Too much salt

Not that this is really news... I think most people already understand that they eat too much salt... but I thought it was worthwhile to post the link.


http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/25/study-americans-eat-too-much-salt/?hpt=Sbin

The World's Healthiest Foods

I recently found this website, it promotes the "worlds healthiest foods." I don't know very much about their foundation, but the list of foods on the website is spot on.

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

Avocado/egg/parmesan cheese scramble (or wrap)

My latest morning creation has been a simple easy to make breakfast wrap (or scramble).

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 avocado
2. 3 eggs
3. fresh grated parmesan
4. Ezekiel wrap (or your whole wheat wrap of choice) - or Ezekiel bread 
5. Olive oil

This one couldn't be easier. Fry 3 eggs in olive oil, once the eggs are starting to firm up add the avocado, and then when the eggs are almost done add some fresh grated parmesan, scramble the mixture and that's it. You can put the mixture into a wrap, or serve it over Ezekiel toast. Add a little pepper to taste and a little sea salt or kosher salt and that's it. A friend tells me that if you add a little fresh basil to this it is great, so I'll have to try it next time.

So why is this healthy? Because it's good to have protein first thing in the morning. Also, the avocado and olive oil gives you a healthy dose of unsaturated fat to make you feel full and ready to take on the day. A little parmesan adds great flavor but use it sparingly, parmesan is high in saturated fat and sodium. In general, softer cheeses are healthier (mozzarella, feta, goat), and harder cheeses are higher in fat in sodium.

Unsaturated fat (any fat really) makes you feel full, which is why often when people eat healthy food they don't feel full, and then end up eating more, or worst yet - unhealthier food after eating healthy food.  Sadly, the healthy food and unhealthy food don't balance themselves out - (as many would like to believe), nope - sadly it's just more calories and you would have been better off just eating the unhealthy meal...

A good way to make sure this scenario doesn't happen to you (again) is by eating plenty of unsaturated, healthy fats. Olive oil for cooking oil, almond butter, peanut butter, avocados are all excellent sources of these fats. I recommend more of healthy fats than many professional nutritionists, and although they are probably right when it comes down to a scientific analysis of nutrition - my reasoning is more about human nature. If you can keep yourself feeling full, eating small meals throughout the day so you don't get too hungry, and include enough healthy fat to make you feel satisfied throughout the day, then you're less likely to over eat.

Actually, while I'm on the fat train here... if you ever get a late night craving for something and you know you shouldn't be hungry because you already ate, you're tired and sleepy and normally would head for the pantry for some scrumptious late night carb... try a heaping teaspoon of almond butter or peanut butter instead (the first is preferable), the unsaturated fat will coat your stomach and give you a full feeling, it'll kill your craving. The trick is doing this before you get too hungry... once you get past the point of no return it's hopeless! I'll post about this subject another time.

Alcohol, Diet and Pancreatic Cancer risk

1)     Don't drink soda.
2)     Don't eat a diet high in fat and low in fiber
3)     Don’t smoke
4)     Stay away from chemicals
5)     Use chemical free dry cleaning only (it may cost a little more but it's a lot less than chemo)

Read on...

 http://consults.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/11/alcohol-diet-and-pancreatic-cancer-risks/?hpw

Ridiculous and Hilarious High Fructose Corn Syrup Commercial

This commercial is just too funny not to write about. You probably have been seeing this ad a lot lately, and it is because the corn growers are getting nervous that the country has caught onto the fact that HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), is bad for our health - even worse than refined white sugar (which is also bad for our health). 

First of all, the acting is so bad in this clip you'll probably pee yourself watching it. I can't imagine some Mom randomly walking up to another Mom that's pouring juice for her kid and saying "wowwww, you don't care what the kids eat, huh?..." Most Mom's I know would pour juice on her with a comment like that. The argument the commercial tries to make is even funnier. Sorry Corn Refiners Association - we're onto you. 

HFCS is more dangerous than sugar because it causes spikes in insulin levels... the speed at which HFCS enters your bloodstream is higher than regular sugar. Unfortunately HFCS has found its way into everything from Ketchup, breads, cheese, soda, juice, cereals, beef jerky, iced teas, pretzels, snacks, almost all processed foods... literally anything and everything in place of sugar.

Why you ask? Well it isn't some evil government conspiracy to kill off our population... it's because corn based products are dirt cheap because they are subsidized by the government. Move over big oil, big corn is here! This makes it much less expensive for companies like Heinz to use HFCS in place of sugar. Also, HFCS extends the shelf life of products, so it acts as an additional preservative on top of its sweetening effect. 

The Mayo Clinic recommends limiting the quantity, and also suggests that the new research coming out in favor of HFCS is supported by the beverage industry (big shocker - I've never heard of anything like that ever happening before!) 

