My my it has been a while!
I have been MIA from this blog for far too long and it must change. I have learned and accomplished so much and I want to share it with you. Health, fitness, cooking, traveling, organization, a bit of everything. Check back often for new posts!
I already posted a quick tips produce guide and I will be starting a new type of weekly posts explaining some of the less understood health boosters. I am staring with Chia seeds and it will be published on April 1st, after I am done with the fist half of my move. If you have a request for a food or health claim you would like me to research, leave a comment down below.
Don't forget to check in for the post on juice cleansing. My mother-in-law has asked me to help her get her health on track and we are embarking on a 10 day juice cleanse together. During that time we will be testing juice recipes, rating them and tweaking them for taste. We will be logging side the good and bad feelings emotionally and physically. We will be exercising and adjusting our juice intake to ensure we get enough nutrition to keep us from going hungry. At the end I will post tips and tricks I learned along the way and I will discuss how my body responded. It is going to be a challenge but the benefits of this decision could be monumental.
If you would like to learn about this type of lifestyle change in video form then these two movies are for you!
"Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"
"Hungry for Change"
They are both on Netflix and they are incredibly motivating.
Good luck with your health adventures!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Hanging with the wrong crowd, when good fruit goes bad.
We have all heard the term, "One bad apple spoils the rest." but we do not often think where else that might apply. The truth is everywhere, an entire batch can very easily be destroyed by one baddie. One thing to consider is the environment it was in before you got it. if you see a lot of rotten fruit around a few bits of good, chances are the good looking fruit was shipped with the bad and is already on it's way there.
So how do you avoid this? Easy, mind where you shop. If you buy your produce from a place that obviously has good standards you may never have to worry about digging for the good stuff. So how do you tell? Watch that fruit like it's your first born! If you have fruit quickly spoiling after 1 or 2 days, chances are that fruit was rotten when you bought it. Some grocery stores keep fruit cold to make it look fresh when it is not. This may seem like an accident but in so many cases it isn't.
Ever Seen a grocer switching out fruit? If he is taking his time and checking the food, that is one of the good guys. Never trust a place where the employees let brown or mashed product be sold. A store that is willing to sell rotting produce will cut corners anywhere, it's that simple.
So how do we tell good produce from bad? Color, texture and smell, every piece of produce use these identifiers to let you know where it is in life. Many fruits do not continue to ripen after being harvested and should not be bought if they "need time to ripen".
Fruits That Don't Ripen
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit)
Cucumbers
Grapes
Pineapples
Pomegranates
Soft berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
Watermelons
Fruits That Do Ripen
Apples
Apricots
Avocados
Bananas
Blueberries
Figs
Guava
Honeydew melons
Kiwis
Mangoes
Muskmelons (aka cantaloupes)
Nectarines
Papayas
Passion fruits
Peaches
Pears
Persimmons
Plantains
Plums
Quince
Tomatoes
Other variables come in to play when trying to tell if something is indeed ripe or rotten. If you pick up an avocado and it's ice cold, leave it be. It has been recently chilled and you will not be able to tell if it is is good shape or not until it is at room temp. If a cantaloupe a pineapple or a strawberry doesn't smell sweet than it was picked too soon and will never reach it's full potential for sweetness. Fruits like strawberries and grapes are best eaten day of as they begin to spoil the second they are picked. Strawberries are prone to mold because they hold and secrete moisture so freeze them or eat them within a day or two.
The moral of the story is you have to squeeze, sniff and eyeball that produce until you are satisfied. The same rules apply for both fruits and veggies. Smell, firmness and color are the keys to healthy produce and a healthy you.
So how do you avoid this? Easy, mind where you shop. If you buy your produce from a place that obviously has good standards you may never have to worry about digging for the good stuff. So how do you tell? Watch that fruit like it's your first born! If you have fruit quickly spoiling after 1 or 2 days, chances are that fruit was rotten when you bought it. Some grocery stores keep fruit cold to make it look fresh when it is not. This may seem like an accident but in so many cases it isn't.
Ever Seen a grocer switching out fruit? If he is taking his time and checking the food, that is one of the good guys. Never trust a place where the employees let brown or mashed product be sold. A store that is willing to sell rotting produce will cut corners anywhere, it's that simple.
