Goblins and Calories
* Eat an apple and drink a full (12oz) glass of water before heading to
the buffet party. The apple is full of heart-healthy and tummy-filling
fiber to help curb your appetite naturally.
* Hand out stickers, tattoos, rings and other favors, instead of candy.
You won't be contributing to the escalating childhood obesity problem
and you won't be tempted to sample the sweets.
* Take a brisk 20 minute walk daily to burn extra calories
* Mineral water with a 1/4 cup of juice is a great replacement for
sugary sodas. Bring a bottle for yourself and several to share at the
next party you attend. The lime and lemon flavored variety taste
good without juice additions and are calorie free.
Are you going to owe later?
I kept quiet until they asked my opinion. “Not a good idea,” I said. They listened intently while I explained the plethora of vitamins and minerals the diet would eliminate, not to mention the numerous other nutrients and necessary-to-good-health components they would be denying themselves in their quest for beauty. You just can’t replace those missed benefits with a supplement of any kind, I said. “Oh listen,” one said, swirling her hand through the air. “This is nothing compared to my alcohol, Red Bull and candy diet. I got super skinny on that.” I was floored, but the rest were intrigued in getting every detail of that look-good-now-pay-for-it-later diet. As the health risks, metabolism-damage, energy zapping and down-right dangerous effects of that diet crossed my mind another one mentioned a diet that purposely put her in ketosis; a very dangerous condition that can land you in the hospital. And that’s where she ended at after days of barely being able to get out of bed, but she did look good—for a short time anyway and with lots of make-up to cover up the dark circles and jaundice. They all had a good laugh at her self-induced tragedy. The trouble is, she continued, that as soon as she began eating again, the weight came right back on.
I hear these stories all the time and they never cease to alarm me. Part of that alarm comes from years in the healthcare industry where I saw the results of a lifetime of abusive practices in the patients we treated. Many were candid enough to share their path to bed-ridden, medical dependence and their once flippant attitudes when it came to any of a variety of look-good-now-pay-for-it-later behaviors. In one patient’s words, “paying sucks.”
The only way to good health and wellness is so easily attained, it’s often balked at: the do-it-yourself choice. Whole programs, in fact entire networks are based on do-it-yourself house and garden projects. Isn’t it time we took the time to nurture our bodies? Here’s the how-to guide:
4-5 small meals per day based on good, natural foods
20-30 minutes of daily exercise
7-8 hours of sleep each night
Realistic expectations for, of and from your body
Patience
Stress reduction (which by the way, can be accomplished by practicing any and all of the aforementioned
choices).
Lifelong good health or temporary airbrushed perfection...which one are you going to choose?
Why Organic
A consumer advocate and protection non-profit research group, The Environmental Working Group, places strawberries (and all berries) in its top 12 most chemically-laden produce. Whoa! You would not drink pesticide from the bottle, why would you eat it's residue on your food? These pesticides can't just be washed off. They actually seep through all, but the thickest-skinned fruits and vegetables (like, melons, avocado and mango).
If you take a look at the dangers of the various ingredients in these pesticides, you'll see that a high-rate of exposure to them can cause everything from nerve damage to heart-disease to cancer to death. If you eat a particular food a lot, start buying it from certified organic producers--and go to www.foodnews.org to follow research updates by The Enviromental Working Group and download your shoppers guide of the best and worst produce available in terms of pesticide residue.
There are a variety of chemicals that are actually called Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP). These are chemicals that can remain in your body for ten years or more--wreaking havoc with your metabolism and contributing to long-term health decline. But, the polluntants being sprayed on our fruits and vegetables are not the only dangerous chemicals we need to stay away from.
Antiboitics and hormones injected into cows, chickens and farm-raised fish also have a negative impact on our bodies, health and wellness. Currently, there are no limits to the amounts of antibiotics and hormones injected into animals that we eat. When we eat meat tainted with these chemicals, they affect our chemistry--usually in an adverse manner. Buy organic meats and dairy products always.
When you eat organically, you not only support local farmers (see my Farmers' Market page), but you support your metabolism. You are eating food the way Mother Nature intended it. It is free of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals that disrupt your chemical make-up. Many of these chemicals mimic your hormones and take up hormone receptor sites, keeping YOUR hormones from doing their job. When this happens, you put yourself at risk for obesity, diabetes, heart-disease, stroke and myriad of other diseases. In the long run, the less expensive route (and the one that contributes the most to quality of life) is to buy organic.
March is National Nutrition Month! Here are some breakfast tips for your kids.
If you've visited in the past week, you know that March is National Nutrition Month. Last week, I gave you some breakfast ideas (scroll down), so following that same theme--here are some lunch suggestions. Wholesome, low-fat, low-sodium, non-refined ingredients make a difference in the way we feel, how we look, our mood and mental accuity. That's important at work and school.
