Pancakes on the table for breakfast, a whole chicken in the crock pot for dinner, breakfast dishes done, three of the three off to school, a blank calendar this afternoon, and yoga in about 40 minutes. Mornings like this, when things fall into place without chaos or confrontation, come few and far between in our home but the span is getting shorter as we move deeper into our evolution toward eudaimonia.
Eudaimonia? A great word to research and investigate, for sure, but for short it means 'human flourishing'. Physical wellness. Financial wellness. Spiritual wellness. Holistic Wellness. Well. The human body is much like a well; everything that comes in contact with it contaminates or cleanses the entire being. Eudaimonia is a state in which a being is able to appreciate, assimilate or convert all things it comes in contact with into nourishment, positive energy and practical wisdom. A desirable state indeed.
Our evolution started with simple, conscious changes. Drinking water in the morning to rehydrate the body and allow the cells to breathe. Eliminating breakfast cereals was the next step; an exchange of unidentifiable ingredients for oats, eggs, whole wheat pancakes and whole grain breads. Exercise was next. Less time watching others participate in life on the television and more time actually participating in life. Down-hilll skiing, mountain and road biking, 5 and 10k organized running, yoga, hiking, and conscious cooking. We have also learned to encourage our children to run, to jump, to play, to laugh, to ski and to do it along with them more and more. Today we are on change number 721, at least.
Change happens over time, not over night. At times when I feel my evolution has taken a vacation I preform an evaluation of progress (yesterday was one of those days). Evaluation is born of the beautiful word 'value', cousin to valuable. I am valuable. My husband, my children, our finances, our home, and our wellness is valuable, as is our progress toward eudaimonia. I encourage you all to evaluate how healthy your well is. You will most certainly find positive change among the mistakes and progress among the set backs; appreciate yourself for all of your movement in the right direction.
Then celebrate. Make a beautiful meal of real, naturally occurring food, wash in the goodness with water, give your vitamins their vitamins and, as always, remember to wash your hands. Be glad in it, reader, for you choose your evolution!
Anna~
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Nourishing Ideas!
There are only 14 days left in the shopping season. Everything must be wrapped and boxed, bowed and labeled for Christmas morning and I am sure there are people left on your list. You may consider buying them a great basket of food, which I do very often and lovingly, but if you are looking for something a little more clever than bread and butter or a copy-cat idea from wally-world, you may want to look to a couple of my favorite people for gifts.
Eve of Joy is a new home-based business created by my sister-in-law and brother (with three kids in tow). Kelly repurposes silver plated flatware into garden markers, wind chimes, stamped service sets, fun cereal or coffee spoons, and many other applications. You can find her on Etsy under the shop name Eve of Joy. Kelly also is a very creative
photographer and has a photo shop on etsy as well. Start at EoJ and her photo shop link is available there.
My mother, a very talented crochet-er has recently opened her own etsy store. She does not have packed shelves but what she does have available is priceless; her store name is Bobbindell. Scarves, blankets, foot-ball buntings (you'll see) and throws are her favorite things to crochet, but she also makes shawls, wash cloths, trivets, hats... well, if you don't see it on her Bobbindell shelves just message her what you desire... she can crochet anything with masterful hands (some requests just may take longer!)
Christmas gifts can also be a craft made at your table. Ornaments are a great afternoon activity that can add joy to any tree or party and they are very welcome this time of year. The kids and I just made fun clothespin reindeer for gifts (and for ourselves) and the activity delivered a lasting memory for us to share for years to come. If reindeer aren't your thing, maybe snowmen are a better fit.
Whether you are crafty or not, gifts can come in all shapes and repurposed sizes; they do not have to come from a big-box store or have a lofty price tag to matter. While you finish your Christmas list, eat real, delicious, naturally occurring foods, wash them in with water, give your vitamins their vitamins and remember to wash your hands. I hope this holiday season nourishes your body and spirit in ways that food cannot. Enjoy~
Anna
Eve of Joy is a new home-based business created by my sister-in-law and brother (with three kids in tow). Kelly repurposes silver plated flatware into garden markers, wind chimes, stamped service sets, fun cereal or coffee spoons, and many other applications. You can find her on Etsy under the shop name Eve of Joy. Kelly also is a very creative photographer and has a photo shop on etsy as well. Start at EoJ and her photo shop link is available there.
