either being used as a doorstop or at the bottom of a landfill!
Once I got past the weirdness of not weighing myself, I found myself looking for other markers of success. Did my gut look bigger in the mirror? What are my measurement? How are my clothes fitting? Was the yoga easier or harder today? Was my heart rate up or down since the last time I did this workout DVD? How many days out of the last 7, 14, 21, 28 or even 100 did I have a calorie deficit (I may have stopped weighing, but I love counting calories; I am a total calorie geek)! When was the last time I had a high fat, high sugar dessert? How many weeks in the last 3 months have I had wine two nights in a row? How many times last month (I am also a big proponent of keeping track of exercise) did I do weight training in addition to cardio? Once I stopped focusing on the one number – which fluctuates like a demon depending on what I eat and the time of day, not to mention the time of the month! – it opened up space for me to also realize what really matters.
So, onto the quasi-theoretical whys:
- Once I gave up the scale, I was able to get real on what mattered and why. Does it really matter if I weigh 145 pounds instead of 140 or 135? Not really. What really matters is whether my clothes fit and the degree and frequency I am putting junk into my body. What also really matters is that I continue working on being as fit and flexible as I can possibly be.
- Giving up the scale makes it easier to forgive yourself when you make choices that don’t necessarily support your goals. That doesn’t mean that giving up on the scale automatically signs you up for a crash course in self-acceptance (as my post earlier this week revealed), but it does force you to seek out signs of progress, rather than setting your sights on a single number, which may or may not be attainable in a week or even ten days!
So, how do you diet without a scale? Easy. If you have a scale, toss it. If you don’t have a scale, don’t get one.
Now, I realize that if you’re going to Weight Watchers or some other organization that requires weekly weigh-ins, you have to weigh. But have you thought about asking your leader to write it down without telling you and leaving your card at the meeting place? Or could you trust yourself not to look and to put the booklet into it’s plastic sleeve (do they still even have those) and chuck it into your glove compartment?
I remember doing this when I was at Weight Watchers as a teen – mainly because I couldn’t stand it if I gained weight. I hated it and I hated myself (more on the dangers of self-loathing later). And, not surprisingly, when I was in that emotional space it was easier to want to give up. It was also easier to self-sabotage, because even though it was me I was talking about, why would I want someone I hated to actually succeed? Further, during the weeks that the weight was climbing no matter how rigorously I stuck to the plan (and there were many of those during my 90 pound weight loss if for no other reason than the body is very smart and extremely efficient at adapting to dietary changes and – you guessed it – storing fat!) there was something powerful (and not in a good way) about seeing the numbers – usually written in indelible ink – steadily rising. There was something about actually seeing the numbers get bigger that led me to believe that that’s just the way that it was. The plateaus seemed more real somehow. More insurmountable. But I digress.
So, once you’ve figured out how to be scaleless (if not in reality, than in consequence) pick the outcomes you really want to achieve. Do you want to consistently use more calories than you consume? Do you want to improve the quality of your skin? Do you want to add muscle mass and get stronger? Do you want to look good in your clothes or wear a different size? Do you want to be healthier or have more flexibility? Do you want to be able to walk up the stairs without being winded or to turn heads when you walk in the door? Do you want to get off of your high blood pressure medication or lower your risk of type II diabetes? Do you want to have a better hip to waist ratio? Do you want to run a half maraton – or a marathon – before your 40th birthday? Or do a triathlon before you turn 50?
These are the things that are important. These are the things that matter and therefore the things that will keep you on track! The number on the scale? That’s just cultural conditioning.
What’s really more motivating, weighing 135 or having the energy to chase your grand kids (assuming you have grand kids) around the park?
Then do what you need to do in order to meet the goals that matter to you. It may be counting calories, it may be consistently exercising. If you’re already dieting, just try taking a break from the scale. Don’t take a break from the diet, just ditch the scale for a while. And pick things that matter as your new source of accountability and motivation!
So, last Sunday, I told you that I’d tell you how bad it was – that is, my own diet detour into Mendocino County. You might be thinking, how the heck are you going to do that if 1) you haven’t been on a scale in two months and 2) don’t have access to one?
Easy. My gut looks smaller than it did on Sunday. My KJ Jr. size 16 girls Lands End pants are tighter than they were when I left. My sixes still fit so it can’t be that bad; however, to be honest, I haven’t bothered with the fours.
My American Eagle short shorts with a 2 (maybe 3) inch inseam still look like crap (so nothing new there).
I just bought a super cute form fitting Ann Taylor dress at a consignment store to wear to my cousin’s wedding.
My yoga routine was pretty darn good this morning and my heart rate seemed to be a little bit lower today during my cardio workout than it was on Monday.
And, yes, I told you I am a calorie junkie, a quick glance at my food diary tells me that out of the last 21 days, 17 had calorie deficits that ranged anywhere from -13 to -1016! Not too shabby!
I had been thinking about this post for a while but I held off from writing it because I thought, no one is going to throw their scales away! But then I bought this amazing book (title withheld until I have finished it) where the woman starts off with a pretty simple message: Get rid of the scale! I thought, awesome, I like her already! Her thing is that it’s not about losing weight fast, it’s about keeping it off for a life-time. As it turns out, this book seems to be full of little gems, many of which resonate with my approach, but many of which seem to supply the missing pieces that I’ve been looking for.
Once I finish it, I’ll review it and probably end up recommending it! It’s fun, it’s easy to read, and it’s only $27.00! And in terms of the quality of information? I got my money’s worth in the first three pages alone! When was the last time you could say that about a book?
So, off to read and I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
This cracked me up: Attract Girls By Eating Best Food on Earth!
I guess there’s more than one way to convince guys to be healthy.
But just as you know, I eat a lot of these foods, but I’m not attracting too many women! Though I’m assuming it works to get guys too!
And, if you’re a woman, this is not the best advert for Royal Jelly (if you know what I mean)!
However, check it out. In addition to the Edward Cullen vibe, there’s actually a lot of good information!
As if the calories and addictive properties weren’t bad enough!
Thanks go to my sister for this little tip!
A Note from a Friend
What are Friends For? Passed on by my office accountability buddy! Thanks Misagh.