So how do we tell good produce from bad? Color, texture and smell, every piece of produce use these identifiers to let you know where it is in life. Many fruits do not continue to ripen after being harvested and should not be bought if they "need time to ripen".
Fruits That Don't Ripen
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Citrus (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit)
Cucumbers
Grapes
Pineapples
Pomegranates
Soft berries (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)
Watermelons
Fruits That Do Ripen
Apples
Apricots
Avocados
Bananas
Blueberries
Figs
Guava
Honeydew melons
Kiwis
Mangoes
Muskmelons (aka cantaloupes)
Nectarines
Papayas
Passion fruits
Peaches
Pears
Persimmons
Plantains
Plums
Quince
Tomatoes
Other variables come in to play when trying to tell if something is indeed ripe or rotten. If you pick up an avocado and it's ice cold, leave it be. It has been recently chilled and you will not be able to tell if it is is good shape or not until it is at room temp. If a cantaloupe a pineapple or a strawberry doesn't smell sweet than it was picked too soon and will never reach it's full potential for sweetness. Fruits like strawberries and grapes are best eaten day of as they begin to spoil the second they are picked. Strawberries are prone to mold because they hold and secrete moisture so freeze them or eat them within a day or two.
The moral of the story is you have to squeeze, sniff and eyeball that produce until you are satisfied. The same rules apply for both fruits and veggies. Smell, firmness and color are the keys to healthy produce and a healthy you.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
For those of you who have been wanting to research coconut oil but have been overwhelmed by all the results found on Google, this article does a great job of explaining the benefits of it. It has the science, figures and it explains it all in plain, understandable terms. Check it out! For those of you who constantly ask about my hair, I use organic coconut shampoos, conditioners and oil to keep my hair healthy and soft.
Click here to learn about the health and beauty benefits of coconut oil
Healthy ways I like to use coconut oil and milk.
Beauty care methods I use:
Here are some store bought beauty care products I use that work and won't empty the bank!
Coconut your hair!
Coconut your face!
Coconut your skin!
Most of the beauty care lines put out by this company are great but I found the coconut milk line works best for me. Try them out, those of you who know about sulfate and paraben free hair products know what I mean!
If you try these methods or products please comment and let me know what you think!
Thanks for stopping by and may you live a long and healthy life!
Click here to learn about the health and beauty benefits of coconut oil
Healthy ways I like to use coconut oil and milk.
- I love to use coconut milk in place of heavy creams or milk when cooking. When making a spicy Thai or Indian dish it tastes even better than cream or yogurt!
- Adding coconut milk in oatmeal and tea is a great way to add flavor health food that would otherwise taste like caca.
- You can use it in the place of butter when baking, just put it in the fridge and let it get to that "butter" consistency.
Beauty care methods I use:
- Scrub it into your scalp and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before washing. For best results, leave it on overnight. Put a shower cap over it and place a towel on your pillow to protect it. Always wash out the oil with a toxin free shampoo.
- I plan to make myself a sugar scrub out of it and see how it works, you should try it and let me know how it works. Just make it like you would any other sugar scrub, 1 part oil to 2 parts sugar. Make sure to warm the oil in a bowl of warm or hot water first to help with mixing(DO NOT put it in the microwave, you will destroy all the good stuff!), and try to use it all. It is best make it fresh every time rather than store it for later. This is just an experiment and I can't vouch for how well my theory will work. I can say that you should have no awful skin reactions to it since it is just oil and sugar. I am going to use it just before shaving and see if it helps get a closer shave. Good luck with your trial if you do one!
Here are some store bought beauty care products I use that work and won't empty the bank!
Coconut your hair!
Coconut your face!
Coconut your skin!
Most of the beauty care lines put out by this company are great but I found the coconut milk line works best for me. Try them out, those of you who know about sulfate and paraben free hair products know what I mean!
If you try these methods or products please comment and let me know what you think!
Thanks for stopping by and may you live a long and healthy life!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Weekly updates...
So I am going to do my best to post weekly guides and post random health tips when I can. I realize I have not gotten this thing completely organized and for that I apologize but this is a learning process for me as well.
