Embracing My Health

On the Embracing My Health Facebook fanpage, I shared that I had chia cereal for breakfast. In reply, I got this comment: “Tell us more about chia cereal, and why you think it’s good.” So here you go, in a information dense, “cliff-notes” fasion — here’s what’s so good about chia:

Chia seeds are 21 percent easily digested protein which is greater than other grains such as oats (15.3%), amaranth (14.8%), wheat and corn (both at 14%), barley (9.2%) and rice (8.5%). Chia seeds are the only grain with 18 of the 20 amino acids, including the 8 essentials for humans. *Other plant sources that include the 8 essential amino acids, and therefore considered complete proteins, are quinoa (16.2%), buckwheat (12%), hempseed (23%), and amaranth (15%).

Chia seeds are a rich source of B vitamins, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper. One serving of chia seeds (2 tablespoons) gives a large amount of the recommended daily allowance of fiber, molybdenum, chromium, selenium and biotin. Chia is gluten free, high in fiber, supports low blood pressure while improving blood sugar control.

Chia is high in omega-3 essential fatty acids.

A few of the things I use chia for:

• a cereal, as well as adding it into other raw cereals
• adding to smoothies (as chia gel)
• as a fat and egg replacer

There are many, many other healthy ways to add it into your diet. I’ll share some of these for another post.

Follow-up post coming shortly – chia versus flax, is one better for you than the other?

Are you a sugar addict?

Do you eat a lot of bread, pasta, noodles, pastries, soda, fruit drinks, or candy on most days? Can you imagine not eating those foods for even a day? Does food help you feel better when you are down? If you are stressed or tired, what do you reach for? Cut vegetables and dip, or a box of cookies, a slice of cake, a thick piece of toasted sourdough bread? Do you promise yourself that you won’t eat any of “those” foods today and at the end of the day you realize you didn’t make it to lunchtime without breaking your promise? Do you get annoyed if someone suggests you are addicted to sugar? What foods do you obsess over? What do you crave? Do you feel crappy after eating sugary foods, but eat them anyway? Do you wake up in the middle of night on a regular basis – or are you able to sleep solidly through the night? Do you have energy crashes? Do you want to eat nutritious meals but haven’t found that it’s “worth it” to give up your favorite foods?

Historically, the medical industry has asserted that sugar is not addictive. More recent research however, is beginning to show otherwise. In fact there is a study showing that sugar is more addictive than cocaine! And we know anecdotally… sugar addiction definitely has legs. Next time, before you leave your next get together with friends and family, check out the buffet table. Chances are that the veggie tray is still at least half full, but the plates of cookies, cake pans, ice cream buckets and pie tins have been wiped out.

Why Does This Matter?

If you are overweight, we know sugar doesn’t help our cause. Sugar adds empty, nutritionless calories and more inches around our waste. Sugar comsumption increases insulin levels in our bodies. Increased insulin means that you can count on living with one or more conditions like premature aging, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol , heart disease and cancer. Being overweight, our risks are already high, but we are adding another couple bullets into the chamber in our game Russian Roulette by having a lifestyle filled with sugary foods.

Now, say you are right-weighted, pretty active and eat, in general, pretty good. Feeling a little more blase about avoiding sugar? Here are just a few things that sugar does to our bodies, overweight or not:

1. Suppresses the immune system, making us open to bacterial infections
2. Increases inflammation
3. Throws off the body’s ability to both absorb and maintain proper balance of essential minerals (i.e. calcium, magnesium, chromium, copper)
4. Creates hormonal imbalances
5. Creates mood, mental and behavior shifts such as depression, hyperactivity, anxiety, aggression, inability to concentrate or think clearly, drowsiness, etc.

Remember, this is only a partial list!

