"Every time you buy food, you're voting for the world you want. When you choose corporate processed foods, you're paying for a food system gone awry, including the massive environmental cleanup of runoff from industrial farms. When you buy good Grub, you're supporting the production of food that doesn't poison our farm workers or the environment, but preserves biodiversity, rural communities, and food security. Every time we choose Grub, we're making the healthy choice, not just for our bodies, but for the planet as well." ~Anna Lappe
#14. Today I'm grateful for the healthy, organic food choices that nourish, heal, restore and regenerate my body daily.
Showing posts with label nutritional value. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nutritional value. Show all posts
Monday, January 14, 2013
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Health and Fitness Goals
After setting my new health and fitness goals and losing 2 pounds last week, I'm on a mission to lose 10-12 more pounds in the next 6 weeks, which would put me back to my ideal healthy weight. I read recently that posting my goals online is one good way to keep myself accountable and focused so here we are. :)
A few great sources of fitness information, I've been doing the cardio workouts from the Self Drop 10 Challenge and using Calorie Counter to track the calories of recipes I create. Although, I do read the recipe recommendations of both sites and have tried a few of their recipes with modifications, I tend to cook using my own recipes given I have strict personal dietary requirements/restrictions that their recipes don't always accommodate for. Also, after the last five years of practicing, I've actually become great at creating and making healthy recipes that taste amazing! :)
As part of the process, I created a Health and Fitness page on Pinterest. I've been especially enjoying the workouts labeled Monday - Friday (pictured below) & am pleased with the results so far. I have yet to find/make time each week to do five 1-hour workouts. I am getting in four good 1-hour workouts each week and lengthening the cardio beyond 20 minutes at least twice a week to get more miles in.
Before I started this new routine, I was hiking Runyon Canyon regularly but wasn't weight training and had hit a plateau, not seeing any weight loss results and actually gained a few pounds over the winter. Although I was eating healthy & exercising regularly, I wasn't counting my calorie intake. So as I was discussing this frustration with my lack of results with my good friend (who's in fabulous shape BTW), he suggested added interval running for 20 minutes a day, 5 days per week and weight training to my routine. I agreed to try and see what happened.
When I decided to start incorporating running into my workout routine, I began with interval "jogging" on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I decided to improve and increase my speed each week to build strength without causing self-injury or strain from over-doing it. It has been years since I've been a "runner" and I wasn't sure how my body would react to be honest. I'm now interval jogging/walking between a 20 min mile pace and 11.2 min mile pace for 20 - 30 minutes + doing the weight training routines below and ending with a 10 - 15 minute stretch & yoga session. Last week, I cut my daily calorie intake to 1600 per day and am finally seeing results on the scale. 5.5 weeks to go...
A few great sources of fitness information, I've been doing the cardio workouts from the Self Drop 10 Challenge and using Calorie Counter to track the calories of recipes I create. Although, I do read the recipe recommendations of both sites and have tried a few of their recipes with modifications, I tend to cook using my own recipes given I have strict personal dietary requirements/restrictions that their recipes don't always accommodate for. Also, after the last five years of practicing, I've actually become great at creating and making healthy recipes that taste amazing! :)
As part of the process, I created a Health and Fitness page on Pinterest. I've been especially enjoying the workouts labeled Monday - Friday (pictured below) & am pleased with the results so far. I have yet to find/make time each week to do five 1-hour workouts. I am getting in four good 1-hour workouts each week and lengthening the cardio beyond 20 minutes at least twice a week to get more miles in.
Before I started this new routine, I was hiking Runyon Canyon regularly but wasn't weight training and had hit a plateau, not seeing any weight loss results and actually gained a few pounds over the winter. Although I was eating healthy & exercising regularly, I wasn't counting my calorie intake. So as I was discussing this frustration with my lack of results with my good friend (who's in fabulous shape BTW), he suggested added interval running for 20 minutes a day, 5 days per week and weight training to my routine. I agreed to try and see what happened.
