Category Archives: nutrition

Broccoli Blitz Smoothie

Do you ever get in a green smoothie rut?  Smoothies are the main way I get my kiddos to eat green vegetables, especially leafy greens, but sometimes it gets a little monotonous to use the same ingredients every time. I looked up some recipes from Green Smoothie Girl and wanted to try one new smoothie a week.  The first one I tried is called Broccoli Blitz.  It’s from her book, “Green Smoothies Diet” book found here.  I was a little hesitant because you know broccoli’s reputation with the digestive system…haha.  BUT it actually turned out to be pretty tasty.  Tornado sees me drinking these and then begs for mine (mostly because I think he likes the cup I have with a straw and it’s fun to drink out of).  But he DRAINS it every time.  This time was no different.  It makes a huge batch, and I just kept the remainder in the fridge until the next day and we all divided it among ourselves.  Even cool Aunt Zoe got in on the action.  Everyone liked it - you can’t even really taste the broccoli.  Without further adieu  here is the recipe:

Broccoli Blitz Smoothie

  • 2 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup raw agave
  • 2 cups broccoli
  • spinach
  • 2 oranges
  • 2 cups pineapple
  • 2 bananas
  • 2 cups berries

Combine water, agave and broccoli and blend until smooth.  I did not have agave, but you can use sugar, or a little bit of sugar.  Next add spinach until it reaches the 6 cup line (about 2 cups of spinach), and blend.  Then add oranges, pineapple, bananas, and berries.  Blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

Drugs During Pregnancy

I ran across this article the other day and felt so many emotions – shock, anger, frustration, helplessness, and mostly sadness.  It is basically a drug that will be given to obese pregnant women so that their babies will not be born fat.  Does this not sit right with anyone else??  One time I got a really bad cold/cough and I was still nursing my baby.  I called the Dr. to see if there was anything I could take since it kept me up all night long.  She said no.  Before I hung up I said, “But I can take cough drops, right?”  I was shocked when she said “Absolutely not.”  They seem so harmless.  If we can’t even take cough drops while nursing, shouldn’t that scare us about taking anything at all while we are pregnant?  And a drug for ensuring your baby comes out leaner just seems weird…what are the longterm effects?  And it doesn’t really get at the root of the problem, right?  I wish somehow that we could all see there is no quick fix for these things.  Being healthy is a permanent lifestyle change.  Anyway, keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t get passed!

Book Summary – The China Study, Part 1 Continued

Chapter 4:  Lessons from China

  • In the early 1970′s a survey was conducted in the entire country of China, which revealed that cancer was geographically localized.  In some areas, cancer rates were 100 times the rates of the lower areas (in the U.S. we see at most 2 to 3 times, so 100 times is enormous).
  • Why?  This was the beginning of “The China Study.”
  • In the USA, 15-16% of total calories comes from protein (80% of that protein is animal protein), and in rural China, only 9-10% total calories come from protein (only 10% of that is from animal sources).
  • The Chinese are consuming an average of 2641 calories, with 14.5% fat, and Americans are consuming 1989 calories with 38% fat.   The Chinese eat higher calories, less fat, less protein, less animal protein, more fiber, and more iron.
  • Diseases of Affluence (Nutritional Extravagance): Cancer, Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease
  • Diseases of Poverty (Nutritional Inadequacy and Poor Sanitation):Pneumonia, Ulcers, Digestive Diseases, Tuberculosis, Parasitic Diseases, Rheumatic Heart Disease.  Notice no cancer!
  • One of the strongest predictors of Western Diseases (diseases of affluence) is blood cholesterol.
  • Lower blood cholesterol levels are linked to lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and other western diseases.
  • Many prominent heart doctors have never seen a heart disease fatality among their patients with a blood cholesterol level below 150.
  • Nutrients from plant-based foods are associated with decreasing levels of blood cholesterol.
  • There is a lot of confusion among scientists regarding questions with dietary fat – how much, what kind, Omega-6 or 3, what kinds of oils are okay, etc.  When details are studied in isolation, results can be misleading.  We need to look at how networks of chemicals behave instead.
  • Only 2-3% of all cancers are attributed to genes.  The rest are strongly influenced by diet.
  • There is an interesting relationship with dietary fat and breast cancer.  Higher fat can influence early menstruation, high cholesterol, late menopause, and higher exposure to female hormones.  This can extend the reproductive life from beginning to end by 9-10 years.  This extra decade of exposure to hormones can greatly influence a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
  • A large survey in China revealed that the average age of a woman’s first period was 15-19 years old.  In America, the average age is 11.
  • The more colorful your produce, the higher antioxidant levels, which shield you from free-radicals (cancer-causing agents).
  • Again, the benefits do not lie in an individual nutrient or mineral, but in the whole food.
  • Don’t reach for a vitamin.  Eat it in a fruit or vegetable instead.
  • The Atkins diet reaks havoc on your system.  Don’t do it.
  • The low-carb diet craze is unfortunate.  Carbs are our friends.  Just make sure they are from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.    Many people think they are eating a healthy vegetarian diet by eating lots of pastas, highly processed crackers and chips, white flour, etc.  This is the reason carbs have gotten a bad rap.  That is the stuff that puts on weight and doesn’t add nutritional value.
  • Chinese are more physically active than Americans.  Their calorie intake is 30% higher, yet their body weight is 20% lower.
  • They are eating the right foods (plant-based protein, fruits, vegetables, whole grains) and riding their bikes!