So what to sweeten with? I recommend following the advice of the article from the Mayo clinic. Limit sugary foods to as little as possible... stick with unsweetened products always (like iced tea, etc). Eat fresh fruit, limit soda and fruit juice drinking. My favorite sweetener is Blue Agave Nectar. It looks like honey, and is the healthiest sweetener available. It is all natural, low in sugar, and very low in the glycemic index. English translation: the sugar enters your blood stream slowly, which is good, because when things enter your blood stream quickly you get fat, that's all you need to know.

Even natural fruit juices are loaded with sugar. Fruits naturally have a lot of sugar, and while it is much healthier than refined sugars - we should still drink fruit juices in moderation because there is A LOT of fruit in juice. Eat fruit instead, you're unlikely to eat as much as you would drink - so it works out better for your health. 

Anyway - let me know what you all think. I know seeking out food without HFCS is a pain, but I think it's worth the second it takes to read the ingredients. I'm glad to see that companies are starting to advertise that they are not using it, and some are using cane sugar instead. My advice is just to not eat sugary foods, it's a huge cause of obesity and one that's often overlooked. 

It's amazing how much sugar is in that you wouldn't thing of (yogurt, milk, etc). If you're a high fructose fan, check out their website. You'll see lots of kids eating sweet sugary HFCS... on their way to a childhood of ADHD and other issues. While the "sweet surprise" for us adults will be a spare tire around our waist. good times!

Slacker blogger

This week work has gotten the best of me and I have not been very good at posting. I had a choice - I could exercise at the end of the day, or write - and I chose exercise. When work gets crazy, exercise and nutrition are usually the first to things to go out the window for most people, but that's really when you need it most. So I made the choice to keep my sanity... and I figured since I only have 7 readers at this point - it doesn't really matter.

Fortunately this week I have at least been able to make some time to cook and not eat out. Last week I didn't spend one dollar on food items during the work week and I hope to continue that trend. Over the weekend I made a pasta salmon dish (using brown rice penne pasta). It had some fresh veggies, and was flavored with low sodium soy sauce (which really isn’t that low in sodium… but compared to a restaurant it is). I simmered the sodium in a skillet and added some blue agave nectar to thicken and sweeten it. The blue agave nectar is a great sweetner, it is low in sugar and really low in the glycemic index.

I also have been making some tasty wraps (the same ones I wrote about last week) with brown rice, avocados, lemon juice, greens, fresh parmesan cheese, chicken and marinara sauce (I added some marinara pasta sauce from a jar because I had nothing else available).

Last night I made fresh salmon on the grill (the pre-marinated Alaskan Salmon is back at Trader Joe’s!). Other than that I have been sticking with my trusty roast beef sandwiches on Ezekiel bread for lunches.

Another tasty snack that’s been doing the trick at work: Kashi puffs, mixed with non fat yogurt and fresh blueberries. Yummmmm.

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pre-swim snack, toast and almond butter.

Here's a great snack when you're hungry and short on time. A piece of toast (Ezekiel bread of course) and almond butter (I like the creamy, unsalted kind). It's a great source of healthy carbs, protein and lots of unsaturated fat. A perfect well balanced snack - and it is literally faster to make than a frozen meal. 

Yummy sandwich.

I've been promising to follow up on the post about staples for a week now... but the week got the best of me. Busy with work and training... this blogging thing takes a lot of time! sheesh. Anyway, I thought I'd post about the awesome sandwich I just made. First of all, I can't say enough good things about Ezekiel bread and tortillas. It's the only bread I'm going to buy from here on out. It is available at Trader Joe's in many different varieties, including low sodium, wheat free, etc. 


The type I am using is low sodium. I have always looked for bread that was free of high fructose corn syrup, but it wasn't until recently that I realized how much sodium is in most breads. It's actually pretty insane. A lot of people on diets that are "program diets" (from personal trainers,  or programs like Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc) are not looking out for sodium at all, but it's a major contributor to obesity, and also high blood pressure, and as I've posted about before - we eat dangerously high amounts of it.


This mornings sandwich includes two pieces of Ezekiel low sodium bread, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado (of course), roast beef, and light swiss (TJ's), with dijon mustard. The roast beef is from Trader Joe's also, nitrate free and unpreserved meat. Simple and delicious. Next time I might consider adding some sprouts.


The sandwich is yummy... I highly recommend you try one. It's definitely going to make it on the lunch menu next week. So, to tie this post back to the conversation about staples, I would say that there are a few things I probably will stop getting at Trader Joe's, despite the fact that I get most of my staples there... Avocados for one, they are usually too hard, and then ripen so fast you're left with a bunch of soft Avos.


