Have your ever noticed in the commercials and advertisements for protein powders that there is usually an overly-oiled, super muscular man, with a heavy weighted dumbbell and a plastic jar with a shiny script on it? It supposed to sell you more power, more strength, agility and muscles.
There were years when I considered myself a gym rat hanging out there 4 times a week. I did that especially after our house fire in 2004 probably because it was a release and helped me burn off anxiety. At that time too, I learnt a lot about the kitch of the day like protein powders and supplements. They were supposed to be especially useful for weight lifting because your body absorbs it faster. But things go in and out of fashion. Today, out of the blue, I not only read an article on whether or not protein powder is good for you but my Gyrotonics instructor was using a new vegetable-based one herself. It is probably hempseed, pea, chia seed and brown rice. I personally used to use Designer's Whey Protein which was whey-based and had 27 grams of protein for getting better muscle recovery and it was good for breaking the fast from the night before. There are also soy-based powders as well now.
I don't use it personally today, nor do I pop the vitamins and supplements like I used to. I figured if you ate properly you could get the right nutrition. I also figured I wasn't ever short of protein in my diet and didn't have a problem scarfing down huge amounts of it. My problem was that I would get enough ... and then some. Eventually, my concerns were that if you already had enough of whatever from the food you ate, you could over medicate with added vitamins, minerals and protein that you didn't need.
Because protein powders are not considered food but supplements, they are not regulated or reviewed before they hit the market. Actually, when you think about it protein powders are generally highly processed products that are fortified with vitamins, minerals, and fibre, many listing artificial flavours, colours, and preservatives prominently in the ingredient lists. So you are really ingesting more than just pure protein when you are choosing a powder.
Finally, studies have shown that the average American exceeds their daily recommended amount of protein as I had thought for many years now.
I am not going to into it now but there are a lot of crappy foods that are highly processed and aren't worth the box that holds them but try and appear healthy by telling you they are fortified with the added vitamins, minerals, fibres and the like. They may still have artificial flavours, colours and preservatives and be over-processed.
You figure out the rest. In these days of eating cleanly with less processed foods, are you really going to have protein powders? I think of it now for the old or infirm that either won't eat or can't. Hey, I have some really good supplements you might want to try like Greek yogurt, nonfat milk, cocoa and eggs. I think it is better to find nutrients in whole foods. Pass the steak, please! At least I know what is in it.
Thursday 23 February 2012
Tuesday 21 February 2012
DIET WRECKERS
Some of these are sooooo sad but true. These are the 8 worst foods... originally it was to be kept in the fridge or freezer and I expanded it to the house and now am expanding it to everywhere because some of these things can't be blamed at what you bring into the house.
1. Worst Staple: White Bread.... (but I wonder if it counts when you go to Morton's and they bring you a hot loaf of bread that 2 people can devour in a heartbeat?) I guess we all knew that but it isn't a bad reminder.
2. Worst Sandwich Filler: Processed meats. Well we sort of knew this one too so it is best to slice real chicken or beef and not the processed kind. It is actually best to cook it yourself (another sad but true). That way you can control the amount of salt you put on it if any at all.
3. Worst Drink: Pop or Soda. We know that too but at least Diet drinks don't have calories even if it isn't healthy. I guess I should remind myself that water is the best drink.
4. Worst "Healthy" Food: Prevention magazine says "Frozen veggies with sauce" but who buys those anyway. It occasionally spruce up veggies by flash frying in garlic and oil or making a dish out of it. Truthfully, steamed or baked or boiled is best. As soon as you add something you are adding unnecessary fats and calories. I find a big downfall are the sides at restaurants. It is probably best to go raw or ask for steamed. It is a wise reminder even for me.
5. Worst Spread and Cooking Fat: Butter. That makes me sad but I know that it is true. That sure puts a crimp in Weight Watchers who says you can eat what you want as long as you count the points.
6. Worst Dessert: Ice Cream. I love that stuff but I guess if I am in dire straits I better look for sherbet or gelato, a lighter fare.
7. Worst Quick-Fix Side Dish: French Fries (nuff said)
8. Worst Condiment: Mayonnaise. I don't have that very much anymore but I think that should go for any creamy dressing too.
Now! If I can follow these 8 simple rules of what not to eat plus portion control, the weight should just fall off me. :-)
1. Worst Staple: White Bread.... (but I wonder if it counts when you go to Morton's and they bring you a hot loaf of bread that 2 people can devour in a heartbeat?) I guess we all knew that but it isn't a bad reminder.
2. Worst Sandwich Filler: Processed meats. Well we sort of knew this one too so it is best to slice real chicken or beef and not the processed kind. It is actually best to cook it yourself (another sad but true). That way you can control the amount of salt you put on it if any at all.
3. Worst Drink: Pop or Soda. We know that too but at least Diet drinks don't have calories even if it isn't healthy. I guess I should remind myself that water is the best drink.
4. Worst "Healthy" Food: Prevention magazine says "Frozen veggies with sauce" but who buys those anyway. It occasionally spruce up veggies by flash frying in garlic and oil or making a dish out of it. Truthfully, steamed or baked or boiled is best. As soon as you add something you are adding unnecessary fats and calories. I find a big downfall are the sides at restaurants. It is probably best to go raw or ask for steamed. It is a wise reminder even for me.
5. Worst Spread and Cooking Fat: Butter. That makes me sad but I know that it is true. That sure puts a crimp in Weight Watchers who says you can eat what you want as long as you count the points.
6. Worst Dessert: Ice Cream. I love that stuff but I guess if I am in dire straits I better look for sherbet or gelato, a lighter fare.
7. Worst Quick-Fix Side Dish: French Fries (nuff said)
8. Worst Condiment: Mayonnaise. I don't have that very much anymore but I think that should go for any creamy dressing too.