My mother, a very talented crochet-er has recently opened her own etsy store. She does not have packed shelves but what she does have available is priceless; her store name is Bobbindell. Scarves, blankets, foot-ball buntings (you'll see) and throws are her favorite things to crochet, but she also makes shawls, wash cloths, trivets, hats... well, if you don't see it on her Bobbindell shelves just message her what you desire... she can crochet anything with masterful hands (some requests just may take longer!)Christmas gifts can also be a craft made at your table. Ornaments are a great afternoon activity that can add joy to any tree or party and they are very welcome this time of year. The kids and I just made fun clothespin reindeer for gifts (and for ourselves) and the activity delivered a lasting memory for us to share for years to come. If reindeer aren't your thing, maybe snowmen are a better fit.Whether you are crafty or not, gifts can come in all shapes and repurposed sizes; they do not have to come from a big-box store or have a lofty price tag to matter. While you finish your Christmas list, eat real, delicious, naturally occurring foods, wash them in with water, give your vitamins their vitamins and remember to wash your hands. I hope this holiday season nourishes your body and spirit in ways that food cannot. Enjoy~Anna
Thursday, December 5, 2013
This Simple Phrase
Christmas Cookies. Home made fudge. Candied yams. Pumpkin pie. Ambrosia. Decadent sweets beautifully and deliciously offered in addition to large meals representative of sharing the year end feast. Holiday traditions vary from home to home, as do financial means to deliver an ample feast to the table, but if we look at the hem in the table cloth we can find a common thread between us all; indulgence.
Indulgence is not a four letter word. The Christmas season brings food to the table that may only be eaten once or twice a year. There is nothing you can do to avoid the spread of sweats and savories created to share, so don't restrict yourself to the celery plate. Eat. Share the food and the experience. Bake with your kids. Make your grandmother's recipes with your sister. Relax your 'I'm only going to have one bite' mentality and allow yourself some flexibility.
To get through the holiday feast and still be able to get through the door, there are many, many things you can do that don't require a gym membership. The most important tool you can use is your body. Listen to the cues. When you slow down, chew your food well, and allow time for your stomach to send messages to your brain, you will find you eat well ... but less. Eating when your body says you're hungry and stopping when you're full can save you indigestion, bloating, constipation, cramping, lethargy, regret and mental upset from 'over doing it'. Take your time this holiday season and listen to what your body has to say.
Several more tricks and tips can help your body digest the feast. Drink hydrating fluids. Alcohol actually diminishes your body's ability to digest fat so it stores it away to deal with later. Try lemon water, warm mint tea or club soda instead. Also, add raw veggies to the feast. A broccoli and red cabbage salad with walnuts can add essential nutrients and fiber to your plate to help move the rest of the meal through your system. Bring something green or raw or fresh to all of your holiday pot lucks so you know you always have a healthy choice. And, before you hit the party, take in a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Better yet, get moving after dinner! Dance! Laugh! Play charades at the party you're hosting and you'll meet both wickets.
More tomorrow on mindful eating and enjoyable feasting, but for now I encourage you to eat real food. Wash in the goodness with plenty of water. Don't forget to give your vitamins their vitamins and, as always, remember to wash your hands. My sister enveloped my thoughts with this simple phrase, "Be clean inside and out." (Thank you, Kelly~)
Anna~
Indulgence is not a four letter word. The Christmas season brings food to the table that may only be eaten once or twice a year. There is nothing you can do to avoid the spread of sweats and savories created to share, so don't restrict yourself to the celery plate. Eat. Share the food and the experience. Bake with your kids. Make your grandmother's recipes with your sister. Relax your 'I'm only going to have one bite' mentality and allow yourself some flexibility.
To get through the holiday feast and still be able to get through the door, there are many, many things you can do that don't require a gym membership. The most important tool you can use is your body. Listen to the cues. When you slow down, chew your food well, and allow time for your stomach to send messages to your brain, you will find you eat well ... but less. Eating when your body says you're hungry and stopping when you're full can save you indigestion, bloating, constipation, cramping, lethargy, regret and mental upset from 'over doing it'. Take your time this holiday season and listen to what your body has to say.
Several more tricks and tips can help your body digest the feast. Drink hydrating fluids. Alcohol actually diminishes your body's ability to digest fat so it stores it away to deal with later. Try lemon water, warm mint tea or club soda instead. Also, add raw veggies to the feast. A broccoli and red cabbage salad with walnuts can add essential nutrients and fiber to your plate to help move the rest of the meal through your system. Bring something green or raw or fresh to all of your holiday pot lucks so you know you always have a healthy choice. And, before you hit the party, take in a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Better yet, get moving after dinner! Dance! Laugh! Play charades at the party you're hosting and you'll meet both wickets.
