Read the food labels

 

 

This past weekend was Superbowl and our family was ready to enjoy some of our favorite snack foods.  Trying to keep it somewhat healthy our daughter purchased a spinach veggie-dip with pumpernickel bread.  It looked so appetizing.

However,  upon reading the ingredients on the container I was dismayed at what I discovered.  To my utter amazement I discovered CHICKEN FAT as one of the ingredients.  Wow!  I certainly was not expecting that in a veggie-dip.  Needless to say, we ate the pumpernickel bread minus the spinach dip!

It is a reminder to be an informed consumer. Too often, we get caught up in the pretty packaging.  If it looks healthy, then it must be alright to eat!  Unfortunately, that is not the case.

This one surprised me! Remember read the labels and don’t be fooled by marketing tactics and pretty designs.

 

 

Beating the odds!

The Superbowl is over and what a game it was!  My husband, being a Patriot’s fan, was beginning to lose heart. The Falcons were crushing the Patriots, making it nearly impossible for them to recover, or even win.  Nevertheless, a most extraordinary game unfolded!  For the first time in Superbowl history it went into Overtime.  With baited breath my husband and I watched as the Patriots dug deep, and with focus and determination overcame the impossible.  We were astounded!

The Patriots had one goal in mind,  they wanted the victory.  Nothing was going to get them down. They were gonna fight hard, and fight to win. Inch by inch, line by line they got closer to their goal, and created a big upset for the opposing team.  It was incredible to watch.

In a similar way, those of us who are trying to lose weight, eat healthy and get fit, have setbacks that can throw us in a downward spiral.  Feeling defeated, they can stop us in our tracks and self-doubt can hold us back.  The task before us seems impossible to overcome and for many of us we give up.

Watching the Superbowl was encouraging, and there are valuable takeaways that can help us on our journey.

1. When the mountain seems impossible, don’t give up, victory is just around the corner.
2. Stay focused, keep your eye on the goal and run for it.
3. Be determined! Fight hard, fight to win.
4. Overcome ~ don’t let despair, self-doubt, or defeat get you down.  Remind yourself you can overcome.
5. Take little steps ~ set small goals, win small victories, and the bigger goal will be within your grasp.

Today, as you bask in the epic game, bask in the victory that is within your reach!  Stay healthy, keep fit, and keep glowing!

Food fit for a Queen ~ Royal Jelly

I have heard that there are many benefits to Royal Jelly, so I decided to do some research on it.  Royal Jelly is a “superfood” that is produced by the glands of worker bees and is reserved for the Queen Bee and newly hatched larvae.  It nourishes the larvae so that they can grow rapidly and stimulates the queen bee to lay thousands of eggs daily.

Health benefits:

• Lowers cholesterol
• Anti-aging – it stimulates collagen production
• Antibiotic & Anti-inflammatory. It works topically on inflamed area when rubbed in and also works when taken internally.
• Helps to relieve PMS symptoms
• Relieves Insomnia

I bought 30 vials of Royal Jelly yesterday, and had my first dose.  I’m not sure if it was a coincidence but I slept so well last night.   Keeping up a youthful appearance and sleeping well seems like a good enough reason for me to add this to my list of “superfoods” that encourage a healthier glow……

Here’s a link to more information on Royal Jelly http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/royal-jelly.html

Cold Season is upon us!

It’s that time of year when the temperatures dip and the dry air rises.  We are susceptible to viral and bacterial infections.   Nobody, especially as we near the Christmas holidays, wants to be sick and run down.

Eating healthy is always the best option, but with all the Christmas parties and other holiday functions that demand our time and attention it’s not always easy to stay on schedule with proper food intake.  I do have a supply of fresh garlic on hand and chop it into small pieces.   I swallow it (without chewing it) with some water. I keep fresh ginger in my fridge and make it as a tea, as well as grate some in my food.  It is known for it’s antivral and antifungal, and antiparasidic properties.   Oil of Oregano is another option I have when I get a sore throat or feel really congested.  Bee pollen and bee propolis are also part of the arsenal I use to combat colds this season.

I discovered a honey ginger drink (golden kiri ginger drink) in an Asian supermarket and decided to give it a try. I have been quite pleased with it.   It really clears the sinuses.  There are individual packets which makes it convenient  to take them with you whether on the road or at work.

Drinking lots of water helps to flush the system quickly and will help in keeping the mucous thin when there is a buildup in the bronchial tubes and lungs.

Looking forward to a healthy Winter Season…

Olive oil ~ Cold pressed or extra light?