Now! If I can follow these 8 simple rules of what not to eat plus portion control, the weight should just fall off me. :-)
GOING BACK TO SIMPLICITY
Weight Watchers is a big business that has a lot of gimmicks. It worked for the first few months because obviously I was overeating. They use a point system that makes them different but they don't have that down pat either. The last three months I have been stagnating going up a pound and down a pound. Initially I cut back on food and it worked. All the while people can say can you really eat all the fruit you want. They finagled the points so it didn't count but it just isn't working anymore for me.
Yesterday on the way back from Florida, I watched what I ate. At the end of the day I counted the calories in my head. Last night at dinner I was just slightly hungry and wanted to work off the weight gain I acquired while feasting in Florida. I had my tried and true peanut butter and jam on two rice cakes and a cup of coffee. I had one square of my favourite dark chocolate. I wasn't up for more and decided not to eat anything after that except a handful of sha-sha cookies. Now had I been counting points that peanut butter would have eaten up my allotment of points. That would have been 6 points alone. The jam would have been nothing. The rice cakes would have been considered almost the same as bread at 1 point a piece. The iced latte would have been 2. They give 3 points to a square of dark chocolate that really is only about 50 calories. They make no differential whether it is 70% dark chocolate or a mass of sugary cheap chocolate. It would have added up to a whole meal of food and blown the budget of points. According to the point system, it added up to 13 points which is way too much for a single meal. Now if I added up calories for all that, I would have been under 280 calories which is well within reason. The current thinking is not to exceed 400 caloies on a meal and that makes sense to me.
I got on the scale this morning and I was down 2 1/2 pounds since yesterday. So I will continue to attend Weight Watchers to weigh in... for now... and I will still keep on tracking but on calories. It was disconcerting to know that I exceeded my budget of points especially when it was lowered to 26. Sometimes I hadn't eaten that much and exceeded my points allowance. The word of advice from Weight Watchers is not to stop tracking and I won't... just not with points.
Weight Watchers has it's good points. It makes you accountable because you have to weigh in and it makes you think about getting enough fruit, veggies and liquids but with the manipulations of converting the list of nutrients into points, it misses the mark in many cases. I still think size matters and the old standby of measuring the amount of meat by the palm of your hand and other things like using your thumb to measure amounts as a visual still remains valid. I am not sure you can eat all the bananas you want and giving 1 point to a teaspoon of sugar that is only 16 calories the same as you would for an ounce of chicken and 1 more than a banana. I am losing the sense of this.
By now I should know good health guidelines. Weight Watchers was a great learning experience but it is time to shift gears. Some of the Weight Watchers rules apply. Protein is the building block of muscle and in order to rev your engine and get your metabolism working better. Filling up on plants helps bump up the burn too. The fibre in produce helps stabilize blood sugar levels. These are a given. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that bread and flour products should be kept to a minimum. Whole grains are better. These are all the easy things and sometimes keeping it simple is the best way.
Yesterday on the way back from Florida, I watched what I ate. At the end of the day I counted the calories in my head. Last night at dinner I was just slightly hungry and wanted to work off the weight gain I acquired while feasting in Florida. I had my tried and true peanut butter and jam on two rice cakes and a cup of coffee. I had one square of my favourite dark chocolate. I wasn't up for more and decided not to eat anything after that except a handful of sha-sha cookies. Now had I been counting points that peanut butter would have eaten up my allotment of points. That would have been 6 points alone. The jam would have been nothing. The rice cakes would have been considered almost the same as bread at 1 point a piece. The iced latte would have been 2. They give 3 points to a square of dark chocolate that really is only about 50 calories. They make no differential whether it is 70% dark chocolate or a mass of sugary cheap chocolate. It would have added up to a whole meal of food and blown the budget of points. According to the point system, it added up to 13 points which is way too much for a single meal. Now if I added up calories for all that, I would have been under 280 calories which is well within reason. The current thinking is not to exceed 400 caloies on a meal and that makes sense to me.
I got on the scale this morning and I was down 2 1/2 pounds since yesterday. So I will continue to attend Weight Watchers to weigh in... for now... and I will still keep on tracking but on calories. It was disconcerting to know that I exceeded my budget of points especially when it was lowered to 26. Sometimes I hadn't eaten that much and exceeded my points allowance. The word of advice from Weight Watchers is not to stop tracking and I won't... just not with points.
Weight Watchers has it's good points. It makes you accountable because you have to weigh in and it makes you think about getting enough fruit, veggies and liquids but with the manipulations of converting the list of nutrients into points, it misses the mark in many cases. I still think size matters and the old standby of measuring the amount of meat by the palm of your hand and other things like using your thumb to measure amounts as a visual still remains valid. I am not sure you can eat all the bananas you want and giving 1 point to a teaspoon of sugar that is only 16 calories the same as you would for an ounce of chicken and 1 more than a banana. I am losing the sense of this.
By now I should know good health guidelines. Weight Watchers was a great learning experience but it is time to shift gears. Some of the Weight Watchers rules apply. Protein is the building block of muscle and in order to rev your engine and get your metabolism working better. Filling up on plants helps bump up the burn too. The fibre in produce helps stabilize blood sugar levels. These are a given. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that bread and flour products should be kept to a minimum. Whole grains are better. These are all the easy things and sometimes keeping it simple is the best way.
Wednesday 15 February 2012
A PURPLE FOG
There is so much stuff out there on the information highway, we don't know what to believe. We have become an anally retentive, perfectionist society all the while I wonder if the added stress will negate the positives achieved by being so careful, so focused, so tight-assed when it goes for what we eat, how we exercise, what we touch and all the things we are told not to do today.
The last few blogs were focused on debunking myths on sugar, chocolate and coffee. But there are a ton of other ones as well. What about the new and improved Weight Watchers program where the focus is on the "Superfoods". That is supposed to help you keep down to the lowly 26 points they instituted after figuring out that last years 29 points just didn't work for a lot of people. Well guess what? No food has superpowers to keep you healthy. We need a variety of foods and they aren't all the super ones. Let's talk about goji berries, newly christened as a superfood. They may not be any more nutritious than your everyday apple, which is less expensive and easier to find at the grocery store. It is just the bunk of the day.
