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What’s the deal with sprouts?

If you’re not already familiar with them, sprouts can seem pretty weird!  This post will give you some basic info on sprouts, why they’re good for you, how to eat them.

Sprouts are basically just seeds that have been sprouted (allowed to start the process of growing), and usually also given a chance to “green up” a bit to develop a bit of the chlorophyll.  There are many different kinds of sprouts, though most people are probably familiar with or have seen alfalfa sprouts or bean sprouts.  Both are popular on salad bars, and you’ll often find bean sprouts in various Chinese or Thai meals.

Sprouts are good for you for several reasons:

They’re raw.    Raw foods contain enzymes that are not found in cooked foods.  When foods are cooked (above 117 degrees for three minutes or more) many changes occur – including the destruction of enzymes that are good for your health.   Sprouts are an easy and delicious way add raw food and get these enzymes back into your diet.

They’re packed with nutrients.   The process of a seed sprouting actually increases the vitamin and mineral content when it sprouts.   This is an easy and natural way to get nutrients in a natural and very digestible manner.

Talk about natural!  Sprouts require no fertilizer, pesticides, or anything other than water.  Best of all, if you buy organic sprouts or start with organic seeds, you know that you’re not ingesting any unwanted pesticides or chemicals – only the natural nutrients provided by the process of sprouting.

Sprouts are delicious!  Depending on the type of sprout, sprouts can have little flavor, be very subtle, or even rather bold tasting.  Some sprouts are nutty or spicy tasting.  I recommend that most people start with alfalfa sprouts.   They’re mild tasting, easy to buy already sprouted in most grocery stores, and easy to grow at home.  They also have a mild taste, so it’s an easy addition to many foods.   From there – experiment!  You’ll find that there are a variety of readily available sprouts, and many options if you grow your own.

Sprouts can be incorporated into your diet in so many ways!   Here are three ways you can try (but don’t stop here – try your own combinations).

  1. Add them as a topping to your salad.   This is a pretty easy way to add sprouts to your diet, as you can add them to your salad without changing the flavor much, and you can even begin to do this if you eat out at a salad bar
  2. Add them as a topping on a sandwich.  Sprouts can add a healthy snap to your sandwich both in terms of taste and texture.  Add a forkful or two of sprouts to your next sandwich for an easy nutritional boost.
  3. Add them to your juice.  Juice should already be a regular part of your healthy lifestyle.   Toss a forkful or two of sprouts into your blender or Vitamix the next time you make juice to get the added nutritional benefit.   With a good blender or even better – a Vitamix, the sprouts will be incorporated into the juice without leaving any chunks, bits, or anything stringy.

 

Have a question or something to say about this post?  Leave a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

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What about probiotics?

There has been a lot of interest in probiotics recently, and I often get questions from people about them:  what are they, are they really good for you, and do I use them.  This is a brief look at probiotics, what are, how they benefit you, and why I regularly use them, and how you might incorporate them into your diet.

Basically, probiotics are beneficial bacteria (live) that are thought to have a positive effect on several aspects of your health.  In simple terms, you can think of these as the bacteria behind many of the fermented foods we eat: yogurt, kefir, and raw sauerkraut.  You can also obtain probiotics in pill form, which can be helpful for travel or situations where you may not have access to a natural source.

The beneficial bacteria in probiotics are believed to have many positive effects on one’s health; that’s the reason for the recent and renewed interest in probiotics.  Among other things, there seems to be a strong link between consumption of probiotics and a number of health issues including:  diarrhea, constipation, overall gut health, gas, indigestion, and an overall boost to the immune system.  There are numerous other health benefits attributed to probiotics – enough to warrant your own use and see how you benefit.

I use them for all these reasons – and to help keep the proper balance of bacteria in the gut.  Stress, antibiotics, travel, and exposure to pathogens are just some of the things that can throw off the balance of good/bad bacteria in your system.  I use them regularly at home and carry some probiotic capsules with me when I travel.  I personally like the Enzymatic Therapy brand (Pearls), but there are many other good ones available too.  These are readily available online and at many mass market retailers and drugstores.

You can incorporate probiotics into your diet on a daily basis in a number of ways.  Yogurt with live cultures and Kefir are two easy ways to get a daily helping of probiotics.   I personally drink a cup of Kefir daily for the boost it gives me.  There are even yogurts and yogurt drinks with increased levels of beneficial bacteria to help provide a greater boost.   You can also use raw sauerkraut or other vegetable based probiotics to your diet (raw because cooking kills of the beneficial bacteria) as a delicious way to add probiotics to your diet.

