We’re turning the corner out of Winter into Spring. Now’s the time to resurrect that New Year’s Resolution to lose weight and get fit. Set yourself up for success. Start today and write down everything you eat for the next 3 days. Knowledge is power. So much of time we do mindless munching and don’t realize how much we ate that day.
Let me know what your lists reveal.
Yours in health,
Mirabai
Fall into Winter is when many of us have trouble managing our weight.
The key elements of maintaining a proper weight are learning to control portion size, eating a balanced diet, getting in touch with your hunger and exercising on a regular basis. Though exercise has always helped to burn calories, lose body fat and keep muscle tone, exercise alone will not keep your weight in check. Eating only when you are truly hungry can help you stay on track. Many of us engage in emotional eating: we eat when bored, depressed angry or even happy. To curb this tendency we must reckon with our inner selves. This can be getting on a scale, putting on a pair of pants that used to fit, and writing down what we are putting into our mouths.
For me, maintaining my proper weight is a constant struggle but it is one I embrace and so can you. Remember, the real reason for food is to keep us alive and well.
Choosing healthful foods is integral to feeling good and possibly preventing diabetes, cancer and heart disease and numerous other health problems. Between fast food and vending machines, it’s often a challenge to eat basic foods that are not prepared or processed with too much salt, sugar and preservatives. Yet a wealth of fresh vegetables, fruits, dried beans, whole grains and nuts are available if you just know what to look for and make time to prepare nutritious meals.
As we age, our immune systems become more vulnerable – especially if we are recovering from illness. The food and agriculture industries are allowed by the FDA to use a multitude of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and even insect-based dyes to produce as much food as cheaply, and therefore profitably, as possible.
The movement toward organic foods and support for local farming in the U.S. has grown as more people become aware and concerned about the untested and unlabeled additives in our food supply. Although organic foods are often more expensive, the cost can be balanced by avoiding non-nutritious prepared foods – such as snack items, candy, sugary sodas and frozen meals – while choosing fresh produce, dried beans, whole grains and a limited amount of low fat dairy and lean meat and poultry.
Here is an important meal tip; eat a healthy breakfast. Why? Because it will give you energy to last through the morning so that you are not ravenous and prone to overeating at lunch. For the longest-lasting energy, balance three types of food in your breakfast: A serving of whole grains (a piece of whole wheat toast, a half-cup of oatmeal or a serving of whole-grain cereal per size listed on the package); two servings of fruits (which can include a glass of 100 percent juice) and a bit of low fat protein – such as yogurt, an egg, reduced-fat cheese, or skim milk on whole grain cereal. In calories and nutrition, it will beat a sugary, fatty pastry any day. Studies show that women who eat a healthy breakfast each day have an easier time maintaining a healthy weight.
Informative food-related web sites are:
Center for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org)
American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org)
USDA Food and Drug Administration (www.nutrition.gov)
Organic Consumers Association (www.organicconsumers.org)
Bone healthy eating? EEK! One more thing to worry about? What ever happened to “these are our golden years”?. Sounds like more bad news but it’s not. True, our bodies can lose up to 40% of their bone mass in the 10 years following menopause. And true, if we don’t do something we could easily end up with osteoporosis. But also true, the fix for this is both easy and delicious.
It’s important to get enough calcium, Vitamin D in your diet for our bone health. As we age bodies become less efficient at absorbing these nutrients.
Here are some recommendations.
If you’re 50 or over you should make sure you’re getting a total calcium intake of at least
1200 milligrams daily and a Vitamin D intake of at least 800 to 1000 units daily.
Here are some sources of dietary calcium:
So, yogurt with fruit, almonds and maybe even a little cereal sounds like lunch. So does a salad with sardines, and a little raw broccoli. How about a nice piece of fish with a smaller salad. You might try some cheese and fruit with a glass of fruit juice. OK, wine. You get the idea. Get your calcium from food and you don’t have to take supplements. But if you do, most people have a better time digesting calcium citrate than calcium carbonate, but they both work fine.
Sources of Vitamin D include:
By now you’re making up your own healthy bones recipes so I don’t have to suggest a Salmon, mackerel, milk, fruit juice and cereal smoothie do I?
But if you’re like most people and wear sun block and don’t get enough D in your diet you’ll need to take a supplement to get your 800-1000 units of Vitamin D.
Research suggests nutrients such as magesium, potassium, Vitamins A, K & C found in certain vegies and fruits may help foster better bones. It is recommended to eat about 12 ounces of fruit and 16 ounces of vegies daily.
Here is a list for your concoctions:
One bit of bad news is too much alcohol or caffine can add to bone loss; and soft drinks particularly colas that have both caffeine and phosphorous (bad for your bones) may be a double whammy.
So that’s my quickie eating for your bones report. Don’t try that smoothie; it’s nasty.
Mirabai Holland says "What a wonderful melon!"
Fitness=Longevity. We all know that. But a *scary new obesity study proves we’re ignoring the wakeup call. Why will there be a 33 % increase in obesity and a 130% in severe obesity in the next 20 years?
