Holiday Bites

Alright guys and gals...it's that time of the year, yet again.  Time to bust out 'Joey's Thanksgiving Day pants' and step up to the trough of gluttony.  You may be one of the people who often claims, "I'll resolve to do better next year, but for now give me that pie/cake/donut/cocktail/extra gravy/mile high mashed potatoes!!!!"  Any of this sound familiar?

Honey, I'm not judging.  I'm exposing the mentality that we all have, or had.  It's the Holiday Season, so whoop dee do and pack on the pounds!

What this leads to is some serious regret.  If you limit your Holiday 'sins' to two days (Thanksgiving and Christmas days) you'll probaby be ok.  But for most of us, this is our 'get out of jail free' card and we like to play it for two solid months.

Peppermint mocha?  Don't mind if I do!!!  Holiday themed hostess cupcakes?  I mean, HELLO they only come around ONCE a year.  Cocktail parties every weekend?  CHEERS!!!  And can we get a great big HIP HIP HOORAY for fudge covered double stuffed oreos?  We're a Hershey's kiss away from fat pants.

You're not alone!  In fact, you're in a crowded sea of foodies.  Everybody wants to sell you some type of pill, weight loss secret or miracle cure for over indulgence.  ESPECIALLY this time of the year.  It's crazy...CRAZY!!!

Follow these savvy foodie principles now and throughout the new year...trust me they'll save you ;)

• Pack your breakfast with a healthy dose of protein - This helps to keep us feeling fuller longer.  Less temptation for a "brunchy" (the time between breakfast and lunch) snack.  It also helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and we won't feel 'starving' afterwards.
• The first bite is the sweetest - We all love a tempting sweet something.  Have a bite or two and then be done with it.  Seriously, the rest of it is just fat and calories decorated in Holiday tinsel.  
• Rev up your metabolism - Sorry to any gym phobics, but you've gotta get to a gym and pump some iron, do some push-ups and make your fat cry (i.e., SWEAT).  By getting a circuit program together and minimizing rest periods to no more than 30 seconds...you'll spike your metabolism and not your punch! But don't think once is enough, you've got to be committed to feeling the burn at least 3 times a week in order to let your metabolism do some butt kicking while you're at rest.
• Close your kitchen early - Eat your calories EARLY and don't open the fridge again after 5 or 6pm.  I know, you may feel like a blue hair at Denny's, but they've got it right.  Our metabolism slows to a crawl at night so it's super important to splurge early and stop late.
• Question your hunger - Before indulging simply ask yourself, "Do I really want this?"  Stop the mindless eating dead in its' tracks!!
• Don't leave the table until your veggies are gone - Start with your veggies first! Give yourself a generous helping.  Watch for one's covered in butter.  Stray away from anything with a cheesy topping, too.  No silly, green bean casseroles don't cover it.  If you know your host/ess won't have organic veggies at the party, bring your own!  You might be THAT savvy foodie, but you'll fill up on yummy nutrion instead of fat laden dead veggies.  
• GoodWill your fat pants - This will keep you honest.  If you usually reach for your sized up, elastic waist band pants during the Holiday season...get rid of them.  Let your skinny jeans be the ONLY pants you'll wear this season.
• Be cool with hunger - I'm not suggesting you starve yourself...quite the opposite.  But trust that during this revolution, you may find yourself less stuffed.  It's all good.  
• Grab a glass of water - When you feel hungry.  9 times out of 10 we're just dehydrated and not  hungry.
• Save yourself - Set up a cheat meal!  Reward yourself and prioritize your calories.  If french fries are your weakness, indulge once.  Get your fix and then move on.  
• Be nutty - Grab unsalted almonds, walnuts or pistachio's to get a serious fix.  Break up with peanuts...not a healthy nut.
• Education is power - Read your labels and ask yourself if you're even eating real food!
• Pump up the playlist - Christmas music may not be your thing, so make a gym playlist.  Pepper it with energy boosting jams so you can get your sweat on.

And finally...stay away from ANYTHING with the words 'Limited Edition Holiday' to help you gain perspective.  Just dressed up processed CRAP!


Put your armor on and don't be one of the mindless Holiday foodies, it'll be the best present you give to yourself...HEALTH!