What about bacteria? We have become phobic on it. There is a fine line between just being prudent and just plain paranoid. We are told bacteria lurks on every surface, disease around every corner. At least that's how it seems in today's hypervigilant world of pandemics and virus alerts. Although some of it is true, when we have to worry about it the minute we roll out of bed you have to wonder... what are the chances? It is no wonder that mental health is on the increase and 1 out of 3 suffer from some sort of mental illness especially depression and panic attacks.
Well, I am not going to talk about your chances of catching something from a toilet seat or sexually transmitted diseases. My focus is on food. So let's talk about what are the chances of getting sick from a bowl of dip at a party? Apparently, high enough to make you drop that chip. Double-dippers beware. You may not just be sharing some hilarious story at a party. I don't want to give you the facts and figures on how much bacteria you get from the communal bowl. ... and I wonder if my daughter-in-law, Melinn got sick from dipping the veggies at the last party. I usually include a spoon and a plate when I set out veggies and dip so people can serve themselves on a plate and hopefully they will have enough sense not to stick their half-eaten carrot in it. I do the same with unwrapped candies in bowls and berries too.
The next thing I want to talk about is milk. Wow! Has that ever been given a bad wrap from people being told that animals don't drink milk once they are weaned and neither should we.... to milk is fattening. I did write a blog about the benefits of chocolate milk in schools after Ontario was considering a ban on it, following Alberta's suit. I have been a milk drinker all my life. I love my lattes which not only include coffee but the largest ingredient is milk. The fact is that milk products may help prevent weight gain and even help you lose weight. Calcium aids weight management and the protein composition of milk helps reduce hunger. The rest is easy to figure out.
All my life I was told that if you have milk during a cold it increases mucus. That wasn't only my mother or husband speaking, that is what doctors told us. Now they say that there is no scientific evidence that milk increases mucus. It is thought to be a perception that stems from milk's texture and how it coats the throat. The new theory is not to deprive yourself of milk when you have a cold. For sure milk is a source of 16 essential nutrients including protein that helps build antibodies that fight infections but I am not sure what to do on that one. It is anybody's call. I will just have to wait and see what I do the next time I have a cold. I don't know if it is truth or fiction.
Last but not least, let's talk about organic foods. I know from my friend Shane Baghai who owns Paradise Farms says that organic meats may not be all that they are cracked up to be. He raises naturally raised cattle and not organic. You can have organic meats that are not free-range and can be fed a variety of foods not usual to the species. Cattle should be grass-fed and not grain-fed and especially not corn-fed. As well, Shane's cows receive vaccinations at birth to prevent disease whereas organic cattle are not allowed to have such protection.
Now for all you organic food phobes, as I have mentioned before it doesn't make a hill of beans of difference in Canada whether the food is organic or not. It may mean something if you are buying your grapes imported from Chile or your berries from Mexico but it doesn't matter much here. In Canada, food is produced following strict standards, whether it is organic or not, and milk is no exception. Whichever milk you choose to buy, you can trust it is wholesome, safe and nutritious. It is also good to know that, organic or not, the use of hormones to increase milk production is not allowed in Canada. I guess you can check that out somewhere if you don't believe me. March is nutrition month. There are probably a few websites you can check this out on such as www.dairygoodness.ca or www.nutrition2012.ca although I haven't checked out these sites myself.
Now are you as confused as your were before? Are you in a purple fog about nutrition, organics, germs and the like? Well, in the long-run a little indiscretion won't matter a tinker's hoot. I am more worried about you worrying to a state of panic whether or not you are doing things right. I was raised with the concept that you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die anyway. So be vigilant, read all there is to read out there, but let's take it all in stride. After all, stress is the biggest killer.
The last few blogs were focused on debunking myths on sugar, chocolate and coffee. But there are a ton of other ones as well. What about the new and improved Weight Watchers program where the focus is on the "Superfoods". That is supposed to help you keep down to the lowly 26 points they instituted after figuring out that last years 29 points just didn't work for a lot of people. Well guess what? No food has superpowers to keep you healthy. We need a variety of foods and they aren't all the super ones. Let's talk about goji berries, newly christened as a superfood. They may not be any more nutritious than your everyday apple, which is less expensive and easier to find at the grocery store. It is just the bunk of the day.
What about bacteria? We have become phobic on it. There is a fine line between just being prudent and just plain paranoid. We are told bacteria lurks on every surface, disease around every corner. At least that's how it seems in today's hypervigilant world of pandemics and virus alerts. Although some of it is true, when we have to worry about it the minute we roll out of bed you have to wonder... what are the chances? It is no wonder that mental health is on the increase and 1 out of 3 suffer from some sort of mental illness especially depression and panic attacks.
Well, I am not going to talk about your chances of catching something from a toilet seat or sexually transmitted diseases. My focus is on food. So let's talk about what are the chances of getting sick from a bowl of dip at a party? Apparently, high enough to make you drop that chip. Double-dippers beware. You may not just be sharing some hilarious story at a party. I don't want to give you the facts and figures on how much bacteria you get from the communal bowl. ... and I wonder if my daughter-in-law, Melinn got sick from dipping the veggies at the last party. I usually include a spoon and a plate when I set out veggies and dip so people can serve themselves on a plate and hopefully they will have enough sense not to stick their half-eaten carrot in it. I do the same with unwrapped candies in bowls and berries too.
The next thing I want to talk about is milk. Wow! Has that ever been given a bad wrap from people being told that animals don't drink milk once they are weaned and neither should we.... to milk is fattening. I did write a blog about the benefits of chocolate milk in schools after Ontario was considering a ban on it, following Alberta's suit. I have been a milk drinker all my life. I love my lattes which not only include coffee but the largest ingredient is milk. The fact is that milk products may help prevent weight gain and even help you lose weight. Calcium aids weight management and the protein composition of milk helps reduce hunger. The rest is easy to figure out.