Frustrated

Blogs are a weird thing because you can kind of be an “alter-ego.”  You can post about the very best things and parts of life, and readers go on getting depressed that they don’t have the picture-perfect marriage, the most attractive and obedient children, the cutest house, the most exciting lifestyle, the best recipes, and the hardest body.  It’s like keeping up with the Joneses but worse and way more in your face.  I like to keep it real because I think it helps other people relate, and it makes everyone feel better.  So I have a confession:

I fed my kids Hot Pockets for dinner on Friday.  Say WHAAAAAAAT?  Yup.  We had a free coupon a while back so they were just sitting in the freezer “for emergencies.”  I guess I thought I’d never break them open.  Friday was a pretty good day, but by 5:00 I was completely out of steam and when I got a call from The Mr. saying he wouldn’t be home for a while, I just couldn’t muster up the energy to make a dinner from scratch (plus we literally had zero food in the house).  The little angel and devil popped up on my shoulders.  ”How about Hot Pockets?”  ”NOOOOOOO!  I can’t feed that to my babies!”  But guess what, sometimes we have to give ourselves a break.  Do I usually give my kids lots of nutritious yummy foods?  Yes.  Are they happy and healthy?  Yes.  Is one tiny hot pocket over the course of their childhood going to give them colon cancer?   No.  So I did it.  It was done in 60 seconds and devoured in the same amount of time.  And I smiled and I felt fine.   So there you have it.  Granola Mom isn’t perfect.  Give yourselves a break and just do the best you can!

So on to the next topic.  I am extremely frustrated and completely stressed out.  I heard somewhere that if you read 10 books on one subject you are considered an expert.  So what happens if you read twice as many nutrition books and you are more confused than before you read any thing at all?  I am so sick of not knowing who/what is right and feeling guilty despite my best efforts to provide good nutrition for my family.  In the past month alone I have read/watched/skimmed/listened to the following arguments, from very passionate researchers, who all provided convincing arguments:

1.  Animal protein is extremely bad for you and will cause cancer.

2.  High-quality animal protein is beneficial to optimal health.

3.  All dairy needs to be cut out of diet.  This will cure many diseases.  Don’t ever feed your baby or children cow’s milk.

4.  ”My father-in-law is a Pediatric Neurologist and he says all children should drink whole milk until the age of 12.”

5.  Whole grains are the best kind to eat, but not “modern and processed” whole grains.

6.  A book called “Wheat Belly” just came out that claims ALL grains are bad for you, and they are what is keeping Americans fat.

7.  Pasteurized milk is healthy.

8.  Pasteurizing milk kills important bacteria and enzymes that are needed for nutrients to be properly absorbed.  Drink raw milk instead.

9.  My pediatrician told me Tornado needs to drink 3 pediasures a day to be on the right weight curve, and if his weight is not where she wants it in a month she is re-testing him for allergies, Cystic Fibrosis (which he does not have), Celiacs, or other digestive disorders.

