June 21, 2012

What the?


What in the world is a century egg? via http://ilikeitinmymouth.tumblr.com/

June 19, 2012

Work Snacks

I started summer school and have found it hard to go the five hours without a hearty meal. (No lunch, no breaks.) I'm the type of person who can sit down to lasagna, pizza or other dinner-type meals in the morning, and if I don't eat a lot for breakfast I feel horrible all morning. So far I filled my desk drawer with healthy snack bars, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate. The plan is to get up early enough to make breakfast, and eat it right before class if need be. However, I am also planning to bring organic apple sauce, boiled eggs, asparagus, brussels sprouts, some blueberry jam with multigrain crackers, and smoothies. I hope to find some more raw cookies soon and get some granola bars. I'll let you know how it goes and if I find other things to bring. My husband likes sardines and veggie sandwiches.

June 9, 2012

Earthlings

As you know, my husband and I watch any food documentary we can get our hands on, and I'll read any whole foods plant-based book, but tonight I found the full movie Earthlings on Youtube and had to share. Don't be a coward and watch it the whole way through.


Fern Gully


Don't even speak to me if you haven't seen this...lol

June 8, 2012

Youtube

You have to love Youtube. My love for it increased since I started watching health food videos and Korean romantic comedies. =) In fact I am thinking of starting my own youtube health food channel. What do you think? If I were to start making videos, what would you like to see?

Hmm...anyway, here are a couple good videos you should watch, health food/healthy lifestyle related of course. This first one is Kris Carr talking about how she got cancer and what she did to fight it via diet, and there is mention of The China Study, which links meat and dairy to cancer.


Here's one that talks about smoothies and juices...


Here's one of Alicia Silverstone talking about diet helping you and the planet...


Here's Mimi Kirk talking about her lifestyle...

Here's Jinjee Talifero on parents adapting to their kid's healthier new diet, how they keep your favorite foods in the house for when you visit, and what to do when a member of your family is too skinny on this diet (celery, almond butter).


Lastly, here's a video of the RawBrahs, which helped convince my husband to change his diet.


Seriously, though, go crazy on Youtube, there are so many personal experiences on there that can point you in the right direction.

Ch-ch-ch-chia!!

Oh my gosh, do I love chia seeds. I probably love them so much because every time I take them out of the cupboard I get to sing "Ch-ch-ch-chia!" But they're really fun little guys. Messy if you spill the bag, but tasteless little gems that make going to the bathroom and getting enough protein a whole lot easier. I put them in my tea and stir-fry, but I'm sure there's a whole lot more creative stuff, like chia pudding which I have on my to-do list. You can even mix them into oatmeal and other warm or liquid dishes.


So, if that hunger-inducing chia pudding recipe isn't convincing you to run to Whole Foods for a bag of chia goodness, what can I do to convince you? Aside from the 6 grams of fiber and 3 grams of protein per tablespoon, chia seeds also...
have 5 times more calcium than milk
3 times more iron than spinach
are gluten free
have more Omega 3 than flax (chia is the richest plant source of Omega 3, which protects against arthritis and heart disease)
are an excellent source of iron and other minerals
are low glycemic and control blood sugar (perfect for diabetics)
reduce food cravings and block calorie absorption, help you feel full longer & faster
reduce blood pressure
prevents diverticulitis
high in antioxidants

Chia is also an invaluable "medicine." It can help thyroid conditions, IBS, hypo-glycemia, celiac disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, acid reflux and obesity. Traditionally it has been used to treat tons of health problems across the board by the Aztecs and Mayans.

And you know those eggs at the store that say "rich in Omega 3," well, some egg producers are now feeding those chickens chia seeds.

Healthy Resources

Well, I've been making a list of ideas to try on my next "health retreat" with my guinea pigs volunteers. I decided to make a pamphlet covering transition foods, a transition guideline, a list of protein and fiber sources and how much is needed on a daily basis, a list of supplement ideas, a mini recipe book that has the meals we will actually be making, a fact sheet on how to read nutrition labels and what ingredients or amount of a certain ingredient to avoid. This time no one will be allowed to go to the casino, and meal preparation will have to start at a set time. I still don't know how to get them to watch the health movie, though.

Anyway, the reason why I think this health retreat is such a good idea is because a lot of people are more hands-on when it comes to a lifestyle change like this, they like to see it first hand instead of reading about it. But I do recommend taking the time to research things for yourself, read as much as you can, and find recipes and experiment. So here are two great websites and a few great books that have really helped me, along with Dr. Oz. Seriously, though, if you're not watching Dr. Oz you're missing out on SO much.