Positive not punitive!

When you were a kiddo how many times do you remember hearing, "You'll like this when you grow up"?  I'm not referring to spirits, although remembering my first sip of my dad's beer was enough to make me question his taste buds.

What I'm referring to are healthy foods!  My mother used to take me to the health food store and pick out things like Papaya juice and 'Oaties O's' (the healthy alternative to cheerios).


Most of my friends were drinking apple juice and eating Cherrios.  I was quite envious, at the time.  My mother did not allow me to eat overly sweet cereals or juices.  She diluted apple juice with water when I was at an age when that was all I wanted.  We did not have soda or things like 'Hawaiian Punch' (there's a blast from the past).  At the time I thought I was being punished.  My mother was attempting to install positive food choices.  She was being positive, not punitive!!

My mother was trying her best to make sure we were not hyped up on sugar, like many of our friends.  Sugar and kids can be a crazy combination.  My mother was not trying to suck out all the fun in our lives, she was trying to get us (I have a partner in crime that I call brother) used to food that was not doused in sugar.  I'm 33 years old and still do not have a single cavity...thanks mom!

A friend of mine is trying to ween her little guy off of milk.  It's not as easy as she had hoped.  He isn't buying the almond milk for milk.

You may be asking, what's so bad about milk?  Milk is used for growth - be it human or animal.  We, as humans, are the only species that continue to drink milk beyond infancy.  What the dairy industry has done to cattle (and humans) is absolutely deplorable!!

The farmers hook the cows up to machines and tug away at their udders.  What happens is sores develop around the udder and the machine keeps pulling away and opens the sores.  Thus allowing puss from the sore to drop into the same container as the milk!!!  (Go ahead and re-read that last sentence just to make sure you did so correctly)  So, may I offer you a nice glass of puss with your milk?

Check out this article from PETA - http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/dairy-industry.aspx

I'll wait....no seriously....read it....see I didn't go anywhere, I just found some more cute baby pics....ok, now that we've got that cleared up I'll continue.

Not only is milk not necessary it's down right disgusting.
Had I been raised as a vegan or vegetarian as a youngster I would not know any different.  That would be so completely amazing!  Babies eat what their parents (or care takers) GIVE them.  By not allowing your little one to grow up on sugar, dairy, meat, whatever...they'll never know life with it!

I love to see little ones devouring fruits and veggies.  I love seeing kids asking, "is this healthy?"  BRAVO!  Our society is producing over indulged children with parents who are more concerned with being their friend rather than their parent.  We have parents with despicable eating patterns (fast food for breakfast/lunch/dinner) and they're passing along their habits.

Don't be afraid to challenge the 'norm'.  Don't eat what everyone is eating.  Please be a savvy foodie and educate yourself about what you're deciding to put into your body or anyone else's, if you're a savvy mommy or daddy ;)
God gave us the most wonderful gift of all...life.  We need to safe guard it and make sure we're nourishing our bodies with what He provided - fruits and veggies.  I hate to say it, but the FDA does NOT have our backs.  They have our wallets.

Side note about the YouTube clip - I do not condone giving babies lemons or other sour fruits, but this video was simply hilarious.  You or your little one may have similar (initial) reactions to new foods, but don't worry it won't kill you.  You may just make a super funny face.

Toss your cookies!

Roses are red, violets are blue, get me something sweet or we're through!  High caloric "gifts" surround us.  Why this trend?  No one says 'be my valentine' by offering broccoli, do they?  It would go over like a tootsie roll in a punch bowl!!  

And if you're sweetie brought you healthy treats, they may offend.  As if to say, "I've noticed you're still carrying some Holiday weight, so no sweets for you."  After all, we're only 6 weeks into our New Year's resolution to lose those pesky pounds.

It's almost absurd to think of purchasing healthy alternatives to the popular gifts wrapped in the pretty red heart shaped boxes.  I saw (food) Valentine's gifts in the gas station yesterday. It's all over the place and relatively easy to find.

If you do a simple google search for Valentine's Day gifts this is what pops up:

 


It's all sunshine and jelly beans until you realize you've become a type II diabetic!!!  Thanks a lot, Valentine.  Our society is so freaking obsessed with gifting sugar!   Does your Valentine also offer to help you with your monthly gym membership fee?  Now that's a thoughtful gift!