10. The very next day I took him to a dietician who told me that he was perfectly fine and healthy, especially for a baby who was breastfed and that 2 pounds gained in 2 months was “awesome.”  She sees hundreds of babies with the very same issue where the dr. is freaking out because they are not on “traditional curves” compared to formula fed babies.  It isn’t necessary to give him any pediasure.  Just real food and real fats.

11.  Give fluoride to your children.  It will prevent cavities

12.  Flouride is poison.

13.  The food guide pyramid is what you should eat.

14.  You will never know the truth about nutrition, because the government health programs are so corrupt that it will never be permitted to be printed.

So my friends, what is a mother to do?  Should I just stop listening to all these different sources with conflicting information (and the research to back it up) and just go with my intuition?  I literally stress out any time I think about giving my children anything to eat!  It’s insane.  Who do I listen to?   Do pediatricians really know anything about nutrition?   Real nutrition?  Or are they just taught what the general population is taught (Food Guide Pyramid and all that stuff) which so many activists are against?  Who can I trust?

I suppose that is why I am doing this blog.  Hopefully I can keep learning as I go, and read and study and get more knowledge, but for now, my philosophy is this:

I will feed my family whole foods that I cooked in my own home, as much as I can.  And all those questions…I will let them roll off my back until I gain enough knowledge to feel sure about them.  If I do make changes, I will make them very slowly so as not to get overwhelmed, and that’s as much as I am thinking about it.  The rest of my “worry” time I will spend having fun with the fam and giving myself a break for not being perfect.  Who’s with me?

 

Where to Start?

I have learned from experience that deciding to make nutrition changes in your life is nothing shy of completely overwhelming.  There is so much information out there.  Half of it is wrong, and the other half of it is fanatical/extreme, and we are left to our own devices to try and make sense of it all.  I want to make things a little bit simpler for everyone and for myself as we continue on this process, so that no matter where you are on the health spectrum, you can take one baby step at a time and feel like you are making changes without getting frustrated at the process.  I mentioned before that I only allow myself to make one major change every two months so that it isn’t too shocking for the family, or too overwhelming for me.  That seems to be the right pace for me, in that it makes the changes a bit more permanent, instead of fizzling out after a week or two.  So keep that in mind.  Here is what I have done and up to the point where I am now.

  1. Cut back on eating fast food.  I am going to leave it at that.  I don’t forbid anything, so I won’t say you CAN’T have it, but eat it less and less until it is no longer a consistent habit.  Our family eats fast food about once a quarter.  And when I met The Mr. he was eating it daily, so it is possible to change. :)
  2. Repeat that process with soda.  Start with replacing one glass of soda with a glass of water until you barely drink it.  This will make a HUGE impact on how you feel.
  3. Buy whole wheat flour instead of white flour.
  4. Eat brown rice instead of white.
  5. Exchange one meat dish for a vegetarian dish one night a week, working up to several nights a week.  We eat meat about once a week.
  6. Try to get more fruits and veggies in, until you work up to 5 servings a day (or MORE!).  Green smoothies help pack it in in one sitting.
  7. Once eating lots of fresh produce is a habit, get familiar with the dirty dozen and clean fifteen and try to stick to it.
  8. Cut out one processed food a month until you are living pretty processed free.  This last change we made was to stop buying cereal.  I occasionally get it as a snack for the kids, but it is rare.  I have been stuck on this step for quite some time, as I figure out how to make my own crackers, bread, granola, muffins, etc.
  9. Start shopping locally if you can.  Farmers markets, bountiful baskets, CSA’s, and local farms are all great ways to go.
  10. Read up on the way that chicken and cows are being raised, and the hormones, antibiotics, and meat-diets they are on.  Start buying free-range meat.
  11. Along with that step, try organic or local milk and eggs.  There is a HUGE difference in the taste.

This is where I am right now.  I have SO MANY more changes to make (like soaking grains, cutting back on dairy, cutting back on/eliminating sugar, eating kale and collard greens, and finding tasty dinner recipes).  I also try to read a book in the whole foods field about once a month.   How long does that whole process take?  Years.  And it will keep taking years and years until hopefully I will wake up and say “Hey!  We eat pretty healthy!”

