Reader Question
Hi there! I've been enjoying your blog since you linked to it on facebook. :)
I eat pretty much the same thing for breakfast every day. I don't want to change it too much, because it was hard enough finding something that worked for me, but I'm curious if you'd have suggestions to make it healthier (other than reducing portion size, which I'm considering).
Here it is:
2 slices wheat toast
(Laura Scudder's) smooth peanut butter
1 banana, sliced
If I run out of bananas, I use frozen blueberries.
I typically drink a mug of coffee and lactose-free milk in approximately a 3:2 ratio. I'm sure I could easily transition back to tea.
Your thoughts?
Answer
Two suggestions: make sure your bread is 100% whole grain or whole wheat - that should be the first ingredient, and make sure it doesn't contain any hidden sugars. The very best bread is Ezekiel sprouted (or any sprouted brand) because the grains are not ground. Grinding actually starts the digestion process for you - not a good thing. Names of hidden sugars at the link below:
http://www.bukisa.com/articles/17509_a-list-of-hidden-sugars-beware
Second, bananas aren't a great choice - blueberries are much much better, as are any berries. Better fruits include the stone fruits such as peaches and plums, as well as citrus like oranges and grapefruit, but citrus probably wouldn't go that well with your breakfast combo. Bananas are very high in sugar and not that high in fiber for the nutrients they offer, plus they're shipped from super far away by companies that exploit the land and the people.
Nothing at all bad about that amount of coffee, or milk. Coffee is only an issue for most people with normal blood sugar once they get into the 18-20 oz or more per day category.
Have a good one and thank you for reading my blog!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Roasted Cauliflower with Turmeric and Cayenne
Right after I wrote the spice entry, I saw cauliflower on sale at Ralphs. I roasted it with turmeric, cumin, coriander and cayenne and added some garlic cloves for good measure. I used a mixture of avocado oil, grapeseed oil and olive oil for the high heat cooking method.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Spice Up Your Health - Cinnamon, Turmeric and Hot Pepper
Cinnamon has been in the news lately because some new studies on diabetic people are showing that it can help regulate blood sugar. I eat it every day in my two cups of coffee and on my yogurt. I also like it at holiday time baked along with apples or pears and walnuts or pecans. It has a whole slew of health benefits that you might not know about.
Turmeric is another personal favorite. I like it in an Indian curry mixture on chicken or turkey, white fish, and I really like it on roasted cauliflower. As you know (see Chipotle Turmeric Chicken post), it also pairs well with red hot spices like chipotle, ancho and cayenne. Turmeric has some really exciting antioxidant properties that appear to work against cancer. Not only that, the active ingredient, called curcumin, looks like it could suppress fat cell formation.
Cayenne, ancho, paprika, chipotle, etc. contain a substance called capsaicin. It is in all kinds of spicy peppers like Anaheim chiles, pepperoncini, jalapeno and banana peppers too. This one is exciting because it combines two of my pet topics - spicy food and fat loss. Among many other health benefits, capsaicin appears to elevate metabolism. What's good with hot pepper? Just about everything.
Please note I am not advocating using supplements from these spices. As always, we get our workout from whole foods. Why not make your food even more delicious and nutritious with spices?
Turmeric is another personal favorite. I like it in an Indian curry mixture on chicken or turkey, white fish, and I really like it on roasted cauliflower. As you know (see Chipotle Turmeric Chicken post), it also pairs well with red hot spices like chipotle, ancho and cayenne. Turmeric has some really exciting antioxidant properties that appear to work against cancer. Not only that, the active ingredient, called curcumin, looks like it could suppress fat cell formation.
Cayenne, ancho, paprika, chipotle, etc. contain a substance called capsaicin. It is in all kinds of spicy peppers like Anaheim chiles, pepperoncini, jalapeno and banana peppers too. This one is exciting because it combines two of my pet topics - spicy food and fat loss. Among many other health benefits, capsaicin appears to elevate metabolism. What's good with hot pepper? Just about everything.
Please note I am not advocating using supplements from these spices. As always, we get our workout from whole foods. Why not make your food even more delicious and nutritious with spices?
