Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
Smoke in the GYM Mirrors
Have you ever known someone that you admired and/or looked up to, only to find something out about them that doubted what you knew about them? Today at the gym, I was talking to one of my friends who happens to be a trainer. She and I have had many conversations about anything and everything. One of our favorite topics happens to be fitness of course :-)
Anywhoooooo, we both have talked about and agreed on the ramifications that diet pills can have on a person and both of us have maintained that we do not use, nor do we promote the use of any diet pills to accelerate weight loss. Well, as she was getting ready to leave, her bag fell over from the bench and guess what rolled out of it? You got it…diet pills!! I couldn’t believe it! I called her out on it and she apologized to me over and over. Truth be told, I think she needs to come clean and apologize to her clients, not me! 
Clients pay good money to look up to someone they BELIEVE is living their life in a healthy and safe way. They seek accountability, motivation, support, knowledge and even friendship. To find out that your trainer is cheating to “stay fit” is a slap in the face in my opinion. Now don’t get me wrong, I drink protein shakes after a good strength training workout, so I’m not talking about that protein drinks. According to the FDA, an analysis of the ingredients in 72 over the counter products showed that they contained undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients, including the controlled substance sibutramine, an appetite suppressant legally sold as the prescription drug Meridia; rimonabant, a drug not approved in the United States; phenytoin, an antiseizure medication; phenolphthalein, a suspected cancer-causing agent; and the diuretic bumetanide. No prescription drug—even a diet aid like an appetite suppressant—should be taken without medical supervision. And because some of the products contained doses higher than the levels approved for prescription drugs, the risks are higher as well. Potential side effects are scary: seizures, heart attacks and strokes. So much for safe and natural. 
I can’t stress enough about the importance of a healthy diet and plenty of exercise being the TWO key ingredients to living a healthy lifestyle. Getting “help” in a way that puts your body in danger is not smart. Let me put it to you this way….it’s down right STUPID! First of all, if you are not heavy to start with and are just looking to lose 5-10 pounds, I wouldn’t suggest to lose more than 1 pound per week. On top of that, the National Institute of Health recommends that you only lose up to 10% of your body weight for the first 6 months. If you can keep it off, THEN you can lose a few more pounds.
So if you read a label, or magazine ad, or internet ad, or whatever and the thing promises you to lose 30 pounds in 8 weeks, RUN!!!! Run far….you’ll be better off burning up those pounds that way anyhow :-)
THERE IS NO MAGIC PILL!!!!! 
Food For Thought Friday #1
If YOU have any questions that you’re curious about, email me at tanktoparms@hotmail.com and look for the answers in the “Food For Thought Friday” posts!
Q: How important is 8 hours of sleep to your health? Just curious, because I think I’m falling behind.
A: Ahhhhh, the old “8 is enough”….or is it? Well, as most of us have grown up with hearing that we need 8 hours of sleep, for the most part it’s true. Getting enough zzz’s is very important to our health, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that EVERYONE can only function properly as long as you’re getting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 hours of sleepy time. Sleep is an essential part of our lives. If we don’t get enough of it on a consistent basis, our bodies will give out on us.
Some people may find that they only need 5-6 hours of sleep to function properly, while others need 10-11 hours for optimal performance, so it’s safe to say that each person’s sleep requirement is different. To put it simply though, the average adult functions best with 7-8 hours of sleep a night. But remember, you should probably evaluate how you feel during the day to be certain that you are getting enough sleep at night.
Research has shown that when we don’t get enough sleep, there is an increased risk of diabetes, onset of weight gain, irritability, and your attention span is shorter. Among other things, your reflexes tend to be slower and depression could sneak up on you as you fatigue more and more. Get some rest!! Just be sure it’s the proper amount of rest that YOU need.
Q: What are your thoughts on Honey Therapy for allergies?
A: “Oh the allergies have been killing me!” That’s my daily spiel since Spring came around. I see the little cottonwood pollens floating in the air and I just want to hide! Rather than going the medicinal route, many people look to honey as an allergy remedy. Although there isn’t a whole lot of research for or against it, I can comfortably say that it is safe for the majority of people suffering from allergies.
Because local honey tends to have some of the same local allergens in the air, consuming honey actually helps to build your immunity to those same allergens. It works like this: the bees go from flower to flower, tree to tree, etc. when they go back to the hive and contribute their labors to make the honey, they themselves are covered in many of the same allergens that we suffer from. So consuming honey actually helps to build a slow immunity to these allergens, or so that is what is believed. 
A word of caution to honey therapy: If you have never consumed honey, be careful because you may have an allergic reaction and not know it until you’ve eaten it. Try just a little bit of your local honey, like ½ teaspoon to see if there is any reaction. If not, you’re probably pretty safe. But you can always run this by your physician as well.
Q: How far do I have to jog to neutralize a small order of McDonald’s fries? What if I replace the jog with a walk? What if I replace the walk with sitting on the couch? Note: the fries cannot be substituted.
A: I’m going to answer this because it made me laugh! Too funny to pass up you know! Here’s the low down on the question: A small order of McDonalds fries has 231 calories, with a total of 11.5 g of fat, and 18% saturated fat. So, you will probably have to jog about 25-35 minutes, depending on your pace; longer time if you’re going at a slower pace, shorter time with a faster pace. If you’re walking, you’ll probably need to walk about 45 minutes to lose those 231 cals. If you’re sitting on the couch, make sure to have the remote close by because even getting up to change the channel won’t help you much! Enjoy the cheat treat! 
