Assembling Your Elephant: "It Looks Like a Fan!"

Julie Andrews is ringing in my ears right now. "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with string." Today I ask, 'What are a few of your favorite things?' Identifying what you are a Fan of is the next piece of the Elephant.

Be a fan of your food: Thirteen essential vitamins exist in nature and are required by the human body; they are are essential because they cannot be made within the body and are needed for immune function, growth, hormone production, digestion, cellular respiration and many other secret activities that take place under the skin. Getting those vitamins out of nature and into your body is key. Salads, for sure, are easy go-to assemblies of vitamins and minerals, but if you don't like the garden variety salad, it's probably not on your menu. Take a moment and think about vitamin packed foods you not only like, but will actually eat. Simplify your grocery list by purchasing fan favorites and then... eat them. (An incomplete list of Nutrient Dense foods can be found here.)

Be a fan of your movement: Interest in exercise in individual. While I like to run, my son likes to rollerblade. While Cadence likes to pedal her way around the world, Kendra likes to chase a soccer ball. While my husband is swimming and biking and running to the base and beyond, I am gardening, cleaning and walking beside the dog(s). We all know we need to move around in order to create and expend energy; it's time to stop waiting for Monday and decide what type of exercise you are a fan of. And then... go do it! Don't worry about all of the days you didn't do it, just seize the moment and work it out!

Be a fan of your work: My job is not a singular one. I am a mother. Wife. Health Coach. Teacher Assistant. Student. Friend. Family Traveler. Wine enthusiast. Just like you, I have many things I work at on a daily basis; things I have chosen and that I love to nurture (me, kids, gardens, etc.). There are also things I am not a fan of. Instead of dwelling on things I dislike (dirty toilets, bills, the post office), I have identified what I love and have willingly focused the bulk of my energy on those things. Now is the time for you, dear reader, to decide if you are a fan of your work! If you are not, ask, "What am I a fan of?" and then... be it!

Be a Fan of Your Elephant:  Dear reader, you have followed me along this path of Assembling Your Elephant with dedication and interest, and I thank you.  So far I've rambled on about walls, snakes, trees, spears and fans, and hope you have taken something away that has helped you assemble your elephant.  My final post in this series will be Wednesday.  Before then, please send me a picture (literary articulate description or photo) of your elephant.  I would love to include reader photos and comments, with your permission of course, in the final post.

While you craft or photoshop, eat real food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins and, as always, remember to wash your hands.  

Anna~

Comment or send your thoughts and photos to anna@infiveparagraphsorless.com.  Thanks!

A Balance of Vegetables and Common Sense

Friday; the day of the week following Thursday falling before Saturday. (I love literal definitions of words.) On Thursday I clean, on Friday I plan, on the weekend I play... Today, sitting in a tidy living room, I planned the next seven days of food.  Here's what is on our menu:

Chicken Caesar Wraps with Grapes.     
Hamburgers and Dogs with Pasta Salad
Basil Chicken over Rice with Broccoli 
Ham with Roast Potatoes, Asparagus and Burst Tomatoes
Fried Chicken with Corn, Peas, Slaw and Baked Beans
Beef Roast and Tomatoes with Carrots over Rice
Corn Chowder with Crisp Romaine Green Leafy Salad

The kids entertained me this morning with their requests and I listened to every word.  "Fried Chicken?  Sure, but you have to choose something healthy to go with it."
"Baked Beans?  Yes, but I am going to make them; we aren't eating them from a tin can."
"Corn Chowder?  Okay, but choose a veggie to eat along side so it's not so heavy," to which I got the reply, "How about we use up the caesar salad from the wraps?"  Smart kids.  Each menu selection was balanced with vegetables and common sense; a delicious combination.

There's a theory out there that eating food should be an enjoyable experience.  I love that theory~

Eat real food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins and, as always, remember to wash your hands, especially after you eat fried chicken. ;)

A Hodge-Podge and a Patchwork Quilt

I signed up for a 1/2 marathon.  I have ran 6 miles in the last two days on my way to training for October's event; six miles that took me over 70 minutes to cover.  My legs aren't terribly sore, my ego isn't terribly bruised, my goal isn't terribly scary, but my tummy is terribly hungry. I would love to dive to the bottom of a bag of chips or into the bucket of ice-cream, but I know that if I eat well first, I can enjoy a taste of the desired second.

My diet is a hodgepodge of dietary theories.  I don't hunt or gather, but I eat more paleo than not.  I drink coffee like a European, although I have recently switched to decaf.  I love fish and potatoes like my ancestors, but I eat them rarely and often fried.  I love juices and smoothies like a Californian, but my distaste for waste keeps that to a minimum.  I agree with eating right for my blood type, I like good carbs and good protein, I agree with clean eating and whole foods, but still, I put sugar in my coffee.  I believe I have successfully blurred the lines of at least a dozen dietary platforms and merged them together like a patchwork quilt.