All my life I was told that if you have milk during a cold it increases mucus. That wasn't only my mother or husband speaking, that is what doctors told us. Now they say that there is no scientific evidence that milk increases mucus. It is thought to be a perception that stems from milk's texture and how it coats the throat. The new theory is not to deprive yourself of milk when you have a cold. For sure milk is a source of 16 essential nutrients including protein that helps build antibodies that fight infections but I am not sure what to do on that one. It is anybody's call. I will just have to wait and see what I do the next time I have a cold. I don't know if it is truth or fiction.
Last but not least, let's talk about organic foods. I know from my friend Shane Baghai who owns Paradise Farms says that organic meats may not be all that they are cracked up to be. He raises naturally raised cattle and not organic. You can have organic meats that are not free-range and can be fed a variety of foods not usual to the species. Cattle should be grass-fed and not grain-fed and especially not corn-fed. As well, Shane's cows receive vaccinations at birth to prevent disease whereas organic cattle are not allowed to have such protection.
Now for all you organic food phobes, as I have mentioned before it doesn't make a hill of beans of difference in Canada whether the food is organic or not. It may mean something if you are buying your grapes imported from Chile or your berries from Mexico but it doesn't matter much here. In Canada, food is produced following strict standards, whether it is organic or not, and milk is no exception. Whichever milk you choose to buy, you can trust it is wholesome, safe and nutritious. It is also good to know that, organic or not, the use of hormones to increase milk production is not allowed in Canada. I guess you can check that out somewhere if you don't believe me. March is nutrition month. There are probably a few websites you can check this out on such as www.dairygoodness.ca or www.nutrition2012.ca although I haven't checked out these sites myself.
Now are you as confused as your were before? Are you in a purple fog about nutrition, organics, germs and the like? Well, in the long-run a little indiscretion won't matter a tinker's hoot. I am more worried about you worrying to a state of panic whether or not you are doing things right. I was raised with the concept that you have to eat a pound of dirt before you die anyway. So be vigilant, read all there is to read out there, but let's take it all in stride. After all, stress is the biggest killer.
Tuesday 14 February 2012
RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS
This is Valentine's Day and a time we think of love and what makes us happiest. I have been doing reflection today and have come up with the 10 things that make me the happiest.
1. First and foremost is love. I am most fortunate to have a loving husband, children and grandchildren as well as a lot of people that really care about me and I in turn care about them.
2. Good health. Life is tough if you don't have it.
3. Coffee. Yes, coffee and this is buzzworthy. Women who sipped 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day were 15% less likely to exhibit signs of depression than those who had little and that is from a study at Harvard University. Caffeine helps regulate mood-balancing brain chemicals and it certainly is most enjoyable and makes me perky. .... and shhhhhhh! this is preliminary ... but there are rumours afoot that caffeine could one day be used topically to destroy cancer-causing cells... but hold off on the coffee bath just yet. But I do love my coffee.
4. Chocolate! I have talked about this before on the benefits of small amounts of dark chocolate daily. It not only has flavanoids but other health benefits as well as mood benefits. No wonder it is a mainstay on Valentine's Day. It gives you the feeling of love.
5. Perfume! Not so surprising because smelling nice is part of feeling good. I never leave home without it and I like a man to smell good too. Doesn't everybody?
6. Red and Pink. I sit here at my computer wearing a red cashmere sweater, red crystal beads and a ruby ring. Warm colours like red and pink are happy colours.
7. Fresh flowers. We are seduced by our senses. Things that are pretty and smell good make us feel good too.
8. Volunteering.... and not necessarily in this order that I have given. I am paraphrasing a Dr. Oz quote when I say the worth of a person can be measured in how they help people that are less fortunate. People who pitch in for a group they truly care about have a lower mortality rate than those who volunteer purely for personal gain (e.g. it will look good on my resume) Health Psychology notes. Feeling invested may trigger the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin, which could prevent stress-related illness. Interesting, isn't it. So give to yourself and to others too by following your heart.
9. Smiling. There are 5 really good reasons to smile (right now!) First of all, you'll feel sexier. People rate faces regardless of physical characteristics with beaming smiles as more attractive than those with not-so-big grins. Secondly, you will be in a cheery mood. It raises the corners of your mouth and it's a major mood-boosting benefit. Thirdly, you will have healthier relationships. Reams of research proves that smilers have an easier time making friends. Number four is you will look fitter. It is true that people with white and aligned teeth are considered more athletic and than those with bad teeth. And, Number five and most importantly is you will live longer. Those who had the biggest smiles lived, on average, seven years longer than their stoic counterparts did, a study in Psychological Science shows. That is something to smile about. As well, it will help you not take yourself too seriously.
10. and lastly. 5HTP. I swear by it. I started taking it nightly before bed when my chiropractor, Dr. Mark Scappaticci, recommended it when I was taking on everyone else's problems and it really brought me down. What is it, you may ask. It is a natural capsule from the Health Food Store or now in some Pharmacies. It promotes healthy mood balance and keeps away the demons.
Those are my 10 ingredients for my recipe for happiness. Happy Valentine's Day and here is wishing you everything that brings joy to your heart!
1. First and foremost is love. I am most fortunate to have a loving husband, children and grandchildren as well as a lot of people that really care about me and I in turn care about them.
2. Good health. Life is tough if you don't have it.
3. Coffee. Yes, coffee and this is buzzworthy. Women who sipped 2 to 3 cups of coffee a day were 15% less likely to exhibit signs of depression than those who had little and that is from a study at Harvard University. Caffeine helps regulate mood-balancing brain chemicals and it certainly is most enjoyable and makes me perky. .... and shhhhhhh! this is preliminary ... but there are rumours afoot that caffeine could one day be used topically to destroy cancer-causing cells... but hold off on the coffee bath just yet. But I do love my coffee.
4. Chocolate! I have talked about this before on the benefits of small amounts of dark chocolate daily. It not only has flavanoids but other health benefits as well as mood benefits. No wonder it is a mainstay on Valentine's Day. It gives you the feeling of love.