When I decided to start incorporating running into my workout routine, I began with interval "jogging" on the treadmill for 20 minutes. I decided to improve and increase my speed each week to build strength without causing self-injury or strain from over-doing it. It has been years since I've been a "runner" and I wasn't sure how my body would react to be honest. I'm now interval jogging/walking between a 20 min mile pace and 11.2 min mile pace for 20 - 30 minutes + doing the weight training routines below and ending with a 10 - 15 minute stretch & yoga session. Last week, I cut my daily calorie intake to 1600 per day and am finally seeing results on the scale. 5.5 weeks to go...
Monday, March 12, 2012
Portabello Mushroom Burger
I haven't eaten beef or chicken in almost 3 weeks. After catching up with my mom on Fat Tuesday and hearing she was eliminating alcohol, sweets AND coffee this year (oh easy, right?), I decided to step it up a notch for lent this year and sacrifice all meat (except fish) and wine. I remember as a child sacrificing things for lent each year that I thought I really cared about (my favorite shoes, soda, desserts). By the time the 40 days of lent passed, I was never interested in them anymore, so I wonder if this will be the case this year as well. This is truly a lesson in discipline and self-control.
Being that I'm also hoping to see additional positive results in my previously set energy, fitness, skin and overall health goals, practicing 40 days of serious discipline hasn't actually been too much of a chore. I've admittedly missed having a glass of red wine with dinner once in a while. Also, the day we drove by what felt like 10 In-N-Out Burgers heading up from LA to San Luis Obispo, I wanted to stop at each one & grab a animal style protein burger. This is especially bizarre because I don't actually crave In-N-Out often when I CAN HAVE IT ANYTIME I WANT so I don't know why the "YOU CAN'T HAVE IT SO IT'S ALL YOU WANT" gene kicks in NOW. Other than that, I feel good and am seeing results in my health & fitness goals so it's working!
Since the only meat I've truly craved so far is this In-N-Out burger, last night I made my own version, a portabello mushroom burger. It's true what they say! Portabello mushrooms really are the meat of the vegetable world.
Ingredients:
2 Portabello Mushrooms
Cut Scallions
2 slices Jarlsberg low-fat cheese
spicy mustard
whole-weat buns
3 tbs olive oil
2 cloves frozen garlic (Trader Joe's)
1 frozen basil cube (Trader Joe's)
1 frozen parsley cube (Trader Joe's)
Making the Burger:
Being that I'm also hoping to see additional positive results in my previously set energy, fitness, skin and overall health goals, practicing 40 days of serious discipline hasn't actually been too much of a chore. I've admittedly missed having a glass of red wine with dinner once in a while. Also, the day we drove by what felt like 10 In-N-Out Burgers heading up from LA to San Luis Obispo, I wanted to stop at each one & grab a animal style protein burger. This is especially bizarre because I don't actually crave In-N-Out often when I CAN HAVE IT ANYTIME I WANT so I don't know why the "YOU CAN'T HAVE IT SO IT'S ALL YOU WANT" gene kicks in NOW. Other than that, I feel good and am seeing results in my health & fitness goals so it's working!
Since the only meat I've truly craved so far is this In-N-Out burger, last night I made my own version, a portabello mushroom burger. It's true what they say! Portabello mushrooms really are the meat of the vegetable world.
Ingredients:
2 Portabello Mushrooms
Cut Scallions
2 slices Jarlsberg low-fat cheese
spicy mustard
whole-weat buns
3 tbs olive oil
2 cloves frozen garlic (Trader Joe's)
1 frozen basil cube (Trader Joe's)
1 frozen parsley cube (Trader Joe's)
Making the Burger:
- Pre-heated 1.5 tbs olive oil, frozen garlic, basil & parsley from Trader Joe's in grilling pan on medium-high heat.
- Once herbs melted, added 2 chopped scallions & mushrooms to pan.
- Grilled on medium-high for 10 minutes flipping every few minutes.
- Added cheese for last 2 minutes.
- Served on whole-wheat buns with romaine lettuce and spicy mustard.
Makes 2 Servings. Delicious! Enjoy!
100+ Healthy Vegetarian Recipes by Green Kitchen Stories
Stumbled upon Green Kitchen Stories blog and was so excited to discover a huge variety of healthy vegetarian recipes. After browsing this blog, I feel like trying a new recipe tonight! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. :)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Coconut Water (Superfood) Not All It's Cracked Up To Be.