Inflammation

The impact of sugar on our bodies is pervasive. Let’s focus on one in particular, inflammation. Inflammation is a catch word flying through the medical research community. We are finding that inflammation in our bodies is the source of virtually all of our physical ails. Sugar feeds inflammation and inflammation is the catalyst and cause of nearly all degenerative diseases including allergies, asthma, Alzheimer’s cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, and osteoporosis. Degenerative disease are what most of us chalk up to “aging”… so yes, you are correct to associate sugar with premature aging on your health and your appearance.

Remove Excess Sugar and You Will Be Doing The Single-Most Important Thing to Improve Your Health

According to the World Health Organization, no more than 10% of our diet should come from added sweeteners. The USDA recommends 9% or less. If you use a formula that the USDA provides, take the example of a 2,000 calorie diet. That would amount to no more than 200 calories from sugar a day. That translates to about 50 grams. Many yogurts have 25-35 grams of sugar per serving, so you can see how easy it would be to hit that 50 gram mark pretty darn quickly. Removing excess sugar from your diet requires a lifestyle change. It’s not going to happen without choosing it and planning it.

Is It Worth It?

That’s a question you can only answer for yourself. I’ve been discovering that for me, it is. And, when I read the stories of those who’ve chosen to embrace their health, they are happy. Very happy. They are ecstatic that their bodies support them in accomplishing and doing what they want to do in life… in play, in relationships, in work, and in their dreams. Our physical health reaches beyond our bodies. It influences and impacts everything about who we are and how we spend our days. It’s that important.

After losing my tooth, I’ve found eating vegetables, especially raw vegetables like salads, is very uncomfortable and difficult. Other foods are a challenge too – but especially veggies. Given how critical vegetables are to my health, I’ve been getting my daily servings in the form of smoothies. I have a juicer which has been really helpful. I would love to get a VitaMixer some day – but for now, my old juicer will do me.

I’ve been tracking down green smoothie recipe combinations. I’m still in experimentation mode right now – but will share favorites with you as I find them. If you have any favorites, please do share!

A premade greens drink that I really like is The Ultimate Meal. In reality, it is more than just greens as it has pretty much anything and everything you could need in a single serving – hence their naming it “The Ultimate Meal”. I love it served with an apple and banana as they recommend… and I also like it with mango. I also add some cinnamon to taste. I’ve found cinnamon cuts some of the bitterness that can sometimes come with a greens smoothie. The health benefits of cinnamon are also excellent, so it just makes sense.

In each greens drink, I also make sure to include a small amount of a healthy fat. I’ve mentioned before, including a small amount of fat will allow your body to absorb all the potent nutrition in a greens smoothie.

And if you are doing a lot of greens smoothies, remember to chew. Yes, counterintuitive, I know. But don’t just swallow the drink straight down. Keep it in your mouth. Your saliva is an important part of proper digestion. Our saliva is mostly water but also contains enzymes, antibacterial compounds and electrolytes. Let your saliva mix in with everything you eat — don’t rush it. The salivary enzymes, such as lysozyme and ptyalin, begin the critical digestion process before the food you eat is even swallowed. There is a saying: “Drink the solid foods, and chew your liquid food…” It takes some attentiveness and practice, but it will improve your bodies ability to assimilate what you give it. That ability is the cornerstone to building a healthier body.

I happened across this site while searching for the nutritional information for the butter spread I used on the broccoli.

A similar idea to FitDay, http://www.thedailyplate.com/ is a free online calorie counter, food journal. What I dig about it is the wealth of nutritional information on the site. Super handy.

I’m cooking a pan of broccoli right now.  It brought to mind something that I think may feel counterintuitive to someone who might be thinking about losing weight.  To benefit from the nutrition packed benefits of vegetables like broccoli, you need to eat it with healthy fats.  It doesn’t need to be swimming in fat, but you do want to add healthy fats like extra virgin olive, flaxseed, nutseed, avocado and coconut oil.  Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is probably my favorite for cooking vegetables.  I love adding a 1/4 avocado to my salads too.  Yum!