More tomorrow on mindful eating and enjoyable feasting, but for now I encourage you to eat real food. Wash in the goodness with plenty of water. Don't forget to give your vitamins their vitamins and, as always, remember to wash your hands. My sister enveloped my thoughts with this simple phrase, "Be clean inside and out." (Thank you, Kelly~)
Anna~
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Cravings Never Cease~
Eating a well balanced diet is a very diverse and flavorful adventure. We are all on a diet, whether it's restrictive, plant based, meat packed, McDonald's infused or a combination of the lot. A diet can work for you by delivering ample nutrients, a variety of flavors and textures, and excitement for for tastebuds, or a diet can make you feel deprived, frustrated and hungry. Reader, if you are feeling deprived and frustrated so you can reach another notch on your belt, jump off the train at the next exit and begin anew (your cravings will eventually derail the train anyway).
Cravings are the directors of our tastebuds. In the gut there are millions of bacteria (good and bad) that help digest our food. The type of bacteria present depends largely on the choice of food delivered to the body. There is direct correlation between the bacteria we house and the foods we crave because our bacteria conduct many of our cravings. If many starchy, sugary, processed foods are the bulk of a diet, sugar-eating bacteria, fungi and parasites signal when supplies are low - and the cycle continues. Undoing the cycle is easy, though it takes a plan. Add whole foods, add cleansing herbs and spices, add good pro- and pre-biotics, add water and tea, add a bit of exercise and feel your cravings change.
Cravings also exist when nutrients are deficient. I had an interesting conversation about this with my brother-in-law Paul; hunger is in fact not the only reason we crave food. Hunger signals a need for fuel, true, but cravings are separate from hunger. Cravings are a signal sent to the brain with a direct food in mind: spinach, chocolate, sugar, starch, mint, tomatoes, even allergens. A craving is meant to satisfy a chemical process within the body or brain by feeding in a specific deficient nutrient, acid, or fat. Fantastically enough, you have the power to satisfy those cravings with healthful foods instead of unworthy participants.
There are several ways to cope with cravings, all of which include eating. Yes, eating. In fact, if you take foods off the list of things you 'can' eat, the result will certainly lead to more or stronger cravings (again, we are back to addition). Add something sweet, something salty, something green, something white, something rich and something spicy to your day and see how you feel after the day is done. Write down how you feel. Write down the foods you ate. Write down the outcome of diversifying your diet. Make no mistake, reader. I am not suggesting you indulge in a glazed donut, a salted carmel donut, a green monster donut, a cream cheese frosted donut, a Big Mac, and a cinnamon donut --- I am suggesting you use whole foods to satisfy your cravings categorically and in response to your body without the words, "I can't eat that," on your lips.
Start today. Find real foods that satisfy your cravings. Eat them with consideration and enjoyment. Eat often with a tall glass of water or a warm cup of tea. Give your vitamins their vitamins and watch your cravings move from mischievous to manageable. And because your hands go on your food and your food goes in your mouth, wash your hands of bacteria that can cause you harm; it'll do your body good!
Anna~
Cravings are the directors of our tastebuds. In the gut there are millions of bacteria (good and bad) that help digest our food. The type of bacteria present depends largely on the choice of food delivered to the body. There is direct correlation between the bacteria we house and the foods we crave because our bacteria conduct many of our cravings. If many starchy, sugary, processed foods are the bulk of a diet, sugar-eating bacteria, fungi and parasites signal when supplies are low - and the cycle continues. Undoing the cycle is easy, though it takes a plan. Add whole foods, add cleansing herbs and spices, add good pro- and pre-biotics, add water and tea, add a bit of exercise and feel your cravings change.
Cravings also exist when nutrients are deficient. I had an interesting conversation about this with my brother-in-law Paul; hunger is in fact not the only reason we crave food. Hunger signals a need for fuel, true, but cravings are separate from hunger. Cravings are a signal sent to the brain with a direct food in mind: spinach, chocolate, sugar, starch, mint, tomatoes, even allergens. A craving is meant to satisfy a chemical process within the body or brain by feeding in a specific deficient nutrient, acid, or fat. Fantastically enough, you have the power to satisfy those cravings with healthful foods instead of unworthy participants.