Q: What are your thoughts on dietary supplements such as pills, smoothies, etc?
A: With one brow raised, I will answer this as honestly as possible. I take a supplement. It’s called a multivitamin. I also use 100% whey protein to make smoothies with. I never have been a big fan of supplement pills to lose weight, gain muscle, raise the metabolism, or to “burn fat”. For one, they aren’t FDA regulated. Nutritionists say most of us can skip taking vitamins altogether, as long as we’re eating a variety of healthy foods. But I know that I’m probably not getting ALL the vitamins and minerals I need from my diet, so that’s why I take a multivitamin. Go to RealAge to see the most important vitamins and minerals you should be looking for on that bottle.
There are so many different potential negative effects that your body can have from taking dietary supplements that you aren’t familiar with. Unfortunately in today’s society, we are bombarded with magazines, books, shows and internet ads that promote a “perfect” body whether you’re a woman or man. Marketers target desperate people that are looking for a quick fix. Many of these drugs have shown to increase heart rates to unsafe levels, raise cholesterol level as well as blood pressure. The liver, kidneys and pancreas tend to have difficulty processing these pills, but it takes a long time usually to see the side effects. By that time, the damage is done.
Smoothies can be a good source of energy and protein if you prepare them at home with raw foods and maybe a scoop of 100% whey protein. When we purchase smoothies from the outside, such as Jamba Juice, you may think that you’re getting a healthy dose of fruits for the day, but in reality you’re getting a ton of sugar and carbs. As I said earlier, if you prepare your drinks at home, you can make them so much healthier than if you buy it somewhere else. Personally, I use 100% Whey protein from Nectar (brand) in the vanilla bean flavor. I mix it with ¼ cup water, ½ cup skim milk, 1 scoop of protein powder, and I usually add ½ banana, or raspberries, or ½ papaya. For my multivitamin, I take Mega Woman Sport from GNC. Aside from that, I make sure to eat a really healthy diet 80% of the time so I can “cheat” with my food the other 20%. 
Q: What are the health benefits of sex, red wine and dark chocolate…
A: Sex: Earlier I blogged a post all about the benefits of sex. Aside from burning about 85-100 calories in roughly 30 minutes (depending on how…ahem…vigorous it is), sex can help relieve tension, improve cardiovascular health and improve intimacy between you and your significant other. Other research has shown that sex can help relieve pain by producing oxytocin, slows the aging process and finally it can help reduce the risk of breast cancer!
Red wine: drinking it in moderation, red wine can have some pretty significant positive effects on our bods. The University of Bordeaux found that moderate wine consumption (about 2 glasses a day) was associated with a 30% reduction in the death rate from all causes; a 35% percent reduction in death rates from cardiovascular disease; and an 18-24% reduction in death rates from cancer. Aside from all the news of chronic illness risk decreasing with red wine consumption, there are also anti-aging effects in red grape skins.
Dark chocolate: According to the Mayo clinic, eating small amounts (notice I didn’t say candy bars every day) of dark chocolate everyday can offer some health benefits. Flavonoids are a naturally occurring antioxidant that is found in teas, red wine and some fruits and veggies. These same flavonoids are found in the deliciousness of dark chocolate. They have been associated with having a good effect on the heart by lowering blood pressure by a couple of points for both the systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) numbers. Bon apetit!! 
I want my magic pill NOW!!!
How many different commercials, magazine ads, computer pop-up ads and books can you think of that offer you the opportunity to lose inches or even 50 pounds in two days??? I’m exaggerating of course, but you get the point. The truth is, there is no magic pill….but…you did know that already right? Please say you already knew that.
It’s amazing to me how many people, especially women, still fall for this gimmick. You know, I used to like Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser, but she’s really chapped my hide with the recent push for supplements that promise to make you lose weight. I’ve never been a trainer that pushed pills or any specific diet like Atkins or South Beach to name a couple. I like to keep in good fitness health the old fashioned way, through a healthy diet and physical activity at least 80% of the time. Many times, there are long term affects with these “promised” solutions. For example, the American Heart Association states: “Individuals who follow this diet (Atkins) are at risk for compromised vitamin and mineral intake, as well as potential cardiac, kidney, bone, and liver abnormalities overall.” Low carb diets like the Atkins diet may also hasten the onset of type II diabetes. Yikes!! That’s some scary crap people!! 
Every New Year’s, millions of people claim that THIS will be the year of shedding those unwanted pounds. “And I’m going to do with hard work….I’m marching myself to the nearest GNC and buying my weight loss!” Yeah. Right. Just doesn’t work that way. Let me rephrase that, it just doesn’t work in a HEALTHY way. These may be temporary fixes, but only contribute to health problems or frustrations at the end as you may see the weight come back when you get off the diet or supplement.
Lifestyle changes are the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Creating a habit of eating well and being active each day will become a lifestyle change. Did you know that it takes 21 days for something become a habit? Now, I truly do understand that some people have a hard time to lose weight through diet and exercise; I’m not denying that. When that happens, there may be an impending visit to the doc or maybe a registered dietician to see if there is something you may be missing. Perhaps a thyroid problem or very slow metabolism. But for those of you who really haven’t tried as best as you can, are you really struggling? Be honest with yourself please. Denial will get you nowhere.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states that we should be getting at least 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. That breaks down to 30 min each day for only 5 days! That’s the minimum to keep your heart healthy. Now to lose weight, you should really be expending energy for approximately 60-90 minutes each day with one or two days rest. You don’t have to spend the 90 minutes all at once either. Don’t forget you strength training too.