- www.livestrong.com
- www.rodale.com


- The Kind Life by Alicia Silverstone
- Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr
- Super Health by Steven Pratt, M.D.
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition by Julieanna Hever

June 7, 2012

Guidelines & Ideas

Over Memorial Day weekend I had an experimental "health retreat" with my guinea pigs (Mom, Dad, husband, best friend & her kids). They are the first to hear all my food experiments and purchases, and in fact the only people reading this blog. Actually, scratch that - my husband doesn't bother to read it anymore. But hopefully once I really get going and start talking to more people about this, I can refer them to this blog.

Anyway, a few good things came out of that weekend. For one, my dad quit eating meat. He has a collapsed artery, sleep apnea, severe back pain, etc. As I've said before: if you have a chronic illness or are taking pills for something or want to change something about your health, why not try my no-meat/more veggies approach to feeling better. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. (At the very least you can send a message to food companies through your purchases, telling them that you want healthier options - no aspartame or high fructose corn syrup - ethically raised meat or organic veggies.) I will report back and update with how he feels and if he loses any weight.

On to good thing number two - I learned that there are a few things that should be learned first for those just beginning to consider this lifestyle change. A) You should know how to read a nutrition label and know what ingredients to avoid. A nice guideline is to avoid anything that sounds like a chemical, anything you don't recognize, aspartame and anything ending in -ose, such as fructose. Stay away from things with over 15 grams of sugar per serving. B) You need to learn how to feed yourself, as in cooking the night before to take something to work, what to have on the road, and what snacks are healthy. C) Everyone needs to be open to trying things they've never tried before, like kukicha tea, daikon radish, black peppers or gluten free burritos. (In fact, that's one of the best parts of this lifestyle change - your food world is raised to a whole new level, and instead of cutting foods out of your diet, you are adding more things in.) More importantly, if you cut meat out of your diet and don't take B12 supplements and find enough protein in veggies, your health will suffer. If you cut dairy only to replace it with junk food, why bother? And if you cut both meat and dairy but only eat processed or packaged food, you're not doing yourself any favors. You need to invest time into studying this stuff for yourself so that you can do your best.

So here's a suggestion or two...
1. Start by experimenting with gluten-free, whole grain, non-dairy, meat subsitutes, sugar substitutes (stevia), different oils (grapeseed, walnut, avocado), and everything in the produce section of the grocery store - root veggies, leafy greens, fruits, beans, nuts, rice. Try out different packaged and frozen foods like Amy's pizzas and burritos, coconut ice cream, gluten free waffles. This will be a lot easier if you go to a health food store, especially a place like Whole Foods that has everything under the sun. (In fact I'm pretty sure that it's impossible to find anything unhealthy at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, or any health food store.) Buy a veggie you're not familiar with and find a suitable recipe for it online. (You won't know if you like it until you try it.)
2. Start ordering vegan or vegetarian options at the restaurant. Better yet, go visit a vegetarian restaurant. Start looking up recipes and do some experimental cooking, especially alternative recipes for stuff you love, like grilled cheese or mac and cheese. If you make a pot of rice, a pot of beans, and a pot of veggies or soup (up to you if you throw that all together in one big pot), you can throw that in a tupperware for work the next day or breakfast. Take a piece of fruit and some nuts or seeds with you to snack on. You can also get some Luna or Kashi snack bars, Annie's gummy bunnies, EnviroKidz rice crispie treats, or soy yogurt. Of course, it will be so much easier to pick your snacks once you visit the health food store. You can also make your own snack food (peanut butter balls, rice crispies, pumpkin seeds).


Here is the transition checklist found in Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet, which I found to be an incredibly helpful guide.
- Move from cow's milk to a milk alternative (soy, hemp, coconut, almond, rice)
- Move from white bread to organic whole grain bread (make sure it says 100% whole grain/wheat)
- Move from white pasta to whole grain pasta (wheat, spelt, rice, corn, quinoa)
- Move from canola and corn oil to organic olive, safflower, sesame, grapeseed, walnut, macadamia nut, avocado oil, etc)
- Move from regular mustard to whole grain organic mustard (and mayonnaise to vegenaise)
- Move from coffee to green tea or yerba mate or teechino (but one cup a day should be fine, just replace your creamer with non-dairy milk or creamer and use stevia or raw sugar)
- Move from white sugar to maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar, stevia or raw sugar
- Add rice, beans, sea salt and other whole grains to your pantry


It comes down to really thinking about your choices, like the picture above. Buy this, or buy that. Pop vs tea, veggie chips vs potato chips, white rice vs brown rice, eating out vs cooking at home.