During my studies I have picked up a few gems.  From Ayurveda, balance what I eat with who I am; from Joshua Rosenthal, invest more in primary foods and enjoy better quality secondary foods;  and my favorite, from Dr. Barry Sears, "Protein walks around, Carbs grow from the ground."  I have learned to thoughtfully choose foods that fit within those categories because I can anticipate how my body and mind will feel when and after I do.

By doing this I have learned that I can have a lotta bit of this and a little bit of that while thriving in good health.  A girlfriend of mine recently reminded me that no one's health is perfect.  While my own health lacks perfection, it produces energy, satiation, satisfaction, flavor, and joy.  I have learned I can enjoy what I eat and enjoy what I shouldn't all in good balance and thoughtfulness.  That, dear reader, is the recipe I wish for you all to find.

Begin with real food, drink plenty of water, and give your vitamins their vitamins.  Wash your hands of the things you can't have and instead enjoy them in tasteful portions after you eat real, whole, naturally occurring food.  You don't need a recipe to eat a carrot just as you don't need an excuse to eat ice-cream.

Anna~

CRAP? No. FOOD? Yes!

Lunch has always been a slight point of contention around here.  Three kids packing their lunch at 6:30 in the morning while I am cleaning up breakfast dishes and Scott is trying to make eggs hasn't been working for awhile.  So we have been gradually reorganizing the process of packing lunch.  Along with that, we have been dividing kitchen chores as elementary as possible.   All in all, I think we have made about 5 essential changes to make our kitchen run without a hitch in the 'giddy-up!"

1.  Eat family style meals together and at the same times everyday.  Easy, right?  Not in our house.  Making an effort to eat a 6:20am, 11:30am, and 5:30ish in the evening takes a coordinated effort, for sure, but the benefits of doing so are life changing!  Hunger rhythms and blood sugars regulate, family hunger patterns and moods coordinate, meal preparation is predictable, and more is shared than meals.  

2.  Empty the dishwasher at the same time every day.  My in-laws empty theirs first thing in the morning, I empty mine just before dinner, my parents empty theirs after breakfast.  Utilizing the dishwasher relieves the kitchen of clutter making meal prep and clean up a much simpler, more concise act.  

3.  Assign chores to make coming to the table less complex.  At meal time, one kid pours the drinks, one kid sets the table, one kid puts the dog in the kennel (almost) like clock work.  After meal time one kid clears the table, one kid stores leftovers and one kid loads the dishwasher.  Breaking apart multi-step chores gets everyone involved and relieves the cook of multiple tasks as the roast is coming out of the oven or the pots are being diligently scrubbed.  

4.  Pack lunch after dinner.  We have recently adopted the brilliant idea of dividing the leftovers into lunch sized containers immediately following dinner.  Everything gets plunked in the fridge, sticky- noted, and paired with a fruit; morning lunch prep is reduced to filling a water bottle with fresh water and grabbing something crunchy for a snack.  (Plunk is also one of my favorite words.)

5.  Make the available foods 'Yes" foods.  Almonds?  Yes!  Goldfish?  No.  Clementines?  Yes!  Cheese Doodles?  No.  Apples and Peanut Butter?  Yes!  Doritos and Mountain Dew?  No.  High sugar, highly processed foods cause mood swings, hunger roller-coasters, and addicted tastebuds.  Get rid of the C.R.A.P. and get real F.O.O.D.  

You know what to do~

Anna~

Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes!

Preparing dinner nightly is something I truly love.  Our kitchen is separate from the rest of the house, allowing me some time for creation, quite, and a glass of red while I assemble a meal meant to nourish those at our table.  This last 12 days have tried my culinary abilities due to the fact that an elimination diet has outlined our dinner ingredients.  More than resetting the system and allowing for good elimination, an elimination diet calms inflammation throughout the body allowing the body to function, heal, and metabolize properly.

To explain, an elimination diet removes dairy, gluten, soy, eggs and corn, as well as stimulants, sugar, and meats, fruits and vegetables that can cause inflammation within the body.  We mostly followed the below chart for 7 days:

my-clean-diet-experiment

Scott has allergies to many of the foods on the 'can eat' side of the diet, but he willfully refrained from most of the restricted foods.  Because he has never had any problems digesting red meat (O-, Eating Right 4 Your Type), we did have steak tips over greens, onions, broccoli and red cabbage as a meal. 

Inflammation is the body's natural response to space invaders.  Viruses, damage, bad bacteria, poorly digested food, or a highly acidic environment can cause inflammation.  Low stomach acid, high sugar intake, caffeine, alcohol and/or a sedentary lifestyle can also cause inflammation to sneak around inside the body.  Inflammation is commonly mistaken for fat, for tiredness, for sleeplessness, for headaches, for allergies, for constipation, for diarrhea, for unpleasant periods, for arthritis...  the list goes on.

