Gettin' back on the horse!

Oh dear Lord...I ate like an idiot over the weekend.  It's fun going down, but now I have my work cut out for me for the week.  I had my strength training class this morning and three Pilates classes scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  I'm also sneaking in a yoga class somewhere in there.  It's hard draggin' my behind to class, but once I'm there...it's all good.

So for tonight's (back to reality) dinner here's what I'm going to cook up for my savvy foodies:

Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf - from Dr. Fuhrman's 'Eat for Health'
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 cup quick oats (not instant)
1- ounces frozen organic chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 large carrot, grated

http://www.drfuhrman.com/

1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
6 tablespoons ketchup, low sodium
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (he says vegan can be purchased at health food stores)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon Dijion mustard
1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 14 ounce can chopped tomatoes, no salt added, drained
1 tablespoon ketchup (low sodium)

Directions-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix ground turkey and oats together.  Add remaining ingredients except for half of the tomatoes and ketchup.  Mix well to combine.
Shape into loaf and place in a large loaf pan.
Top with remaining tomatoes mixed with 1 tablespoon ketchup
Bake for an hour and 15 minutes until meat is cooked through.

One serving contains:
CALORIES 320
PROTEIN 28.6g
CARBOHYDRATE 25.8g
FAT 12.4g
SODIUM 229.8mg

I'll let you know what the fam thinks tomorrow...off to the store!

Spoon full of sugar theory

Ah yes, Marry Poppins.  We all know she was practically perfect in every way.  However, this famous theory of spooning down some 'sugar' after something miserable begs the question...seriously?  Could we re-write this little ditty and substitute 'sugar' for 'spinach'?  Just a spoon full of spinach helps the medicine go down, yeah....not so much.  We can thank Walt Disney, once again, for distorting our perceptions of reality.

I first saw this movie when I was three.  I committed it to memory and had NO idea just how influential the subliminal message of this particular upbeat tune would be throughout my life.  Just get through whatever you find daunting and challenging (i.e. picking up your pig sty of a room) and treat yourself to something pleasant at the end.  Or in case of the Robin nesting, sing a song.  Why couldn't she have told the children to 'Whistle while they work'?  I guess that song had already been played out.

Children take messages quite literally and grow up to choke their vegetables down in order to get to the desert.  Parents reinforce this 'spoonful of sugar' theory without even realizing it.

Fast forward to adulthood and we wonder why we begin to salivate at the mere thought of a 'spoonful of sugar' when we are stressed out or depressed.  Oh Mary Poppins, you were practically perfect with this one exception.

We all know 'everything in moderation'.  I dabble in a little sugar every now and then so I won't get too high on my horse and preach about the negative aspects of refined sugar in your diet.  Chances are, if you're reading this...you probably know sugar is pretty bad for us.  A lot of sugar is even worse.  So here's a link (to WebMd) for you to read more about the health detriments of sugar http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-effects-of-sugar

As savvy foodies, we must retrain our buds to feel rewarded after a hard day's work of 'cleaning our rooms' with something savvy.  One trick I have learned - do not even taste the sweet stuff.  If you don't know what you're missing...you cannot miss it.  And PLEASE do not think sugar substitutes like Equal, Diet Soda, or the likes, are of ANY good.  Fake sugar is worse than the real deal.  Drinks like 'Skinny Girl Vodka/Margarita/Gin and Tonic/Cynaide' are just crap aimed straight at wannabe skinny bitches.  Don't fake it!

Here's an article in regards to diet soda's poison by Dr. Fuhrman http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/osteoporosis-diet-soda-depletes-calcium-and-may-increase-heart-attack-risk.html.  Here he points out that artificial sweeteners found in sodas, negatively impact our bone density, our kidneys and are directly linked to obesity.

Last night I was having dinner and a delicious desert presented itself after our meal.  It took all the strength I had to not indulge.  It takes mighty will power to pass up the sweet stuff, but once you stop you won't pop!

Another trick - start looking at the sweet stuff for what it is...dangerous.  Sure ONE cookie won't be your downfall, but can you stop there?  Can you have just ONE sweet thing in a week?  Maybe you prioritize other offenders as your reward?  Perhaps you cannot imagine a day without a little sugar in your coffee.  Maybe a bit of bread was had with your dinner...did you know that's pretty much just all sugar?

Maybe you need to educate yourself as to which of your favorite food items are actually just sugar in disguise.  Sugar is used in virtually EVERYTHING!  I'm not an Atkins diet person, but his diet highlights that carbs are sugar.  Sugar converts to fat in our bodies.  I'm not a dietician, but I'm a savvy foodie and I'm learning everyday just how detrimental that 'spoonful of sugar' can truly be.

So dear Jane and Michael, pick up your room and then go play outside.