Here are some savvy alternative to the norm:

All you need is a cookie cutter and some fruits and veggies.  Sure, fruits have their fair share of fructose.  Ok, but at least you are offering vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (sexy isn't it!!) instead of just processed sugar!!

Your sweetie won't feel like an over-indulgded fat cow afterwards.  Fruits and veggies have a positive effect on moods, too.  So it's a win-win situation!!  Say you love them with a savvy gift!

Make it about the veggies!

Meals do not have to be centered around meat every night.  Even if you are not a vegetarian, you can go a few days without it!  Trust me.  In the Mayo Clinic Diet Book the authors suggest basing your meals around the veggies instead of the meat.  Most of the portion sizes for the meat part of dinner, is large enough (in some countries) to feed a family of four!!  Here in the US, where portions are gigantic, we tend to gobble up the meat (and potatoes) first and then semi-pick at the veggies.

Here's a habit to try incorporating...eat your veggies first and then the meat.  What will happen naturally... the veggies will automatically provide enough fiber and other good micro-nutrients in your stomach so that the meat, which is secondary, will not be consumed in its' entirety.  If you're still worried about the 'starving children' somewhere in the world and insist on not throwing anything out...take it home.  If it's still appetizing the next day, go ahead.  At least you are beginning to re-train your brain and fill up on the good stuff instead of the meat.

Here's a shot of my usual breakfast/lunch-

It consists of: blueberries (very high in antioxidants), black berries, unsweetened coconut milk, water, fresh mint, kale (my personal fav), celery, swiss chard and hemp seeds.  I hit blend and VOILA!  My tummy is so filled up with all of these awesome nutrients that I do not crave non-nutrient food.  It's a win/win!

Here's a shot of dinner-

This is prior to roasting them. I put them
to roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
I flip them then I put them back in for
another 20-25 minutes.

Roasted vegetables are so delicious!  Here I cut up brussel sprouts, onion, red and green peppers, yukon gold potatoes and mixed in some olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  It's so easy to make and it will leave your family happy and full.  The onions and peppers, when roasted, become very sweet tasting.  I could go on and on about how yummy this is, but I'll let you see for yourself.

With vegetables, you do not have to worry about counting calories/carbs/fat/protein.  Those are what Dr. Fuhrman describes as the macro-nutrients.  The micro-nutrients are vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals which are all calorie free and super amazing for our bodies!!  I've skipped the meat and I piled on the micro nutrients that our bodies need in order to live longer, healthier lives.  Bon appetite!!

--Dr. Fuhrman is the author of Eat for Health.  I'm currently reading his first book.  I welcome and comments by fellow readers and addicts of his method of eating!

         

Creepy Creeperson

Greetings my savvy foodies!  Next month will mark my one year anniversary of being a diligent gym goer.  I joined last February because I was buying maternity pants simply because non-baby loving pants were cutting off circulation.  I was beginning to sport some serious muffin top action...it wasn't pretty.

I had my own 'COME TO JESUS' moment right there in the Target parking lot.  Don't cut me any slack, I was not with child so the pants were purely a (large) mistake.  I stopped the *creeping process right there in its' track.  I honestly remember thinking, secretly, "I haven't been a member of a gym in years and I look pretty good."  I look back and admire my deluded self-confidence, for I was lying to myself.

When I joined my gym, I signed up for the two complimentary sessions with a personal trainer.  What I discovered on that chilly February afternoon were two things: how completely out of shape I had become AND my 'diet' consisted of fake food!!

I was eating things that weren't even food.  By this I mean highly preserved 'meals' because they were cheap and easy...HA!  A common occurrence so many Americans fall victim to.  I would make protein shakes (made up of who knows what?!?!) and use 'low fat' chemical infused products to fill my tummy.  Does any of this sound familiar?

"Look at that Millie, that food has
been preserved since the year we were born!"

The trainer looked me square in the eye and asked, "Why are you not eatting real food?".  I honestly had yet to ask myself this question.  So I promised her I would eat naturally occurring foods and only things the good Lord gave us to nibble on.  I had a lot of bad habits to break and it wasn't easy to do.  No one wants to be told the things they enjoy are actually detrimental to their health.  