 

As with everything, I recommend that you make this a part of a healthy lifestyle – something you do regularly to benefit your healthy.   This way you’ll always get the protective benefits and the boost that probiotics can bring.

 

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Get Juiced

Healthy juice is something that should be a part of your healthy diet and lifestyle all year long, but it especially makes sense during the warmer months of the year.
Juice is quick
With a high quality juicer like a Vitamix or a powerful blender, you can quickly make healthy juice from such a wide a variety of fruits and veggies.   It’s easy to quickly make a drink that’s packed full of antioxidants, cool, refreshing, and filled with the flavor of all of the fresh fruits available.   Typically, 30-60 seconds is all you need to thoroughly blend all your ingredients.

I recommend a Vitamix if you’re in the market for a juicer, but any powerful blender should do an adequate job of liquifying everything quickly.   If you don’t already have a juicer or blender, consider a blender from Vitamix.   This type of blender retains all of the pulp and fiber, and will quickly liquify all ingredients, including ice.   See our special offers page or use the button to the right for free shipping if you decide to order one.
Juice is cool and refreshing when you don’t feel like eating
In the warmer months, it’s easy to fall into the trap of not eating because you don’t want to heat up the stove, kitchen, or grill.  The problem is that many people tend to snack on what is convenient or what might be on the counter or in the pantry (tip – don’t even buy junk food in the first place and you won’t have it to snack on when you’re tempted).
Instead of reaching for a candy bar or chips, cookies or whatever your typical snack might be – whip up a quick juice drink and get the benefits of whole raw food.
Juice makes healthy options even easier
The next time you blend up some juice – throw in a celery stick or some kale or some fruit that has a texture you “don’t like”.  I’ve posted in the past about adding some vegetables to your fruit juices balance the sugar content of the fruit.
It is easy to incorporate a stalk of celery, or some kale, or chard or fruits like mango or pineapple into any juice.  Throw in a handful of sprouts or a tablespoon of chia seeds for an added nutritional boost.

Get creative – you’ll discover it’s easy to come up with healthy combinations that are quick to make, delicious, refreshing and packed with nutrition.    I like to use pineapple, blueberries, strawberries or melon as the base for most of my smoothies; from there I add in some veggies, sprouts and enjoy.   I find it’s nice to add a splash of icewater with some crushed ice for a nice consistency.   Tip:  freeze your blueberries and strawberries when they’re in season and enjoy them in your smoothies.   A powerful blender like a Vitamix will have no trouble pulverizing the frozen berries.

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Diet or Exercise – which is more important? Part III

Diet or Exercise – which is more important?

If you’ve read the previous two posts about this question, you know by now that the answer to the above question: diet.  However, it’s not about going on a diet, and exercise plays a crucial role as a part of a healthy lifestyle.

It’s important to remember that diet is not about going on a diet – it’s about having a lifestyle that consists of consuming good, nutritious foods and avoiding processed foods, additives, toxins and pesticides.

Let’s look at a few reasons why diet is even more important than exercise

1.  If there were ever a case of garbage in- garbage out; this is where it applies.  Your body is made from the stuff you eat.  Whether or not you exercise, or how hard you take exercise, your body is in a constant state of renovation.   Cells are dividing, new cells are being formed, and old ones are being cleaned up and disposed of or recycled in some manner.  Think about the fact that your body is made up of approximately 100 trillion cells.

Simply ask yourself if you want to be built from good things or bad things, from the best components or from things that are “good enough”.   Is it OK to throw some chemicals and pesticides into the mix, or do you want to guard against the toxins that go into your body?

The Presidential panel on cancer issued a statement in 2010 that stated “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated” and advised the President “to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

2.  There will be days and times of your life when you can’t exercise.  You should exercise every day; we were made to move and be active.  There will be times when because of illness, travel or other things that come up that you won’t be able to exercise.  However, your body never stops the process of creating and repairing cells, and cleaning up damaged and dead cells.  This goes on every day, for as long as you live.  As a matter of fact – in the times of stress when it’s most likely that you won’t be able to exercise, your cells are under the most stress.

Give your body the fuel to run optimally and you set up the potential for good things.
Think about your car – it wouldn’t make much sense to wax and polish and detail the outside of your vehicle, but be careless about changing the oil, maintaining the mechanical systems and filling it with good fuel.
Just like you wouldn’t put water or sugar in the gas tank of your car (you know that nothing good would come from that) – you should guard against putting junk in your fuel tank; the end result of that won’t be good either.