Eat for Health

As I am reading Dr. Fuhrman's Eat for Health, parts of the book literally jump off the page and smack me between the eyes!

http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/eat_for_health.aspx

Dealing with the toxic change - 

"It takes time to be comfortable with the changes in your life.  It is not unusual to feel physically uncomfortable as you detoxify in the process of making over your body chemistry with a healthful diet.   The more stimulating or harmful your prior habits, the worse you feel when you stop them.  When breaking your addiction to salt, meat, dairy, saturated fat, processed foods and other substances, you might feel headachy, fatigued, or even a little itchy or ill, but the good news is these symptoms rarely last longer than a week or two.  However, if you are making the changes to nutritional excellence gradually, uncomfortable symptoms should be minimized. 

Some people are so addicted to stimulating food, sugary sweets, and over eating they may even feel depressed when they don’t indulge.  For example, cheese, salt, and chocolate are all addictive, and it takes a pro-longed period of abstinence to beat these addictions.  Sugar and caffeine, especially when mixed together, are highly addictive and create a significant amount of discomfort when stopping.  Sugar withdrawal symptoms have been demonstrated to be similar to withdrawal symptoms from opiates, including anxiety and tremors. 

You must allow this detoxification to occur.  An important hurdle to achieving your ideal weight and excellent health is getting rid of your addictions.  After that occurs, you may feel like you have been freed from prison and will find it easier to move forward with the program and be one step closer to truly eating for health." (Pg. 125-6)  

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!

         

How will I know?

We are now eleven days into the new year.  For most of us, we're also 11 days into our resolutions which means we only have 3 more days of misery.  If you're anything like the majority of Americans, you've given it your best shot.  You joined a gym, vowing to go before or after work 3x a week.  You tried a new class.  You've been starving for the past 11 days and quite frankly you're getting sick and tired of 'trying'.

The masses are trying to sell more sugar in the form of Valentine's Day candy.  I mean....the Christmas crap isn't even off all the shelves yet.  The 75% off candy is next to 'A New Year, A New You' self-help book!! And for cryin' out loud, it's just too hard to stick to your resolution.

Something in the universe is working against you and you're slowly slipping into your old patterns and seriously questioning your resolution.  What's a few more pounds?  Isn't life too short to not enjoy?  Don't you miss the taste of crap?  It's time to get off the treadmill.  You have no desire to stand on your head in that God forsaken Yoga class with those weirdos and weight lifting is just for meat heads.

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
It's only the rest of your life!

Do you want to enjoy it?  Or just find yourself on the merry-go-round of mediocrity?  Giving into your taste buds?  Who's stronger?  Big wonderful YOU or little stinking them?  Do you know it's possible to re-train your buds?  Just because it's green does not mean you'll gag.  Just because it's not doused in sugar does not mean it won't be yummy.

Here's the giant elephant in the room...if you want the NEW and IMPROVED YOU there are no resolutions.  When the clock ticks away to a new year, there is no vow to make yourself miserable.  Instead, it's all about just getting back to YOU.  Figuring out what works for you to be savvy and healthy.

I have found it's not about counting calories or hopping on the scale.  By living a healthy savvy life, pounds drop and diets are a thing of the past.  I love my yoga classes.  I look forward to my weight training sessions and I can now safely run a 5K without stressing out.   It's not a goal.  It's not a resolution.  It's my life!

You'll find, as with any addict, people who enable and discourage you.  'Just eat it, who cares?' or 'Why be miserable?'.  My answer to these enabling statements: Because it's my life!  The choices I make today will have a lasting effect on the rest of my days.  I don't want to be at the doctors for high blood pressure and type II diabetes.  I don't want migraines or other common aliments.  I want to be the best I can be and I want to feel good!  I want to be able to fit into my normal size pants and not creep up into 'fat pants'.  I want all the good stuff and I know it's worth it.  Who wants to feel miserable/depressed/fatigued/moody.  Bad food, over processed food can cause all of the aforementioned lousy side effects.

It's also important to figure out what type of exercise doesn't feel like exercise.  By this I mean, if you do not enjoy running, for example, don't rely on that form of exercise to burn the calories.  If the treadmill makes you cringe, no biggie!  Try a bicycle!  Try a stair master (for buns of steel!).  If you're afraid of bulking up from weight lifting, trust me unless you're going hard core the likelihood of looking like the 'Incredible Hulk' are slim to none.

Stop letting YOU get in the way of YOU!  Imagine an angel on one side and a devil on the other.  The angel will push and motivate you, the devil will tell you 'it's too hard, stop'.  Which do you listen to?  Don't misunderstand something as being painful with something that requires training your muscles.  If you have not done yoga before, some of the poses will freak you out (they did me!).  But by building muscles, the poses become easier.  If there's pain involved, stop.  That's not the devil, that's common sense.

Get in touch with your body.  You are the expert.  Challenge yourself, but don't hurt yourself.  If you fall off your wagon, there is no shame in getting back on it.  If you're in an exercise class and you can't do something, don't worry.  We weren't born knowing how to do it all.  Learn.  Be patient.  Be committed.  The results will make you smile.  Take yourself from goals to a way of living.  The benefits will blow your mind.

Namaste.