Tag: food

Posted on

How about grilling a healthy … burger?

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

When someone mentions healthy foods or foods that are good for you  – a burger is probably the first thing that comes to mind. However, there is a way to make a healthier burger and to add healthy garnishes and condiments to make it even more nutritious.
Here at some changes you could make to boost it’s nutrition and avoid some of its unhealthier aspects .

Let’s start with the burger itself – if you make it out of organically raised grass fed or pasture raised beef – that makes it better. You will avoid the hormones and antibiotics by going organic and get the benefit of healthier beef from a cow raised on the food they were designed to eat – grass.

If you make it from bison instead of beef – even better. Bison are free-range animals, and are raised without hormones and antibiotics. In addition, bison is a healthier red meat that doesn’t have the same amount of fat as beef.  Bison (buffalo) is even recommended for heart health by the American Heart Association because it is very low in total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.

A whole grain bun is better than a white bun – whole grain breads are always healthier than those made with white flour – even better if it’s organic. You could always skip the bun altogether and enjoy the burger with some healthy toppings.

Organic condiments like ketchup can help avoid more toxins – and of course, look for ketchup made with sugar, not high-fructose corn syrup.

For an added boost, consider adding some sprouts and avocado (organic of course).
You get some satisfying healthy fats from the avocado (which will help leave your hunger satisfied), and an added vitamin and enzyme boost from the sprouts.

Remember – you don’t have to do these all at once if it seems overwhelming. Take these steps one by one and transform your diet into a healthier one one little step at a time. After you make one change, move on to the next.

 

Questions or comments?  I’d love to hear from you – leave a reply in the box below.

Posted on

Juice or Juicing

There is a difference.

On the one hand, by juice I’m referring to the jars or cartons of grocery store juice; this stuff is usually clear, filtered, strained and sweetened – often with some added preservatives and flavors as well.  On the other hand, by juicing I’m referring to taking whole foods and using a Vitamix (my recommendation) or other powerful blender to make juice from whole foods.  Just to be clear – I’m referring to juice that still hs the pulp or fiber from the whole food included – not strained, filtered, or extracted juice.  Here are a few of the differences between the two and reasons you should be using a Vitamix.

Freshness

Juice in a jar has been made, distributed, bottled, stored, distributed yet again and then purchased from your store before finally reaching your home.  In extreme cases – for example in the case of orange juice –  the juice may have been stored a year or more before being “enhanced” and packaged and sent to your grocer.
There is no juice fresher than that consumed right after you make it.

 

Fiber

Clear juice in a jar or bottle has been strained and filtered to the point where virtually all of the fiber has been removed.  When you make your own juice from whole foods, they still retain all of the benefit that they did before being made into juice.  While it’s true that the fruit won’t crunch in your mouth like it did before being juiced in your Vitamix, you’ll still be ingesting all of the fiber and nutrition – just in pulverized form.

 

Nutrition

Fresh juice (namely juice made at home with a Vitamix) tends to have a higher antioxidant, enzyme and phytonutrient count as a result of being freshly juiced, and not strained, filtered, and pasteurized. In addition, many juices and especially juice drinks that are labeled as 100% juice or 100% natural contain additional apple or grape juice or juice concentrates as sweeteners.  Stick with fresh made juice – for the freshest and most nutrition, make your own.

 

Juice can be an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but you’re best off when it’s your own fresh made juice.  This way you control the ingredients, can certain of what is and isn’t in the juice, can avoid unnecessary sugar or artificial sweeteners, and can customize the juice to your tastes.   I recommend always including some vegetables in your fruit juice for balance and nutrition.

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Five more foods you should start eating

This is the second in a series on foods you really should eat regularly – foods should be part of your healthy lifestyle.  If you missed our first five, you’ll want to go back and review those as well.  I’ll go into more detail on each one of these foods in other posts.

Bison is a great source of protein.  If you like to eat red meat, then you should add bison to your list of must eat foods.   Bison offers several advantages over beef – including that lower in fat (and calories) and cholesterol.  Watch for an entire post dedicated to Bison coming soon.