I did not follow this diet as strictly as Scott did (and still is after 12 days), but as I watched his allergies calm, his waistline decrease, his sleep improve, his complexion brighten, and his mood hover over a more even keel, I encouraged him to keep going based on results.  After 7 days of strict food selections, we moved to no eggs, no dairy, no soy, no gluten, no corn, no sugar, no stimulants, opening up many of the fruits and vegetables we had avoided per the chart's suggestions.

Now he is slowly reintroducing foods.  He has had raw cheese and eggs to find they do not  cause stomach upset, irritable bowels or cold symptoms.  He has not reintroduced gluten, corn, soy or sugar, for these are the foods he fears cause inflammation in his feet, in his face, in his body.  He has lost 12 pounds of belly fat in 12 days and has had increasingly successful workouts; higher output, less pain and soreness, shorter recovery times.  His allergies are not completely gone, but the results we've witnessed is worth avoiding inflammatory foods.  

My advice to you is the same as my advice to him:  Nothing changes if Nothing Changes~ If you are experiencing symptoms that you dislike, instead of taking an allergy pill or a sleep aide, try changing your food.  Listen to your body as it tells you what it can tolerate and what it can't.  There are so many resources to help you find what real foods you should or shouldn't eat~  I am one of them.  Make sure to drink plenty of water while you research, give your vitamins their vitamins, and, as always, remember to wash your hands -  you eat with those things!

Anna~

Contact me if you would like more information.

How Are You?

The very first question on my Health History form is, "What is your name?"  Names of people, like names of vitamins, have meaning.  Most times a person lives up to the meaning of their name without  the intention to do so; my Cadence is musically inclined, my Sean is giving and considerate, my Kendra knows everything, but if you ask them what their names mean they wouldn't be able to tell you.  It is the same for vitamins and the fruits and vegetables that deliver them; beautiful representations of what they have to offer without intending to be anything more than a fruit or a vegetable or a vitamin.

Another question on the form is, "What are your health concerns?"  I believe health can be brought about by food.  Think of a blueberry.  A cherry.  A cranberry.  A round cut from the center of a carrot.  All are round and full of color and represent the eye: all are delicious carriers of essential vitamins and minerals that support good vision.  What about salmon, pink and clear; walnuts and almonds, with their creamy white, smooth flesh; eggs with their elasticity and definition:  all are good for healthy skin.  Apples are good for clear lungs.  Oranges are good for clean kidneys.  Garlic is good for the heart. -Foods do a fascinating job representing the organs they support but we can only reap their benefits if we eat them.

Another question still, "What do you typically eat?"  Food selection can define a person in nutritiously predictable ways.  Food has energy, vitamins, and nutrients to balance the energy, vitamins and nutrients within the person who eats it.   If energy is lacking, chicken or fish, coffee, and dark colored fruits and vegetables can bolster a bounce.  If clarity is coveted, nuts, seeds, citrus, tomatoes and red wine can carry it through.  When rest is desired, whole grains, calm animals, herbal tea, dairy, stew and skipping the stimulants will deliver. -The energy and nutrients of the food you eat becomes who you are - and how you are - whether you intend it to or not.

The last question on my health history form is, "What is one thing you can do to improve your health right now?"  The answer is different for everyone, I am finding out, for food is not the only health concern people cultivate.  Health is a multifaceted concept that rests in the bed, that walks to the bus, that pays for the water, that cries and bleeds and smiles and breathes.  Health is fed by laughter, by love, by encouragement, by education, by accidents, by reward, by conversation, and, among many others, by food.  -You may not intend to live up to your name and you may not intend to become your food, but you can have intentions that will develop and define your health...  and ...you've already begun.

When all else seems complicated, eat real, simple, whole, naturally occurring food.  Wash in the vitality with water.  Make sure you support your vitamins with vitamins and, as always, remember to wash your hands.  When you are wondering what else is on my Health History form, click on the 'Make a Connection' tab above and I can walk you through it.  All I need is your name~

Anna~

A Juice, a Smoothy and a Soup!

Friday is a fantastic day for Girl's Night Out, Saturday is great for  'guys night in', Sunday is football and beer and wings and chips and salt and salt, where's the gol'darn salt? By Sunday night you're bloated, full, tired, constipated ... and left hungry to boot~  Here are three recipes to help get you through your weekend without assaulting your body.  

Juice.  I don't mean 'apple' and 'orange', I mean gather a colorful blend of fruits and veggies and juice them.  If you don't have a juicer, don't worry;  plop the blender on the counter, add the ingredients, blend with clean water (non-chlorinated, chemical-ized) and strain the concoction through a cheese cloth or fine strainer.  Try an Apple Crisp for breakfast:

Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

Apples - 5 medium (3" dia) 910g
Celery - 2 stalk, large (11"-12" long) 128g
Oranges (peeled) - 2 fruit (2-5/8" dia) 262g

Directions:

Process all ingredients in a juicer, shake or stir and serve.  