Keeping a journal of your daily physical activity can help too. If you don’t have a personal trainer, this is a great tool to have and it acts as accountability as well (it just won’t yell at you :) In this journal, you can also keep a log of what your feeding yourself. Now THAT can be an eye opener. We usually don’t think of all the “little” snacks we grab on the go, or those 3 peanut M&M’s you just ate….oh….that was me. Anyway, my point is that you have to be completely honest with yourself, and when you decide to do that, you will start to see the change.
You may encounter a plateau. Damn those last 5 pounds!!!!! Curse you!!!!! Ok, ok, settle down now. If you ONLY had the option of losing weight either through exercise or your diet, do you know which one would win? The diet. Ultimately, if you want to achieve the lean physique and toned muscles, eating a clean diet is what will push you over the edge. 
So be patient. It takes roughly 6 weeks to really start seeing results if you’ve got maybe 15-20 pounds to lose. Remember that the more weight you have to lose (the heavier you are), the faster you will see results. Don’t get discouraged if you hit a wall. We all do. I’ve hit walls, but punched through them. Stay focused and put your heart into it because at the end, it will thank you!!
If you’re brave, you can take a “before” picture. Place it somewhere that you can see, albeit a private place. Remind yourself that it DOES NOT have to be Jan 1 to start your weight loss goals. It can be Cinco de Mayo or October 25 for pete’s sake! Who cares!! Just don’t use the “New Year’s resolution” as an excuse to wait for your makeover.
Make it happen. YOU, can make it happen!
My Cholesterol is what?
Today was another day at work. Pretty routine as far as doing blood pressure measurements, cholesterol checks, glucose screenings for diabetes and of course health coaching. As so, there were a couple of times during the day where we had a few lulls and we would walk around…organize the education pieces…talk with other health educators, and so on.
Well, at some point, I decided that, “hey, I want to check my cholesterol just to see where it’s at”. I mean really, I’m pretty fit, I eat healthy foods and have a consistent blood pressure reading of 106/69….what could go wrong, right?????
I waited the normal 6-7 minutes that it takes for the blood to be read and like an easy bake oven, the beep went off. My co-worker turned the machine towards me and as I casually (and confidently) read the numbers, I couldn’t believe my eyes. 241. That’s it. I saw 241. I looked at her, then looked at it again and I saw 241. Did I mention that it was 241?
Oh My GOSH!!! I knew that I was somewhat border-lined due to a genetic disposition, but I had never even gone over the recommended max of 200, and yet here I am, fit as a fiddle, health nut mom and owner of a health coaching company and I was just sideswiped with a 241 cholesterol reading! *sigh* but I digress. What to do, what to do.
This is a perfect time (I think) to not only say, “I told you so,..I’m NOT superwoman”, but to also engage you on the topic of cholesterol. It’s an important number to know for your overall health. Cholesterol builds up in your arteries along the walls, similar to how a drain slowly gets clogged up over time until water can’t get through it anymore. Eventually if it gets totally clogged up, your heart can’t do it’s job and you have a massive coronary and bye-bye (shock factor). But just because you get a high reading, doesn’t mean you’re about to pop like a kernel and drop dead, but it’s a pretty good idea to know what it is so that you can do something about it if you do happen to pull a high number. 
First things first: what exactly is cholesterol? Well, in a nutshell, it’s a waxy substance that is produced by your liver and travels in your bloodstream. Kind of sounds nasty huh? It is also found in fats, particularly animal fats. Our bodies produce approximately 1000 mg of cholesterol per day, so we really don’t need to consume much of it at all…but we do, don’t we! Don’t mistake me though, not all high cholesterol occurs because of poor diets. Sometimes (like in my case) our bodies produce more than necessary for one reason or another and it’s hard to remove the excess. Total cholesterol is broken down into several categories: HDL (high dose lipoprotein-Healthy kind), LDL (low dose lipoprotein- Lousy kind), and Triglycerides. My 241 includes all three of these, but in the test that I was screened in, out of the three it only shows the HDL number, which I scored a whopping 75! (you want to be above 45). Guess what this means? I’m going to be taking a trip to my provider to get a complete cholesterol test done. I’ll have to fast for 12 hours before, but that’s ok. I want to know all my numbers!
Speaking of numbers, here’s the scoop on that: According to the American Heart Association, which is what we also use for work, less than 200 mg/dL of total cholesterol is desirable; 200-239 is considered to be borderline-high risk; and 240 and over is considered high risk (DON’T REMIND ME), but I don’t consider myself to be a ticking time-bomb. Wanna know why? Because my HDL was pretty darn high. HDL cholesterol is also known as the “healthy” kind. In the average woman, HDL’s range from 50 to 60 mg/dL. An HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dL or higher gives some protection against heart disease. Score one for the Spanish girl! What I don’t know yet is my LDL levels or triglycerides. The lower the number for these two, the lower the risk for heart disease. At least I have my HDL going for me!
LDL Cholesterol Levels (American Heart Association)
Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal 100 to 129 mg/dL Near Optimal/ Above Optimal 130 to 159 mg/dL Borderline High 160 to 189 mg/dL High 190 mg/dL and above Very High
So now you have your number (assume), and it turns out that it’s above the desirable 200 mg/dL. What can we do? 