There are several ways to cope with cravings, all of which include eating. Yes, eating. In fact, if you take foods off the list of things you 'can' eat, the result will certainly lead to more or stronger cravings (again, we are back to addition). Add something sweet, something salty, something green, something white, something rich and something spicy to your day and see how you feel after the day is done. Write down how you feel. Write down the foods you ate. Write down the outcome of diversifying your diet. Make no mistake, reader. I am not suggesting you indulge in a glazed donut, a salted carmel donut, a green monster donut, a cream cheese frosted donut, a Big Mac, and a cinnamon donut --- I am suggesting you use whole foods to satisfy your cravings categorically and in response to your body without the words, "I can't eat that," on your lips.
Start today. Find real foods that satisfy your cravings. Eat them with consideration and enjoyment. Eat often with a tall glass of water or a warm cup of tea. Give your vitamins their vitamins and watch your cravings move from mischievous to manageable. And because your hands go on your food and your food goes in your mouth, wash your hands of bacteria that can cause you harm; it'll do your body good!
Anna~
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
5 Underestimated Super Foods
A few weeks ago I touched on typical Western diet staples: pasta in the pantry, butter in the fridge, flour in the canister, oranges in the 'other' drawer. Staples make up large portions of prepared meals while main ingredients change; instead of chicken it's beef, instead of pork it's fish, instead of salad it's sauce. As the food on the table are given a value, each food typically fills one or two main nutritional requirements- that valuation process is how the many variations of the very flawed food pyramid came to balance the American diet for us. To reach optimal nutrient intake with typical American foods, too much of the wrong foods need to be consumed.
Some foods, coined 'super foods', pack a greater all-around punch to the nutrients the body uses in abundance. Some of these super foods may even be on your table but you may have underestimated their value. The first of which is broccoli - one of the worlds healthiest foods! Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, calcium, protein, tryptophan, etc. Steamed or raw broccoli supports vitamin D, K and A in balance, can help manage allergies, and can help lower cholesterol in the blood. Add some to your dinner tonight!
Another underestimated super food is spinach! This little leaf is full of phytonutrients, vitamin K, calcium, glycoglycerolipids, and a potent list of vital vitamins and minerals. Eating spinach raw in a salad or wilted in a soup or even dip can boost your immune system, balance your nutrients, and fight off fatigue. Spinach is not just 'good for you', it's a super food!
An unlikely super food duo, so you may think, is the avocado and the garlic bulb. (Guacamole anyone?) Avocados have been spread upon the news lately for their 'good fats' and their 'healthy oils' but avocados offer much more than that. Fiber, potassium, vitamins C, B and K, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFA's) and carotenoids. Pair it with garlic, another superfood often only looked at as a spice, and you have a powerhouse blend. The combined benefits of avocados and garlic will go straight to your heart!
Fifth in today's superfood list is Celery, an appropriate food for this time of year. "In addition to well-known antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids, scientists have now identified at least a dozen other types of antioxidant nutrients in celery" WHFoods.com. Chop it up, stick it up, slice it up, snack it up, but don't underestimate it's ability to boost you up!
Eat real food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins, and remember to wash your hands~
Anna~
Some foods, coined 'super foods', pack a greater all-around punch to the nutrients the body uses in abundance. Some of these super foods may even be on your table but you may have underestimated their value. The first of which is broccoli - one of the worlds healthiest foods! Vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, calcium, protein, tryptophan, etc. Steamed or raw broccoli supports vitamin D, K and A in balance, can help manage allergies, and can help lower cholesterol in the blood. Add some to your dinner tonight!
Another underestimated super food is spinach! This little leaf is full of phytonutrients, vitamin K, calcium, glycoglycerolipids, and a potent list of vital vitamins and minerals. Eating spinach raw in a salad or wilted in a soup or even dip can boost your immune system, balance your nutrients, and fight off fatigue. Spinach is not just 'good for you', it's a super food!
An unlikely super food duo, so you may think, is the avocado and the garlic bulb. (Guacamole anyone?) Avocados have been spread upon the news lately for their 'good fats' and their 'healthy oils' but avocados offer much more than that. Fiber, potassium, vitamins C, B and K, monounsaturated fatty acids, polyhydroxylated fatty alcohols (PFA's) and carotenoids. Pair it with garlic, another superfood often only looked at as a spice, and you have a powerhouse blend. The combined benefits of avocados and garlic will go straight to your heart!