That being said I will be posting a blog on liquids to lower your cholesterol tomorrow. Wine drinkers stay tuned!
I'll end this little note with a great tip from an inspirational health vlog I watch.
Whatever meal you are about to enjoy, if it does not involve fruits or veggies, eat a fruit or vegetable first. So if you are just having cereal for breakfast eat a banana or something else first. If you are having fruit salad than you are good to go. If you obey this rule you will notice that you are closer to getting your daily intake of fruits and vegetables than you ever have been!
Thanks for reading, may you live a long and healthy life!
That being said I will be posting a blog on liquids to lower your cholesterol tomorrow. Wine drinkers stay tuned!
I'll end this little note with a great tip from an inspirational health vlog I watch.
Whatever meal you are about to enjoy, if it does not involve fruits or veggies, eat a fruit or vegetable first. So if you are just having cereal for breakfast eat a banana or something else first. If you are having fruit salad than you are good to go. If you obey this rule you will notice that you are closer to getting your daily intake of fruits and vegetables than you ever have been!
Thanks for reading, may you live a long and healthy life!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Not the why but the how...
How do we lower cholesterol and triglycerides?
The obvious answer of course, nutrition! Nutrition is the starting point for changing almost any health issue into a non issue.
So now we know diet is the best way hands down but what kind of diet?
One high in fiber of course! Fiber and good fatty acids are the bread and butter of lowering cholesterol levels and triglycerides. The funny thing, most people don't even know what fiber is or how many different food groups are loaded with fiber. I know I didn't before I got my ass on google to find out.
So here it is, the down low on fiber:
To quote Wikipedia, fiber is the indigestible portion of plant foods that acts by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and by changing how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed.
WTF does that mean?
It means it's and indigestible component of food that helps us digest what we eat. It comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is broken down by the body and creates a gel like substance when mixed with water in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber binds with fatty acids and prolongs stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. Soluble fiber is the main factor in controlling cholesterol levels and insulin levels in the body. You could say it has a bigger sweet tooth than we do. People with diabetes should pay close attention to the benefits of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber passes through the body relatively in tact to move the bulk of the food we eat through the intestines, sort of like and intestinal Draino. Insoluble also fiber helps control and balance the pH (acidity) in the intestines by absorbing it like a sponge and carrying it out through the bowels. Ever wonder why a bowel movement smells so much worse when you eat a buttload (pun intended) of insoluble fiber? That's why! Back to Draino, insoluble fiber promotes more frequent bowel movements and combats constipation. No it does not produce watery bowel movements, just more. A healthy human being should have between 2 and 4 bowel movements in a day depending on how much they eat. The coolest thing about insoluble fiber is that it helps prevent intestinal and colon cancer by balancing the PH level in the digestive tract and depriving cancer causing microbes of the environment they love.
You want about a 3 to 1 ratio of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet. So 1/4 soluble and 3/4 insoluble, it is not practical to stress yourself out over the exact numbers so just try to keep it with in that ball park and you'll do just fine.
So that's the what's what, how about the where is what?
Here is a great list of foods that are high in fiber that has been mega useful to me over the years:
Mind you, it's not all of them but a few to help you get the idea. This guide is especially important for those who have IBS or other digestive issues. Soluble is highlighted in blue and insoluble is highlighted in green.
Insoluble:
Whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereal
Wheat bran
Whole grains, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals
Granola
Meusli
Seeds
Nuts
Popcorn
Beans and lentils (mashed or pureed they're much safer)
Berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, etc.)
Grapes and raisins
Cherries
Pineapple
Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and pears with skins (peeled they're much safer)
Apples (peeled they're safe)
Rhubarb
Melons
Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes
Dates and prunes
Greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, mesclun, collards, arugala, watercress, etc.)
Whole peas, snow peas, snap peas, pea pods
Green beans
Kernel corn
Bell peppers (roasted and peeled they're safer)
Eggplant (peeled and seeded it's much safer)
Celery
Onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic
Cabbage, bok choy, Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Tomatoes (peeled and seeded, especially raw, they're much safer)
Cucumbers (again, peel and seed them and they're much safer)
Sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, radish, etc.)