3.  I believe you should try to maximize your intake of fresh raw foods to maximize the nutrients and enzymes you get from your food, try as much as possible to eat organic foods to avoid exposure to pesticides, avoid processed foods, and use vitamin and mineral supplements wisely.  I’ll examine each of these in more detail in future posts, but here are the high points.  You may not be able to make a complete change to your diet all at once, but start with one thing or one area and go from there.  If you don’t do anything else, try to avoid processed foods and focus on fresh raw foods.   Avoid things in boxes and bags, and try to eat things that are picked, peeled, grown, harvested.   One easy thing to do is shop from the outer aisles of your grocery store.  This is where the fresh things are.

4.  You only get one body – treat it carefully.

For most people it’s easier to build on success, and the success of feeling your body begin to respond to regular good diet is motivational.   It doesn’t take too long after you make good nutrition and regular exercise a part of your lifestyle that you will probably start to look for ways to make additional improvements – because you will begin to feel better! 

You can trade in a car, buy a new house, but you don’t get a new body in this life – take care of it!  Even if this didn’t have an effect on how long you live (though I think it will), you’ll enjoy the journey of life and feel better along the way.   What price can you put on feeling good?  I know many people who “just don’t feel good” every day.  On the other hand, most of the people I know who focus on good nutrition and regular exercise feel great almost every day and seem to have boundless energy.   Which sounds better to you?   You have a tremendous amount of control of which one of those groups you end up in.  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here yet –  but you have control of the choices you make today, and you can begin to make a change today and build on it tomorrow, and for the rest of you life.

 

This is a complicated subject that may leave many people with questions or wondering how to begin to make changes.  If you have questions, comments or any other feedback, please use the form below to contact me.  I’d love to hear from you.

 

 

 

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Diet or Exercise – which is more important? Part II

Diet or Exercise – which is more important?

This “frequently asked question” has an interesting answer; because of the way they work together, it’s really difficult to separate diet and exercise.  Both are an important and synergistic part of a healthy lifestyle.

The bottom line answer to this question: your diet is more important (but not going on a diet)!  Surprisingly though, if you are just starting down the path to a healthier lifestyle, I recommend that you begin by focusing on exercise.  Let’s explore a few reasons why exercise is the best way to start.

  1. Most people want to see some changes early on; your body will probably respond to exercise more quickly.   Remember, you spent your whole life getting to where you are now, so don’t expect changes overnight.   However, you will probably be surprised at how quickly your body responds to regular physical activity.   Be smart and take small steps toward you goal; start by walking for half an hour instead of jumping in to running 3 miles a day.
    By starting with a sustainable amount of activity, you can make this a part of your lifestyle and increase your activity as you make physical and fitness gains.   Most importantly – don’t skip, don’t make excuses, make sure you do something every day.
  2. Adding regular physical activity will start to “wake up” and revitalize a sluggish metabolism.   If you haven’t been exercising regularly, you will be amazed at what regular activity will do for you.   These bodies were made to be active, and adding in regular physical activity will benefit you in so many ways.  You’ll probably notice that sleep and digestion start to improve, along with other things too,   Start with something sustainable so that you won’t get discouraged.
    Don’t  start on something you can’t keep up with (either too strenuous or too time consuming).You might be tempted to want to go out and run a few miles (or maybe not), but don’t start with that – I suggest that you start with walking 30 minutes a day, do it regularly and try to not miss a day.  If you maintain your level of activity for a couple of weeks, you’ll find that it’s gone from something on your schedule to a habit to where it’s a part of your lifestyle.  Your goal should be to make nutritional and exercise related changes that become a part of your lifestyle – not just something you do for a little while to “get into shape”.
    Remember – diets don’t work – because diets are something most people do for a while to try to reach a goal, and then they go back to the way they were – or worse!.  It’s the same with most people with crash fitness programs.   Check any gym on January 2nd, and then go back a check a month later; setting the bar too high from the start does you more harm than good.   You have to be determined and remember that you’re in this for the long haul – for the rest of your life.  So set a sustainable goal that you can stick with (or increase) for life.
  3. An initial focus on exercise and seeing the resulting changes will encourage you to address nutrition and your diet.

For most people it’s easier to build on success, and the success of feeling your body begin to respond to regular exercise is motivational.   It doesn’t take too long after you make regular exercise a part of your lifestyle that you will probably start to look for ways to make additional improvements.  Typically, two things happen; you improve their fitness level and perhaps increase or change your exercise routine.    You’ll begin to feel the effects in many ways, including sleep and an increasing overall feeling of well being.  At the same time, you start to realize just how much effort you are putting into exercise, the results you are getting, and how it’s beginning to make you “feel better”.