5. Perfume! Not so surprising because smelling nice is part of feeling good. I never leave home without it and I like a man to smell good too. Doesn't everybody?
6. Red and Pink. I sit here at my computer wearing a red cashmere sweater, red crystal beads and a ruby ring. Warm colours like red and pink are happy colours.
7. Fresh flowers. We are seduced by our senses. Things that are pretty and smell good make us feel good too.
8. Volunteering.... and not necessarily in this order that I have given. I am paraphrasing a Dr. Oz quote when I say the worth of a person can be measured in how they help people that are less fortunate. People who pitch in for a group they truly care about have a lower mortality rate than those who volunteer purely for personal gain (e.g. it will look good on my resume) Health Psychology notes. Feeling invested may trigger the release of the bonding hormone oxytocin, which could prevent stress-related illness. Interesting, isn't it. So give to yourself and to others too by following your heart.
9. Smiling. There are 5 really good reasons to smile (right now!) First of all, you'll feel sexier. People rate faces regardless of physical characteristics with beaming smiles as more attractive than those with not-so-big grins. Secondly, you will be in a cheery mood. It raises the corners of your mouth and it's a major mood-boosting benefit. Thirdly, you will have healthier relationships. Reams of research proves that smilers have an easier time making friends. Number four is you will look fitter. It is true that people with white and aligned teeth are considered more athletic and than those with bad teeth. And, Number five and most importantly is you will live longer. Those who had the biggest smiles lived, on average, seven years longer than their stoic counterparts did, a study in Psychological Science shows. That is something to smile about. As well, it will help you not take yourself too seriously.
10. and lastly. 5HTP. I swear by it. I started taking it nightly before bed when my chiropractor, Dr. Mark Scappaticci, recommended it when I was taking on everyone else's problems and it really brought me down. What is it, you may ask. It is a natural capsule from the Health Food Store or now in some Pharmacies. It promotes healthy mood balance and keeps away the demons.
Those are my 10 ingredients for my recipe for happiness. Happy Valentine's Day and here is wishing you everything that brings joy to your heart!
Saturday 11 February 2012
A CHOCOHOLIC'S MOTIVATION!
Well it is rare if not at all, that I write 2 blogs in one day. I guess I am just on a roll. Earlier I sought reasons for not losing the weight I had intended. Now this is the kicker. It is my way of staying motivated. I don't have to rely on anybody else. I don't have to rely on Weight Watchers meetings. I know the program by now. I have been on it since last July. Now that doesn't mean that I won't check in and buy the few things that they have that I am interested in. That also doesn't mean I am going off track. In essence, I think the program in itself is a good one and a healthy one. It is all about staying motivated and if I can't get it from the meetings then I have to get it elsewhere.
The hottest topic of the day is chocolate, of course, because Valentine's Day is Tuesday. I have read so much about chocolate lately that I added it to my regular repertoire of food again as of yesterday. Of course, I am conscious of the type of chocolate and have a large bar of Lindt dark chocolate in the my pantry that has 70% cocoa in it. On the point system it is about 1.3 points a square or just over 50 calories.
I love the 5 health benefits to chocolate. It is just some positive reinforcement to a chocoholic's addiction. Turns out a little addiction may save your life. I know someone whose husband boasts that his wife eats chocolate every day. I know it is just one square and it is the highest and darkest chocolate but it is a good measure of the possibilities it holds for us. She is super slim and so her husband is very proud of her.
5 CHOCOLATE HEALTH BENEFITS.
1. CHOCOLATE MAY HELP YOU WITH MATH. Chocolate contains flavonols that have antioxidant-like properties that are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain. After drinking hot cocoa filled with flavonols, participants in a study were able to do calculations more quickly and accurately and were less likely to feel tired or mentally drained.
2. CHOCOLATE FILLS YOU UP. That is why Mom wouldn't let you have chocolate before dinner. They did a study on that too. Those who consumed dark chocolate ate 15% fewer calories than those who had milk chocolate and they were less interested in fatty, salty and sugary foods. MMMMM! I like that one.
3. CHOCOLATE MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER. Chocolate triggers the release of endorphins similar to the one that people get when they fall in love. No wonder it is the food of Valentine's Day.
4. CHOCOLATE HELPS YOU RELAX. It turns out that chocolate contains a compound that activates the same brain receptors as marijuana. No wonder a bite brings on bliss.
5. CHOCOLATE MAY HELP YOU LIVE LONGER. All kinds of studies on that one. I guess though you have to stick to a one-ounce serving to get your fix without wrecking your waistline.
There is plenty of information out there to keep me and everyone else motivated. There are so many inspiring stories of people who have reached their goal. Being online is being connected to the world. Reading about tips on health and diet available almost everywhere are an inspiration. Everyone has roadblocks along the way. It is a reminder that we are all in the same boat.
I miss not having a partner or a buddy who has a similar goal so I think writing more regularly will help me out that way but I am definitely into reading and learning all there is out there and sharing it too.
The hottest topic of the day is chocolate, of course, because Valentine's Day is Tuesday. I have read so much about chocolate lately that I added it to my regular repertoire of food again as of yesterday. Of course, I am conscious of the type of chocolate and have a large bar of Lindt dark chocolate in the my pantry that has 70% cocoa in it. On the point system it is about 1.3 points a square or just over 50 calories.
I love the 5 health benefits to chocolate. It is just some positive reinforcement to a chocoholic's addiction. Turns out a little addiction may save your life. I know someone whose husband boasts that his wife eats chocolate every day. I know it is just one square and it is the highest and darkest chocolate but it is a good measure of the possibilities it holds for us. She is super slim and so her husband is very proud of her.
5 CHOCOLATE HEALTH BENEFITS.
1. CHOCOLATE MAY HELP YOU WITH MATH. Chocolate contains flavonols that have antioxidant-like properties that are thought to improve circulation, including blood flow to the brain. After drinking hot cocoa filled with flavonols, participants in a study were able to do calculations more quickly and accurately and were less likely to feel tired or mentally drained.