From  http://juicerecipes.com/recipes/apple-crisp-84

Smoothies are instant sources of nutrients, energy and nourishment.  Saturday morning is a great time to reboot your system, add some hydration, replace lost nutrients and balance your electrolytes.  Try this recipe on for size:

Green Smoothie Monster 

Victoria Boutenko 

4 leaves kale, stems removed 

4 leaves chard, stems removed 

½ bunch fresh parsley 

1 leaf aloe vera 

½ bunch dandelion greens 

3 pears 

1 banana 

3 cups water 

Yields 2 quarts - 

See more at: 

http://www.rawfamily.com/recipes#sthash.WgxvytkH.dpuf

By Sunday night your body has had enough; enough salt, enough meat, enough fat, enough sugar, enough calories.  To satisfy leftover hunger, enjoy a nice, quiet bowl of nourishing soup.  It's hydrating, healing, balancing and delicious.

Spicy Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1-3 teaspoons hot paprika, or to taste
2 14-ounce cans vegetable broth
4 medium plum tomatoes, diced
1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
2 cups diced cooked potatoes, (see Ingredient note)
1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups frozen spinach, (5 ounces)
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, or prepared pesto

Preparation:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add paprika and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add broth, tomatoes, squash, potatoes and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are just tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in spinach and vinegar; continue cooking until heated through, 2 to 4 minutes more. Ladle soup into bowls and top with fresh basil or a dollop of pesto.

All of these are made with real, naturally occurring foods.  Wash them in with water, give your vitamins their vitamins, and remember to wash your hands.  Monday morning will not feel so thick after a juice, a smoothy and a nice, spicy bowl of soup~  Have a Great Weekend!

Anna~

Your favorite weekend recipes are welcome!

Magical or Just Plain Science?

Have you noticed the news lately?  There has been much talk about why certain foods are good for the body and if certain foods are good for the soul.  Broccoli, spinach, Kale, avocado and acai berries as super foods; cheese, wine, sugar and chocolate as soul foods.  Root vegetables are promoted for warmth, tropical fruits to keep cool, healthy fats, toxic chemicals and everything in-between.  Let's try and make sense of all that the media suggests.

We are animals.  Long ago, humans relied on their instincts, their local food sources, their hunter/gatherer abilities and the season for food.  Food wasn't something picked over and perused at the super market.  You may think I am looking back behind the annals, but it wasn't that long ago when every house had a varietal garden where dinner was found and by which winters were stocked.  It was common to have a cow, or a neighbor with a cow, and chickens for eggs and meat.  Meat was consumed at a rate of a half a pound per week, and fruits and veg were grown with cow manure and compost as fertilizer.

The length and heat of the growing season dictated what was grown and consumed.   Minnesota's diet differed from California's, from Florida's, from Maine's, from Oklahoma's, from Peru's.  Then cities came to be, farmers came into demand, intrastate shipping became common place and now it's a global market.  Instead of waiting for a chicken to mature at its normal rate of growth, growth hormones are utilized to support demand.  Varietal gardens are no longer necessary, for now separate regions are supplying separate things; Wisconsin farmers provide cheese to the nation; Florida, oranges; California, avocados; Maine, blueberries; Idaho, potatoes; Georgia, peaches; Texas, beef; etc.

Today, with broccoli and acai berries on the news, it sounds like science is delving into foods with magical medicinal properties that can't possibly be true.  Let me tell you, dear reader, science is taking foods we ate organically 80 years ago and foods found on the global market today and explaining what we now know about their nutritional benefits in a scientific way.  That is it.  Science is taking apart our food, as our body takes apart our food, identifying vitamins, nutrients, minerals, elements and how long it takes the body to burn its energy (caloric value) then describing them to us in a fresh new way backed by science.

I am not sure if it matters much if we know the scientific breakdown of food stuffs.  My grandmother ate food right from the garden, before science named broccoli a superfood.  It is because of her my mom has a nourishing garden in her back yard full of asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, onions and a dozen green vegetables in-between.  She is keen to what grows well in her area and consciously tweaks her methods to get the best produce she can.  Real, naturally occurring food, and I bet if you ask her what they offer nutritionally she would say, "I'm not sure, but they sure do taste good!"  That's all the description I need~

Anna~

Weight-loss Resolutions

Resolutions often come in the form of a personal wish to lose weight.  Many television programs are on the waves this season highlighting the Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeovers (weight-loss edition) while the news is broken apart with calorie counting tips, food swaps, and manufacturer promoted 'healthy choice' meal options.  Health is not weight and nutrition is not measured in calories; that being said, here are some tips for fulfilling the weigh-loss resolutions.

Your body has a basal caloric need to complete functions like breathing, thinking, growing, excretion, circulating fluids, digestion, temperature maintenance, blinking; anything your body does automatically.  Those caloric needs are easily calculated.  For women, take your weight times 10 (men, weight times 11), whatever the number is is roughly how many calories your body will use to complete basal metabolic function.  You can choose how many of these calories come from food and how many calories you use from storage, or adipose, tissue (body fat).  

