Bio-individuality is pretty simple. It says that each person is biologically different with different needs for the body.
Knowing that you are an individual can alleviate the stress felt to always be able to react to suggestions that seem to work for others concerning health and wellness.
What works for one person may not work for you. Of course you need macronutrients and micronutrients for the body to function properly. You also have to exercise, get sunshine, drink water and rest. Leave some of these out and you won't experience good health. But the particular types of foods you eat might be very diferent from what others eat.
Some foods can put weight right on your hips while other food take it off. That's why some people can be vegetarians or vegan and feel great while others can't feel any energy without consuming large amounts of red meat.
So you first need to stop and become aware of the type of eater your are. What digests well in your body? What type of foods and food combinations make sense to you, make you feel energetic, make you feel relaxed after eating? It's possible to never take time to figure this out. Sit down right now and ask yourself what foods always "agree" with you? Which foods make you feel gassy, bloated, lethargic? You might be surprised at the responses.
Showing posts with label food and cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food and cooking. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, August 30, 2010
Beginning Green Smoothies
The idea of a "green smoothie" may not sound appealing at first. But it won't be long before you're addicted to these vitamin/mineral power-packed drinks.
Juicing fruits and vegetables gets the pure essense of the vitamins and minerals from the fruits and vegetables into your system. That is a reason why the smoothie should be consumed within 30 minutes. It's great to start the day as breakfast. You can take it with you in your travel cup in the car.
Here's an easy start:
Banana
Favorite two fruits (cut up to easily blend)
Spinach ( handful, washed and put in blender)
I put the whole peeled banana in the blender. Peel and roughly chop fruit as necessary. You can put strawbeerys, blueberries, etc in whole. Add some filtered water. I also add crushed ice. Blend and drink. How easy is that.
Be sure to use your freshest fruits and veggies. I'm also starting to experiement wtih frozen veggies as these are also next to fresh because they are usually flash frozen fresh.
To start, get one of those large bags of spinach. Get bananas which are full of potassium. I don't like bananas too much by themselves but they add the smooth quality to the smoothie that makes it like a milkshake. Get used to these combinations, finding out your desired fruit to veggie ratio. Then experiment using an additional vegetable. Next, try new fruits and veggies!
Let me know how it goes!
Juicing fruits and vegetables gets the pure essense of the vitamins and minerals from the fruits and vegetables into your system. That is a reason why the smoothie should be consumed within 30 minutes. It's great to start the day as breakfast. You can take it with you in your travel cup in the car.
Here's an easy start:
Banana
Favorite two fruits (cut up to easily blend)
Spinach ( handful, washed and put in blender)
I put the whole peeled banana in the blender. Peel and roughly chop fruit as necessary. You can put strawbeerys, blueberries, etc in whole. Add some filtered water. I also add crushed ice. Blend and drink. How easy is that.
Be sure to use your freshest fruits and veggies. I'm also starting to experiement wtih frozen veggies as these are also next to fresh because they are usually flash frozen fresh.
To start, get one of those large bags of spinach. Get bananas which are full of potassium. I don't like bananas too much by themselves but they add the smooth quality to the smoothie that makes it like a milkshake. Get used to these combinations, finding out your desired fruit to veggie ratio. Then experiment using an additional vegetable. Next, try new fruits and veggies!
Let me know how it goes!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Three Ways to Serve One Roasted Chicken
Busy people don't always have a lot of time to cook but eating healthy is even more important when you live a stressful life. To help with this problem, create a few meals using one roasted chicken you can buy at the store or deli. This is an economical way to eat well for one to two people depending on the appetities involved.
Here's the way to get three meals from that one roasted chicken.
First find a supermarket or deli that sells roasted chickens. These are usually about the same cost as an uncooked chicken. Each place seems to do theirs a bit differently. There's only one market in my area that cooks the chickens well enough to not have to keep cooking them once you get them home. You'll have to experiement to find your right source. If you can't find a cooked chicken, you'll have to roast one yourself. This is a simple process but we'll cover that in another post.
Take the cooked chicken home. Usually, I find the chicken still needs some "doctoring" to be ready to eat. Many stores don't cook the chicken well and some of them are very fatty. So I always season and finish cooking the chicken at home.
First, skin the chicken. I've been skinning all of my poultry for decades so the first thing I do is remove the skin. When the chicken is already cooked that's very simple to do. I do this to cut back on the fat and toxins which are held under the skin. If you enjoy the skin, take off the majority and give yourself one bite of skin so you won't feel deprived and end up eating more than you should.
After making the skin decision, you're going to cut the chicken into pieces with the breast, wing, thigh and leg. Season with herbs and spices and put into a baking tray. Use what you have and what you enjoy as flavor. You can also use some marinade such as a barbeque sauce, curry sauce or other sauce or dressing. Using a sauce adds an additional dimension of providing a type of gravy to use if you want to add a starch such as rice. You can spoon the sauce over the rice or potatoes and pull the dish togehter.
Cover the chicken with foil to hold in the moisture and place the dish in the stove at about 350 Degrees. Cook for about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the doneness of the bird. If it was well cooked already, you only need a few minutes to get it warmed up well. If it was still rather raw, cook longer. You might even need more than 30 minutes if it was really raw.
Now you're ready to create your meals.
1. The first meal can be the full pieces. Use one thigh and leg for one serving and one breast and wing for another for a meal for two people If it's only you, that's two meals already. If you created a sauce, spoon this over rice or another starch. Add a green salad and you have a full meal.
2. The second meal will use one breast and the wing meat. Roughly chop the chicken or pull the meat from the bone to put into your salad for the day. Create your Humongous Vegetable Salad (see the prior post for the recipe) and top with the chopped chicken. Sprinkle some nuts and cheese on top if you want. Sprinkle with your favorite dressing. I suggest olive oil and balsamic vinegar or a splash of fresh lemon.