There are a variety of different oils out on the market today and it’s hard to keep all of them straight. To make life easier I just try to stick with Olive Oil because I know that it’s quite healthy.

However, while I was out shopping I came across an Olive oil labelled extra light. I decided to pick up a bottle and give it a try. My normal go to oil is 100% cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

I wasn’t expecting much difference in flavor or texture, but to my surprise when I opened it up it was much lighter in color and when I tasted the salad it was refreshingly light tasting. The strong flavor that I normally taste was not evident and allowed the flavors of the lettuce and veggies to shine through.

Not knowing why there was such a difference I decided to do some research. This is what I found. Cold pressed means that there was no heat or chemical additives used in the process of squeezing the oil out of the olives. Extra virgin means it’s the juice from the first pressing of the olives. The extra light olive oil means that they mix different grades of olive oil together.

Based on the research I will still stick with the cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, but will continue to use the new olive oil I discovered for salads.

If you put oil and vinegar on your salad what oil do you use? Have you discovered a light tasting oil you enjoy better in a salad? I’d love to have your feedback on your oil of choice.

Dusting off my bike!

The weather has started to warm up and the snow is all gone from the roads.  The trails are a little wet still, but all signs are pointing to summer.  That means, it’s time to dust of my bike and get it ready for some serious trail riding.

Friends have asked me why I love biking so much.  It’s hard to reply with one answer.  There are so many reasons that biking has become a joy for me.  It reminds me of my childhood.  I’d spend hours riding around the block, with the wind blowing through my hair and the warmth of the sun beaming on me.  It is freedom, adventure, exploring new territory, going to places you can’t go to on the main road.   It’s a time to enjoy nature with the family and pack picnic lunches and eat in the middle of a meadow or near a river bank.   It’s creating memories, meeting like-minded bikers who share stories of their biking adventures.  It’s exercise that’s fun and doesn’t require much motivation to do it.  There are so many other reasons why I like it but that’s enough for now….

Biking is a great way to keep fit.  It tones your leg muscles and builds up your stamina.  It’s heart-healthy and  you burn up to about 300 calories per hour (or more depending on weight, speed, difficulty of trail etc.)!

Please note, I am not a thin person yet, but have managed to get comfortable on a bike.  With proper biking gear (proper cycling shorts & gloves, gel seat, good fitting helmet and sunglasses with foam around the frames to keep bugs/dirt from getting into my eyes) it is possible to enjoy cycling for long periods of time.

Now to get working on the garage…my bike is calling me 😀

It’s Time to Spring Clean!

Spring is here and it’s time for me to do some “Spring” cleaning.  I’m not talking about cleaning around the house, but rather an internal cleaning.  Winter has been long and difficult.  For the most part  I have been focused on eating healthy, but it never hurts to do an internal cleanse.

Years ago, I discovered ‘Mono-dieting” which is basically a short fast over a weekend where you remove solid food from your diet and juice fruits and veggies.  It’s a small cleanse and can be done any time throughout the year.  However, what I’m talking about here is doing one over a course of 10 days.

The joy of this kind of detox is you are still able take in nutrients, not feel too sluggish, rest the digestive system and allow the body to rid itself of toxins.

When I do this kind of detox there is a lot of leftover pulp.  If you have a composter this is great to add to it.  But if you’re  like me and look for creative ways to use the pulp here’s a great list below:

1. Blend pulp into a smoothie to add fiber.

2. Add to a soup to thicken and boost fiber and nutrient density.

3. Use fruit pulp to make frozen “pulpsicles” or fruit pulp ice.

4. Make a veggie broth by boiling pulp with water, herbs, and spices, then straining.

5. Make a “fruit tea” by boiling fruit pulp with water, adding spices such as cinnamon or ginger, cooling, and then straining.

6. Use veggie pulp to add nutrient density to mac n’ cheese or pasta sauce, or layer into a lasagne.

7. Make fabulous fruit leathers.

9. Use in homemade veggie burgers or fritters. Pulp adds moisture, flavor, and nutrition.

10. Mix pulp into baked goods like muffins, cakes, bread,  dehydrated or baked cookies, and granola bars. Celery, onion, carrot, sweet potato, spinach, apple, and berry all work beautifully.

11. Use fruit or veggie pulp to add flavor, texture, and moisture to pancakes.

12. Make dehydrated pulp crackers.

13. Use pulp for raw pizza crust.

14. Make pulp marmalade.

15. Make a pulp crumble by mixing pulp with fruit and juice, reducing, and then topping with oats, spices, nuts, or seeds.