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Food Industry Hijinks ad infinitum
Colleen is really on her game this week. She sent along this article from MSN detailing some ways that the food industry tries to get us to eat more and more and more of their disgusting creations.
Omega-3 Fats
I read many articles and books about food, dieting and nutrition, and it can make my head spin. I'm fired up about so many different topics that it can be hard to decide what to include in this blog and hard to find the time to do so. But sometimes I come across an item that brings together several of the threads in my head, and this article from prevention.com is just one of those.
I first learned about the essential (must be acquired in the diet) fats in The Mind and Metabolism, the class that changed my life. They are quite important to my favored pet topics - fat loss and mental health.
Although I prefer to get my "workout" from foods as a rule, omega-3 supplements are an exception. I use and recommend Nordic Naturals.
I first learned about the essential (must be acquired in the diet) fats in The Mind and Metabolism, the class that changed my life. They are quite important to my favored pet topics - fat loss and mental health.
Although I prefer to get my "workout" from foods as a rule, omega-3 supplements are an exception. I use and recommend Nordic Naturals.
Why Counting Calories is a Waste of Time
Many people ask me how many calories they should eat, how many calories they should cut, and often make comments about the calories in what we're eating or drinking. It is common to hear that you should figure out how many calories you're eating, then subtract 500 per day to lose a pound per week. Funny how that never seems to happen to the poor soul who tries it. Dr. John Berardi has a great article about this very topic.
What is a calorie? It is the measurement of the "fuel or energy value of food," according to dictionary.com. How do we know how many calories are in foods? It isn't an exact science at all.
Many people don't understand that this energy value is a measurement outside the body. Once a calorie is in our systems, there are hundreds of variables that can make the calorie act in any given way, including its chances for being used as fuel or stored as fat. Those variables include our age, sex, body fat percentage, sleep deficit, stress level, and any combination of hormones and neurotransmitters that result from the sum total of our state of health and well-being.
Sound complicated? It is. In my humble opinion, we will never figure it out.
What exactly do you need to know if you want to lose fat? A few simple guidelines will help. First, get enough sleep, preferably while it is dark out. Second, find ways to manage your stress level, whether it is yoga, aromatherapy, kickboxing, or talking with a trusted friend - whatever works for you. Those two factors alone will help prevent cravings for the wrong calories.
What are the right calories? They're real food, not edible products, including lots and lots of plant foods (thanks, Michael Pollan). If you see something on an ingredient label that isn't a food, put it back. In fact, avoid foods with ingredient labels, with few exceptions such as natural nut butters with only nuts and salt, or yogurt with milk and cultures.
Every couple of days, fill your refrigerator with leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, all salad greens, bok choi, tatsoi, mustard greens, beet tops, etc. and eat them with every meal. Make sure you're getting your brassica vegetables every day, including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Several of the green leafy vegetables are also brassica.
Are there any other vegetables you like, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, celery, cucumber, radishes and many many others? Every few days, make sure they're accessible and prepared for eating to save time when you need it. A piece of fruit every day is a great idea. The best fruits to keep you on your fat-loss journey are berries of any kind, apples, grapefruit and oranges, and stone fruits such as peaches and plums. Avoid dried fruit because it concentrates sugars and often has sugar added.
Have a bit of meat or fish nearly every day. If you reduce portion sizes, you can save money on the good stuff: grass fed beef and bison, organic chicken, wild caught fish, cage free eggs, nitrate- and nitrate-free sausages or bacon. Read the labels on bacon - you'd be surprised at how many brands add sugar. Whole eggs are fast and delicious, and people like them at all times of day. Fish and seafood are quick, versatile, and a very satisfying food. More on this soon.
What is a calorie? It is the measurement of the "fuel or energy value of food," according to dictionary.com. How do we know how many calories are in foods? It isn't an exact science at all.
Many people don't understand that this energy value is a measurement outside the body. Once a calorie is in our systems, there are hundreds of variables that can make the calorie act in any given way, including its chances for being used as fuel or stored as fat. Those variables include our age, sex, body fat percentage, sleep deficit, stress level, and any combination of hormones and neurotransmitters that result from the sum total of our state of health and well-being.
