Embracing My Health

Who doesn’t love Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup?  I mean, what’s not to love?  Oh, wait, let’s read the label…

Ingredients:  High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Cocoa, Sugar, Potassium Sorbate – Preservative – 2% or Less, Salt – 2% or Less, Mono and Diglycerides – 2% or Less, Xanthan Gum – 2% or Less, Polysorbate 60 – 2% or Less, Vanillin – Artificial Flavor – 2% or Less

There is three different kinds of sugar in Hershey’s Syrup… the largest amount (as well as the #1 ingredient), high fructose corn syrup, being the absolute worst for you.  Most of us are learning just how bad high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) really is for us.  The word is getting out so much so that the Corn Refiners Association has started putting out advertisements trying to convince you that it is actually natural and good for you.

Don’t buy it.  These ads are akin to the tobacco ads of yore where a kindly and smiling doctor with a stethoscope around his neck advised you smoke a cigarette to reduce stress and improve your health.  Yeah, not so much.

HFCS is used because it is… cheap!  Food manufacturers like cheap because it improves their bottom line.  But, let’s be clear, it does not, will not, and cannot improve your, um, bottom.

There are lots of easy, quick,  and healthier chocolate syrup options out there for you.  Recipes like this one eliminate the HFCS, corn syrup and preservatives and still provide you with a tasty chocolate syrup… that’s cheaper than buying the Hershey’s brown bottle to boot.

And if you want to forgo the sugar but still have your syrup too… there are several raw chocolate syrup recipes out there that are delicious and dangerously close to being… *gasp*… good for you.  Here’s just one example of what I found: (more can be found searching for chocolate sauce recipes online)

The below recipe is sweetened with agave syrup.  Agave is wonderful because of its low-glycemic impact!  A great sweetener option!

Deep Dark Delicious Chocolate Sauce

2 T raw cacao powder, either ground from raw cacao nibs or purchased as powder (I like Nativas Naturals or Green & Black’s.)
2 T raw agave syrup
1/2 t coconut oil or other organic raw nut oil

Mix the agave syrup and the oil or water together.

Slowly whisk (do not use your blender) the raw cacao powder into the agave syrup mixture, mixing it in until well-blended into a smooth sauce. The amount suggested is a rough guideline. How much cacao powder you will ultimately use depends on the consistency you want.

(recipe source: AdventuresInRawFood.com)

Enjoy!!

Weight: 248
Height: 5′8″
BMI: 39

Measurements

Neck: 14.5
Bicep: 15.5
Forearm: 11.5
Chest: 48 (-1″)
Waist: 47 (-2″)
Hips: 50 (-1″)
Thigh: 28 (-.5″)
Calf: 18.5 (-.5″)

This numbers check-in is a good example of why you can’t just trust your scale as a measure of your progress. The scale shows me at the same weight as my July 26th check-in. However, and it’s a big however! I’ve lost inches! An accumulated total of 5 inches! That’s some progress!

I need to remind and encourage myself of that because I want to see the scale numbers drop and I want my self-portrait updates to inspire me. And it doesn’t. I’ll be honest, it takes some discipline and determination to post these photos. I’m embarrassed of my size. But my embarrassment is outweighed by my commitment to have this be a journey to optimal health and fitness. Every day, every number, every picture is a part of that journey.

So, I was spoiled by a very good breakfast this morning. Quinoa flakes with ground chia seeds, fresh blueberries, bananas, sprinkle of cinnamon and a drizzle of agave syrup and vanilla hempmilk. Sounds complicated as I type it out… but it was easy and yummy. Double bonus! – Amira loved hers too.

In all my reading, raw foods is something I haven’t delved into much. I’m just beginning to learn more about it’s benefits now. One of my breakfast recipes is perfect for raw diets though:

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• 4 cups rolled grains – my current blend has been 1 cup oats, 1 cup triticale, 1 cup wheat, and 1 cup rye. You can also use spelt, hulled buckwheat, hulled barley, etc. as well.
• 2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds – I grind them, but you can put them in whole if desired
• 1 cup raw, unsalted nuts – I use raw almonds. I use slivered almonds and chop them up a little further.
• 1 cup lecithin granules
• 1/2 cup flax seed – I grind them, again, you could use them whole
• 1/2-3/4 cup chia seeds, ground
• 1 cup milk thistle seeds – ground
• 1-2 cups dried fruit, I’ve used goji berries (whole or ground), dried cherries, apples, apricots, raisins, etc. – You can use whatever dried fruit appeals.

Mix, then store in the refrigerator.

TO SERVE: Soak in milk* for 15-30 minutes before eating. Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle with maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar.

(*You can use milk, soymilk, nutmilk, or water. We use hempmilk (a mixture of chocolate and vanilla flavors.)

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Paul & I both like this breakfast – it’s filling and leaves you feeling energized through the day. I need to come up with a grain combination that is gluten/wheat-free for Amira. I’ll have to experiment with that.

All in all, good day.

There’s a part of me that is convinced that I’m crazy to do another blog. And that said, I am certainly convinced that this is what I need to do. I wrote a few weeks back about doing the examen and how themes in everyday life can guide you. And the theme that has been there for me is ‘embracing my health‘. This isn’t a small topic – so it deserves it’s own blog.

This blog will follow my journey to optimal health, provide information, recommendations, resources and anything else that is helpful and encouraging to me on this journey (and my intention is that it will be for you too).

My commitment is to be honest even if and when I find it embarrassing. I’m going to share the ins and outs, ups and downs, the victories and the losses.

Ready? I am. Here we go.