Fresh herbs
Recommended fiber amounts for women is 21 to 25 grams a day and for men is 30 to 38 grams a day.
To look up Nutrition facts and fiber contents of certain foods not on this list go here:
You can also find great recipes for adding healthy foods to your favorite meals.
http://www.whfoods.com/
References for this blog post came from these sites:
http://www.healthcastle.com
http://www.helpforibs.com
http://www.wikipedia.org/
Last but not least, I am not a nutritionist. DON'T be afraid to do your own research, you will fare better having found the knowledge yourself. I hope this post has helped answer some of your questions on the health benefits of fiber. Next time we will tackle liquids for cholesterol!
May you live an long and healthy life!
The obvious answer of course, nutrition! Nutrition is the starting point for changing almost any health issue into a non issue.
So now we know diet is the best way hands down but what kind of diet?
One high in fiber of course! Fiber and good fatty acids are the bread and butter of lowering cholesterol levels and triglycerides. The funny thing, most people don't even know what fiber is or how many different food groups are loaded with fiber. I know I didn't before I got my ass on google to find out.
So here it is, the down low on fiber:
To quote Wikipedia, fiber is the indigestible portion of plant foods that acts by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and by changing how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed.
WTF does that mean?
It means it's and indigestible component of food that helps us digest what we eat. It comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is broken down by the body and creates a gel like substance when mixed with water in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber binds with fatty acids and prolongs stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. Soluble fiber is the main factor in controlling cholesterol levels and insulin levels in the body. You could say it has a bigger sweet tooth than we do. People with diabetes should pay close attention to the benefits of soluble fiber.
Insoluble fiber passes through the body relatively in tact to move the bulk of the food we eat through the intestines, sort of like and intestinal Draino. Insoluble also fiber helps control and balance the pH (acidity) in the intestines by absorbing it like a sponge and carrying it out through the bowels. Ever wonder why a bowel movement smells so much worse when you eat a buttload (pun intended) of insoluble fiber? That's why! Back to Draino, insoluble fiber promotes more frequent bowel movements and combats constipation. No it does not produce watery bowel movements, just more. A healthy human being should have between 2 and 4 bowel movements in a day depending on how much they eat. The coolest thing about insoluble fiber is that it helps prevent intestinal and colon cancer by balancing the PH level in the digestive tract and depriving cancer causing microbes of the environment they love.
You want about a 3 to 1 ratio of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet. So 1/4 soluble and 3/4 insoluble, it is not practical to stress yourself out over the exact numbers so just try to keep it with in that ball park and you'll do just fine.
So that's the what's what, how about the where is what?
Here is a great list of foods that are high in fiber that has been mega useful to me over the years:
Mind you, it's not all of them but a few to help you get the idea. This guide is especially important for those who have IBS or other digestive issues. Soluble is highlighted in blue and insoluble is highlighted in green.
Insoluble:
Whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereal
Wheat bran
Whole grains, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals
Granola
Meusli
Seeds
Nuts
Popcorn
Beans and lentils (mashed or pureed they're much safer)
Berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, etc.)
Grapes and raisins
Cherries
Pineapple
Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and pears with skins (peeled they're much safer)
Apples (peeled they're safe)
Rhubarb
Melons
Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes
Dates and prunes
Greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, mesclun, collards, arugala, watercress, etc.)
Whole peas, snow peas, snap peas, pea pods
Green beans
Kernel corn
Bell peppers (roasted and peeled they're safer)
Eggplant (peeled and seeded it's much safer)
Celery
Onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic
Cabbage, bok choy, Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Tomatoes (peeled and seeded, especially raw, they're much safer)
Cucumbers (again, peel and seed them and they're much safer)
Sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, radish, etc.)
Fresh herbs
| Soluble: Rice Pasta and noodles Oatmeal Barley Fresh white breads such as French or sourdough (NOT whole wheat or whole grain)* Rice cereals Flour tortillas Soy Quinoa Corn meal Potatoes Carrots Yams Sweet potatoes Turnips Rutabagas Parsnips Beets Squash and pumpkins Mushrooms Chestnuts Avocados (though they do have some fat) Bananas Applesauce Mangoes Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion) |
Recommended fiber amounts for women is 21 to 25 grams a day and for men is 30 to 38 grams a day.