Diet: Foods that are low in fat are best. Saturated fat in particular is a BIG culprit. Saturated fats are those that typically become solid at room temperature. If you cook ground beef and leave the grease behind to cool off, what happens to it? It hardens right? That’s your saturated fat. The more lean your meat is, the less saturated fat it will have. Milk, egg yolks, cheese, and butter all contain fats, but you can modify the amount of fat by choosing the skim or 1% milk over the 2% or whole; reduced fat cheeses are available; egg beaters have no cholesterol and 2/3 less calories than whole eggs; chicken breast and fish are excellent protein sources as oppose to red meats and chicken legs/thighs/wings. These are just a few examples of little changes you can make to reduce your saturated fat consumption. More fruits and veggies is ALWAYS a great idea to incorporate into your diet. Eat more fiber! Remember that there are no bad foods…everything in moderation. Learn some discipline and self control.
Physical Activity: I said it before and I’ll say it again. Do something you enjoy!! If you don’t, you’ll quit. To lower cholesterol levels, aerobic exercise is better than strength training, but I’m not saying not to do weight bearing exercises, ok? Don’t put words in my mouth. Aerobic activity specifically helps to raise the HDL levels too…bet you didn’t know that! On the flip side, exercise doesn’t always lower the cholesterol for everyone. Just keep that in mind, but please don’t dismiss it. We need to be physically active either way because it is part of a healthy lifestyle. 
Tobacco use: Just don’t. Can I be any more clear? It’s bad, it’s bad, it’s bad. In case you didn’t know also, it’s bad. Just don’t do it. 
Medication: You and your doctor will work this part out together. She/he will decide (with your feedback) if medications will be necessary. In my humble opinion, a good doc will opt for lifestyle changes first. Perhaps the simple addition of fish oil pills, skim milk and walking an extra 2 days a week will help to reduce your numbers. Who knows, but what I do know is that if your doc recommends putting you on meds immediately after taking one test…I would get a second opinion.
Well, well well. Shall I go crawl under a rock and wallow? Of course not! I’ve come out! Well, sort of…I am a fit, healthy eating 35 year old mom of two, triathlete, and health educator….and my number is 241! 
I’m off to the doctor now….
Why in the world would you want a fit kid?
Are you looking at the title and saying to yourself, “Why is she asking this? ” Well, I ask because I think it’s a legitimate question for parents. How much do you know about the importance of having a fit kid, other than the fact that you could stave off extra pounds of fat around his or her tummy? Well, the truth is, that kids who are overweight or obese tend to have more health problems as kids AND are at a 50% increased risk of being overweight as adults! Scary….
Dear mom and dad: get your kid moving, because THIS isn’t cutting it!!! 
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, overweight or obese children and adolescents are at risk for many health problems. Some of the negative health outcomes that may be more obvious to children and their parents are asthma, sleep apnea, skin infections, and complaints of joint pain. In addition, research indicates that obese children have lower self esteem and self confidence than their thinner peers. Low self esteem and self confidence have been linked to poor academic performance, fewer friends, and depression. How’s that for an eye opener?!
So what can YOU do? For starters, if your child or teen is a video game or tele junkie, then it has to be either removed or at a minimum, reduce the time used to play and watch TV. The boob tube doesn’t have too many redeeming qualities these days anyway, with all the crap that’s on and not even appropriate for kids. Then we wonder why they are growing up so fast (totally my 2 cents here).
Here are some ways to help you, help your child to be more active:
- Find a fun activity that your child will enjoy
- Choose an age appropriate activity
- Provide a safe environment
- Be a role model for your child
- Play with your child
- Make an appointment with your child’s pediatrician ;-)
- TURN OFF THE TV!
Gosh just looking at this drives me crazy! But I d-i-g-r-e-s-s (there’s that word :) Having a fit kid has plenty of benefits. The obvious one is having a lower BMI (body mass index). You want to make sure that your child/teen has a healthy amount of body fat, not too much or too little for that matter. While being able to run around is great when you’re lighter on your feet, it also gives them more confidence and ambition to participate in group sports. Self esteem has been shown to increase with the decrease of weight when needed. Being at a healthy weight reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes, which unfortunately for many kids these days is becoming a more common diagnosis. Want your kids to have better grades in school? Studies have shown that exercise may actually boost academic performance by burning off pent-up energy, boosting mood and increasing blood flow to the brain.
There are Three Elements of Fitness which parents can focus on whether your child is in elementary school or high school. There is endurance, strength, and flexibility, and the earlier you start teaching them this, the better. For example, when your kid is running away from the kid who’s “it” , it builds endurance. When your kids is crossing the monkey bars, it builds strength, and when your kids bend down to tie their shoes, it builds flexibility. By doing different activities, you are helping to encourage your “mini me’s” develop these elements of exercise. 
Finally, be a role model…a GOOD role model. There’s only so much credibility when you push someone to be healthy but you’re not doing it yourself. Lets get real now! Would you really want to take exercise advice from someone that isn’t fit? Ok, ok…maybe they’re on a “break”, but they shouldn’t let it get out of control that they’ve let themselves go either. Get outside with your child. Go walk the dog with them, ride your bike with her, kick the ball with him and don’t forget to eat well together. By “well” I mean healthy of course.
It’s pretty amazing to think that you could have so much to do with the longevity of your offspring and how they will live after you are gone. Will it be to a healthy (for the most part) 85-90 years old, or a medicine ridden cabinet and in an electric wheelchair when they are 60? It can all start with you…
The parent.