Choosing calories is not the same as choosing nutrition.  When you eat mainly animal protein, animal calcium and animal fat, you are ingesting much in terms of calories and very little in terms of nutrition.  If your basal caloric need is in the ballpark of 1600 calories (160 lbs), you can easily dent this calorie count with one steak, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and a chicken caesar salad with a glass of milk [4 oz. steak (320 calories), 1 T of butter (102), 1 oz of cheddar cheese (110), 2 large eggs (148), 1 T of mayo (57)] [4 oz chicken breast (120), 8 oz of 2% milk (122), 2 T caesar salad dressing (120)]; two meals totaling nearly 1100 calories loaded with salt, saturated fat calories and cholesterol.  -That does not include the bread, croutons, parmesan cheese, romaine, and other condiments-

So how do you choose better calories?  Three simple rules may help.  First: if you select animal food sources, the calories you consume will be high in fat and calories, low in nutrients - if you choose plant based foods the caloric value is typically low and nutrient value is high.  Second: fats that are liquid at room temperature are good fats, fats that are solid at room temp are less healthy.  Third:  when choosing foods that limit calorie consumption, choose foods with color - colorful foods are nutrient dense compared to their white, starchy counterparts.  May these three simple rules boost your energy and lower your calorie intake. 

If your wish is to loose weight this season, may I suggest you start with real, whole, naturally occurring foods.  Wash them in with water.  Give your vitamins their vitamins - B vitamins especially are a good addition to your day.  And, as you forgive your own mistakes and embark on new goals, remember to wash your hands of negativity.  Every step forward is a success!

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~

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~

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~

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~

A Week in Review: Where Do You Invest?

This last month I took a course on medication;  how it's made, the process of approval, what it does inside the body, patient compliance, side effects, the role of the pharmacist, and how to spot a counterfeit pill.  What I learned is this: There is no safe medicine.  There is only a positive measurement if the benefits of any medicine out weight the side effects.

As a family we take very little medications; we are young, active, good diet, middle class, health insurance, extremely fortunate, and we spend money investing in our health.

From February 27, 2013:

Where Do You Invest?

My shopping habits have been continually evolving from filling the pantry to filling the fridge; from shopping twice a month to shopping once a week; from making semi-homemade meals to making homemade meals with food benefits in mind.  I have also examined cost as factor when it comes to food in several posts since the beginning of this investigation.  With my fridge full and my pantry empty, my wallet isn't taking the impact I thought it would, but my health and my family's health is!

How much money do you spend monthly on medication?  Pain medication?  Heart medication? Diabetes, edema, cholesterol or headache medication?  If you had that money instead to spend on vitamins and food instead, would you buy better food?  What if instead of waiting for more money or less medications you just made a decision to invest in your health instead of investing in your symptoms?  The way to do that is through food; there is a food designed to heal everything~

I do not disbelieve in medicine.  What I disbelieve in is eating fried, saturated, fatty, starchy, sugary foods and then using medication to treat the symptoms of conditions that occur due to diet and exercise choices.  If you purchase a shirt at Kohl's and wear it while hiking and it tears, then wash it against the directions on the label and the shirt shrinks, you should not return it to Kohl's claiming a defective shirt.  If you treat your body like a garbage can, you can not claim your body is defective to justify medication  use.  Medication only treats the smell, the discharge and the infections brought on by the garbage; medication does not undo the damages, it only disguises them.

Medication for certain short term conditions is necessary for sure.  Some would argue long term medication is necessary for chronic conditions and I will not argue those beliefs; they are just not my beliefs.  What I do believe in is food as Hippocrates defined it: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."

So, again, I ask, 'What if you just made a decision to invest in your health instead of investing in your symptoms?' While you digest the question and form an answer, please eat real food, drink liters of water, give your vitamins your vitamins, and, as always, remember to wash your hands.  'What if?'

Anna~

What is Affordable?

Winter is fast approaching and farmer's markets in the north are beginning to dwindle.  Gardens are beginning to freeze and will soon be swept under blankets of snow.  Community garden centers, who offer seasonal produce, will soon only have kale and potatoes on their roster.  If you live in the south your available produce may be greater in numbers and longer in season, but winter crops are volatile and greatly supported by the global, or at least, continental market.  Supply and demand, subsidies and season all effect the price of food (another post completely), and, for some, seeking out farmer's markets to shop for daily goods is an expense that cannot be made.

The alternative to fresh food is processed impostors.  Let's take Mac n Cheese, a classic American favorite, to the table.  Where authentic whole grain pasta can run between $3 and $4 a pound, Prince pasta (enriched) runs between a buck and a buck and a half.  Where real cheddar cheese can run between $4 and $6 dollars a pound, Velveeta is half that and has coupons to boot.  So if you want Mac n' Cheese for dinner you might spend between $12 and $16 dollars on great, wholesome ingredients or you might spend $9 or $10 on more processed alternatives, or you might just buy 3 boxes of Kraft and spend $4.  Food companies make it very easy for us to afford a greater amount in processed alternatives, but the cost is much greater than that.