In reality, you want to add healthy fats, in some form, to every meal.  Many of the vitamins that our body requires for optimal functioning are fat soluble.  In other words, they need fat to be absorbed properly.  If you are going to go through the work of eating these high quality, high nutrition foods filled with phytonutrients, antioxidants and critical vitamins… do yourself a favor and make sure your body is able to benefit from it!

When I think about my food choices, my number one goal is optimal nutrition. With that in mind, here is a general list of the foods I want to include and those I want to avoid. I’m choosing foods that reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation in our bodies, scientists are finding, is the cause of many, if not all of our ills. Inflammation has been tied to allergies, asthma, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. In the last few years, it’s become clear that inflammation is the enemy in our bodies to fight. If we want optimal health, eliminating and preventing inflammation is a key way to do it. (Good article on Conscious Choice on this topic)

Foods I will be avoiding:

• Grains: wheat/gluten
• Dairy: Cheese, eggs, milk (kefir and whey protein will be an exception)
• Fats: butter, shortening, margarine
• Protein: beef, soy, tofu, eggs
• Desserts: anything with sugar, HFCS/corn syrup
• Nuts: peanuts
• Vegetables: corn, potatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, tomatoes
• Drinks: alcohol, coffee, milk, soft drinks

Foods I will be including:

• Grains: rice, tapioca bread, teff, amaranth, quinoa
• Fats: cold-pressed oils including safflower, sesame, walnut, vegetable, coconut oil
• Protein: wild fish, legu8mes/beans, free-range/organic chicken
• Desserts: fresh fruits, desserts sweetened with natural sweeteners such as honey, molasses, maple syrup, Stevia, agave syrup
• Nuts: all nuts and seeds except peanuts and only in moderation
• Fruits: focusing on getting high nutrition powerfood fruits, and minimizing high glycemic fruits (like watermelon, cantaloupe, raisins)
• Vegetables: All veggies except those mentioned above — focus on getting leafy greens and powerfood vegetables.
• Drinks: water, non-caffeinated and herbal teas, hemp milk

Notice I’m saying foods to avoid and those I will encourage. I’m not pushing for perfection or 100% compliance to these food choices. I am pushing for a lifestyle shift, where the majority (say 90% or more) of my diet comes from anti-inflammatory foods. I’ll share my favorites foods as I go along. I already know a few that I already love and will be sharing.

Since my tooth trauma almost a month ago, and even before that, the fact that we are not covered by healthcare has been on my mind. And, if you’ve seen Sicko, you know even if you ARE covered by health insurance – it doesn’t mean all that much either (especially if you get really sick). Here in the US the only thing to do is be your own healthcare provider and provide yourself with PREVENTATIVE healthcare. For the most part, our doctors either don’t or aren’t equipped to have our best health interests at heart. I know for many it frustrates and angers them, but they are trapped in a system.

Now that I’m pushing forty, and have been feeling the effects of taking my own good health for granted… I know that’s not an option any more. I can’t foist the responsibility off on anyone or anything else. The buck stops here, as they say.

My goals are 1) to be fit enough to run, jump, and play with my daughter and be able to do whatever physical activity I want. If I want to learn to rock climb, I want to be able to do that. If I want to take a week long hiking trip through the Olympic Peninsula, I want to do that. If I want to run around the pond with my daughter at full speed, I want to do that! and 2) to eat food that brings health, healing and longevity to my body.

I think that sums it up without getting too complicated. I’ll be adding more details as we go along — but I think it covers everything in those two goals.

Keeping a diary of what you eat every day works. We are pretty unconscious creatures and even when we think we are aware of what we are doing, a lot slips our notice. Therein lies the value and importance of keeping a food journal.

I have used the PC version of FitDay for a couple years now. It’s handy and easy to use. They offer a free version online with a few less features, but still excellent. I’ve started an online version for this site – so you can click through anytime to see what foods I am eating each day and so on. Here’s the link. I’ve also placed a link to the journal on the right for future reference.