3. Your third meal will be a chicken salad. Take meat from the leg and a thigh and chop well. Add chopped celery, some green onions, parsley and other herbs to taste such as fresh cilantro. Don't worry about being exact. The use of additional vegetables stretches the meal and keeps it from being just asolid protein dish, so use the vegetables and other ingredients that you enjoy. I've also added green or black olives, paparika, and other seasonsings depending on my mood that day. So use what you have and season to taste. Mix everything in a bowl with a low-fat mayonaise or non-fat plain yogurt. Serve as-is, make a sandwich or put into a salad.
There you have it. Three meals from one roasted chicken. Do you have left-overs still because you're cooking for one instead of two people? Here's a few more ideas.
1. Try a chicken omelette. Scamble two eggs, add salt and pepper, fresh herbs. Add chopped chicken, chopped onions or scallions (green onions)and cheese if you want. Feel free to include other fresh veggies if you are so inclinded. Serve this as a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add a salad or toast.
2. Create a chicken vegetable chili. Open a can of your favorite beans. Rinse the water off which helps take out the sodium and drain the beans in a colander. Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Add onions, chili powder, and other seasonings and spices depending on what you like. You can also add chopped celery and green peppers. Saute until the veggies are a bit soft but not too done. Chop the chicken and add it in so it absorbs the flavors. Add the beans, mix everything in the skillet and heat until the beans are warmed. Adjust spices as needed. Serve while warm in a bowl, add to a corn tortilla as a taco, or use a flour tortilla as a burrito.
3. Just heat up the extra pieces and eat as is!
Keep working with your roasted chicken and you'll start coming up wtih your own ideas about how to use one low-fat roasted chicken to create loads of dishes.
Here's the way to get three meals from that one roasted chicken.
First find a supermarket or deli that sells roasted chickens. These are usually about the same cost as an uncooked chicken. Each place seems to do theirs a bit differently. There's only one market in my area that cooks the chickens well enough to not have to keep cooking them once you get them home. You'll have to experiement to find your right source. If you can't find a cooked chicken, you'll have to roast one yourself. This is a simple process but we'll cover that in another post.
Take the cooked chicken home. Usually, I find the chicken still needs some "doctoring" to be ready to eat. Many stores don't cook the chicken well and some of them are very fatty. So I always season and finish cooking the chicken at home.
First, skin the chicken. I've been skinning all of my poultry for decades so the first thing I do is remove the skin. When the chicken is already cooked that's very simple to do. I do this to cut back on the fat and toxins which are held under the skin. If you enjoy the skin, take off the majority and give yourself one bite of skin so you won't feel deprived and end up eating more than you should.
After making the skin decision, you're going to cut the chicken into pieces with the breast, wing, thigh and leg. Season with herbs and spices and put into a baking tray. Use what you have and what you enjoy as flavor. You can also use some marinade such as a barbeque sauce, curry sauce or other sauce or dressing. Using a sauce adds an additional dimension of providing a type of gravy to use if you want to add a starch such as rice. You can spoon the sauce over the rice or potatoes and pull the dish togehter.
Cover the chicken with foil to hold in the moisture and place the dish in the stove at about 350 Degrees. Cook for about 15 to 30 minutes depending on the doneness of the bird. If it was well cooked already, you only need a few minutes to get it warmed up well. If it was still rather raw, cook longer. You might even need more than 30 minutes if it was really raw.
Now you're ready to create your meals.
1. The first meal can be the full pieces. Use one thigh and leg for one serving and one breast and wing for another for a meal for two people If it's only you, that's two meals already. If you created a sauce, spoon this over rice or another starch. Add a green salad and you have a full meal.
2. The second meal will use one breast and the wing meat. Roughly chop the chicken or pull the meat from the bone to put into your salad for the day. Create your Humongous Vegetable Salad (see the prior post for the recipe) and top with the chopped chicken. Sprinkle some nuts and cheese on top if you want. Sprinkle with your favorite dressing. I suggest olive oil and balsamic vinegar or a splash of fresh lemon.
3. Your third meal will be a chicken salad. Take meat from the leg and a thigh and chop well. Add chopped celery, some green onions, parsley and other herbs to taste such as fresh cilantro. Don't worry about being exact. The use of additional vegetables stretches the meal and keeps it from being just asolid protein dish, so use the vegetables and other ingredients that you enjoy. I've also added green or black olives, paparika, and other seasonsings depending on my mood that day. So use what you have and season to taste. Mix everything in a bowl with a low-fat mayonaise or non-fat plain yogurt. Serve as-is, make a sandwich or put into a salad.
There you have it. Three meals from one roasted chicken. Do you have left-overs still because you're cooking for one instead of two people? Here's a few more ideas.
1. Try a chicken omelette. Scamble two eggs, add salt and pepper, fresh herbs. Add chopped chicken, chopped onions or scallions (green onions)and cheese if you want. Feel free to include other fresh veggies if you are so inclinded. Serve this as a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add a salad or toast.
2. Create a chicken vegetable chili. Open a can of your favorite beans. Rinse the water off which helps take out the sodium and drain the beans in a colander. Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet. Add onions, chili powder, and other seasonings and spices depending on what you like. You can also add chopped celery and green peppers. Saute until the veggies are a bit soft but not too done. Chop the chicken and add it in so it absorbs the flavors. Add the beans, mix everything in the skillet and heat until the beans are warmed. Adjust spices as needed. Serve while warm in a bowl, add to a corn tortilla as a taco, or use a flour tortilla as a burrito.
3. Just heat up the extra pieces and eat as is!
Keep working with your roasted chicken and you'll start coming up wtih your own ideas about how to use one low-fat roasted chicken to create loads of dishes.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Pickles and Stomach Aches
This afternoon I just got really hungry. I started to snack on a fruit and nut trail mix, knowing it had too many calories. Snacking has always been a problem; that was my worse way of gaining excess weight. It's so easy to have a jar of peanuts or a few candy bars at your desk during the day.
