One More Reason to Embrace

May 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Fruits and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables (Photo credit: nutrilover)They

With all the money people (especially women) spend on creams, lotions, potions, injections, fillers and surgeries on their face, we should never lose sight of that old cliche “we are what we eat.”  Look to your farmer’s markets and produce sections for the rainbow of foods that nourish each and every cell of our bodies, inside and out.  The following foods are loaded with antioxidants that help our bodies fight aging at that cellular level.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, leafy greens, apricots, cantaloupe, tomatoes, watermelon and bell peppers all contain carotenoids, which protect the skin from UV damage and also improve skin tone.

Nuts, seeds, and leafy greens contain vitamin E, which reduces sun damage.

Apples, citrus fruits, grapes, berries, cranberries, dark chocolate and wine (yay!) are full of polyphenols, which protect against UV radiation.

Guava, kiwi, papaya and citrus fruits are packed with vitamin C, which protects skin’s elastin and collagen.

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli contain sulforaphane, which activates cells’ natural defenses against UV damage.

Soybeans and their oils contain coenzyme Q10, which protects protein and fat cells.

Add the above foods to your diet and don’t forget to hydrate (yes, at least 8 glasses of water are still the recommendation…more if you are working out…the fountain of youth just may be a simple water fountain!)  and watch the appearance of your skin improve before your eyes.

Great skin.  Just one more reason to embrace our fruits and veggies. What’s good for your skin is equally as good for your insides and the world around you.  Happy VFT.  Make it a great one.

Filed Under: Food, health and happiness, Plant-based diet, vegan thursday ·

Weighing the Risks…Doing the Work

April 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Binge-Eating

Binge-Eating--might just be the crackers (Photo credit: Alaina Abplanalp Photography)

The FDA is, once again, considering  approval of a new drug for weight loss that will combine two already existing drugs.  Phentermine (half of phen phen) and topiramate (used for epilepsy and migraines) known by it’s brand name as Topomax,  combine to make Qnexa.  This very drug, developed by Vivus failed to get approval back in 2010 due to the risk of heart problems and birth defects.  At this point, it appears that the FDA will require more research, particularly into the risk of cardiovascular events, since this drug does increase the heart rate.  Of course it does.  It’s a form of speed.

What concerns me even more than the obvious is that in already existing trials, there are no questions the drug helps people lose weight, but the second year patients began to regain up to 20% of the weight lost the first year.  This is my big concern with ALL weight loss programs that are not based on healthy eating and regular exercise.  THERE IS NO MAGIC BULLET.  Personally, I have seen way too many people lose 10, 20, 100 and more pounds only to find themselves overweight once again.  Diet pills, fad diets, surgery, and other weight loss methods can and do work for weight loss.  Weight loss, however, is NOT a permanent thing and needs daily maintenance!  Your weight loss journey absolutely needs to be something you can live with for decades to come.  To damage your body, including your brain, to get there is crazy.  The newest craze is the “Bride Diet,” which sounds romantic, but translates to being tube fed.  Really?  People that are limited to feedings on a tube would probably do ANYTHING in the world to experience eating.

The madness has to stop.  Until we change our brains, we will never get out of this weight loss rat race.  With heavy hitters like Big Pharma playing the game, we will never win.  Research shows many of that over eat have a food trigger.  As Carol and I discussed recently, the trigger can be anything.  It can set us off in spiral of binge eating, and it might be something as simple as a food item like a pretzel or a jellybean.  On the other hand, it might be a person, place or thing.    Find out what your triggers are and stay away!  Do the work on your psyche that needs to be done.  Figure out why it is you sabotage all your hard work because something inside you doesn’t say you are worth being healthy and happy.  When faced with challenges ask yourself questions that set you up for success.  As I have often said, asking “Do I want the cookie or not?”  is a question that will set you up for failure.  OF COURSE WE ALL WANT THE COOKIE!  Instead ask “Do I really want this cookie knowing it might set me into a binge or would I rather feel great in my bathing suit next month?”   That answer is simple.  Stay focused on your long term goals and set yourself up with lots of short term rewards.  While getting started with your lifestyle changes and weight loss program, consider a cheat meal instead of an entire cheat day.  Sometimes one cheat day can set us back almost an entire week.  (Go back and read about the triggers!)  Binge eaters average eating for almost 2 hours and consume about 3,500 calories!