16. Dehydrate and make trail mix with raw nuts, seeds, and dried fruits.

17. Dehydrate and use like bread crumbs.

18. Use in DIY skincare recipes like scrubs, masks, and soap.

19. Mix pulp into your dog’s food or make dog treats.

 

*List found at http://www.vegetariantimes.com

Knocked down, but not defeated

I have been off my exercise routine and eating has been difficult.  

It started last weekend when I had a bout of the Stomach flu.  Recovering from that meant Ginger Ale and soda crackers.  Then I was able to add a little bit of chicken noodle soup.  I slowly incorporated more solid food.  However, it became comfort food, which meant all the wrong foods.

After a week of being down for the count and trying to maintain my busy schedule I realized that the week was a bit of a write off. 

Recognizing that this was not a great week I have come up with a few conclusions:

1)      It’s ok to have an off week when you’re sick.

2)      Falling out of routine with food intake and exercise is normal while in recovery mode.

3)      Take time to recuperate and build health and strength. Don’t beat yourself up.

4)      Slowly transition back into eating healthy meals and returning to exercise routine.

5)      Look over your journal to see how far you have come to prevent discouragement.  Don’t derail!

6)      Refocus on your commitment to eating healthy and losing weight.

7)      Jump back into routine asap. 

 

This week is a new week.   Time to pull myself together and return to where I left off.

Staying the course!  Staying motivated! 

 

Go Ahead and Jump!

I know that exercising is important in order to be fit and for heart health, but I didn’t realize how beneficial it was to my Lymphatic system.  In fact, I didn’t really know much about the Lymphatic system at all until I started reading information on it.

Unlike the circulatory system that has a pump (the heart) to circulate the blood, the lymphatic system needs a little assistance to get it moving.   Exercising is one way we can really help our bodies. 

The lymph fluid collects all the pathogens, dead blood cells, bacteria, toxic waste and it escorts it out of our bodies.  It’s kind of like our garbage collector.   However, if we neglect exercise and just sit around our lymphatic system becomes sluggish and backed up.  Imagine if your neighborhood garbage collector doesn’t pick your garbage up for a few weeks.  The garbage in front of your house builds up, begins to rot and starts to cause problems by attracting flies, maggots, rats, raccoons etc.  You’ve got one mess on your hands.   This is exactly what takes place in our bodies.  Our Lymph fluid gets thick and sluggish and the toxic waste builds up.  You can imagine the havoc it is going to wreak on our bodies.   This is where exercise enters in.   Our muscles working jump start and help pump the lymph fluid.

The best kind of exercise to get the lymphatic system flowing and draining is on a mini trampoline or jump rope.  Jumping up and down helps open the valves and helps drain the fluid.  Aerobic exercise and yoga are also good, but if you can jump…go ahead and jump.  Your body will benefit from it, and your Lymphatic system will love you for it.

Here’s a great article for further ways to cleanse the Lymph System

http://www.wikihow.com/Cleanse-the-Lymph-System

Planning Ahead Saved My BACON!

This weekend started off with Valentine’s Day and wrapped up with Family day. I knew I would be attending a Valentine’s party and restaurants.   It was a Long weekend filled with all sorts of food temptations.   Tasty treats, desserts and chocolates were within reach the whole weekend.  It could have turned into an eating frenzy, had I not planned ahead. 

The first thing I did was mentally prepare myself.  I did this by focusing on weight loss quotes that would inspire me to stay the course.   The one that became my mantra was “It’s not about how good you are, but how BAD you want it” (author unknown).  Walking into temptation armed with this quote allowed me to overlook the calorie-laden food.

The second thing I did was looked at the Restaurant’s menu online.  I do this often to see if there is nutritional information available.  Looking at the nutritional information allows me to make wise food choices.

I wanted to have a large spinach salad as my entrée along with some soup.  When I looked at the nutritional information, my jaw dropped.  The spinach salad was 442 calories with a whopping 24 grams of fat.  In comparison, the 8oz sirloin was only 288 calories with 12 grams of fat.  The amount of fat added to the spinach made it an unhealthy choice for me.  I could opt for the dressing on the side, and reduce the fat grams or I could choose to eat the meat.  If I hadn’t planned ahead I would have eaten the salad the way they prepared it and thought I was making a wise choice.

Finally, I was intentional about getting some form of exercise in this weekend.  When I went downstairs to do some laundry, I hopped on the exercise bike and pedaled.

Planning ahead saved my bacon.  I was able to indulge a little and hold back when I needed to.  It was a small step that armed me for a weekend of food and entertainment.  I’m sure each of you have some different strategies that you use to stay on track in the face of food temptation.  Please feel free to comment and share your methods…