It seems that those snacks would be used up with the energy it takes to do your work. But they go to the hips or stomach like anything else. Well, I was also very tired today from not having slept long enough last night. Only got about 6 hours of sleep and I was dragging. So I didn't feel like making any food and was bored with eating plain, unadorned fruits and veggies.
Going healthy doesn't mean starving yourself; it means paying attention to what you put in your mouth. So I decided to just eat. Somewhere in the food selection I made a really bad mistake because hours later I'm still having bad stomach aches.
I ate a Boca burger, a fake burger patty. I added mustard, pickle and ketchup then put it between two pieces of lettuce. Well, I know it wasn't the lettuce, but I don't know if it was the condiments or the Boca burger. Guess I should have just started wtih the burger, taken a check on the reaction, then tried one condiment at a time.
After a cleanse, its not easy to keep making the same food choice mistakes. I'm learnig a lot about my body and what makes it healthy. Until I learn some new recipes for raw and vegetarian foods, I need to be very careful about what I put in my mouth. I certainly pay the price when I don't.
It seems that those snacks would be used up with the energy it takes to do your work. But they go to the hips or stomach like anything else. Well, I was also very tired today from not having slept long enough last night. Only got about 6 hours of sleep and I was dragging. So I didn't feel like making any food and was bored with eating plain, unadorned fruits and veggies.
Going healthy doesn't mean starving yourself; it means paying attention to what you put in your mouth. So I decided to just eat. Somewhere in the food selection I made a really bad mistake because hours later I'm still having bad stomach aches.
I ate a Boca burger, a fake burger patty. I added mustard, pickle and ketchup then put it between two pieces of lettuce. Well, I know it wasn't the lettuce, but I don't know if it was the condiments or the Boca burger. Guess I should have just started wtih the burger, taken a check on the reaction, then tried one condiment at a time.
After a cleanse, its not easy to keep making the same food choice mistakes. I'm learnig a lot about my body and what makes it healthy. Until I learn some new recipes for raw and vegetarian foods, I need to be very careful about what I put in my mouth. I certainly pay the price when I don't.
Food and Dental Health
Today I had my regular check up with my Dental Hygenist. She kept looking at me as if something was wrong. The problem was that something was very right. The week before, I went to the Dentist to get a new set of X-Rays. He found nothing wrong with anything in my mouth. You expect to have at least a build up of plague somewhere; but there was nothing.
The hygenist also was surprised. My gums were strong and tight. No plague to dig off and no cavities. She asked what was going on and I told her I had gotten off coffee, drinking smoothies and eating more raw fruits and vegetables.
She told me that dental research confirms that a change in nutrition can affect dental health significantly. This was the first cleaning that didn't hurt. To me it verifies that food is a healer.
The hygenist also was surprised. My gums were strong and tight. No plague to dig off and no cavities. She asked what was going on and I told her I had gotten off coffee, drinking smoothies and eating more raw fruits and vegetables.
She told me that dental research confirms that a change in nutrition can affect dental health significantly. This was the first cleaning that didn't hurt. To me it verifies that food is a healer.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Relearning Tastes
Probably the hardest thing to do when changing how you eat is to learn to change tastes. Taste is a learned behavior. Think about it; some people can eat things that make you gag while you do the same. Consider raw oysters. With a heritage from New Orleans, oysters should be something I can understand. But I've never developed a taste for anything raw that used to be alive and walking. The distinction is made because raw veggies are totally one of my greatest joys. But raw slimy oysters are something I don't think I'll ever willingly eat. That goes along with other raw meats or fish. However, I certainly respect that some people adore these foods. That's what diversity is all about. It also illustrates my point that tastes are learned behaviors.
Here are some of the tastes I have the most struggles with as I change my consumption patterns.
1. Coffee. What I miss is the rich, full taste of coffee. However, after the experience of the withdrawal the desire has definitely diminished. Will I ever enjoy it as much again? Probably not because of what I know it did to my body. Something with that powerful of a hold on my life has no place in it. Instead, I have a new box of Oolong tea on my kitchen counter that I'm going to try. I can tell there's a fear of caffeine addiction. I was informed by the nutritionist at the health food store that one cup of caffeinated herb tea has about 30 mg. of caffeine compared to 150 mg. in one cup of coffee. That's a lot to consume.
2. Chai Tea. I also miss chai tea. That's because the brands I use have a lot of sugar and I don't want to get back on so much is that white sugar. Unfortunately, artificial white sugar is found in almost all prepared foods in the US. That is a taste that a lot of people are developing and small children are bribed with a sweet taste. That's a taste that needs to be unlearned. I'm sure I can find a way to enjoy a god tea without having to aldd any sugar. A splash of soymilk could do the trick.
3. Fried Fish. Living on the Central Coast makes fish and chips a normal meal. You get spoiled having fish straight off the fishing boats to eat along with freshly fried garlic fries. A new thing is sweet potato fries too. This fried meal is probably the most difficult thing to change at this time, but my health dictates that move. I have been working on some good recipes for oven baked fried foods that have the same crispy, crunchy tastes and flavor without any of the calories and fats. Even though I use olive oil for frying my food, that’s not the best thing for me either. I'm going to perfect the oven baked recipe and share it with you.
4. Fries. I have to go back to the fries. The classic French fry is one of my favorite comfort foods. Why I don't really know whey I can easily eat a baked potato and be happy. I think I just enjoy fried foods. The reason is that I only trusted fried foods in restaurants for a long time. I felt that nothing could be "messed" with and that the food was well cooked. So I would eat fried foods when out. Plus, my comfort food is crunchy. Therefore, the other hard potato is of course the potato chip or other fried snack such as Cheetos. Baking fries is an option. Also, using Jicama, a root vegetable often found in Mexican foods. It's sweet with a character like potato. I'm going to work on substituting this vegetable for the potato and fries.
5. Oatmeal cookies. I am a true Cookie Monster with no excuses. Give me a bag of cookies and it is impossible for me to eat just one. I can eat fewer potatoes than cookies and oatmeal raisons are my favorites. I like the crispy one of course. Crunch again; comfort food for me. Another difficult to resist cookie is the shortbread. Not all shortbread cookies are good. The really buttery ones that are flaky and light are the best. I love Pecan Sandies; can eat the whole bag unfortunately. .