Sound complicated? It is. In my humble opinion, we will never figure it out.
What exactly do you need to know if you want to lose fat? A few simple guidelines will help. First, get enough sleep, preferably while it is dark out. Second, find ways to manage your stress level, whether it is yoga, aromatherapy, kickboxing, or talking with a trusted friend - whatever works for you. Those two factors alone will help prevent cravings for the wrong calories.
What are the right calories? They're real food, not edible products, including lots and lots of plant foods (thanks, Michael Pollan). If you see something on an ingredient label that isn't a food, put it back. In fact, avoid foods with ingredient labels, with few exceptions such as natural nut butters with only nuts and salt, or yogurt with milk and cultures.
Every couple of days, fill your refrigerator with leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, all salad greens, bok choi, tatsoi, mustard greens, beet tops, etc. and eat them with every meal. Make sure you're getting your brassica vegetables every day, including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli. Several of the green leafy vegetables are also brassica.
Are there any other vegetables you like, such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, celery, cucumber, radishes and many many others? Every few days, make sure they're accessible and prepared for eating to save time when you need it. A piece of fruit every day is a great idea. The best fruits to keep you on your fat-loss journey are berries of any kind, apples, grapefruit and oranges, and stone fruits such as peaches and plums. Avoid dried fruit because it concentrates sugars and often has sugar added.
Have a bit of meat or fish nearly every day. If you reduce portion sizes, you can save money on the good stuff: grass fed beef and bison, organic chicken, wild caught fish, cage free eggs, nitrate- and nitrate-free sausages or bacon. Read the labels on bacon - you'd be surprised at how many brands add sugar. Whole eggs are fast and delicious, and people like them at all times of day. Fish and seafood are quick, versatile, and a very satisfying food. More on this soon.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
When to Have a Special Occasion Treat
Truly special occasions don't happen every month, especially if you're trying to lose fat. I generally don't have much of a hard time with alcohol and sweets anymore (clean cheesecake incident excepted), but I know that very many people do. My weakness has become large amounts of Pinconning mild cheddar cheese. It is only available in Michigan or by mail order, so I simply can't buy it. Just so you know I'm normal, ask me about the time I ate seven chocolate desserts for breakfast at the buffet at Paris Las Vegas.
I've developed some guidelines for special occasion eating. They're meant to help, not make you crazy. You don't have to follow all of them, but you'll be doing yourself a favor if you hit as many as you can. They are in no particular order.
1. Plan ahead and choose the treat. It should be one serving, not a whole treat extravaganza. That can be too hard to bounce back from. For instance, if you know you can't have just one slice of pizza, it might be better to go with a different treat. By the same token, a bowl of pasta with a glass of wine and slice of chocolate cake is about five treats.
2. Enjoy the treat with your family, friends and loved ones.
3. Eat or drink the treat very slowly.
4. Choose a homemade treat with the finest ingredients, or find a treat made by a master, like a famous pastry chef or pasta in a Batali restaurant. Don't just eat a Twinkie.
5. Plan your treat around your workout schedule so that treat time comes not too long after a workout.
6. Visualize your treat as a celebration, not a transgression. No beating yourself up. Help yourself by including lots of green vegetables in the next day's food plan.
I've developed some guidelines for special occasion eating. They're meant to help, not make you crazy. You don't have to follow all of them, but you'll be doing yourself a favor if you hit as many as you can. They are in no particular order.
1. Plan ahead and choose the treat. It should be one serving, not a whole treat extravaganza. That can be too hard to bounce back from. For instance, if you know you can't have just one slice of pizza, it might be better to go with a different treat. By the same token, a bowl of pasta with a glass of wine and slice of chocolate cake is about five treats.
2. Enjoy the treat with your family, friends and loved ones.
3. Eat or drink the treat very slowly.
4. Choose a homemade treat with the finest ingredients, or find a treat made by a master, like a famous pastry chef or pasta in a Batali restaurant. Don't just eat a Twinkie.
5. Plan your treat around your workout schedule so that treat time comes not too long after a workout.
6. Visualize your treat as a celebration, not a transgression. No beating yourself up. Help yourself by including lots of green vegetables in the next day's food plan.
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