Cooking Ideas for the Bachelor(ette)
A good friend of mine was asking me questions the other day about ideas of what he could eat that is healthy, fast, and easy. He’s a bachelor and like most singles that I know, the refrigerator usually looks like this: 
Hate to tell ya, but you’re not going to get very far with a bottle of mustard and some cream cheese, unless of course you’re McGyver! (I just dated myself didn’t I?) But I digress…(my other new word). It’s a new year, you’ve made new goals and one of them is to lose weight, or eat healthier, or both! Well, if you’re out to lose any weight at all, then having healthy eating habits are going to be a must. So I just want to share some ideas that I’ve used when I don’t have a lot of time, or quite frankly, when I’m just too lazy to cook.
A good habit to get into is to get the groceries you need for anything you’ll want to make for at least 3-4 days. That way, not only are you saving trips to the store, but you’re also saving $$, because really, don’t we all end up with about $20 more in our basket than what we intended most of the time? Now of course I can’t please everyone here with the ingredients I use, but you can always send me an email to tailor it for you if you’d like. this is going to be a basic rundown, then I’ll get into the details, so hang tight!
Breakfast choices: Whole grain waffles, whole wheat english muffins, high fiber cereal w/skim milk, protein shake w/banana or papaya, egg whites w/ chopped mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes all scrambled, oatmeal with 1 tb of peanut butter, blueberry pancakes w/ 1 mashed banana in it (from the blueberry muffin box), toasted peanut butter & jelly sandwich, and yogurt w/ granola on top. remember these are ideas that I use myself in the morning. You can find more ideas at the Cooking light website. Breakfast is the most important meal of your day!!! If you want to speed up your metabolism, and make losing weight easier, don’t skip breakfast. This should be your BIGGEST meal as a matter of fact, that you consume during the day. It gets your brain ready for the daily challenges, and sets the internal dial of how much energy you’ll be needing and using. I urge you to plan the night before what it is that you’ll be eating. 
Snack #1 choices: low-fat yogurt, granola bar, nut and fruit mix, apple, grapes, banana, bran muffin, hard boiled egg (which you prepare the night before), raw veggies, almonds, 1/2 avocado, reduced fat pudding cup, baked chips and salsa, pretzels. Snacks are NOT to be eaten just because you’re bored. They are to be eaten so you are not “starving” in between breakfast and lunch. Snacks usually don’t have to be cooked, so don’t make it hard on yourself. Their lot in life is to tide you over.
Lunch choices: salad the way you like it (prepared the night before), leftovers from dinner (ALWAYS easy), sandwich w/ avocado (and any other weird stuff you may like), veggie burger pita, healthy canned soup (watch the sodium), turkey quesadillas. Lunch time is considered to be anywhere between 11-2pm. Personally I prefer to eat lunch no later than 1pm, I also understand that schedules can’t always be followed the way we like. 
Snack #2 choices:In addition to all the choices you saw earlier for snack #1, you can add an orange, pear, strawberries, protein shake, string cheese, peanut butter pretzels, tuna w/ crackers, popcorn.
Food for thought: snacks are just to tide you over………………………………………….
Dinner choices: By far my favorite meal to cook, only because I love to cook! But not only that, I plan my lunches off of this meal so often as well. A crock pot is a perfect cook while you’re gone to work all day. You get to come home to a wonderful aroma and dinner is ready! But aside from crock pot recipes, there are other things to make that are relatively quick as well. Pizza (make or order), tacos, pasta (about 11 minutes to cook), lean sloppy joe, broiled fish, baked chicken w/ instant brown rice (10 min to cook), sautéed veggies with tortillas, baked potato, ravioli. I can honestly say that my crockpot is one of the BEST investments I’ve ever made for my kitchen, AND my sanity :) There are tons of recipes you can use for the crockpot from breakfast to dessert.
I don’t like food that’s too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I’d buy a painting.
~Andy Rooney
He said it very well! This post was supposed to help you get ideas of quick ways to satisfy your hunger with healthy ideas, not how to be hoity toity with your food. There are of course hundreds of other foods to eat and many others that I really spend the time preparing, but that’s either because it’s a special occasion, or because I want to try a new recipe. Hopefully these will help you get started :) Here are more ideas for a little more time consumption, but great nonetheless.
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are. ~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Have You Eaten Your Rainbow Today?
A pot of gold is not what you’ll find associated with this kind of rainbow, unless you consider your health to be golden :) I want to talk about the different options we have as far as veggies and fruits go for everyday eating. And mind you, even after what I have to offer, there is still PLENTY of ideas out there!
Soooooo it’s not the perfect shade of rainbow that we’re used to seeing, but looking at the picture to the right, you get a pretty darn good idea of which vegetable and fruit colors match those of a rainbow. What you want to remember between the two is that you want to eat more veggies than you do fruits. They are both good, no doubt, but you want to go easy on the sugar, despite it being natural sugars from the fruit.
Veggies 101: Green guys like kale and spinach are probably your best bets. They are both very high in calcium, vitamin A and beta-carotene. Broccoli is a great source as well as artichokes for the same vitamin C and B’s. Red and green lettuces are always a better choice to your common iceberg lettuce which has very minimal nutritional value…SORRY fans! It’s mostly made of water which you should be drinking plenty of anyway…right??
Orange or yellow peeps such as carrots, sweet potatoes and squash are VERY high in vitamin A and benefit the eyes, skin, immune function, reproduction, and bone growth. You can eat carrots raw of course, but the squash and sweet potato, well, you may want to cook those. Red veggies like red peppers and tomatoes (although technically that’s a fruit), contain lycopene which has been found to have strong cancer fighting properties that lower prostate cancer in men.