2. CHOCOLATE FILLS YOU UP. That is why Mom wouldn't let you have chocolate before dinner. They did a study on that too. Those who consumed dark chocolate ate 15% fewer calories than those who had milk chocolate and they were less interested in fatty, salty and sugary foods. MMMMM! I like that one.
3. CHOCOLATE MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER. Chocolate triggers the release of endorphins similar to the one that people get when they fall in love. No wonder it is the food of Valentine's Day.
4. CHOCOLATE HELPS YOU RELAX. It turns out that chocolate contains a compound that activates the same brain receptors as marijuana. No wonder a bite brings on bliss.
5. CHOCOLATE MAY HELP YOU LIVE LONGER. All kinds of studies on that one. I guess though you have to stick to a one-ounce serving to get your fix without wrecking your waistline.
There is plenty of information out there to keep me and everyone else motivated. There are so many inspiring stories of people who have reached their goal. Being online is being connected to the world. Reading about tips on health and diet available almost everywhere are an inspiration. Everyone has roadblocks along the way. It is a reminder that we are all in the same boat.
I miss not having a partner or a buddy who has a similar goal so I think writing more regularly will help me out that way but I am definitely into reading and learning all there is out there and sharing it too.
FATURDAY
Today is Faturday or what we used to commonly call Saturday but Dr. Oz coined this word as the day of letting up on the diet and treating yourself. The concept is it kick starts your metabolism. I was thinking about Fat Pat the other day or quite frequently. I miss her at Weight Watchers. When I first met Fat Pat, that is how she introduced herself. She wasn't nearly as fat as me but every week she would weigh in and not lose a pound. Sometimes she would even gain. The net change in 6 months was zero for her. I heard her tell the leader at one session that she ate the same every day and it sounded pretty lean to me. Andrene, the leader, didn't give her much solace when she told her everyone was different without actually offering solid hard-core advice. Well, Dr. Oz's advice is to shake it up a little. There is something in our bodies that recognizes the amount of nutrition going into it. If you eat the same thing everyday, the metabolism sets for that amount. If you are stranded on a mountain with a bottle of water and a few peanuts for days on end, the body protects you from starvation and resets your metabolism to survival mode. The day off re-jigs your metabolism so it isn't necessarily set on accepting 26 or 29 points daily. It is like the woops that is just like starting over. Do you ever notice that when you diet, you always lose the most during the first week?
I suppose Fat Pat wasn't the only one who had this because as I attended Weight Watchers the last few times I was in town and it was filled with strangers and yet I know that the last bunch didn't lose the allotted weight they had set out to do. As for me I am up and down settling around minus 22 lb. on my own scale this week. I guess I need to shake things up myself. I was perturbed when the point system cut everybody back from 29 to 26 points a day. They announced it as a new and flexible program for 2012 but I wasn't buying into it. I did however last week and it worked but it really changes what you can and can't eat. I did lose a couple of pounds with it but they have reappeared because Faturday was also Fat Thursday and Fat Friday.
Fat Thursday was good until the Book Lover's Ball. I went with Anita, from Banquets at the Royal York and sat with her at the best table in the house, ringside to the fashion show. I had a ball but the little glass of wine I had that was only to be one escalated to every time the server came around and refilled the glass. There was a lovely selection of Artisan rolls on the table, a bowl of butter cut into large tile slabs and I was in heaven. The scale didn't exactly agree with my idea of heaven the next morning.
So then there was Fat Friday. I was really keeping track and at the end of the day had around 27 points but there had to be a miscalculation. The scale hasn't budged. Friday night dinner with my husband is the enjoyable relaxation we so look forward to ending the busy work week. It is the time where everyone has left for the weekend and and the loudness of being busy has diminished to a dull roar. As careful as I am in my cooking, I always have to go back and re-evaluate my misgivings. Last night I made pasta alia olio... except I didn't have the pasta part. I had the mushrooms, shrimp, grilled asparagus and cherry tomatoes sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. On the surface, it seems okay but I think the minimal oil in the fry pan with the shrimps and mushrooms was downfall #1. The grilled veggies in the oven also had olive oil and that was probably downfall #2. .... or maybe, my body still hadn't gotten over Fat Thursday.
I am definitely needing to retreat and regroup. There isn't a Weight Watchers meeting at the local church where I attend today as it was pre-empted by another event. I like the location and the time but am uninspired by the leader now as I feel she goes through the motions without giving any advice.
As well, my cohorts in crime are missing and I really don't know most of the people who are there and that was part of the support system.
I am going to be missing the next few Saturdays since I will be away on the weekends. I will have to re-evaluate what I am going to do going forward. Should I be blaming the group or myself? Who do I answer to? I have decided to keep my own records every Saturday morning as I weigh myself when I get up and not with clothes on. It is more consistent that way. I don't have to hold a pair of yoga pants in one hand and one in the other to see which is heavier before I weigh in. You would have thought by now, I would remember the yoga pants that weigh the least.
So today is Faturday. I am going to take a positive approach and keep to Dr. Oz's off day... but not totally. Tonight we are going out with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for dinner to Hy's Steakhouse. I plan on the steak or half of it and the wine. It will be my let up day and I plan on enjoying it. Now if we changed the S to F on every day that has an S in it, then tomorrow would be Funday. I am going to smile about that. I am thinking of a funny childish joke. "Why are fish so easy to weigh?" Answer: "Because they have their own scales."
I suppose Fat Pat wasn't the only one who had this because as I attended Weight Watchers the last few times I was in town and it was filled with strangers and yet I know that the last bunch didn't lose the allotted weight they had set out to do. As for me I am up and down settling around minus 22 lb. on my own scale this week. I guess I need to shake things up myself. I was perturbed when the point system cut everybody back from 29 to 26 points a day. They announced it as a new and flexible program for 2012 but I wasn't buying into it. I did however last week and it worked but it really changes what you can and can't eat. I did lose a couple of pounds with it but they have reappeared because Faturday was also Fat Thursday and Fat Friday.