6. Good Cake. I have to emphasize, the "good" with the cake. There's nothing like a light, fluffy cake that makes you feel like you're to really cheating on your calories. The other is a just sweet enough and very dense, perfect pound cake. My favorite cake is a great carrot cake. I used to be a carrot cake queen in college and kept cake baked and on my table in my college apartment. Anyone could come by and get a hunk of cake. Of course there was the great crème cheese icing too, all home made from scratch. There was nothing like it. I have to find that recipe. I'm grateful for places that sell one slice of cake instead of making you buy the whole thing. I found only one place in Los Angeles that has the perfect red velvet cake. I'll also work on that recipe. The question is can you really create a real low-fat cake without losing the texture and taste? I'll let you know.
I'm sure I'll think of several more foods as soon as I sign off. That will have to be another post.
tge
Here are some of the tastes I have the most struggles with as I change my consumption patterns.
1. Coffee. What I miss is the rich, full taste of coffee. However, after the experience of the withdrawal the desire has definitely diminished. Will I ever enjoy it as much again? Probably not because of what I know it did to my body. Something with that powerful of a hold on my life has no place in it. Instead, I have a new box of Oolong tea on my kitchen counter that I'm going to try. I can tell there's a fear of caffeine addiction. I was informed by the nutritionist at the health food store that one cup of caffeinated herb tea has about 30 mg. of caffeine compared to 150 mg. in one cup of coffee. That's a lot to consume.
2. Chai Tea. I also miss chai tea. That's because the brands I use have a lot of sugar and I don't want to get back on so much is that white sugar. Unfortunately, artificial white sugar is found in almost all prepared foods in the US. That is a taste that a lot of people are developing and small children are bribed with a sweet taste. That's a taste that needs to be unlearned. I'm sure I can find a way to enjoy a god tea without having to aldd any sugar. A splash of soymilk could do the trick.
3. Fried Fish. Living on the Central Coast makes fish and chips a normal meal. You get spoiled having fish straight off the fishing boats to eat along with freshly fried garlic fries. A new thing is sweet potato fries too. This fried meal is probably the most difficult thing to change at this time, but my health dictates that move. I have been working on some good recipes for oven baked fried foods that have the same crispy, crunchy tastes and flavor without any of the calories and fats. Even though I use olive oil for frying my food, that’s not the best thing for me either. I'm going to perfect the oven baked recipe and share it with you.
4. Fries. I have to go back to the fries. The classic French fry is one of my favorite comfort foods. Why I don't really know whey I can easily eat a baked potato and be happy. I think I just enjoy fried foods. The reason is that I only trusted fried foods in restaurants for a long time. I felt that nothing could be "messed" with and that the food was well cooked. So I would eat fried foods when out. Plus, my comfort food is crunchy. Therefore, the other hard potato is of course the potato chip or other fried snack such as Cheetos. Baking fries is an option. Also, using Jicama, a root vegetable often found in Mexican foods. It's sweet with a character like potato. I'm going to work on substituting this vegetable for the potato and fries.
5. Oatmeal cookies. I am a true Cookie Monster with no excuses. Give me a bag of cookies and it is impossible for me to eat just one. I can eat fewer potatoes than cookies and oatmeal raisons are my favorites. I like the crispy one of course. Crunch again; comfort food for me. Another difficult to resist cookie is the shortbread. Not all shortbread cookies are good. The really buttery ones that are flaky and light are the best. I love Pecan Sandies; can eat the whole bag unfortunately. .
6. Good Cake. I have to emphasize, the "good" with the cake. There's nothing like a light, fluffy cake that makes you feel like you're to really cheating on your calories. The other is a just sweet enough and very dense, perfect pound cake. My favorite cake is a great carrot cake. I used to be a carrot cake queen in college and kept cake baked and on my table in my college apartment. Anyone could come by and get a hunk of cake. Of course there was the great crème cheese icing too, all home made from scratch. There was nothing like it. I have to find that recipe. I'm grateful for places that sell one slice of cake instead of making you buy the whole thing. I found only one place in Los Angeles that has the perfect red velvet cake. I'll also work on that recipe. The question is can you really create a real low-fat cake without losing the texture and taste? I'll let you know.
I'm sure I'll think of several more foods as soon as I sign off. That will have to be another post.
tge
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Day 7 - Coffee Detox and Cleanse
CI can hardly believe a week has passed since I decided to make a drastic change in my life. Finally, I'm reaching the goals I've always wanted to reach by just saying "Yes" to my desire to be healthier and to help other reach their desires to be healthier.
Today, Day 7, I finally, finally, have relief in this coffee detox experience. My body is "sore" as if I've been on a long climb that used every muscle. But for the internal pain, it's essentially gone. I guess it was so bad that this relief is something that I am just thrilled to experience now.
I still realize that I'm a bit dehydrated. I always thought I was drinking a lot of water, but now I realize that the caffeine masked a lot of dehydration in the body. That certainly had a lot to do with the cramps. Also, I'm going to look for a high quality vitamin mineral supplement. Magnesium, calcium and zinc are three essential minerals that are depleted with high level caffeine intake.
As for the Raw Foods Cleanse, I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed going through that process too. I don't think I'll go completely raw in my life but I'm definitely adding more raw foods to my diet on a regular basis. I've learned that it's possible to exist with uncooked foods and feel satisfied. I missed hot foods. I know that foods can be heated to around 140 degrees without destroying their enzymes and all. But I really enjoy really hot foods; probably from my Peace Corps years in Africa where hot foods were all I knew.
Either way, my intention is to stay more vegetarian in my diet. I don't think this is best for everyone.
In fact, I have a client at this time that is studying to be a Personal Trainer and he is very interested in a high protein, meat based diet. Every body requires a different diet. That's the point of working with a professionally trained nutrition and health counselor. I certainly would love to be your health counselor and will continue to let you in my adventure this year as I become healthier.