Other misc veggies like cauliflower, beans, lentils, corn and white potatoes are also good for you, but because of their starchy nature, you want to eat less of these guys and more of the colorful ones.
Moving on folks…moving on.
Fruits also contain tons of antioxidants if you pick the right ones. They also contain sugar, natural sugar yes, but SUGAR nonetheless. So be weary of that as you consume these wonderful little healthy desserts.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away…but if you eat 100 apples a week and don’t exercise it off, you’ll be making a visit to the office! Everything in moderation!!!
Fruits 101: Berries come in all different colors. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries…and all of them are loaded with Vitamin C. Blueberries are at the top in that they contain 14 mg of Vitamin C in one cup and are filled with antioxidants! Berries are extremely nutrient-dense. A 1 cup serving has less than 50 calories and can be added to yogurt, a smoothie, and cereal.
Avocados and tomatoes…ahhh…the rogues of the bunch! What???? Avocados and tomatoes are fruits???? Yuppers! Avocados contain 11 grams of fiber in a whole avocado, so in one serving, that’s 6.5 grams for just half of one! You’ll be feeling fuller for a longer period of time thanks to good old fiber. Tomatoes, as I mentioned in the veggies above, contain lycopene and very dense with cancer fighting properties.
Papayas, mangos, pineapple and guavas are very rich in Vitamins A, C and E. They are also rich in calcium, particularly the papaya. If you like these fruits, let me just say that they make an excellent addition to any smoothie or even protein shake! Bananas, the most common of the tropical fruits I would say, is well received and ranked among athletes, however, be careful how much you eat of this one. They contain lots of sugar and carbs, so be sure to use the energy that it gives you to work it off.
Grapes have a good amount of manganese, and contain flavonoids. Flavonoids protect the blood vessels, and have even shown to control inflammation.In general, the darker (purple or red) the grape is, the more flavonoids they contain. A 1 cup serving is just 60 calories. Eater beware though!!! One serving of grapes = approximately 12 grapes! So don’t treat yourself to the whole darn vine for pete’s sake. Grapes contain a lot of sugar too, but in moderation, are an excellent snack.
Finally, apples and oranges. What can I say about these two popular…uhhh….spheres. Both are easy to carry with you in your cooler, are very tasty when cold, and make for excellent snack that contain vitamin C, are low in calories. An easy filler for in between meals that will give you energy and maintain your metabolism.
So you might be curious what you can do with, let’s say an avocado! The first thing most people might think of is guacamole! It’s one of my favorite things to make, but seriously, you don’t want chips and dip right now. Here’s a thought: slice it up and put it into an omelette for breakfast; OR mash it up, salt to taste, add some lemon and use it on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise; OR dice it up and add it to your red and dark green salad; OR put it on your face! Yeah I know…not what you were thinking, but it does make for a really nice facial mask that will leave your skin feeling soft like a baby’s bottom :)
There are hundreds of different ways to cook your veggies and eat your fruits. There is baking, steaming, sautéing, broiling, roasting, raw, mashed and mixed with other foods. Below are a few websites that you might find inetersting to read:
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Every Day
Ideas for Eating More Vegetables
Cooking Light has fantastic ideas for healthy recipes as well.
Keep your wits about you when you’re at the grocery store. I don’t push organic fruits and veggies only because they are much more pricy, but I’m pretty darn healthy and so are the kids without me having to switch to the fancy shmancy stuff. Besides, I don’t know a ton about organic foods and to be honest, I don’t plan on becoming well schooled in it either.
Be sure to get your proper servings of each which you can find at the Mypyramid website. Get creative with what you have. Eating this stuff can be boring , but it doesn’t have to be at all. For parents that want to get more info on how to get your kids eating more of the healthy stuff too, you can check out Champions For Change . It started in California, but it has great information and tips.
Now go students of produce! Find what waits for you at the end of your RAINBOW!!
Save calories and $$… Cool it will ya!!??
Who can deny that when we were growing up and preparing to go back to school from summer vacation, one of the most important things (for our school popularity status of course) was to get a cool lunchbox?? I mean, you had to get the coolest thing that was in at the time right? Of course what you see below may not be the most flattering of its kind these days, but it sure was back then! Super woman was c-o-o-l!!!
Speaking of cool, there is a very sneaky, special, and smart way to be cool this coming year. I figure since one of your New Year’s resolutions is to either lose weight or gain a fatter wallet, then being this kind of cool will help take care of both :)
BEHOLD…….the Cooler!! [an angelic chorus signing in the background]
You’d be amazed at how keeping cool this coming year can not only save you LOTS of calories, but also how it can save you LOTS of the green stuff too. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all had a personal chef to prepare our meals every single day….ahhhhh…..and although I know a pretty well known one personally, I get no freebies. So, yes, I must make my own lunches. Most of us do unless we’re eating out for lunch or dinner everyday. And if you are one of those that participate in professional menu reading, then I have some news for you that you’re probably not going to like.
I’m going to go with something so simple, so popular and so familiar to you that you’ll think I’m talking right to you. Let’s look at a cool Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato. How do they describe it??……
A creamy mix of vanilla and fresh cold milk poured over ice, marked with Starbucks® espresso and topped with our own proprietary buttery (that’s trouble already) caramel sauce.