There’s an atmosphere of over indulgence created by the people who want to sell us stuff. More is better. Bigger is a sign of your success. It’s UPSCALE and we’re taking it quite literally. Hey I like stuff, but it’s gone too far. And it’s gotten uncomfortable.
Between the human cost in quality of life and the astronomical predictions for health care costs, a realistic approach to sustainable wellness has to be the next trend.
It’s like global warming. If we don’t do something about it, we’re done for.
The Institute of Medicine recognizes this cultural trend and has come up with some pretty stiff recommendations for government, corporations and individuals. They want to establish guidelines for healthy meals in schools, restaurants and public events. They want corporations to start marketing healthier food to children, and they want us all to exercise daily.
Exercise more, sure. Eat healthier, a no brainer but to actually find the sustainable way to keep doing it and then to instill the people you love around you to do it too goes much deeper.
Here are a couple of things you can start with. Fresh produce, organic if you can afford it. It can get pricey. Read labels. I remember going to the grocery store with my mom a few years before she died. She thought of herself as a gourmet but in the store,
I realized she never read labels. She ate stuff that had high sugar, fat and preservatives in it. I said “Hey Ma, take a look at this tomato sauce you just put in your cart”; it’s got a lot of sugar in it. Empty calories for what? Haven’t you noticed that when you eat stuff with sugar you just want more and more of it. Break the chain of craving. To her credit, she listened and changed about half the things she was eating. Better late than never!
Then there’s exercise.If you are going to exercise be active in a way that brings some joy into your life.
Find a few physical activities that you can do consistently. Just mix it up, walk with a friend and gossip, play a game, dance to music you like, and keep on doing it for the rest of your life.
*http://www.ajpmonline.org/webfiles/images/journals/amepre/AMEPRE_33853-stamped2.pdf
Last weekend I went hiking in Vermont and the Fall color was astonishing.
I went along for about two hours at a brisk pace enjoying the fresh air.
Much of my exercise is teaching fitness classes and creating new routines for exercise DVDs. So, it was refreshing to just free my mind, move my body and drink in all those trees dressed in red, yellow, orange mixed with green. Sometimes its good to mix up your exercise routine. I felt renewed.
When I finished my hike we went into a little country food market.
So cute with all those red and white checkered tabletops filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, homemade jams, honey, maple syrup and cider. I spotted a bottle that said “Fresh Apple Cider” thinking how fresh it would taste, this being apple season and all. I continued my walk and I’d gotten a considerable distance from the store when I decided it was time for swig of cider. As I was about to sip, I glanced at the ingredients label expecting to see APPLES. But instead it read
APPLES, and Potassium sorbate, a preservative.
I wanted to throw that cider against a wall!
I was thirty so I drank a little and whether it was in my mind or not, it seemed to taste not as fresh as I imagined it would. So the lesson here, is just because you are in an adorable country market, don’t take for granted that all the foods will be fresh and adorable too.
So caveat emptor: let the buyer beware!
I also filmed a brief vlog (video blog) post while I was there. Enjoy!
Great Tasting Honey
Champlain Valley Apiaries, Middlebury, Vermont has been producing high quality honey since 1931. Their honey is extracted from blossoms of clover and alfalfa and comes in crystallized and liquid form. Their crystallized honey retains all its vitamins, and nutrients because it is neither heated nor filtered. And the flavor is wonderfully light and delicate making it a perfect ingredient to use in cooking or to simple spread on a piece of whole grain toast. And I like the liquid in my cocoa.
For an extra health boost try Charles’ Royal Blend, a combination of crystallized honey, 10 grams Bee Pollen, and 10 grams of Royal Jelly.
Available online at www.champlainvalleyhoney.com
Deliciously Pure Handmade Jams & Preserves
Side Hill Farm, Brattleboro, Vermont produces all their jams & preserves with small batches of fruit, sugar and nothing else. There are no preservatives, pectin or other thickeners. There’s just enough sweetness so as not to camouflage the fresh taste of the fruit. It comes through strong and pure whether you put some into your yogurt or just eat it plain for a quick healthy treat. There are many wonderful flavors to tickle your palate. Wild Blueberry, Blackberry, Apricot Orange Marmalade, and Strawberry are available online at www.vermontmapleoutlet.com/specialtyfoods.htm.
For more exotic flavors like Mango Habanero, Hot Red Pepper or Cinnamon Pear call 1-802-254-2018.
Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks
200 Year Old Maple Syrup? Not exactly. But Morse Farms, Montpelier, Vermont has been making its Maple Syrup for 200 years. They are part of the reason why Vermont Maple Syrup is the standard by which all syrups are judged. “We think you can taste eight generations of experience in our products.” Their 100% pure Maple syrup is rich in calcium, potassium, B vitamins and niacin. It comes in 4 different grades of syrup from light to full body taste: Vermont Fancy Grade, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B. I dribble it on my cereal in the morning and use it in my baking.
Available online at www.morsefarm.com
Send YOUR favorites to askmirabai@movingfree.com