I will continue to post updates to this list when I make changes in our lives, and include this post in a tab at the top, so you can continue to change along with me, or check it out at any given time.  I know this list can seem overwhelming depending on where you are on the health spectrum.  It might seem discouraging and you might think my life is completely deprived of flavor and fun, but most of the time, I feel pretty wonderful.  Yes, we do occasionally indulge, and sometimes a little too much, but we feel great.  We have seen major changes in our lives, especially in The Wild One.  Just try it out and take it slow.

This just pertains to nutrition for now, and I will probably address exercise in another post in the future.  Ta Ta!

Processed Foods Defined

I’ve been writing a good deal about this stuff since my 30-day challenge, and I’ve gotten some questions about what my definition of a processed food is.  It’s a complicated question, but here is the process I go through and my philosophy on it all:

1.  Eat food as close to its natural form as possible

The less steps from natural form to your house, the better.  Like if you buy whole wheat flour, it has gone through two steps when the wheat germ was removed and the wheat kernels were ground into flour.  Would I like to buy my own wheat kernels (or better yet grow it in the backyard) and harvest and grind it?  Yes, but it isn’t possible at the moment.  I have to take second best.  More thoughts on the matter:

  • Example:  Corn Chex – What is the natural form?  Corn.  It’s had to go through many many stages to get made into that waffled square, even though it is considered a “healthy” cereal.  Many things were added, many things taken away, many things altered.
  • Example:  Produce –  This is a seemingly easy one.  Obviously an apple’s original form is an apple.  But then think about this…Was it an apple picked from an orchard just a few miles from the store, or was it an apple genetically-engineered to grow larger/faster, sprayed with toxic chemicals, picked green, and ripened on a truck?  Kinda frustrating isn’t it?   This is why I love farmers markets and backyard gardens.
  • Dairy products:  This kind of falls in the same boat as produce.  What is the natural form of cheese?  milk.  Pretty good in my book.  But now I am starting to think about what KIND of cow it came from and what that cow ate, and how it was raised.
  • I don’t have a farm so i am forced to buy some packaged things.  Even buying something very close to its natural form, like peanut butter has to be processed and packaged at a plant.  Which brings me to my next point.  When you have to buy a processed food (meaning bought in a package of some sort) make sure that…

2.  The ingredients on the label are real foods.  No additives or preservatives or things you cannot pronounce.

  • Example:  Bread – Do you know the ingredients of homemade bread?  Flour, Yeast, Salt, Oil, and Honey or Sugar.  Compare that with Sara Lee’s 100% whole wheat bread.  Water, Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Cottonseed Fiber, Yeast, Brown Sugar, Salt, Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil, and/or Cottonseed Oil), Yeast Nutrients (Monocalcium Phosphate, Calcium Sulfate, Ammonium Sulfate), Dough Conditioners (May Contain One or More of the Following Mono and Diglycerides, Ethoxylated Mono and Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Calcium Peroxide), Honey, Wheat Bran, Wheat Protein Isolate, Sulfiting Agents, Vinegar, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Guar Gum, Sucralose, Cornstarch, L-Cysteine, Sorbic Acid, and Calcium Propionate (Preservatives).  Wow.  This would be considered a “healthy” food by most people.  But what exactly are we consuming?  To be honest, I am not really sure…
  • I think you get the idea here.  Packaged, boxed items that are considered “food”  but that contain mostly manufactured ingredients.

During this challenge, I’ve been trying to make from scratch a lot of things I would normally buy like bread or crackers.  We have all felt wonderful during these last several days.

I’ve made an executive decision, however.  The challenge will now be shortened due to the holidays.  I love the challenge, and I am going to do it again, several times (join in!), but there are just too many traditions that I want the kiddos to be able to participate in, i.e. gingerbread houses, hot chocolate, and candy canes.  It’s the holidays!!  No, we won’t go crazy, and we will continue to limit the processed foods, but a little indulgence this time of year is okay in my book.  You understand.  SO having said that, our last day will be this Friday.  It will have been a 2 week challenge (a very AWESOME two weeks).  Looking forward to the next one.