This is typically the point where you should feel motivated to make changes in your diet.  Typically, something “clicks” inside, and you realize that you don’t want to sabotage your increasing health by taking bad stuff in.   Just like you wouldn’t rebuild a car and then fill it with junky gas – you realize that the same principle applies to your body.  Use this motivational boost to leverage your efforts and address the foods you eat and drink.

 

Next up – why your diet is the most important thing for you to address – even more important than exercise (but don’t stop exercising)!

 

Questions, comments or any other feedback?  I’d love to hear from you.  Use the section below to contact me.

 

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Diet or Exercise – which is more important?

Diet or Exercise – which is more important?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive.  It’s alluring in it’s simplicity, and from the fact that people often just want to focus on one thing, or find the one “magic bullet” to make them healthy, lose weight, and feeling better.

It’s not that simple.

There is one answer to this – if you have to know which one – but before getting to that, it’s important to understand that both are important for a healthy body, and how the two work together.

Both diet and exercise will be looked at in more detail in the next couple of posts.

Because of the way they work together, it’s really difficult to separate the two; both are important, and they really do play off of each other and support each other as a part of a healthy lifestyle.

IF you really have to have a bottom line answer to this question – the answer is diet (but not going on a diet)!  It’s about eating healthy and nutritious foods as a part of a healthy lifestyle  There is a surprising twist to this question though;  if you are just beginning your journey to lose weight and increase your overall all state of health, you should probably start with exercise.

Make sure you read the following posts;  I will explain why it’s important to understand both nutrition and exercise, how they work together, and why you need to make both of them a priority if you want to be healthy, feel good, and protect yourself from illness and disease, why “diets” don’t work.

I will also explain why I think that diet is more important, but you’re more likely to set yourself up for lasting success and health by starting with exercise.

 

Questions?  Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear from you!

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What is your goal?

What is your goal?

What do you want your health to be?

Your state of health today is the result of decisions you made over the period of days, weeks, months and years preceding today.

Even this morning, you made choices about breakfast (or not), whether or not a donut was a good idea, or if you should reach for something healthier.

Coffee, tea, milk, or Coke (?!!) for breakfast – whether you stopped to ponder it, or went by default to your usual morning beverage; it was because of a decision you made, probably some time ago, about what was important to you.

You can start to make changes today – start by choosing one thing that’s important to you, and work back from there.  If you want to weigh less than you do now (reduce body fat), you need to start to make changes to the way you eat and the amount of physical activity (exercise) that are a part of your daily life.

Sleep, fitness, changes to your body fat, high cholesterol, high blood pressure- even your overall demeanor and the way you feel every day – all of these can be impacted by the foods you eat and the activity of exercise you get.

You can’t change the choices you’ve made in the past, but you can change the things you do today.  Yesterday is gone, and you’re on the way to tomorrow, but it’s not here yet – you do have today though!   The health choices you make today will start to affect you today and have ripples into your tomorrows – you just need to start.

Choose one thing, and start from there; you might be surprised at how the changes can ripple through your life from one area to another.

You can start anywhere – but if you’re not sure where, start with a healthy breakfast of healthy whole foods.  Skip anything processed, and go for something that doesn’t come in a box or package.

Skip the poptarts, bacon, sugary pastries and other packaged or processed itmes, and go for real food instead.  If you’re in a hurry, use a blender (or better yet – a Vitamix) and make yourself a smoothie.  This is a quick way to get some good, healthy whole food even if you’re pressed for time.

Need healthy breakfast ideas or have questions or comments about anything in this post?   Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you!

 

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Two reasons you must do something about your health today

Two reasons you must do something about your health today

There are two important reasons why you can’t wait until tomorrow or next week or whenever to start taking steps toward a healthier lifestyle.

Those two reasons happen to be the two things you can’t get more of in this life: your body and time.

Your body

You have one body – the one you were born with, the same one that you’re living in now, and the one that will carry to your grave.   It’s the only one you get in this life.

When you look in the mirror or step on the scale or go for a physical, what you’re observing is the sum total of the health and lifestyle choices you’ve made up to this point.  Don’t let that discourage you if you’ve made poor choices – you can choose to take better care of your body starting today.

You don’t get another body – at least not in this life; so start taking care of it now.  Decide what is important to you, and if you want health, energy, vitality and a clear mind, you have to start making lifestyle choices (diet, fitness/activity, stress) today!

Don’t wait!  These bodies don’t last forever, and you can’t change the choices you made in the past, but you have today, and this can be the first day you take some small steps toward a healthier body.