A balanced lunch can be put together fairly quickly, if you know how. Grocers have pre-packaged, ready to eat fresh and wholesome foods in the deli section. I get most of the ingredients listed below from Trader Joe's (no they're not paying me), though many are available at most markets. That's a big time-saver.
Balanced Lunch Formula: 1 fruit, 1 complex carb/protein combo (sandwich, soup, salad, etc.), healthy side, water, extra snack for later in day. Here are some ideas:
Lunch 1--PB & Banana on whole grain, 1 navel orange-sliced, 1-6 oz. yogurt (pref. lo-fat Greek), water. Snack: Kashi Granola Bar
Lunch 2--Salad: 1 cup prewashed & package Spring Mix + 1/4 c each: cucumber, pre-shredded carrots, red bellpepper + 3 cherry tomatoes + 3 oz chicken breast or water-packed tuna + lo-fat dressing. 1 small whole grain roll, water. Snack: 1 tbsp each: whole raw almonds, dried cranberries, raisins.
Lunch 3--Chicken (or baked Tofu) Roll-up (recipe follows), 1 oz baked or puffed/lo-sodium chips, 1/2 cup grapes, water. Snack: 1/2 cup pre-steamed & ready-to-eat shelled Edemames (Trader Joe's)
Lunch 4--1 cup lo-sodium Lentil or Split Pea Soup, 1 small whole grain roll, 1 string cheese stick, 1 pkg baby carrots, water. Snack: 1 6-oz yogurt (pref. lo-fat Greek)
Lunch 5--Sandwich: 2 oz rinsed deli-sliced turkey, 1oz lo-fat Swiss or Yogurt Cheese, Dijon Mustard, cranberry sauce or chutney (Trader Joe's), handful pre-rinsed & packaged spinach leaves, sliced tomato. 1 oz baked or puffed/lo-sodium chips, 1/2 cup pre-sliced & packaged apples, water. Snack: 3/4 cup whole grain cereal, 3/4 cup 1% milk or lo-fat soy milk.
Recipes--
Chicken Roll-up
1 Tortilla, taco-size, carb-cutting (I like La Tortilla Factory--most markets)
Dijon Mustard
Cranberry sauce or chutney
1/4 cup diced chicken breast
handful pre-rinsed & packaged spinach leaves
Few slices each: cucumber, pre-sliced & packaged mango (Trader Joe's), red onion (optional)
Spread mustard and cranberry sauce or chutney on tortilla, add rest of ingredients and roll up. Wrap in wax paper & foil for lunch box.
Baked Tofu Roll-up
1 Tortilla, taco-size, carb-cutting (I like La Tortilla Factory--most markets)
Mediterranean Hummus (Trader Joe's)
1/4 pkg Savory Baked Tofu (Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup preshredded & packaged Cabbage
handful preshredded & packaged carrot
Spread hummus on tortilla, add rest of ingredients and roll up. Wrap in wax paper & foil for lunch box.
Get the peace of mind of good nutrition for your kids and family. Click on the contact tab to make an appointment today.
Monday, March 2, kicks off NATIONAL BREAKFAST WEEK. Most of us already know breakfast is important, so I’ll just mention some of the positive aspects for kids: breakfast helps them (and us) stay focused, improves concentration and alertness and recent studies have shown that it also improves academic retention and performance! Make sure they’re getting a quality meal, first thing in the morning—i.e. nix the toaster pastries, sugary/fatty foods & the drive-thru.
It doesn’t have to be time-consuming to be healthy. Here are some suggestions:
1—3/4 c cheerios, ¾ c milk; ½ c sliced strawberries, blueberries or other fruit
2—3/4 c Greek Yogurt, ½ c diced apples, 1 Tbsp sliced almonds or other nuts, cinnamon
3—1 Tbsp 100% pure peanut butter & ½ sliced banana on 1 slice whole grain bread, 1 c milk
4—Whole-grain oatmeal pkt, ¼ c milk; top w/1 tbsp raisins/cranberries, 1 tbsp sliced almonds, ¾ c milk
5—1 string cheese stick, 1 pkt sliced apples, 5 whole grain crackers, 1 c milk
Brainiac Peanut Butter Banana Shake
½ banana
1 cup milk
½ tbsp 100% pure Maple Syrup (grade B, pref.)
1 tbsp 100% pure peanut butter
1 tbsp sprouted flax powder (optional)
½ tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
2-4 crushed ice cubes
Blend until smooth.
Notes—Fruit (except banana) can be chopped the night before & refrigerated. I tried to make the suggestions simple, so most kids can make their own breakfast. If ingredients are prepped the night before, most of these are “just-dump-mix-and-eat” recipes.
Ground Sprouted Flax Seed (SFS)…I would add a tsp or more to every one of these menus. Flax is high in Omega-3 fatty acids (1 tsp SFS=1133mg Omega-3). They have been shown to have a positive impact on academic success, mood and behavior, in addition to their well-documented effects on heart-health, circulation, etc.