Fat Thursday was good until the Book Lover's Ball. I went with Anita, from Banquets at the Royal York and sat with her at the best table in the house, ringside to the fashion show. I had a ball but the little glass of wine I had that was only to be one escalated to every time the server came around and refilled the glass. There was a lovely selection of Artisan rolls on the table, a bowl of butter cut into large tile slabs and I was in heaven. The scale didn't exactly agree with my idea of heaven the next morning.
So then there was Fat Friday. I was really keeping track and at the end of the day had around 27 points but there had to be a miscalculation. The scale hasn't budged. Friday night dinner with my husband is the enjoyable relaxation we so look forward to ending the busy work week. It is the time where everyone has left for the weekend and and the loudness of being busy has diminished to a dull roar. As careful as I am in my cooking, I always have to go back and re-evaluate my misgivings. Last night I made pasta alia olio... except I didn't have the pasta part. I had the mushrooms, shrimp, grilled asparagus and cherry tomatoes sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. On the surface, it seems okay but I think the minimal oil in the fry pan with the shrimps and mushrooms was downfall #1. The grilled veggies in the oven also had olive oil and that was probably downfall #2. .... or maybe, my body still hadn't gotten over Fat Thursday.
I am definitely needing to retreat and regroup. There isn't a Weight Watchers meeting at the local church where I attend today as it was pre-empted by another event. I like the location and the time but am uninspired by the leader now as I feel she goes through the motions without giving any advice.
As well, my cohorts in crime are missing and I really don't know most of the people who are there and that was part of the support system.
I am going to be missing the next few Saturdays since I will be away on the weekends. I will have to re-evaluate what I am going to do going forward. Should I be blaming the group or myself? Who do I answer to? I have decided to keep my own records every Saturday morning as I weigh myself when I get up and not with clothes on. It is more consistent that way. I don't have to hold a pair of yoga pants in one hand and one in the other to see which is heavier before I weigh in. You would have thought by now, I would remember the yoga pants that weigh the least.
So today is Faturday. I am going to take a positive approach and keep to Dr. Oz's off day... but not totally. Tonight we are going out with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for dinner to Hy's Steakhouse. I plan on the steak or half of it and the wine. It will be my let up day and I plan on enjoying it. Now if we changed the S to F on every day that has an S in it, then tomorrow would be Funday. I am going to smile about that. I am thinking of a funny childish joke. "Why are fish so easy to weigh?" Answer: "Because they have their own scales."
Sunday 5 February 2012
COPING WITH SUPERBOWL
First of all, what is the difference between a treat and a snack? You may well have the answer but you have to think about it. Most people think of snack food as unhealthy but those of us studying food and eating know that it is something to tide you over between meals. It can be fruit, almonds or a cheese string, yogurt, vegetables or the like. It is a smaller version of a meal. A treat is something that is fun to eat but not necessary like chocolate, potato chips, or cake.
Now here comes the Superbowl! There is already news on the radio that it will be impossible to get a pizza tonight or wings, two of the Superbowl staples. There is so much talk about this game and all the hoopla around it, I decided to do a little advance planning and snack savvy. I am a Super Shopper by many who know me. So I went to visit a very high end supermarket. In my head, I dealt with two main meals, lunch and dinner and snacks around it.
With all the talk about pizza, I decided to make my own for lunch. When I do that I generally use 8" tortillas but today I bought something new, a Canadian product called Smart Mother's Choice Crispy 100% Roti. That was my base instead of pizza dough. This is a good product. It is very low in fat, only 3 g, plus it has 3 g of fibre. At 120 calories, it is 1.8 to 3 in the point system. The ingredients are whole wheat flour, water, non-hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt and baking powder. Next I topped it with a couple of tablespoons of pizza sauce, a negligible 10 calories or nothing in points. Then I measured 1/3 cup of shredded 3 cheeses for pizza. That was topped with julienne slivers of fresh green pepper and sliced mushrooms. I put it on the top shelf of the oven and broiled it for 2 minutes.
It was delicious. The whole pizza amounted to about 5 points or about 220 calories. It was low enough to add dessert. I had bought Weight Watchers oatmeal raisin cookies. One cookie is 80 calories or 2 points and it also had 3 grams of fibre. I added a beautiful honey tangerine and a Boylan's diet black cherry soda. The total in points for lunch was 7 points or 300 calories. It was nutritious and delicious.
Dinner will be more hardy with roast beef and vegetables. Of course, at 2 points an ounce, 3 oz. of beef should suffice. Now what about the Superbowl snacks. It became a challenge to me to supply enough to make us happy. Most people are weight conscious and unless they are hanging out in a sports bar or at a party with the obligatory wings, chili, party dips and pizza, there is no reason to sit in front of the TV and feast on fattening foods especially when dinner has already been served. I am going to fill two large bowls, one with beautiful large Royal Gala apples and the other with the Honey tangerines. I have other fruits as well: bananas, Asian yellow pears and D'Anjou red pears. I still have more Weight Watchers Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and decided to also buy Compliments (the store brand) of their balanced Eight Whole Grains Chewy Muesli Bars. They are 110 calories each with only 1.5 g of fat and 3 g of fibre. On the point program they are around 3 points. If this doesn't suffice, I always have air-popped popcorn I can make.
I have no intention of over-indulging this Superbowl day but will definitely have enough to fill up 29 points without going over. It is a good test for me. Let's see how I do tomorrow when I host a meeting at my home for a dozen people.
Now here comes the Superbowl! There is already news on the radio that it will be impossible to get a pizza tonight or wings, two of the Superbowl staples. There is so much talk about this game and all the hoopla around it, I decided to do a little advance planning and snack savvy. I am a Super Shopper by many who know me. So I went to visit a very high end supermarket. In my head, I dealt with two main meals, lunch and dinner and snacks around it.