 

Celery is another low calorie item that should be on your must eat list.
Low in calories, celery is a good source of naturally occurring vitamins C and K.  It also has been shown to have a beneficial effect on both cholesterol and blood pressure.
Tip:  if you don’t like the taste of celery, add a thin layer of almond butter, or throw a stalk in your smoothie.   With a good high powered juicer like a VItamix, you honestly probably won’t even know it’s in there.

Cherries a delicious addition to your must eat list.  Naturally high in antioxidants, sour or tart cherries are helpful for joint pain – especially sour or tart cherry juice.   They pack a an additional punch by helping reduce inflammation as well.  As an added benefit, they’re delicious!  Many people also report that they sleep better when they eat cherries, as they have a positive effect on your body’s levels of melatonin (a natural substance that is produced by your body that helps to regulate sleep/wake cycles).

 

Chocolate   – that’s right – chocolate!  While chocolate is toxic for dogs and other animals, it has been found to have a positive effect on people in several ways.  Dark chocolate especially is a good source of antioxidants, it also has been found to be heart-health friendly (as long as you don’t eat too much of it!); the flavonoids (antioxidants) seem to be especially beneficial to your heart in a protective way – and in moderation, it can help keep your blood pressure and cholesterol readings in healthy ranges   It can also help curb your appetite for other sweets.  Many people find that if they eat a couple squares of good quality dark chocolate that they feel like they’ve gotten your “chocolate fix” –  without as much fat and sugar as milk chocolate.

Coconut Oil is one of my favorite foods … ever.   I eat a spoonful of coconut oil every morning and every evening just for the benefits and healthy fats.  It’s good both in and on your body, as it makes a great moisturizer as well.  Coconut oil has been mentioned before in a posting on healthy oils, and has so many beneficial qualities that it will be featured soon in it’s own posting.

 

Questions, comments, or want to find out more?   Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

Posted on

Five foods you should start eating now

So many websites focus on what NOT to eat, or what to stop eating.    We have that mental list of things that we’ve heard aren’t good for you, and those things we know aren’t good for you.   This is the first in a series on foods you really should eat regularly – that should be part of your healthy lifestyle.  I’ll go into more detail on each one of these in other posts.

Almonds are a great source of good fats (yes, you do need fat in your diet).  They also have protein, are a good source of magnesium, vitamin E, and calcium.  Have a handful or two a day (roughly 2 ounces) if you feel hunger coming on or the need for a snack.   By all means skip the salted and smoked almonds though.  For the maximum benefit, stick with raw, unsalted almonds.  Also think about almond butter as a healthy alternative to peanut butter.

Apples are beneficial in so many ways!
Here are a few reasons you should try to eat one or two apples every day.
Apples are a good source of fiber, and the fiber in apples has been shown to act as a natural statin.  They are also low calorie; at 100 calories or less for a typical apple, an apple is a great substitute for other sweet snacks.
Be sure to check out the post on an apple or two a day for more detail.

Blackberries are a great source of antioxidants and various vitamins and minerals, and are a great topping on a number of foods, or enjoyed whole as a healthy snack.  Throughout the summer months, fresh local blackberries are usually not that expensive either.  Consider them as a topping to your cereal, oatmeal, or throw  a handful in your smoothie.   Frozen blackberries make a great snack and also work really well in a smoothie – especially if you have a powerful blender or a Vitamix.

Blueberries are another powerhouse; they pack an amazing amount of antioxidants and phytonutrients.  They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals like manganese.   Like blackberries, blueberries are great fresh or frozen, and are a nice addition to a healthy smoothie.  By all means try to obtain organic blueberries if possible since blueberries are especially prone to pesticide contamination.

Chia seeds are an amazing food and have been used for their nutritional benefit for centuries –  long before they became a fad or used on “pets” sold during the holidays!  Chia seeds are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids and a number of other minerals, especially calcium and phosphorus.   Easily incorporated into your diet by sprinkling on salad, cereal, yogurt, or stirred into juices and drinks.

Questions, comments, or want to find out more?   Leave me a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

 

Posted on

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.

Posted on

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.

 

 

 

Posted on

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!

Posted on

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!