Low-Fat / Sugar-Free

I recently read a blog post (here) that brought up some things I have been thinking about lately, so I wanted to share.  I’ve been sitting here scouring over the many nutrition books I have in our bookcase trying to find studies and info on this topic, but I can’t!  I will just speak from memory (I hope you don’t mind)…take it for what it’s worth.

I used to be a certified personal trainer.  I only used it a bit, but it frustrated me that there are so many misconceptions in the “health industry” and people have things ingrained in their heads.  It is very difficult to get people to change the way they think, especially if it is the opposite of what they have always heard, and especially when “experts” and the media are constantly throwing them messages.  There’s been a huge “low-fat” craze in America for the past couple decades.  Nutritionists, Scientists, Professors, and even Doctors have been recommending a low-fat diet to boost our health and prevent disease.  The ironic thing is that since the low-fat craze started, we’ve actually gotten fatter and sicker.  I know other factors play a role too, but the low-fat thing has a lot to do with it, in my opinion.  Sugar has been a culprit too and the food industry has come up with all kinds of products to replace it (ie nutrasweet, which ended up in an extensive controversy).  I’ve been thinking a lot about this because for these products to hit the market, people have to mess with the molecular structure of a food.  It can’t be good.  We have been consuming fake food and thinking it’s healthy.  It irks me.  I always envision eating something that is not meant to be eaten, like cardboard.  Can your body digest it?  Yes, but that doesn’t mean that you should eat it, or that it’s good for you.  Although I am convinced that if they added enough things to a piece of cardboard they could get it to taste good.  Slap a few labels on there about it being filled with fiber or protein and we’d have a frenzy in the grocery store.  Tricky guys, those food manufacturers.

Anyway, going back to the low-fat fad, here’s the breakdown:

1.  We need fat.  Our brain is made up of 60% fat, and the neurons inside are wrapped in a sheath made up of mostly fat.  Some vitamins can only be absorbed if fat is present in your diet.  Cell walls in the body have fat that determines the permeability of the cell.  It’s a good thing.

2.  There are good fats and bad fats:  Trans fats are man-made and absolutely HORRIBLE for you.  Avoid them at all costs.  Saturated fats (mostly in animal products) aren’t the best either, but even some studies have not shown a link between saturated fat and diseases.  Eat natural fats mostly produced by plants and you’ll be set.  Nuts, avocados, fresh fish, olive oil, etc.

3.  I won’t go into detail about monounsaturated, polyunsaturated fats or omega-3s or omega-6s, but I will say this:  Fats are made up of a certain number of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.  Low-fat or sugar-free products have messed with the molecular structure of things: breaking a double bond here, or adding on an atom there, etc.  It changes the shape of the molecules to where the body processes it completely differently.  It’s horrible on your system and horrible for you.

I have not purchased anything low-fat or low-sugar or sugar-free for years and years, and I have also not looked at the nutrition labels (aside from ingredients) for the same amount of time.  Eat real food.  It will not make you fat.  Fake food is the culprit, and the sooner we recognize it, the sooner we can start getting our health back.

Off my soapbox. :)

Day 4 of no processed foods went great.  More to report tomorrow.

No Processed Foods Challenge: Report

Remind me why I decided this would be a great idea during the month between THANKSGIVING and CHRISTMAS!  Hello…people (including me) wait all year for these seasonal delicacies and I am forfeiting all of it.  :(  Plus it is getting cold here and every night I say, “Let’s go home and make some hot chocolate.”  Wrong.  So here I sit sipping my room temperature water, and giving myself a pep talk.

Other than THAT, this is really going great.  It’s been pretty easy except for snacks.  I usually graze a little bit, because I am giving the boys snacks all day long, and it’s been tricky for me to forego the organic animal crackers.  This lady is literally my idol.  I would be having a MUCH harder time if it weren’t for her website and I am getting lots of recipes/good ideas from her.  So grateful for the internet.