Grab that steering wheel of YOUR life and get busy driving.  There are no magic bullets and the ones that pretend to be, come with awfully risky side effects.  Do the work.  Don’t risk your health; instead gain control of it and all good things will follow.

 

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Filed Under: health and happiness, weight loss ·

50 Shades of….Green

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Three Shades of Green Looking along the field ...

Shades of Green Looking along the field margin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

People often ask me my opinion about drinking “green” drinks, and honestly I don’t know enough about the many brands of premixed greens that are out there, but yesterday, being Earth Day (and coming off a night of eating and drinking too much) I decided to make my own.  Out came the blender and in went lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber, parsley and of course some fruit to sweeten it up.  I added half of a pear and half of an apple along with some frozen blueberries.  Just a couple of ounces of water, the juice of half a lemon, and a couple of ice cubes, hit blend and I had a no longer actually green (those blueberries really killed the color) green drink.  Next time NO blueberries—maybe strawberries would have worked better, or half of an already frozen banana. I had a about 6 ounces and put the rest, still in the blender, in the fridge for the next few mornings.  While I wont say its the yummiest drink ever, it wasn’t at all bad and it is really, really great for everything.  Filled with antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals it is a great way to help clean the liver, nourish cells and get in a great dose of veggies!  Did you know that half the calories in spinach are from protein?  What a bonus for someone on a plant-based diet.

To further celebrate Mother Nature and our home, Earth, Mitch and I spent time cleaning up outside.  It seems like I pulled thousands (literally) of weeds, cleaned up the veggie and herb gardens and removed a lot of branches from a highly overgrown palm tree.  Before coming inside, it was time to pull up a bunch of carrots from the garden and highlight them in a simple, non-fattening veggie soup.  Along with the carrots, I cut up celery, garlic, onions and zucchini.  Along with one can of veggie broth and about 5 cups of water, I threw in some fresh oregano and parsley and cooked until the veggies were soft.  Drinking soup before a meal is known to decrease the amount of calories consumed at the meal, so I am big on soup but it has to be low in calories or else the math doesn’t really work.  Mitch brought some brussel sprouts home from the market and I roasted them, halved, with some cut up sweet potato.  That is one of my favorite looking and tasting vegetable dishes.  After dinner, I made a small shake with frozen banana, plain soy milk and a little peanut butter.  It really hits the spot when looking for something sweet and filling.

I was really pleased to learn that Derek, who has been raising a baby squirrel since it fell out of a tree at just a few days (if that much) old, was able to set the little guy free in the park yesterday.   It’s never easy to set something (or someone) free to live life as they should when we get emotionally attached, but you did a great job, Derek, and made Earth Day a special day for you and your little friend.

A special thanks, Carole, for the Stone Soup Story which I will be sharing on here soon!  Just one more reminder of what we can do when we connect with others.  Stay connected everyone…in peace…in fitness and in life!

 

Filed Under: Food, health and happiness, Holidays and celebrations ·

From Ah-Choo to Om

April 20, 2012 by 2 Comments
downward dog posture I took this picture for u...

downward dog posture I took this picture for use in the Anahata Yoga instruction manual. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We are currently in the midst of one of the worst allergy seasons, ever, due to the extremely mild winter in most of the United States.  Did you know that stress can intensify your response to allergens by compromising the immune system?  Since yoga is the perfect antidote to stress, try a few minutes of morning yoga to set a relaxed tone for the day.  As little as 3 minutes of gentle postures can make a big difference, not just to your allergies but to your entire day!  Pick a pose, like downward facing dog and simply hang out, breathe and let go.  Research also suggests that 800 mg of vitamin E each day can help ease allergy symptoms.  Additionally, quercetin, an antioxidant found in apples and onions may block the release of histamines.  Eating a variety of fruits and veggies can’t hurt, either as they are chock full of oxidants to defend against the histamines.  Finally, make sure to drink a lot of good old H2O to not only keep mucus thin, but also to hydrate the nasal passages and bronchial tubes.

Seems like what is good to help our allergies is the same stuff that’s good for our entire well being.  Healthy eating and daily exercise.  Get on it and make it a fabulous Friday.

Filed Under: health and happiness ·
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