Today, Day 7, I finally, finally, have relief in this coffee detox experience. My body is "sore" as if I've been on a long climb that used every muscle. But for the internal pain, it's essentially gone. I guess it was so bad that this relief is something that I am just thrilled to experience now.
I still realize that I'm a bit dehydrated. I always thought I was drinking a lot of water, but now I realize that the caffeine masked a lot of dehydration in the body. That certainly had a lot to do with the cramps. Also, I'm going to look for a high quality vitamin mineral supplement. Magnesium, calcium and zinc are three essential minerals that are depleted with high level caffeine intake.
As for the Raw Foods Cleanse, I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed going through that process too. I don't think I'll go completely raw in my life but I'm definitely adding more raw foods to my diet on a regular basis. I've learned that it's possible to exist with uncooked foods and feel satisfied. I missed hot foods. I know that foods can be heated to around 140 degrees without destroying their enzymes and all. But I really enjoy really hot foods; probably from my Peace Corps years in Africa where hot foods were all I knew.
Either way, my intention is to stay more vegetarian in my diet. I don't think this is best for everyone.
In fact, I have a client at this time that is studying to be a Personal Trainer and he is very interested in a high protein, meat based diet. Every body requires a different diet. That's the point of working with a professionally trained nutrition and health counselor. I certainly would love to be your health counselor and will continue to let you in my adventure this year as I become healthier.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day 6 Coffee Detox - Evening
Since it's July 3rd, my husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch this afternoon. I choose to break the cleanse and ordered a roasted vegetable sandwich on Fortini bread with sweet potato fries. Probably should have ordered a simple salad but the food was getting boring to me with just veggies and fruits and nothing else. I miss various tastes. Still I realize that the best health comes with no fried foods and sweet potato fries are not the best to have. The common idea at this time is that sweet potato fries are healthier than regular fries, but oil is oil.
Before leaving I tried to find a raw food or vegetarian reswtaurant in the area. Being along the coast I was surprised to not find a lot of choices. Guess I never looked before. It was surprising to me that the choices weren't much more than deli's, Thai restaurants or other sandwich shops with vegeatable sandwich choices. It made me wonder how people that eat raw or strictly vegan or vegetarian ennjoy a family meal out in th earea? Do they have to bring their own foods?
The coffee temptation wasn't too much fortunately. I usually get coffee at this restaurant for lunch. After my week of detoxing from coffee, there was no temptation. I skipped it without a second thought and stuck with water.
Fortunately, the fries were shared so I didn't eat all of them. I also removed about 90% of the bread from the sandwich, eating it with a fork. I just wanted to get the fresh basil sauce from the bread which was actually quite delicious. The sandwich was simple; portabello mushroom, tomato, pesto sauce, roasted on the bread. It was good.
We usually go for a long walk along the shoreline after eating but neither of us was feeling up to it today so we just drove along the shore and came home. Something about the ocean is always refreshing and stress relieving. My legs are sore this evening but I'm praying the cramping is gone. It really hits when I try to rest so I'll find out in a little while. So far today has been much better. I'm having hope.
It's been a good day. I think the worse is over - I'll let you know.
Before leaving I tried to find a raw food or vegetarian reswtaurant in the area. Being along the coast I was surprised to not find a lot of choices. Guess I never looked before. It was surprising to me that the choices weren't much more than deli's, Thai restaurants or other sandwich shops with vegeatable sandwich choices. It made me wonder how people that eat raw or strictly vegan or vegetarian ennjoy a family meal out in th earea? Do they have to bring their own foods?
The coffee temptation wasn't too much fortunately. I usually get coffee at this restaurant for lunch. After my week of detoxing from coffee, there was no temptation. I skipped it without a second thought and stuck with water.
Fortunately, the fries were shared so I didn't eat all of them. I also removed about 90% of the bread from the sandwich, eating it with a fork. I just wanted to get the fresh basil sauce from the bread which was actually quite delicious. The sandwich was simple; portabello mushroom, tomato, pesto sauce, roasted on the bread. It was good.
We usually go for a long walk along the shoreline after eating but neither of us was feeling up to it today so we just drove along the shore and came home. Something about the ocean is always refreshing and stress relieving. My legs are sore this evening but I'm praying the cramping is gone. It really hits when I try to rest so I'll find out in a little while. So far today has been much better. I'm having hope.
It's been a good day. I think the worse is over - I'll let you know.
Day 6 Coffee Detox
Woke up this morning feeling a bit better. Some cramping was still there. The chills came and went yesterday by the way which I forgot to mention. Right now at 11:00 a.m. on day 6, my legs are still sore but feeling better. Mentally and emotionally, I need some relief from the pain.
I'm going to drink water like crazy today. I cleaned the water filter yesterday. I had put lemon in the tank but found they get rather funky. So don't take that step, just add lemon to the glass of water instead.
Today is also day 6 of my raw food cleanse. That's going pretty well. I have to admit that I cheated a bit on that. I started putting some raw cashews in my veggie salad about two days ago which set up eating the raw cashews. I guess I'm just really feeling hungry at times. Last night for dinner I fixed a piece of salmon for my husband and had a small piece in my veggie salad. Adding that small piece of protein probably wasn't too bad.
Overall I'm really pleased with the cleanse and detox. I feel much lighter in one week and it's obvious that some weight is coming off. That is a great reward for this "jump-start" program. No doubt I'll keep going on that. I doubt that I'll go back to coffee after this, even for a small amount. It just doesn't seem worth it right now; I'll see how I feel afterwards.
Getting through today will be the problem. It's the 4th of July holiday weekend so I expect my husband will want to go do something. I'm usually the one talking about getting bar-b-que ribs. I can't see doing that after a week of raw foods without tearing up my stomach. But I might fall for a bit of fish.
Everything on the coast will be fish and chips I know. We leave by the Pacfific Ocean where the smaller towns always have some type of festival or something on holidays. It's really a fun thing to enjoy.