So far I have had no slip ups, but I did change my policy on treats.  I originally said no sugar, and I am sticking to my guns, but I’ve softened up a little bit.  Here’s why:  After reading Intuitive Eating, I adopted the practice of never restricting anything.  It only makes you want it more, and when you get around it you go on an uncontrollable binge.  Also, I’m currently reading Michael Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, and I am on board with basically everything he says.  In his opinion, an occasional treat is okay, as long as you make it yourself, because there are less artificial and fake ingredients.  In addition, Lisa allowed her readers who took the challenge to have alcohol in order to stay sane, and I am a non-drinker!  So, having all of that in mind, I decided it would be okay to have an occasional food that contained a bit of sugar.  That doesn’t mean I am going to go buy some ice cream or chocolate (although I’d like to).  But I DID have a small slice of whole wheat pumpkin bread, which has a small amount of sugar.  I was satisfied, and in my mind, I consider that healthy.  But still, I am not going to have it every day, just on occasion when I really feel like I need something small.  I’m not going to get any more rigid than that – use your discretion and do what you feel would be fair – make it a sacrifice but don’t get crazy.

Oh! And my other rule  is to allow exceptions when we are guests at someone’s house, which will most likely happen in the next couple of weeks.  I’ll grab the healthy options if I can, but I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or awkward.

The fam is also doing great on this and feeling superb.  The Mr. commented to me yesterday on how good the boys were being and I honestly think the challenge has something to do with that!  Of course, later on in the day one of them decided to pee on the floor, and the other one decided to crawl through it, but hey, you can’t win ‘em all.

Here’s what we had today:

breakfast:  whole wheat pumpkin waffles and maple syrup

snacks:  fruit, whole wheat banana bread

lunch:  peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on homemade wheat bread, pears, hummus and chips

snacks: PGM granola, raisins, dried fruit

dinner:  Pesto, cheese, and roasted vegetable sandwiches (recipe below), peas

snacks: bananas, milk

Overall, I feel like this has been great for us.  It takes a little bit more planning on my part to make sure I have good snacks on hand, and an idea of what I am going to have to make, but I am not in the kitchen for any greater amount of time.  I haven’t felt deprived yet…most everything has been tasting pretty yummy.  Real food is actually delicious if you find good recipes.  The Mr. is well fed and happy, and so are the kids, so that’s all I really care about.  We’ll see how it continues when I am a bit farther into it.

Pesto, Cheese, and Roasted Vegetable Sandwiches

  • Homemade Pesto
  • 2-3 cups of chopped vegetables
  • Any kind of cheese
  • bread
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees while making the pesto.  I used vegetables I had on hand: potatoes, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, and green beans.  Any veggies will work.  Chop them up and spread on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt, and mix them around to coat evenly.  Place in the oven for 8 minutes and remove.  Turn vegetables over with a spatula to cook the other side.  I sometimes have to sprinkle more oil if it is looking dry.  Place back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft and lightly browned.  note:  I put the carrots and potatoes in by themselves for about 5 minutes before adding the other vegetables, because they take longer to cook.  Spread pesto on slices of bread, add a large scoop of roasted vegetables, and top with cheese.  A toaster oven probably works best to melt the cheese, but I don’t have one so I put the bread in the toaster before assembling, and then microwaved for a few seconds.
Consensus:
Me:  So so good.  Pesto is delicious, and tastes sooooo much better if it is homemade.
The Mr.:  He walked in and instantly knew it was pesto.   It’s one of his favorites, so he scarfed it down in record time.
The Wild One:  Picked all the veggies off, but said, “I like pesto!”
Tornado:  No complaints

100 days of no processed foods

I’ve lately been reading a lot on this blog.  It’s pretty awesome.  This family went on a 1oo day food challenge, where they didn’t eat ANY processed foods.  I love the concept and am even more impressed because they have two kids, and a big challenge for people sometimes is what snacks to give kids aside from fruits, veggies, and dairy.  It gets tricky, and is easier to reach for the grahams.  It’s been on my mind a lot, and our family really does pretty good at staying away from most processed stuff, but we can always be doing better.  I think 100 days is a lot to commit to, especially with the holidays coming up, but I am going to try it between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Our whole family will try it.  So we’ll start the day after Thanksgiving (November 24th) and go through Christmas Eve (so we can allow any Christmas traditions we may have).  It’s going to be a challenge for sure, but a good trial run for when we start to cut out more and more processed foods in our family.  The more people who join in and decide to do it, the easier it will be.  We can share meal plans, ideas, struggles, and thoughts, and it will be a good support for everyone.  So if you wanna do it with Granola Mom, let me know!!!  I’m getting excited about it and we have a week to prepare.  As a side note, I don’t believe in diets…  This is more of a health challenge to see “Wow, I really do eat so many refined foods!” or “This really makes a difference in how I feel,”  or “My children respond so differently when they do not consume processed foods.”  So here are the rules (the same as the blog’s).