Let's go back to the beginning of my investigation for a moment:  You are what you eat; Let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.  If food is the foundation of health and if you choose the food you eat, then it is a reasonable idea that you choose your health.  Your body can only make the things your body can make, but without the right food, the right nutrients, the right fats, the right minerals, the right fuel, your body will fail at even it's basic functions.

If you choose whole wheat pasta and aged cheese made from good quality milk taken from a grass fed cow, when you make your mac n' cheese you're adding wholesome calcium, complex carbohydrates, good protein, lasting fuel and needed calories to your body.  Pairing it with a steamed organic vegetable or crisp salad can fortify the meal with plentiful vitamins, photochemical and antioxidants.  If you choose the box you get chemically made cheese, enriched, processed pasta, chemical or synthetic vitamins, very little fuel, simple carbohydrates, a few more dollars in your wallet, and hunger soon to follow.

Does this answer the question?  Where can Affordable food be found?  No.  Maybe I need to take another approach.  Until I figure out how to illuminate affordability in five paragraphs or less I will just encourage you to eat real, naturally occurring food.  While you plan your meals against your budget, calm yourself with cool, clean water.  Remember to give your vitamins their vitamins, and, as always, remember to wash your hands.  Bear with me and my passion, dear reader, for affordability does not only apply to the grocery cart~

Anna~

Staples

Staples: pieces of bent metal or wire pushed through something or clipped over it as a fastening, in particular, or used to attach or secure. Attach. Secure. Sure staples are used to attach our grocery list to our coupons but I am more interested in talking about the staples we use to make our meals cohesive. The staples in the pantry, staples in the crisper drawer, staples on the cutting board and staples in the recipe box. We all have different tastes and different nutritional needs, but I bet our staples are uniform.

Lets start in the pantry. Dry goods probably look like flour, sugar, honey, peanut butter, salt, pepper, herbs and spice, rice, pasta and a variety of oils and vinegars. In addition we can probably spy canned beans and tomatoes on the shelf, a bag of onions next to a bag of potatoes, and a crock filled with heads of garlic. Just within these foods we can amply find vitamins C, E, B-6 and 3, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, sodium, chloride, calcium, omega-3 and 6, selenium, antioxidants, and natural antibiotics. Depending on the label, whole grains may be found in the flour bag.

The refrigerator has stapes as well. Eggs, milk, butter and cheese, for those of us who aren't practicing vegans. Celery and carrots in the crisper, oranges and apples in the 'other drawer', and a slew of regular suspects in the door. Within this basic stash we can adequately find vitamins K, C, A, D, and B-6 and 12, calcium, sodium, chloride, folic acid, magnesium, iron, phytochemicals, antioxidants, protein, complex carbohydrates, and natural antibiotics.  Then glance at the bread or meat cutting board:  chicken, pork, beef and fish are typical western staples, as is white, corn or whole wheat bread. Carbs, iron, a list of B vitamins, essential fats, protein, whole grains, and choline are present.

If you take a look at the list of vitamins and minerals recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), every one of them is sufficiently present in just the staples alone.  The trick is to eat the staples!  Now, I don't really mind of you ignore what the FDA recommends, but if you are ignoring the staples and instead utilizing the processed, convenience foods you have lined your shelves with, you may be deficient in the vitamins and minerals that are literally staring you in the face each and every time you occupy the kitchen.

So, eat real, naturally occurring food, like carrots, potatoes and garlic!  Wash them in with water, or make a soup!  Give your vitamins their vitamins by eating herbs and spices, oranges and oils!  And, because cooking can be messy, remember to wash your hands.  After you eat and drink and wash, sort through that old recipe box of your mother's; I am sure all of the staples are in there ready to be utilized!

Anna~

This is Technically Only Five Paragraphs

This morning my daughter wandered into the kitchen with sleepy eyes, opened the fridge, squinted from the brightness inside, looked at me and said, "Mom, I don't think I have ever seen our fridge so empty." I agreed. We spent a long relaxing weekend in Maine, so last Friday morning the trash collector was gifted the leftovers from the fridge and the garbage disposal devoured the ends of salsa jars and lunch containers. (We unfortunately are not able to compost where we are.) Aside from a stray yogurt and a half an onion, the shelves are bare. But, before I go shopping, a menu must be concocted! Let's start with this:

ALE-BRAISED BRATWURST WITH GERMAN POTATO SALAD

Grab a couple bottles of beer and boil enough brats to feed your brats, and this recipe for German potato salad:

1 1/2 pound small red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
4 slices thick-cut bacon, about 1/3 pound
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped chives

How?