I still need to get my green smoothie for the day. That's a part of this adventure that's going very well and I'll start letting you know about that soon.
I'm going to drink water like crazy today. I cleaned the water filter yesterday. I had put lemon in the tank but found they get rather funky. So don't take that step, just add lemon to the glass of water instead.
Today is also day 6 of my raw food cleanse. That's going pretty well. I have to admit that I cheated a bit on that. I started putting some raw cashews in my veggie salad about two days ago which set up eating the raw cashews. I guess I'm just really feeling hungry at times. Last night for dinner I fixed a piece of salmon for my husband and had a small piece in my veggie salad. Adding that small piece of protein probably wasn't too bad.
Overall I'm really pleased with the cleanse and detox. I feel much lighter in one week and it's obvious that some weight is coming off. That is a great reward for this "jump-start" program. No doubt I'll keep going on that. I doubt that I'll go back to coffee after this, even for a small amount. It just doesn't seem worth it right now; I'll see how I feel afterwards.
Getting through today will be the problem. It's the 4th of July holiday weekend so I expect my husband will want to go do something. I'm usually the one talking about getting bar-b-que ribs. I can't see doing that after a week of raw foods without tearing up my stomach. But I might fall for a bit of fish.
Everything on the coast will be fish and chips I know. We leave by the Pacfific Ocean where the smaller towns always have some type of festival or something on holidays. It's really a fun thing to enjoy.
I still need to get my green smoothie for the day. That's a part of this adventure that's going very well and I'll start letting you know about that soon.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 3 Coffee Detox Evening
Time for sleep. I took a nap earlier; the leg cramps became too much. I'm trained as a massage therapit so I gave myself some great leg massage that helped somewhat, took a hot shower and now I'm ready to get into a comfortable bed.
I was thinking about this detox. A reason I must do this is because I'm determined to get serious about being a Health and Wellness Coach. It's been something I've desired to do for years, since retruning from the Peace Corps. Natural health has always been my belief. But for integrity sake, I have to live my talk.
This experience is making me think. What's interesting is that our bodies are totally ours to control (except in unusual situations of course). Isn't it a wonder that the first thing most people do when they are stressed is start to do what is harmful to their own body?
I started drinking loads of coffee during times of great stress. Even when the situation started to tune down, the coffee drinking increased; up to eight cups a day.
Probably most addictions start this way; a little bit of dabbling in what brings an artifical relief that really shouldn't be a bad thing. Coffee is a worldwide drink. I enjoyed great coffee in Africa, Mexico, Spain and in all States of the US. It's great to bring people together. But with everything, you can go overboard.
Too much of a good thing soon turns to a bad addiction. Now I need to get control of my life again. How many thousands of professional people are in the same position but haven't taken the steps to control their health? All the money in the world can't make you healty if you don't take control of it yourself.
All the money in the world can't take away the pain of the withdrawals. It's a strong reminder to me that the most important thing is to live longer, healthier.
Going to bed - hope to have a better day tomorrow.
I was thinking about this detox. A reason I must do this is because I'm determined to get serious about being a Health and Wellness Coach. It's been something I've desired to do for years, since retruning from the Peace Corps. Natural health has always been my belief. But for integrity sake, I have to live my talk.
This experience is making me think. What's interesting is that our bodies are totally ours to control (except in unusual situations of course). Isn't it a wonder that the first thing most people do when they are stressed is start to do what is harmful to their own body?
I started drinking loads of coffee during times of great stress. Even when the situation started to tune down, the coffee drinking increased; up to eight cups a day.
Probably most addictions start this way; a little bit of dabbling in what brings an artifical relief that really shouldn't be a bad thing. Coffee is a worldwide drink. I enjoyed great coffee in Africa, Mexico, Spain and in all States of the US. It's great to bring people together. But with everything, you can go overboard.
Too much of a good thing soon turns to a bad addiction. Now I need to get control of my life again. How many thousands of professional people are in the same position but haven't taken the steps to control their health? All the money in the world can't make you healty if you don't take control of it yourself.
All the money in the world can't take away the pain of the withdrawals. It's a strong reminder to me that the most important thing is to live longer, healthier.
Going to bed - hope to have a better day tomorrow.
Day 3 - Coffee Detox
It's Wednesday and Day 3 of my raw foods cleanse and coffee detox. I guess you could really count it as day 4 if Sunday night counts. I won't rush it.
I'm still feeling the effects of the detox. The headache has gone but I'm feeling wasted. However, I did get a burst of energy this morning and took advantage of that to get in about 20 minutes of exercise. It felt good to stretch and get the heart pumping a bit.
Today, I'm still having leg cramps. It feels like something is crawling up and down my muscles. I wish I could just go get a great massage and feel relief. It's been difficult to sit at the computer to get my work done but at least I can see today. I'm feeling restless. I'm up and down, going to this room to that one. I think it's the body pain. I react to body pain with movement and restlessness.
I'm going to fix my husband some flank steak, rice and salad for dinner. That won't be tempting to me because I'm not that into steak. I'm ready for the big raw veggie salad though. In fact, I just went to the store to get some more fruits and veggies. I've been having a green smoothie in the morning and eating raw all week. I think I'm starting to lose weight.
I think of it as letting go of toxins that want to kill me. It's like a fight. The bad stuff wants to stay on the body and you're fighting to make it leave. It takes will power to keep going. The toxins know this so they torture you to stay put. I'm going to win this battle.
I'll let you know how the day ends.
I'm still feeling the effects of the detox. The headache has gone but I'm feeling wasted. However, I did get a burst of energy this morning and took advantage of that to get in about 20 minutes of exercise. It felt good to stretch and get the heart pumping a bit.
Today, I'm still having leg cramps. It feels like something is crawling up and down my muscles. I wish I could just go get a great massage and feel relief. It's been difficult to sit at the computer to get my work done but at least I can see today. I'm feeling restless. I'm up and down, going to this room to that one. I think it's the body pain. I react to body pain with movement and restlessness.