What you can eat

1.  Whole Foods – as in from nature, not industry

2.  Fruits and Vegetables

3.  Dairy Products – Cheese, milk, plain yogurt, etc.

4.  100% whole wheat and whole grains

5.  Seafood

6.  Locally raised meats – hormone free, etc.

7.  Beverages – water, milk, 100% fruit juice

8.  Whole food snacks – nuts, seeds, popcorn

9.  Natural sweeteners – honey, maple syrup, fruit juice concentrates.

What you CANNOT EAT

1.  Refined grains – like white flour or white rice

2.  Refined sugars – this one is going to KILL me.

3.   Nothing packaged that has more than 5 ingredients. Ex.  Tortilla chips would be acceptable if they have “corn, oil, and salt.”  You’d be surprised at the good quality products that are out there if you get the right brand.

4.  No fast food or deep fried food.

That’s it!  Those are the conditions.  Let the games begin.  T minus 7 days.

What’s for Dinner Wednesday

That’s a joke.  Granola Mom gets sick once a year and today is the day!  I was on my deathbed all day long till The Mr. came and rescued us, especially the children, who were wandering around on the floor eating plant leaves.  All I could do was say “Tornado! Don’t eat that!”  So my dinner was some chicken broth and a bit of Sprite.  I got a good long rest in and am now feeling a bit better, so I thought I’d finish up my summary from Dr. Weil’s book on the sidebar.  Stay tuned for a yummy recipe tomorrow.

Chapter 6:  Relaxation, Rest, and Sleep

Most of us are overstressed and would be surprised at the impact stress has on health.  It plays a major role in disease onset down the road.  If we can learn to relieve stress on a daily basis, we will have overall greater health. I took a mind/body health class and was amazed to learn the relationship with personality and disease.  How we handle stress in life greatly determines our future well-being.

Try to cut out:

  • Caffiene and other stimulant drugs
  • Sound (I can attest to this one after living in New York.  I could feel elevated stress levels at ALL times because of the constant noise from sirens, traffic, people yelling, apartment neighbors, dogs, machines, etc).
  • News (if it makes you anxious)
  • Agitated Minds (being around worriers is contagious)

Try to practice:

  • Deep breathing exercises
  • Progressive Relaxation
  • Yoga
  • Massage
  • Meditation

Chapter 7: Habits

  • Food addiction – It’s a huge problem.  If you have one, seek therapy.
  • Addiction to drugs – obviously not good
  • Tobacco – Smokers are exponentially more at risk for heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and a myriad of other problems.
  • Coffee – Not good for your body
  • Other forms of Caffeine – Try to limit it

Chapter 8: Connections

Dr. Weil reccomends:

  • Connecting with Nature and Earth – good for the mind and body
  • Connecting with Animals – People with pets have less illness that people without.
  • Connecting with Family – Told an interesting story of a nurse who worked in the Pediatric ICU wing at the hospital.  Over the course of several years, she saw 12 children miraculously recover from what should have been fatal head injuries.  They were in deep comas, had flat lined ECGs and were considered “dead” by many doctors.  These 12 patients had full recoveries much to everyone’s amazement, and what struck her as interesting was that ALL of them were Hispanic.  She said she never saw an Anglo child recover from injuries like that.  She says, “…The whole family is around the bed day and night, talking to him, praying for him, loving him.  The Anglo kids are there all by themselves, unconscious children in beds…all alone.”  Sad, huh?  Family is so important.
  • Connecting with Community
  • Serving
  • Loving – Society is screwing up the way we look at love.  The feeling of “falling in love fades,” but truer deeper love can be found by giving selflessly to another person.
  • Touching- Americans have a big circle of personal space.  He challenges us to let people in.  Hug, kiss, touch others.  It is therapeutic.
  • Connecting to a Higher Power – Essential to feeling whole.