To look up Nutrition facts and fiber contents of certain foods not on this list go here:
You can also find great recipes for adding healthy foods to your favorite meals.
http://www.whfoods.com/
References for this blog post came from these sites:
http://www.healthcastle.com
http://www.helpforibs.com
http://www.wikipedia.org/
Last but not least, I am not a nutritionist. DON'T be afraid to do your own research, you will fare better having found the knowledge yourself. I hope this post has helped answer some of your questions on the health benefits of fiber. Next time we will tackle liquids for cholesterol!
May you live an long and healthy life!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
An inspiring change from an unexpected place.
We've all seen the Osbourne's (Don't lie, you are guilty of watching it!) and I for one would have never believed the transformation that Kelly went through this year. I had no interest in learning about it however, i love shape magazine for it's good health tips and stories. The article on Kelly's struggle and victory over her health is a good read and made me feel like my goals are in reach.
Check it out if you get the chance.
Let's get started!
Before you can start this journey you have to decide upon the specifics of your goal.
So you want to get healthy but what is it about you that is unhealthy?
Illness, poor diet, lack of activity, are you over or underweight?
Each one of these issues has to be addressed individually in order for you to succeed. What you have to determine for yourself is where you are at health wise. The best way to do that is with a physical and no I am not kidding. No shit, right? Right!
Why exactly is this so important? We need to know how our bodies are functioning on every level before we can make the right changes to improve our health. Your doctor will have the final say on what test you need beyond a standard physical but I recommend a CMP(Comprehensive Metabolic Panel). WTF is that? It's a full workup of your bodies blood levels and organ function. This is especially important for those who want to lose weight and/or have health issues. Understanding things like glucose and cholesterol levels are extremely important for losing weight and over all health.
Taking the initiative to have your body tested is not the end of the lesson either. Since you have to go to your doctor to get the test you have the opportunity to corner the best source of knowledge out there, a professional. Have your doctor explain your results to you in depth, make a second appointment if you have to. Poke a probe your Doc's brain until you are satisfied that you are an expert on the subject. If they do not have material to send home with you then you must make use of my favorite learning tool, GOOGLE! Do the research and pay close attention to cholesterol! That by itself should get you off to a great start and help you formulate a health plan.
In depth information on the CMP can be found here:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cmp/glance.html
I encourage you to nose around the site and learn what you can about how medical professionals determine the condition of your body.
How about cholesterol?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol
I don't want to overload so let's start with the test and talk about change when we get the results.
Ciao for now!
So you want to get healthy but what is it about you that is unhealthy?
Illness, poor diet, lack of activity, are you over or underweight?
Each one of these issues has to be addressed individually in order for you to succeed. What you have to determine for yourself is where you are at health wise. The best way to do that is with a physical and no I am not kidding. No shit, right? Right!
Why exactly is this so important? We need to know how our bodies are functioning on every level before we can make the right changes to improve our health. Your doctor will have the final say on what test you need beyond a standard physical but I recommend a CMP(Comprehensive Metabolic Panel). WTF is that? It's a full workup of your bodies blood levels and organ function. This is especially important for those who want to lose weight and/or have health issues. Understanding things like glucose and cholesterol levels are extremely important for losing weight and over all health.
Taking the initiative to have your body tested is not the end of the lesson either. Since you have to go to your doctor to get the test you have the opportunity to corner the best source of knowledge out there, a professional. Have your doctor explain your results to you in depth, make a second appointment if you have to. Poke a probe your Doc's brain until you are satisfied that you are an expert on the subject. If they do not have material to send home with you then you must make use of my favorite learning tool, GOOGLE! Do the research and pay close attention to cholesterol! That by itself should get you off to a great start and help you formulate a health plan.
In depth information on the CMP can be found here:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cmp/glance.html
I encourage you to nose around the site and learn what you can about how medical professionals determine the condition of your body.
How about cholesterol?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol
I don't want to overload so let's start with the test and talk about change when we get the results.
Ciao for now!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)