I started consuming green smoothies and incorporated more fruits and veggies into non-smoothie meals.  I got rid of the white and fried stuff and vowed to make green and brown (with the exception of rotten fruit) my new favorite food colors.  The more colors there are on your plate the better the meal.  This does not allow for Cheetos, you stinker ;)

I took up new group classes and began to rotate my routines.  I began training for a 5K and accomplished a handful of them last year.  But I kid you not, there were moments of extreme disappointment.  I had to realize my body did not adjust to change like it had in the past.  My 32 year old self was not as springy as my 20 something self used to be.  I had to work harder and practice patience.  I'm not creepin' into larger pants anymore!!  That's the best news!  Aside from eating REAL food. I am now training for a 10K.  I am leaner, stronger and now I do not have a delusional sense of self.

Where are you on your savvy journey?

*Creeping: when a foodie goes from one size UP to the next larger size

Quit your diet!!

Do you ever remember a time when you were NOT 'on a diet'?  I have heard of the few random people out there who are trying to put weight on, but for the rest of us mere mortals...we're always watching what we eat.

With the exception of the occasional weekend cheat feast or a Holiday free-for-all, if you're reading my blog chances are you've considered yourself to be 'on a diet'.  My definition of a savvy foodie: a smart-minded individual making good choices about the food they put in their mouth.  Guess what else I define as being savvy...diet free foodies!  Can I get an AMEN?!?!

The word 'diet' is a four letter word and should be banished from everyone's vocabulary.  Every time you say the word, you owe me a quarter!  Current research is proving diet products can be useless.  I hear the word and shudder.  I equate it with deprivation.  I have lots of savvy friends who say things like: "Tomorrow my diet will start" or "I'll get back on my diet after this meal".  It's heart breaking!  These words translate into failure.  Feelings of guilt usually follow.  Food is meant for us to enjoy and be nourished.  So you know what I say...to hek with it!  Who needs to feel deprived in a world that is already stressful enough.  Stop the madness and quit your diet, TODAY!

Stop being a slave to guilt.  If you want to eat a cheeseburger and fries and you're fairly convinced you'll die if you don't eat it...GO FOR IT!  There are ways to be savvy about your passion for greasy goodness.  When you get the burger and fries skip the bun, use half the ketchup, have a few french fries and eat slowly.  If you think you won't be able to resist temptation you can ruin the rest.  I tried this with a piece of pie and my grandmother nearly fainted as I poured pepper over the pie we were not going to consume.  She wasn't used to trashing uneaten food, but it certainly kept me from mindlessly consuming added calories.

Here's the thing, you have to carefully select the meals you want to splurge on.  Plan ahead!  If there's an event that you know you won't want to be as savvy as you usually are, maybe skip the greasy meals that week in preparation for the upcoming splurge.

If you order wine with dinner, don't get desert.  If you have an appetizer with your savvy spouse, perhaps you can split your dinner entree.  This takes some compromise on both parts so it's best to figure it out before hand.

A savvy foodie also knows the importance of being physically active.  If I know I'm not liking the way I'm fitting in my jeans, and I refuse to eradicate my cheeseburger, I'll make sure my butt is at the gym as much as possible.  Go to a class and stay for the full hour.  Do an activity that you know you enjoy, otherwise you'll fall off the exercise wagon.

There are ways to have the food you truly enjoy and still maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The two are not incompatible.  It simply takes some planning ahead, dedication, will power and a large pepper mill always at hand!

Here are some of the tricks this savvy foodie employs:

• Skip what you really can do without
• Plan ahead and omit some portion of the appetizer, dinner, desert and wine
• Think about your week in advance so you can plan a good cheat meal (or two) ahead of time
• If you know something is coming up, get your booty to the gym
• Eat slowly so your tummy can fill up in time with your brain to say 'STOP EATING'
• If you don't like something, for heaven's sake don't eat it
• Pack a lot of veggies into your mealS.  Veggies are rich in fiber and fill us up with yummy goodness, not just senseless calories
• QUIT YOUR DIET

Go out there a live your life!  Enjoy what you love and before you know it you'll be a savvy foodie, without even thinking about it!