Fifth in today's superfood list is Celery, an appropriate food for this time of year. "In addition to well-known antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids, scientists have now identified at least a dozen other types of antioxidant nutrients in celery" WHFoods.com. Chop it up, stick it up, slice it up, snack it up, but don't underestimate it's ability to boost you up!
Eat real food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins, and remember to wash your hands~
Anna~
Monday, December 2, 2013
Give your Vitamins their Vitamins!
At the bottom of every post I offer some very simple advice: eat real food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins, and remember to wash your hands. Offering advice and following advice are two very different animals. Even I, the knower of many food-y, nutritional things, have trouble following simple, sound, sensical advice even though I know why I should. I, just like all of you, only try to make today healthier than yesterday. So, today I would like us all to take our vitamins!
No. I don't mean wander out to Walmart to find cheaply made and nutritionally defunct vitamins in pill form. Our bodies need dozens of vitamins and minerals to assist the vitamins we already make and to replace the vitamins our bodies continually use up. Hormones, gastric juices, connective tissues, hair, teeth, gums, skin, and everything in between is made up or supported by the vitamins we eat. If we loaded up the cart at wally world with all of the nutrients our bodies need we would be swallowing pills all day long~ multivitamins are none the wiser.
So how, then, do your give your vitamins their vitamins? This may sound redundant, but the answer lives in real food! The key is diversity and the clutch is we actually have to eat it. Looking at great spinach recipes online for food inspiration is a fantastic way to diversify your diet, but if instead of spinach leaves wilted in clean, steamy water you use frozen spinach, thawed and drained, you are depleting the recipe of it's vitality. Don't care for spinach? Find foods that sound good to you and eat them~ but stick to the real version instead of the imitation, processed, fortified variety.
Why not fortified foods? Fortification of food happens after a real food ingredient has been processed or heated in a way that diminishes its original nutrients. The vitamins and minerals that are added back to the food are in lesser amounts, and typically of a man made or synthetic variety. Vitamins are not regulated so if you are depending on a manufacturing company - that processes food in order to make a large profit and gain repeat customers - to ensure you are getting your vitamins, you will get less than you bargained for.
We all eat. More importantly, we all eat differently. Finding vitamins amongst the vast food markets we have at our fingertips is greatly more flavorful than fish oil capsules and vitamin tabs from manufacturers. My advice? Write down what you eat for a few days so you may easily identify which vitamins are in abundance and which are missing. Find whole food recipes that supply those vitamins and follow the directions. Remember to wash them in with water and, as always, remember to wash your hands.
Good advice?
Anna~
No. I don't mean wander out to Walmart to find cheaply made and nutritionally defunct vitamins in pill form. Our bodies need dozens of vitamins and minerals to assist the vitamins we already make and to replace the vitamins our bodies continually use up. Hormones, gastric juices, connective tissues, hair, teeth, gums, skin, and everything in between is made up or supported by the vitamins we eat. If we loaded up the cart at wally world with all of the nutrients our bodies need we would be swallowing pills all day long~ multivitamins are none the wiser.
So how, then, do your give your vitamins their vitamins? This may sound redundant, but the answer lives in real food! The key is diversity and the clutch is we actually have to eat it. Looking at great spinach recipes online for food inspiration is a fantastic way to diversify your diet, but if instead of spinach leaves wilted in clean, steamy water you use frozen spinach, thawed and drained, you are depleting the recipe of it's vitality. Don't care for spinach? Find foods that sound good to you and eat them~ but stick to the real version instead of the imitation, processed, fortified variety.
Why not fortified foods? Fortification of food happens after a real food ingredient has been processed or heated in a way that diminishes its original nutrients. The vitamins and minerals that are added back to the food are in lesser amounts, and typically of a man made or synthetic variety. Vitamins are not regulated so if you are depending on a manufacturing company - that processes food in order to make a large profit and gain repeat customers - to ensure you are getting your vitamins, you will get less than you bargained for.
We all eat. More importantly, we all eat differently. Finding vitamins amongst the vast food markets we have at our fingertips is greatly more flavorful than fish oil capsules and vitamin tabs from manufacturers. My advice? Write down what you eat for a few days so you may easily identify which vitamins are in abundance and which are missing. Find whole food recipes that supply those vitamins and follow the directions. Remember to wash them in with water and, as always, remember to wash your hands.
Good advice?
Anna~
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