Place sliced potatoes in cold salted water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, yet not so soft they fall apart, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a sauté pan, fry bacon until crisp. Crumble and set aside. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Over medium heat, whisk flour into the bacon fat and cook until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in sugar and mustard, followed by water and vinegar. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in potatoes and bacon and toss gently to coat.  Serve with Brats.

Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING: 500 calories (140 from fat), 16g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 90mg cholesterol, 310mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate (dietary fiber, sugar), 31g protein.

(Recipe from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/ale-braised-bratwurst-german-potato-salad)

Okay, so you all know how much I love sausage, and since it's fall, potato salad seems the perfect pairing.  But, you can also tell there are calories and fat and carbs in this meal, not to mention salt, and that combination may be a little too aggressive for some to digest.  I understand if you are confused by this meal choice.  For me, my growing family and athletic lifestyle, this meal serves many needs: fuel, fat, nutrition, flavor, and simplicity.  For some of you, cholesterol rich foods and fat calories may be a bit over the top.  This may be a better fit:

BETTER THAN CHICKEN SOUP

1 small yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
4 cups low-sodium mushroom, vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cup julienned fresh kale
1 cup cubed butternut squash
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
6 slices astragalus root (optional)
1 fresh lemon, Juice of
1 teaspoon miso

Method: 

In a sauce pot over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic in oil 3 minutes. Add turmeric and mushrooms. Saute 2 minutes. Add broth, kale, squash, ginger, cayenne and astragalus. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, add lemon juice and miso (adding miso when still very hot will diminish its probiotic benefits). Cover and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Info:
PER SERVING: 90 calories (5 from fat), 0.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 160mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate (6g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 2g protein
(Recipe from http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/better-chicken-soup)

It is important to remember that each person, each family, has different nutritional needs. Where we need more fat, more fuel, more electrolytes, and more calories because we are very active and have growing chickens (if you can call them kids, I can call them chickens), some need less fat and calories and more nutrients to support weight loss or cholesterol reduction. May I suggest we all eat real, naturally occurring foods, drink plenty of water, give our vitamins their vitamins, and remember to wash our hands. Our diets may not be the same, but the foundation should be made of food~  What is the definition of food again?

Anna~

Oil.

Oils.  We know them.  Rachael talks about EVOO, cakes ask for vegetable oil, dressing requires an oil, as does mayonnaise, and we grease our pans and irons with oil.  My counter is dressed with four different cooking oils at all times, they are never moved from beside the stove, for use multiple times a day.  "Why oil?"  And, maybe more importantly, "What oil?"

Oil is a fat.  Because we have talked about fat we know that it contains 9 calories per gram and should represent less than 35% of our diet.  We also know there are liquid fats, solid fats, animal fats, plant fats which fall into categories such as saturated, unsaturated, hydrogenated, trans, etc., fat.  Oil, mainly a plant  or vegetable fat, is liquid at room temperature, provides omega-3 and other essential fatty acids, and delivers monounsaturated (good) fats to the body.  Olive oil contains flavanoids, macadamia oil contains antioxidants, coconut oil is low in omega 6 but high in lauric acid. Using a variety of oils means you get a variety of benefits, benefits not present in animal fats and oils.

So, "What oil?"
*Not all oils are created equal.  When choosing an oil, find the words 'expeller pressed' or 'fist cold pressed'; this means the oils were extracted with pressure instead of a chemical exchange.
*Oils, no matter the variety, should also be organic.  Non-organic plants are blanketed with herbicides and pesticides.  When the berry or fruit is pressed to release the oil the internal herbicides and residual pesticides flow with it.  When you consume the oil you then consume the chemicals.  Choose organic.
*You also need to make sure the oil on the label is the oil in the bottle.  Some oils are mixed with filler oils (cheaper) and you may be duped into thinking you are eating something you are not.  Looking at the ingredient list may not suffice here, for some filler oils are not listed (and don't need to be), but there might be a quality seal present.
*A Non-GMO (genetically modified organism) label or claim is important as well.

I cannot possibly capture and explain all of the oils in two or three paragraphs but I found a great chart online that does. Thanks to eatingRULES.com, I now have a greater understanding of how some oils compare to others.  It's called the Cooking Oils Comparison Chart.  Click the link, print it out and place it on your fridge.  Great learning tool, great cooking guide, great advice and comparison chart!

Eat real, delicious, naturally occurring food, drink plenty of water, give your vitamins their vitamins, and, as always, remember to wash your hands.  I will soon further our education on oil.  Hydrogenated?  Saturated?  Refined?  It's worth a second look.  The investigation continues...

Anna~

Even I Can't Find a Replacement for Sausage

This morning we woke late so instead of rushing the kids to pack their own lunch I scampered through the kitchen to assemble their meals myself.  Grapes, peanuts, yogurt, roast chicken and cheese sandwiches on bakery bread, a tall water bottle and love.  I consider our selections pretty healthy, but if I look I can see salt, if I scrutinize I can see sugar, if I wonder I can see white flour and processed meat. I was recently approached to answer the question, "What should I pack my kids for lunch?" and I offered an extensive list, but I do realize adding foods together to make lunch can be tricky.