Chapter 9: How not to get a Heart Attack

  • Keep Your Serum Cholesterol Low – follow his dietary recommendations.  Interestingly enough, half of heart attack victims have normal cholesterol levels.  There is more to the story.
  • Do Not Smoke
  • Do Not Use Caffeine Addictively
  • Follow An Anti-Inflammatory Diet – avoid margarine and all foods made with partially hydrogenated oils of any kind (the first ingredient in RANCH DRESSING!  Sad!), increase intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, eat fruits and veggies and berries, eat ginger and tumeric.
  • Exercise Aerobically
  • Practice Relaxation Techniques
  • Maintain Normal Weight
  • Maintain Normal Blood Pressure
  • “Thin” the Blood – recommends several herbs for this as well as raw garlic.

Chapter 10: How Not to Get a Stroke

Same way as how not to get a heart attack.

Chapter 11:  How not to Get Cancer

  • Women – high levels of estrogen put you at risk.  Risk is lower if you have a baby before age 35, exercise aerobically, maintain healthy weight and healthy diet.  Don’t take Hormone Replacement Therapy, and he also doesn’t like birth control pills…don’t shoot me; I am just the messenger.
  • Stay in Good General Health
  • Avoid Exposure To Harmful Radiation – don’t let your dentist take x-rays unless they really have to.  There is no such thing as a safe dosage of radiation.
  • Protect your Skin from UV Radiation – Do not use tanning beds.  Stay covered up in the sun.
  • Avoid Exposure to Harmful Chemicals – Stay away from pesticides, dangerous household products, dyes and colorings in food, and environmental toxins like chemical plants.
  • Do Not Smoke
  • Do Not Drink Alcohol Heavily
  • Do Not Eat Carcinogenic Foods – like blackened chicken or fish.
  • Eat a Healthy Diet
  • Take Antioxidant Supplements
  • Exercise
  • Get Appropriate Screenings
  • Work with Your Emotions

Chapter 12:  How to Protect Your Immune System – Dr. Weil is a Naturopath, so he is big on herbal remedies.  I am about 50% on board.  I still have too much to learn to comment much.

  • Do Not Allow Infections To Persist
  • Do Not Use Antibiotics Indiscriminately
  • Avoid Immunosuppressive Drugs
  • Avoid Blood Transfusions
  • Avoid Radiation Exposure
  • Avoid Exposure to Harmful Chemicals
  • Eat a Healthy Diet
  • Learn About Foods And Herbs That Enhance Immunity

Chapter 13: Simple Measures

  • Rest – The easiest cure, and most are “too busy” to trust its advantages.  It can stop a sickness before it gets bad enough to force you to rest.
  • Fast – It is helpful for your body to get a break from constantly processing food
  • Sweat – a good way to get rid of toxins
  • Steam Inhalation – Boil a pot of water and lean over it with a towel over your head
  • Nasal Douching – sounds painful! But he thinks it clears up sinuses
  • Gargling – 1 cup of hot water mixed with 1/4 tsp salt is a good disinfectant.  I did this a lot when I was pregnant/nursing and had sore throats and could not take medicine.
  • Hot and Cold Applications – Can help in injuries or infections
  • Healing Touch – Massage, Acupuncture

Chapter 14: Vitamins and Supplements

Too much info to summarize, except to say protein supplements should never be taken.  Americans get twice the amount of protein they need every day, so protein powders after the gym are basically expensive urine.  Don’t listen to anyone who swears by them.  They are getting bigger muscles from the extra calories, not from the protein.  It’s all excreted.

Chapter 15:  The Herbal Medicine Chest

Again, a bunch of homeopathic info.

There is a big section at the end with common ailments and natural cures that is pretty interesting.  Overall a pretty good book.  On to the next!!

Hope you had a Happy Halloween!  Anyone else getting incredibly excited for the holidays??  Here’s a Halloween picture of the kiddos and our neighbor friend (An alligator, monkey, and candy corn.  awwwww).