Hate to tell ya, but not only are you getting 330 calories in a Venti, but you’re also shelling out about $4 on average. So, you go to Starbucks 4x per week and spend $16 because you “gotta have your coffee”. So $16 doesn’t seem so bad when you look at it that way. How’s this: spending $400 for six months or $832 per year…on coffee!!!! not to mention the additional 1320 calories every week, or 68,640 calories per year!! Wholly calories batman!!
[Head shaking]…friends, there is an additional 19.6 lbs that you could avoid per year and an extra $800 in your pocket if you cool it. I know that sometimes it’s much easier to grab a bite out to eat or treat yourself to a cool drink like the one I described. Heck, I eat out too you know! But everything in moderation, remember. Taking a cooler to work or while you do errands, or for after working out is such a practical idea that can save you in two very important ways (which I’m hoping you get by now). Here are a few ways to use your cooler:
~Regular or mini sandwiches: A great idea is to use mini bagels. You’ll find your “entrée” less soggy, sturdier, and appropriately portioned. Choose whole grain bagels and the sky is the limit for your favorite combinations. If your going to use dressings, just remember to opt for reduced fat ones.
~Beverages: Hydration is key to keep things running the way they should be. I understand that frequent pit stops can be annoying, but staying adequately hydrated is important to helping your body keep alert. Water is best, but feel free to mix it up with low calorie diet soda or light lemonade to keep your taste buds happy. Avoid empty calorie non-diet sodas or sports drinks. There’s too much sugar in them (like our Venti up top with 44 grams!)
~Fruits and veggies: Don’t forget these guys! I recommend manageable fruit (medium apples, grapes, or orange slices to name a few) and cut up veggies (bell peppers, baby carrots, cucumbers, or celery). You can always include a little bit of your favorite lower fat dressing to keep it more enjoyable if you like. Remember that there is lots of fiber in this group. 
You want to lose some of the extra pounds, and put that bulk into your wallet in the form of $$. You have to make the decision to do it first. You need the discipline to either get your lunch ready the night before, or wake up a little earlier to prepare it. Don’t forget about leftovers too! By no means should you limit yourself to sandwiches and apples. Add some spice to your food by adding avocados, cheese sticks, or baked cheetos! Lasagna or pot roast from the night before with plenty of veggies makes a great meal after you warm it up, provided you have the means to do so. Weekly menu’s are a great start too. Shopping for what you want to eat during the week can not only cut your time in half when it’s time to prepare your cooler, but also the frustration of trying to figure out what to make.
Good luck, have fun, and stay cool :) 
Fit for birth
In honor of my pre-natal class moms and the handful of girlfriends I have that are prego at the moment, I wanted to share some insightful stuff for you to chew on while you’re awaiting that precious little bundle of yours! If you’re due any minute now, don’t think that you won’t benefit from this info. Being fit and/or becoming fit during the post-natal period is just as crucial, for different reasons, but it is important. So are you ready? Let’s go! 
Let me start by saying that being physically “fit” is not all about having cut up biceps and a six pack! Always a very nice bonus, but it doesn’t define one being fit. By the same token, different people define being physically fit in different ways. I think it’s important to make note of that! As Dr. Nicholas Romanov puts it,
“The word “FIT” can be summed up along the lines of being “suited to the circumstances”, “meeting adequate standards for a purpose”, “physically and mentally sound and healthy”, “in harmony with”.
So lets stick to “fit” for birth. I’d like to assume that most women, all access barriers aside, receive pre-natal care. It’s of the utmost importance. So assuming that you have been/are/are going to receive your prenatal vitamins, I congratulate you! The nutrients and minerals that you need when you are pregnant are not that different from when you’re not. However, if you are low on any, your prenatal vitamins will help you get and stay on track for you AND that extra bundle that you’re a life line to.
There is tons of information just on pregnancy and nutrition alone, and I’d be more than happy to talk one on one with you if you so choose to get more info. Just send me an email and I’ll get back to you. But what I want to focus on is being physically fit during pregnancy because our bodies go through so much change and trauma at the end of it. Being fit can in fact make labor and delivery go much smoother than you think! Not to mention all the benefits you’ll receive from being active. Physical activity is any form of exercise or movement of the body that uses energy. Straight from the March of Dimes website, regular physical activity can:
- Improve a person’s mood
- Reduce feelings of depression
- Help with managing stress
- Help with managing weight
- Help with sleeping better
- Increase energy throughout the day
Start smart by doing an activity that you enjoy. There’s not a better activity to do than one that you really like doing. If you haven’t been previously active, then start slow. If you can, try to be active at least 4x per week for about 30 minutes, and of course rest when you need to. ALWAYS bring water with you to stay hydrated and wear comfortable clothing and good shoes. Anything from washing a car, to working in a garden to dancing is game. Of the more common ways to be and stay active, walking, biking and/or jogging at slower pace are all great exercises. Swimming happpens to be a favorite because of the buoyancy the water offers. It’s also great to relieve stress from your joints from the extra weight you are carrying. 
Achieving fitness before, during and after your pregnancy helps you to relieve the typical aches & pains of pregnancy, improves your posture, and strengthens and stretches your muscles. A nice perk (and hopefully an obvious one) is that it helps to control excess weight gain. This is very common in first time pregnancies because the thought of “eating for two” is misinterpreted. Yes, you are eating for two, but there are guidelines to this. (E-mail me :)
During labor and childbirth, unless you are a lucky lady who will go with perhaps one contraction, have the kid in less than 10 minutes with barley any pain and be the envy of all moms, you will need to dig deep for strength, stamina, and endurance, all of which will increase with physical exercise. Your recovery from the event will also be speedier than if you had not been exercising at all.