The go-to for lunch is a sandwich.  Peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, and BLT's; a few different food groups represented between two pieces of bread.  To make sure your sandwich isn't a processed mess, read your labels.  The big brand peanut butter adds hydrogenated oils to avoid separation; sugar and salt are also added to the paste.  Instead of getting a relatively good source of protein, you get a good dose of sugar, a nice dent in your sodium requirement and a dose of hydrogenated oil (I will dissect oils tomorrow if you are wondering why this is concerning).

Peanuts are a very nutritious food, so please do not beleive that I am suggesting peanuts or beloved butter is bad for you.  One quarter cup of peanuts have 35% of your daily value of manganese which your body needs in order to: utilize biotin, thiamin, ascorbic acid, and choline; enhance bone strength; synthesize fatty acids and cholesterol; maintain normal blood sugar levels; promote optimal function of your thyroid gland; maintain nerve health; protect your cells from free-radical damage.  Peanuts also provide tryptophan, folate, copper, protein and vitamin B3.  Peanut butter is a good food choice, but make sure your label reads more like this:

And what about lunch meat?  Is eating salt cured ham a good choice?  What about a football sized chicken breast pumped full with brine to add flavor?  How about salami and other loaf meats and sausages?  I am a sucker for sausage, as are most Wisconsinites, but are they good for me?  Some research says that adding deli meat to your diet keeps portion size low and adds protein to any sandwich, but the reality is, "No."  A natural chicken breast is about 5 ounces, a natural turkey breast is about 9 ounces. If you wish for a roast turkey sandwich, buy a free range bird, roast it with your favorite veggies and herbs, slice it thin and put it on a great piece of bread.  (Honestly though, even I can't find a replacement for sausage;-)  Detour around the deli and head to the butcher in stead.  If you are going to eat meat try for all you're worth to eat the real thing.

It is a simple concept, I know, to eat real food, to drink plenty of water and to give your vitamins their vitamins. But it is difficult to live and practice this simple concept with all of the sugared, salted, brined, enriched, processed foods that are marketed as 'natural', 'healthy' and 'good'.  The best way to know you are getting natural, healthy, good food is to choose the foods without the labels.  After you shop, before you eat, remember to wash your hands.  See you tomorrow~

Hydration?

You know water keeps you hydrated, right?  Simple question, I am sure, but what does hydrated mean?    By definition hydrated means 'chemically combined with water.'  When you drink water not only are your sweat glands able to secrete, and your mouth able to salivate, but your cells are able to breath. Cell respiration is the basal function within the body that supports cellular health, cellular energy and, thus, homeostasis.  How did we get there from here?  Let's take a walk~

Back in the 6th grade we learned that cellular respiration is dependent on water.  Remember that word Osmosis?  Osmosis is the process by which water (or other liquids) can pass through the wall of a cell.  Each cell in the body has an optimal water content level necessary to ensure proper cell function. Osmosis allows water to pass through our cells and, as one cell takes what it needs, it passes the rest on so other cells, too, can remain hydrated.  This optimal hydration allows the cell to gain energy, produce energy and dispose of waste; cellular respiration.   This, of course is an overly simplified glimpse at cellular respiration, but it's extremely important to touch upon because the body is made of Cells!

Drink that in for a moment.  Each cell needs to be continually hydrated to be able to gain and produce energy, and to also secrete waste.  Each system in the body is made up of different types of cells making up different types of tissues which comprise different organs that perform different functions.  Some organs clean our blood, some move the blood.  Some tissues transfer information, some organs interpret information.  Some organs move food while other organs and tissues supply enzymes and acids necessary for the digestion of it.  Not one organ works on its own and not one organ is without cells.  If each cell in the tissues of each organ are hydrated and able to gain and produce energy and able to discard waste, each organ will be able to function in synergy with other organs.  Almost~

If water is provided, what else is needed?  Well, where do cells get energy?  Just as we get energy from the food we eat and the air we breath, cells trap energy from the molecules within the food we eat and the air we breath.  Amino acids.  Sugar.  Fatty acids.  Oxygen.  What the body can't make on its own we need to find in food.  Enjoying clean protein, natural, unrefined sugar, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates and clean water enables your cells to breathe!  When you provide those delicious ingredients to your cells, homeostasis is not only achievable but likely.

Geez~  That sounds like a lot of work!  While you digest all of the boring science of cellular respiration, make a delicious meal with real, nutritious food.  Drink a glass of cool, crisp water.  Maybe grab some vitamin rich fruits to support the nutrients you make.  And, because germs love to attack our cells, the very ones we are trying to hydrate and support and protect, remember to wash your hands.  (Hydration and nutrition isn't all that hard after all~)

Anna~