With all the talk about pizza, I decided to make my own for lunch. When I do that I generally use 8" tortillas but today I bought something new, a Canadian product called Smart Mother's Choice Crispy 100% Roti. That was my base instead of pizza dough. This is a good product. It is very low in fat, only 3 g, plus it has 3 g of fibre. At 120 calories, it is 1.8 to 3 in the point system. The ingredients are whole wheat flour, water, non-hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt and baking powder. Next I topped it with a couple of tablespoons of pizza sauce, a negligible 10 calories or nothing in points. Then I measured 1/3 cup of shredded 3 cheeses for pizza. That was topped with julienne slivers of fresh green pepper and sliced mushrooms. I put it on the top shelf of the oven and broiled it for 2 minutes.
It was delicious. The whole pizza amounted to about 5 points or about 220 calories. It was low enough to add dessert. I had bought Weight Watchers oatmeal raisin cookies. One cookie is 80 calories or 2 points and it also had 3 grams of fibre. I added a beautiful honey tangerine and a Boylan's diet black cherry soda. The total in points for lunch was 7 points or 300 calories. It was nutritious and delicious.
Dinner will be more hardy with roast beef and vegetables. Of course, at 2 points an ounce, 3 oz. of beef should suffice. Now what about the Superbowl snacks. It became a challenge to me to supply enough to make us happy. Most people are weight conscious and unless they are hanging out in a sports bar or at a party with the obligatory wings, chili, party dips and pizza, there is no reason to sit in front of the TV and feast on fattening foods especially when dinner has already been served. I am going to fill two large bowls, one with beautiful large Royal Gala apples and the other with the Honey tangerines. I have other fruits as well: bananas, Asian yellow pears and D'Anjou red pears. I still have more Weight Watchers Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and decided to also buy Compliments (the store brand) of their balanced Eight Whole Grains Chewy Muesli Bars. They are 110 calories each with only 1.5 g of fat and 3 g of fibre. On the point program they are around 3 points. If this doesn't suffice, I always have air-popped popcorn I can make.
I have no intention of over-indulging this Superbowl day but will definitely have enough to fill up 29 points without going over. It is a good test for me. Let's see how I do tomorrow when I host a meeting at my home for a dozen people.
Friday 3 February 2012
NOT MY PIG! NOT MY FARM!
There are so many really important issues in this world to look after without taxing or controlling sugar by government agencies. That is the latest story today. When is the government going to take a hands-off approach to messing in the personal lives of people. Isn't up to the individual to decide how they are going to live their life?
The world produced about 168 million tonnes of sugar in 2011. Just think of the people it employed, the farming, the production, the transportation, the economy and everything else related to sugar. Think of the cupcakes, the bakeries, the many foods that have sugar in it that you don't even know about.
Okay, so those are the facts about it in the nutshell as far as its production but what about the health effects. Some studies involving the health impact of sugars are effectively inconclusive. Most of the studies do not use a population who are not consuming "free sugars" at all and the baseline is effectively flawed. Some of the dietary dangers of sugar have been overblown. Many studies have now debunked the idea that is causes hyeractivity for example.
You must have heard that sugar causes obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer disease, macular degeneration and tooth decay. I am wondering if it isn't more simple. Eating excessive amounts of sugar can lead to obesity. That is easy to believe but eating excessive amounts of meat, butter, high-fat dairy products, and other fats equally contribute to obesity. Obesity causes a lot of these diseases. Diabetics have to watch their carbohydrate intake as well since that turns to sugar. Maybe the government will regulate and tax carbohydrates... or meat, high-fat dairy products and the like, as well.
Whether we are counting calories or Weight Watchers points or just monitoring ourselves in our own way to keep weight under control, it belongs to the individual and not anybody else to regulate. They can educate and promote and that is all well and good but don't tell me I can't eat sweets. I know in myself I have to control it but isn't it the same for everything else in life like how much we sleep, exercise, work and everything else we do? It is up to us to control the clutter in our lives whether it be anxiety, the mess on your desk, time management, noxious people, or what and when we eat. As Jon Bon Jovi sings "It's my life.." and he sure has a point. The regulators should check in on their own kitchens, desks, homes, children and keep their nose in their own business. I wish they would take the attitude that it isn't my pig and it isn't my farm and there are more important things to focus on.
The world produced about 168 million tonnes of sugar in 2011. Just think of the people it employed, the farming, the production, the transportation, the economy and everything else related to sugar. Think of the cupcakes, the bakeries, the many foods that have sugar in it that you don't even know about.
Okay, so those are the facts about it in the nutshell as far as its production but what about the health effects. Some studies involving the health impact of sugars are effectively inconclusive. Most of the studies do not use a population who are not consuming "free sugars" at all and the baseline is effectively flawed. Some of the dietary dangers of sugar have been overblown. Many studies have now debunked the idea that is causes hyeractivity for example.
You must have heard that sugar causes obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer disease, macular degeneration and tooth decay. I am wondering if it isn't more simple. Eating excessive amounts of sugar can lead to obesity. That is easy to believe but eating excessive amounts of meat, butter, high-fat dairy products, and other fats equally contribute to obesity. Obesity causes a lot of these diseases. Diabetics have to watch their carbohydrate intake as well since that turns to sugar. Maybe the government will regulate and tax carbohydrates... or meat, high-fat dairy products and the like, as well.
Whether we are counting calories or Weight Watchers points or just monitoring ourselves in our own way to keep weight under control, it belongs to the individual and not anybody else to regulate. They can educate and promote and that is all well and good but don't tell me I can't eat sweets. I know in myself I have to control it but isn't it the same for everything else in life like how much we sleep, exercise, work and everything else we do? It is up to us to control the clutter in our lives whether it be anxiety, the mess on your desk, time management, noxious people, or what and when we eat. As Jon Bon Jovi sings "It's my life.." and he sure has a point. The regulators should check in on their own kitchens, desks, homes, children and keep their nose in their own business. I wish they would take the attitude that it isn't my pig and it isn't my farm and there are more important things to focus on.
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