I'm going to fix my husband some flank steak, rice and salad for dinner. That won't be tempting to me because I'm not that into steak. I'm ready for the big raw veggie salad though. In fact, I just went to the store to get some more fruits and veggies. I've been having a green smoothie in the morning and eating raw all week. I think I'm starting to lose weight.
I think of it as letting go of toxins that want to kill me. It's like a fight. The bad stuff wants to stay on the body and you're fighting to make it leave. It takes will power to keep going. The toxins know this so they torture you to stay put. I'm going to win this battle.
I'll let you know how the day ends.
First Day of Detox
I started my coffee detox when I started my cleanse on Sunday evening. After dinner on Sunday around 7:00 p.m., I didn't eat again until Monday evening around 7:00 pm. During that time I only drank filtered water. I've done a fast for several days before but I admit, I always had a bit of coffee with it.
This time, a part of the cleanse is to clear out my system of toxins so that means getting out of the coffee habit. Whether I'll drink any after this is questionable but I'll deal with that later.
By Monday evening, I was feeling tired and dragged out, but I attributed it mostly to not eating all day. I was starting to get a headache and feeling disoriented. All I could think about starting around 5:00 p.m. was taking a shower and getting into the bed. But I was able to eat something at 7:00 so I was also looking forward to that.
I had half a watermelon and a half of a banana after the initial fasting session. It never tasted so good. When you're really hungry, food taste better. When you get full, it starts to lose its taste. I was really hungry because the taste of the fruit never went away. In fact, I thought I'd eaten too much because I started to feel a headache. So I drank loads of water and tried to get to sleep.
That was Day 1 of getting off coffee. I hadn't started to miss is yet since I was so focused on just not eating anything.
This time, a part of the cleanse is to clear out my system of toxins so that means getting out of the coffee habit. Whether I'll drink any after this is questionable but I'll deal with that later.
By Monday evening, I was feeling tired and dragged out, but I attributed it mostly to not eating all day. I was starting to get a headache and feeling disoriented. All I could think about starting around 5:00 p.m. was taking a shower and getting into the bed. But I was able to eat something at 7:00 so I was also looking forward to that.
I had half a watermelon and a half of a banana after the initial fasting session. It never tasted so good. When you're really hungry, food taste better. When you get full, it starts to lose its taste. I was really hungry because the taste of the fruit never went away. In fact, I thought I'd eaten too much because I started to feel a headache. So I drank loads of water and tried to get to sleep.
That was Day 1 of getting off coffee. I hadn't started to miss is yet since I was so focused on just not eating anything.
Easy Steps to Change Your Bad Food Habits
Use the suggestions here to get in the habit of eating healthier.Have you ever really asked yourself the question, “Do I eat to live or live to eat?” It’s amazing how so many people really live to eat thinking any food is better than no food. But what you put in your mouth today will have an effect on you body for a long time.
Certainly you have foods that that you particularly enjoy. These are most often comfort foods that are hard to give up. Not all of these are bad for you, in fact, some can be highly nutritious. But if you make food choices that aren’t the best on a regular basis, here are some suggestions for making changes.
1. Don’t Set Yourself Up. It’s common to sabotage your eating habits when you grab whatever is available when you are hungry instead of stopping to prepare a proper snack or meal. For instance, if you just happen to have a box of chocolate cookies in your desk drawer when you’re ravishing, it’s too easy to reach for them when stressed or you think you are hungry.
2. Stay away from the grocery store when hungry. Being around food when you’re hungry is a key to eating sabotage. You might have the intention to only get a few things at the grocery store but when your stomach us empty, it is easy to abandon the pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have to be prepared for the fried chicken wings at the deli that you can eat in the car on the way home.
3. Don’t snack while cooking. This habit that many of us have can be a real diet killer. It is really bad around the holidays. Depending on how much you snack you could consume an entire meal worth of calories before you sit down to eat the actual meal. Even if you are cooking a healthier meal, you can eat too much before the meal is even served.
4. Change one food habit at a time. Taste is a learned behavior and difficult to change. Don’t force yourself to go cold turkey in giving up foods but take it in steps. For instance, if you enjoy eating full-fat ice cream as well as macaroni and cheese, you know you need to cut back. Don’t drop them both at once; just give up one food at a time. You can start by eating a lower fat version of the food such as a lower fat alternative.
5. Get a Coach. A Health, Wellness or Nutrition Coach can help you to understand how to eat in a way that becomes a new lifestyle, not just for a diet. Coaching can help you get rid of your bad or annoying habits through a series of positive supports provided during your sessions.
6. Make a plan. It is not enough to say that you will change your bad eating habits. That is a vague statement that gets you nowhere. You have to write it down and commit to it. For example, say that you will begin eating whole grains instead of white bread, or using lower fat dairy products over full-fat ones with more calories.
7. Keep a food journal. Record everything that you eat for a week. When you go back to it you may be amazed at all of the sweet, salty or fatty foods you consumed. Use the journal to create a list of the foods that are and are not healthy for you so you can make a plan to make changes.
It's easier to make better food choices when you can be conscious about what you put in your mouth. Do your planning so ou can develop easy steps to change your food habits.
Certainly you have foods that that you particularly enjoy. These are most often comfort foods that are hard to give up. Not all of these are bad for you, in fact, some can be highly nutritious. But if you make food choices that aren’t the best on a regular basis, here are some suggestions for making changes.
1. Don’t Set Yourself Up. It’s common to sabotage your eating habits when you grab whatever is available when you are hungry instead of stopping to prepare a proper snack or meal. For instance, if you just happen to have a box of chocolate cookies in your desk drawer when you’re ravishing, it’s too easy to reach for them when stressed or you think you are hungry.
2. Stay away from the grocery store when hungry. Being around food when you’re hungry is a key to eating sabotage. You might have the intention to only get a few things at the grocery store but when your stomach us empty, it is easy to abandon the pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have to be prepared for the fried chicken wings at the deli that you can eat in the car on the way home.