Next, tomatoes are really not that great there, unless you buy the more expensive vine ripened tomatoes - but I think this is something I could do better with at Ralph's or another grocery store. Lately I've been disappointed to find that my favorite wild salmon hasn't been available either. They used to have a great pre-marinated wild caught Alaskan Salmon, but lately only the Sockeye Salmon has been available and it's not as good in my opinion (dry and fishy tasting). You could probably marinade it and make it taste good, but I never have the time. Produce in general is a bit spotty at TJ's.


Anyway, try the sandwich, it's a great healthy treat. Also, try out the Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas, they are great also. 

Feeling unmotivated? Sue Sylvester wouldn't sit on the couch...

I'm feeling entirely unmotivated tonight. I'm taking a night off from training and I feel like a complete slug. It doesn't feel like well deserved rest like I usually feel. After a weekend of hard training but unhealthy eating, I'm left feeling tired and kind of "off" right now and guilty for taking the night off. I know that Sue Sylvester wouldn't be sitting on the couch posting on a blog like I am right now. Nope, she'd be out doing one armed push ups, running, biking, swimming and what not. She'd probably be blowing a whistle also and shouting obscenities. Maybe that is the key... maybe we all need to shout obscenities at ourselves every once in a while to get our buts off of our couches [contrary to Dr. Oz and Oprah's warm and fuzzy love yourself approach which is really for the birds].

I guess it all comes down to what your routine is and what you eat. It's funny, even with all of the exercise in the world, if you don't eat right, the math still doesn't work out quite right if you're not fueling yourself right. A lot of people have the misperception that athletes can eat whatever they want (perpetuated partly by the Michael Phelps diet). But it's not the case, as your body becomes more efficient and in shape, it needs fewer calories to accomplish the same amount of work. Michael Phelps only consumes insane amounts of calories when he is competing and ramping up his daily routine for a race.

While I'm on the lesbian female role model track, I would like to mention that Suze Orman would still be proud of me, so at least I have that today. I brought my own lunch and snacks to work today, and didn't even buy a coffee. I actually did not spend any money on food today (a feat for me, since I work in a building attached to a grocery store and in a neighborhood with great restaurants). The brown rice, chicken and black bean burritos that I posted about earlier in the day were delicious. They were a little on the dry side, but I think the avocado will help (and maybe a little more lemon juice). Unfortunately the avocados are still rock hard (that's the one thing about Trader Joe's, you really just never know what you're going to get with their produce. Anyway, the moral of this post is to always remember Sue & Suze when you loose motivation.

'Dirty dozen' produce carries more pesticide residue, group says

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Dirty Dozen:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Domestic blueberries
• Nectarines
• Sweet bell peppers
• Spinach, kale and collard greens
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Imported grapes
• Lettuce

You should note that avocados are on the good list! Even non organic avos are not as drenched in pesticides as the items listed above.

 

Read on…http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/01/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide/index.html?hpt=C1

Memorial Day is over, time to get back on the wagon!

Ok, so Memorial Day is over, now it's time to get back on the wagon.  I promised last week that I would put together a list of what to do with your staples... but of course I left off a couple items from the list that I want to post about today. So instead I'm going to post about today's lunch - and I'll get to staples later tonight.

I went to Trader Joe's last night to get some more food (chicken and Ezekiel wraps, amonst other things). I cooked up some more brown rice, and grilled some chicken on the BBQ. I shredded the chicken and put it into a container, and strained some canned black beans (didn't have time to do dry beans this time). I put the strained beans into another container, and then put the cooked brown rice into another. We have a small lemon tree on the roof where I live, so I got a free lemon from the roof... and I was ready to go. Having everything prepped in plastic containers really helps me follow through with making lunch. I need it to be fast and brainless in the morning (after all, I'm operating without coffee at this point).

This morning before work I made a couple of really healthy burritos to take to work for lunch. I used Ezekiel wraps (Ezekiel makes some of the healthiest breads and wraps available and can be bought at Trader Joe's), I added some brown rice, shredded chicken, black beans, lettuce, a squirt of fresh lemon and salt. I bought avocados to include with this but they aren't ripe yet, so no avocados today.

The burritos turned out pretty good, but I think the avocados will help to make it more moist. Hopefully by tomorrow or the next day they will be ready for experimenting with. I like to eat alot, so I brought a container of brown rice and black beans as a side dish (and two burritos because the Ezekiel wraps aren't very big). I also brought 2 Cliff bars with me, although I haven't had to rip into them yet (a good sign that the burritos are both healthy and filling!).

I might also add some tomatoes next time I make this. I didn't have time this morning because my cat kept waking me up at 4am to feed him, and I was in a really crabby mood by the time I was ready to make my lunch.

I don't have a name for this lunch, but it's basically just a healthy brown rice, bean and grilled chicken burrito. Adding lemon juice is a nice touch, and you'll find you do not need nearly as much salt when you do this.