In my quest to be informed about the value or non-value of what I'm ingesting and digesting, I spend significant amounts of time researching all types of food, their nutritional value and other benefits, especially the ability of a food to heal. This process has ranged greatly to include learning what foods will help me heal quickly when ill, which foods to avoid, how to prepare a meal to receive the maximum health benefits without losing its taste, proper proportions per meal and per day, food combining for maximum efficiency, and more. I have experienced real benefits of food healing as part of my strategy to live well.
After hearing many ramblings around Los Angeles from various sources about the incredible benefits of coconut water, being handed a glass of it by a friend last weekend, and then seeing it on sale at my local supermarket, I purchased 4 boxes of Vita Coco coconut water this week and figured I'd give it a try. Their ad states it is "all-natural, super-hydrating, fat-free, cholesterol-free, nutrient-packed, potassium-stacked, mega-electrolyte coconut super water". I drank a half a glass of it this morning and had an immediate auto-reflex reaction response to vomit. My next response was... "What?!?!?" Things that are good for me usually don't trigger such immediate negative responses so I immediately ran to the computer and started googling the benefits of coconut water.
I was quickly surprised to discover that the first 20 items on my search were not linked to valid sources of food or scientific information. I found mostly blogs and a few health articles and read through a few, quickly discovering that amongst the many health benefit claims made about coconut water, the only information I could validate is that it is a good source of potassium, 600mg per 8 oz. serving vs. 537mg per cup of raw banana according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. There has been little other evidence to support any of the other claims about it's benefits, which varied from being a good cure for a hangover, a post-workout replacement drink for sports drinks and the most drastic and wild claim was that it eliminates intestinal worms. That is quite a claim to make with no evidence to support it!
Of the research I did, I found this article the most interesting and worth sharing: Sometimes you feel like a nut: Coconut water as a health elixir
My final analysis of the day being that while coconut water is a good source of potassium, may have other unsubstantiated benefits, and some may truly enjoy the taste, it is decidedly a superfood. That may sound good at first, but the word superfood has no legal definition and is commonly used as a misleading marketing tactic which has been banned in the E.U. "unless it is accompanied by a specific authorised health claim that explains to consumers why the product is good for their health."
All things considered, I think I'll stick with bananas! They're much easier to crack into.
After hearing many ramblings around Los Angeles from various sources about the incredible benefits of coconut water, being handed a glass of it by a friend last weekend, and then seeing it on sale at my local supermarket, I purchased 4 boxes of Vita Coco coconut water this week and figured I'd give it a try. Their ad states it is "all-natural, super-hydrating, fat-free, cholesterol-free, nutrient-packed, potassium-stacked, mega-electrolyte coconut super water". I drank a half a glass of it this morning and had an immediate auto-reflex reaction response to vomit. My next response was... "What?!?!?" Things that are good for me usually don't trigger such immediate negative responses so I immediately ran to the computer and started googling the benefits of coconut water.
I was quickly surprised to discover that the first 20 items on my search were not linked to valid sources of food or scientific information. I found mostly blogs and a few health articles and read through a few, quickly discovering that amongst the many health benefit claims made about coconut water, the only information I could validate is that it is a good source of potassium, 600mg per 8 oz. serving vs. 537mg per cup of raw banana according to the USDA National Nutrient Database. There has been little other evidence to support any of the other claims about it's benefits, which varied from being a good cure for a hangover, a post-workout replacement drink for sports drinks and the most drastic and wild claim was that it eliminates intestinal worms. That is quite a claim to make with no evidence to support it!
Of the research I did, I found this article the most interesting and worth sharing: Sometimes you feel like a nut: Coconut water as a health elixir
My final analysis of the day being that while coconut water is a good source of potassium, may have other unsubstantiated benefits, and some may truly enjoy the taste, it is decidedly a superfood. That may sound good at first, but the word superfood has no legal definition and is commonly used as a misleading marketing tactic which has been banned in the E.U. "unless it is accompanied by a specific authorised health claim that explains to consumers why the product is good for their health."
All things considered, I think I'll stick with bananas! They're much easier to crack into.
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