Strength training (my personal favorite) is by no means off the playing field! But you must be careful of certain exercises during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. You want to try to avoid heavy pushing using your lower body, such as in squats for example. Rather than doing squats with weights on a machine, consider doing them on a stability ball. 
As shown here, you can use the ball for balance to squat. You can go as low as you can and as you stand up, bring the ball back up with you, giving you a little bit of a workout for your arms as well :) Compound movements are great because they allow you to workout a few muscle groups at thee same time all within one exercise. So weight training is great about 3x per week. Keep things light and it’s preferable to use machines during this point. The reason for this is because when we are pregnant, our balance is not the greatest. So using machines not only helps maintain our balance while performing the exercise, but it also helps to keep proper form during the movement.
Both cardio exercise and weight training is very important for a healthy body. If you’ve started a routine for yourself, that’s awesome! If you haven’t, I strongly suggest that you start not only for your health, but for that of you bebe too.
Remember to drink plenty of water, take your prenatal vitamins, no alcohol, no smoking, get rest when you can, and get ready because before you know it, you’ll be fit for birth!! 
What kind of diet are you?
What do you think of when you hear the word “diet”? Well, if you’re like most people, you probably think of a diet to lose weight. We’ve all heard about the famous one’s such as the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, the Cabbage soup diet, and the list goes on and on. These are all what I like to call “fad diets“. They come and go and more often than not, once failed, usually lead to more weight gain. If there is one thing that I have always told my clients, it is this: the best diet for weight loss that I recommend is a HEALTHY one. By this I mean reducing your caloric intake which people usually accomplish by reducing the high-calorie fats in the diet and little else. Just out of curiosity, do you know how many calories are in a Big Mac from McDonald’s? Are you sitting down? A whopping 540 calories!! Let’s put this into perspective for a moment. Your biggest meal of the day (which should be breakfast) shouldn’t be more than approximately 350 calories or so. The Big Mac contains 10 grams of fat…which amounts to 50% fat! That’s just in one meal. It’s like eating a chunk of lard for a meal! :( I only used this example because most of us are familiar with the burger icon. You can go to www.calorieking.com for more info on nutritional breakdown of foods. Don’t take this to mean that you can never eat fast food, but a big part of having a healthy diet is making better choices, most of the time, wherever you are at.
So now that I have your attention, and perhaps a little disgust, there is a rule that I try to implement in my clients heads. It’s the 80/20 rule. Ever heard of it? Eat healthy 80% of the time and treat yourself to “cheat” foods only 20% of the time. During that 80% is when you want to eat the healthiest. So on to the fun stuff!
The Low-Carb diet: this involves the near exclusion of carbohydrates. The diet touts that the average overweight person should lose about 7 pounds in the first week. Yikes! You should always be suspicious of any diet that promises fast results in which you are losing more than 2 lbs a week. With this diet, you are free to eat all the protein you want, which personally is enough reason to question it! Where do you think the bad cholesterol comes from? When you eliminate carbs from your diet, your blood sugars levels drop. On top of that, halitosis (very bad breath) is common in this type of dieter. It’s good to eat healthy carbs because your body needs them! When you do, try to stick with the whole grain types or veggies. For example, brown rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, raisins, bananas, sweet potato, squash and spinach :)
A wise man once said, “To think carbs make you fat is wrong. You’re fat because you’re not exercising.”
~Chris Carmichael
The High-Protein diet: unless you are in aerobic or muscular fitness training, you don’t need the extra protein. When you eat more protein than your body needs, and you’re not exercising, it is actually gets stored as fat! Now I’m not telling you to completely restrict your protein diet, but any diet, such as the low-carb one, that restricts you from eating the recommended daily allowance doesn’t make any sense. If you’re going to eat protein though, and it happens to be meat, just be sure to eat leaner cuts such as sirloin or even fillet mignon! Some common places that you will find protein are meat, beans, cheese, chicken, fish, peanut butter, milk, pizza and protein shakes.
The Reduced-Fat diet: Good as a concept, but not if you get ridiculous with it. We need fat in our diets, but up to a certain point. Not only is fat high in calories, but it also contributes to chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even cancer. But some fat is good for us. Healthier fats (unsaturated) can come from avocados, skim or 1% milk instead of 2% or whole, more fish and white meat from chicken or turkey instead of so much red meat. Using monounsaturated oils such as canola or olive when you cook. Try to reduce your normal fat intake, which typically is about 40% in this country now, to 25-30%.
Below I’ve broken down the math stuff to make it even easier for you to follow! 
Some food for thought: 1 pound = 3500 calories. So to lose 1 pound per week, you need to eliminate 3500 calories during that week. Simple. To put it in a more reasonable way of looking at it, (because it’s NOT impossible) be sure to get regular physical activity each day. If you were to burn 1750 calories each week through exercise, and cut 1750 calories from your diet through holding off on those extra cookies or that cheeseburger, or your favorite Starbucks beverage (check out the link!) you can reach your goal of losing 1 pound per week easily! Let’s simplify it even more :) Exercise 5 days a week burning 350 each time. You’ve now burned 1750 in exercise! Now cut back on an extra 350 calories for 5 days, and there is the other 1750 calories, AND you’ve got two cheat days to boot! PLEASE do not cheat ALL DAY LONG though. Just a nice reward without going overboard is what you want.
It’s just a little treat :) 