Time

There is a saying that goes something like this – the best time to plant a tree is ten years ago, the second best time is today.  I like that saying because it reminds me that if I want to achieve something, I have to start today.   You can’t go back and change the health or lifestyle choices you made in the past – but you do have today! 

Decide and act today to change your body and life.  The small steps you take today will have changes that ripple through tomorrow and on in to the future.  Visualize today what you want your body, mind and life to be like in the future; you won’t get there by chance.   A healthier you tomorrow starts with the choices you make today.

 

I hope you’ll find the kind of informative and motivating things on mrhlth.com that will help you take steps today to have a healthier lifestyle tomorrow.

Don’t wait!  You don’t get another body, and you don’t get more time.  You can’t change what choices you made yesterday, but you do have today.

 

Looking for specific help with a certain aspect of a healthier lifestyle?

Let me know with a comment in the space below – I’d love to hear from you!

 

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Going green!

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Going green!

I’m not talking about environmental though.

I’m talking about getting your greens in your diet; things like kale, beet greens, dandelion, collards, and others.

Need a few good reasons to make sure you take in plenty of leafy greens regularly?

Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll – the molecule that gives plants their green color is found in abundance in greens.  Chlorophyll is a natural wonder – it can help detox your system.    Watch for dark green leafy matter to get the highest amount.

 

Fiber

Greens are an excellent source of fiber, and can actually contribute very little to your carb intake.  Fiber is essential to the proper functioning of your digestive system, and to help transport toxins out of your body.   Fiber can help you feel full longer so you wont be as tempted to snack on unhealthy foods.

 

Vitamins and Minerals

Greens are also a powerhouse of nutrients.   Again, the darker the leafy greens, the more packed they are with chlorophyll and other nutrients.  Calcium (in a form readily available for your body!), magnesium, potassium, Vitamins C and K are a few of the important nutrients you’ll gain from consuming greens.

 

One of the best benefits is all that by taking in greens, you’re not only getting good things into your system – you’re also getting bad things out.    Greens have a remarkable ability to help detox your system.  By taking in greens you can help reduce damage and remove toxins from your system.

 

Keep in mind that greens are also relatively low calorie.  This puts them high on the “bang for the buck” ratio – even a large bowl (or glass if you juice) of greens won’t push you into a larger waist size.   You might find that not only are they low calorie, but they are very satisfying and will help defer other cravings as well as displace other unhealthy foods in your diet.

You can choose to add your greens as a side to other dishes, use them mixed in a salad, or blend or juice them.   Juicing is my favorite; I use a Vitamix to completely blend greens with some lemon (sometimes a little pineapple or other fruit thrown in) – delicious, and easy to take in the equivalent of a large salad in a large glass or tumbler.

 

But you have to eat (or drink) them to get all these great benefits.

Add greens to your shopping list the next time you head to the grocer –or even better, find them at your local farmers markets.  As always – try to get organically raised greens if possible.

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An apple (or two) day ….

There are so many reasons to make apples more than just a regular part of your diet.
Here are a few reasons you should try to eat one or two apples every day.

Fiber

Apples are a good source of fiber.  While they don’t rank among the highest fiber foods, the fiber in apples brings some unique benefits.  The pectin in the apples is water soluble and can also bind with fatty acids in the bloodstream.  This brings special benefits (see below).  Most Americans consume much less fiber than recommended eating an apple or two can help with that.

 

Natural statins

The fiber in apples has been shown to act as a natural statin.   It binds with cholesterol and helps to move it out of the body.  There are other foods that do this too, but it’s another nice benefit of regularly eating apples.

 

Low calorie

At 100 calories or less for a typical apple, an apple is a great substitute for other sweet snacks, especially in place of candy bars, pastries, or other processed food snacks.   The texture and fiber of the apple also help make it a great snack. Chew each bite or slice thoroughly, and you’ll find that an apple will stick with you much longer than a typical candy bar or pastry; that sense of fullness can help keep you from eating other things with a lot more calories than an apple.

 

Mouth health

The same fiber that makes apples filling and provides the fat and cholesterol reducing benefits also gives apples their crunch.  This is what makes them good for your teeth and gums too.  They can help clean your teeth (you should still brush your teeth though), and give your gums a healthy workout.   In this respect too, apples are far superior to candy, cookie or pastry snacks.

 

Nutrition

Apples are a great source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  Along with the benefits listed above, you get the healthy nutritional boost that comes with each apple.  The antioxidant boost provides multiple preventative benefits, including protection from cancer.  The antioxidants can help neutralize the bad effects of free radicals.  Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with extra electrons that can cause cellular or dna damage.   The antioxidants in apples provide protection by interacting with and neutralizing free radicals.