3. Don’t snack while cooking. This habit that many of us have can be a real diet killer. It is really bad around the holidays. Depending on how much you snack you could consume an entire meal worth of calories before you sit down to eat the actual meal. Even if you are cooking a healthier meal, you can eat too much before the meal is even served.
4. Change one food habit at a time. Taste is a learned behavior and difficult to change. Don’t force yourself to go cold turkey in giving up foods but take it in steps. For instance, if you enjoy eating full-fat ice cream as well as macaroni and cheese, you know you need to cut back. Don’t drop them both at once; just give up one food at a time. You can start by eating a lower fat version of the food such as a lower fat alternative.
5. Get a Coach. A Health, Wellness or Nutrition Coach can help you to understand how to eat in a way that becomes a new lifestyle, not just for a diet. Coaching can help you get rid of your bad or annoying habits through a series of positive supports provided during your sessions.
6. Make a plan. It is not enough to say that you will change your bad eating habits. That is a vague statement that gets you nowhere. You have to write it down and commit to it. For example, say that you will begin eating whole grains instead of white bread, or using lower fat dairy products over full-fat ones with more calories.
7. Keep a food journal. Record everything that you eat for a week. When you go back to it you may be amazed at all of the sweet, salty or fatty foods you consumed. Use the journal to create a list of the foods that are and are not healthy for you so you can make a plan to make changes.
It's easier to make better food choices when you can be conscious about what you put in your mouth. Do your planning so ou can develop easy steps to change your food habits.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Add Legumes For a Healthy Diet
Legumes are a healthy and very versatile food that are in the vegetable group. They have been a part of healthy diets all over the world for more than 10,000 years. You've heard of legumes if you know about soybeans. Other common legumes include black-eyed peas, chickpeas, lentils, black & red & navy beans, and also kidney beans.
Legumes provide many essential nutrients that the human body needs for growth and cell building. Legumes contain nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium and B vitamins. Legumes are also high in dietary fibers, are low in saturated fat, and are cholesterol free.
Legumes are seeds that can be eaten fresh or they can be sprouted, dried, or ground into flour.
Legumes contain many nutrients that are important to preventing heart disease, cancer, obesity and other chronic diseases. Legumes are nutrient-dense and nutritionists recommend that we eat several servings each week of legumes.
Tips for adding legumes to your healthy diet:
When purchasing legumes look for those with deep colors.
Soak large, or dried legumes such as beans and chickpeas in room-temperature water overnight in order to rehydrate them before cooking them. They will become soft as they soak.
Use legumes in soups and casseroles. Use pureed beans in dips or spreads. You can also use chickpeas and black beans in salads.
Legumes are a great source of protein for vegetarians.
To add flavor to beans season them with garlic, onion, spices, salsa, even cheeses to bring out the flavor in any bean dish. There are many varieties that you may not have tried yet such as garbanzo beans, adzuki beans, broadbeans, butter beans, mung beans, mungo beans, snow peas, winged beans, yam beans, yellow or white beans.
You can teach your body to overcome the unpleasant side effect (gas or bloating) of beans in your diet by slowly increasing the amount you eat over a period of weeks. You can also slow cook them to reduce the gas-forming compounds. If you add a little baking soda while cooking them this will also help. When eating legumes it is important to drink a lot of water to avoid constipation.
You can add legumes to salad, soup or casseroles. Beans are great in chili too.
Legumes add taste and texture to your healthy meals while they reduce your risk of heart disease. Soybeans are the basis for tofu and are definitely part of a healthy diet.
Enjoy fresh or roasted soybeans as a snack or meal after you have boiled them in lightly salted water for 15 to 20 minutes.
You can add soy flour (grounded roasted soybeans) to baked goods but caution should be used to NOT replace all flour in a recipe with soy flour because soy flour lacks gluten, which is needed to help dough to rise.
Legumes provide many essential nutrients that the human body needs for growth and cell building. Legumes contain nutrients such as protein, carbohydrates, iron, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium and B vitamins. Legumes are also high in dietary fibers, are low in saturated fat, and are cholesterol free.
Legumes are seeds that can be eaten fresh or they can be sprouted, dried, or ground into flour.
Legumes contain many nutrients that are important to preventing heart disease, cancer, obesity and other chronic diseases. Legumes are nutrient-dense and nutritionists recommend that we eat several servings each week of legumes.
Tips for adding legumes to your healthy diet:
When purchasing legumes look for those with deep colors.
Soak large, or dried legumes such as beans and chickpeas in room-temperature water overnight in order to rehydrate them before cooking them. They will become soft as they soak.
Use legumes in soups and casseroles. Use pureed beans in dips or spreads. You can also use chickpeas and black beans in salads.
Legumes are a great source of protein for vegetarians.
To add flavor to beans season them with garlic, onion, spices, salsa, even cheeses to bring out the flavor in any bean dish. There are many varieties that you may not have tried yet such as garbanzo beans, adzuki beans, broadbeans, butter beans, mung beans, mungo beans, snow peas, winged beans, yam beans, yellow or white beans.
You can teach your body to overcome the unpleasant side effect (gas or bloating) of beans in your diet by slowly increasing the amount you eat over a period of weeks. You can also slow cook them to reduce the gas-forming compounds. If you add a little baking soda while cooking them this will also help. When eating legumes it is important to drink a lot of water to avoid constipation.
You can add legumes to salad, soup or casseroles. Beans are great in chili too.
Legumes add taste and texture to your healthy meals while they reduce your risk of heart disease. Soybeans are the basis for tofu and are definitely part of a healthy diet.
Enjoy fresh or roasted soybeans as a snack or meal after you have boiled them in lightly salted water for 15 to 20 minutes.
You can add soy flour (grounded roasted soybeans) to baked goods but caution should be used to NOT replace all flour in a recipe with soy flour because soy flour lacks gluten, which is needed to help dough to rise.
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