Why do we eat?

Why do we eat?
Let's see, it seems to me that this planet called Earth can produce all the plants, animals and water that we need to live a healthy nourished life. So why do we choose to eat lifeless chemicals called "food" that are not nutrient dense and causes more harm to our bodies than the glorious, delicious, fresh whole foods we produce naturally?

When you sit down to eat do you think about nourishing your body, filling that hungry hole or satisfying a desire that comes from an emotional need to eat?

When we eat for nourishment we look for the freshest whole foods we can find. We tend to prepare them minimally to keep the nutrients intact and keep the food as nutrient dense as possible. When we eat these nutrient dense foods we are able to eat large quantities without harmful consequences as our body uses the nutrients without having to store excess fat or carbohydrates. We feel lighter and healthier, we are better able to move and find the joy in life because that is what we have gained from the food we nourish our bodies with.

When we eat to fill that hungry hole we will often reach for the easiest, most accessible food available regardless of the nutritional quality or benefit. That might mean reaching for an apple but more times than not it means picking up some sort of processed food that is prepackaged and filled with lots of chemical and preservatives. More times than not we neglect to limit the portion size because we are so hungry and continue to eat until we feel that overfull feeling.

If we are eating to fill that emotional hole we primarily reach for foods that are high fat, high salt and high calorie that we call comfort food. It is usually food that has been processed from potato chips to ice cream or big pasta dishes and the results are always the same. Too many calories, too much fat followed by guilt and shame from our food choices. Now the advertisers who are trying to sell us the processed foods are targeting those weak moments when we are feeling deprived, neglected or in need of some comfort. We are led to believe that eating the comfort foods will make us feel better or make us better people when in truth they make us feel terrible and full of shame and guilt. The high fat, high calorie (also read high salt and sugar) foods do things like cause obesity, depression, diabetes and the list can go on and on but never once do they improve our health or our mental or emotional condition either.

So let me ask the question again. Why do we eat?

Quinoa is Easy to Prepare!

Quinoa is an excellent source of magnesium, B vitamins, fiber and protein. It is easy to digest and so versatile and delicious for breakfast as a cereal, in a vegetable stirfry or in a cold salad.

To prepare quinoa:

1 cup quinoa - in a strainer rinse it in cold water first

2 cups water

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 10 - 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and enoy!

You will notice a white spiral tail (the germ of the seed) when the quinoa is done.

I will often have it for breakfast, substituting it for oatmeal, with plain yogurt, berries, a sprinkle of flaxseed and cinnamon.

I made a delicious salad with quinoa, jicama, strawberries and pumpkin seeds and a lemony viniagrette. It was light and refreshing! Really you can add any vegetables, legumes or fruits to it in any combination you like to enjoy this healthy food.

How do you like to eat quinoa?

Helen

Lesson from a Frog

The Boiled Frog Story
They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water,
it will leap out right away to escape the danger.
But, if you put a frog in a kettle that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant, and then you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling,
the frog will not become aware of the threat until it is too late.
The frog's survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes.

We are very much the frog in regard to processed food filled with additives, chemicals and harmful ingredients. For example we have gone from drinking soda made with cane sugar to soda made with high fructose corn syrup and this switch in ingredients is making us sick, causing disease and contributing to our 'health crisis'.

The good news is that we can reverse these behaviors and quietly and gently begin to change our habits to eliminate disease (through weight lose for example) and improve our overall health. You see we really do not have a 'health crisis' but instead have a 'food crisis' with so many chemicals and synthetic ingredients used to create our food that have very harmful effects on our bodies.

Now is the time to make those changes to whole, unprocessed foods. Suggestions for small changes you can make include: increase the amount of vegetables you eat each day, lessen your sugar intake, avoid high fructose corn syrup, eat plain yogurt instead of flavored/sweetened or eat whole grain bread instead of white.

Let us take control of our health and not keep adapting to what the food companies are selling us as 'natural' or 'healthy'. We are smart, intelligent human beings who do not need to be lulled into thinking high fructose corn syrup or synthetic foods will make us healthy.

Helen

Feeling Better from the Inside Out

The Real Culprit to our Health

Sugar is the culprit for so many of our health issues. It is so hard to get away from eating sugar with it hidden in so many foods and used to decorate foods so they look delicious. We always want to disguise the food to make it look fun and appealing for kids and that means adding sugar, coloring and lots of other preservatives and chemicals. Once the children are used to having it all the time they want more and more of it and lose the sweet taste of the whole foods that Mother Nature has created for us. So as adults we continue to eat the foods loaded with sugar completely blind to the fact that it is what is destroying our health and wellness.

Really if all the food that was loaded with sugar was pure sugar cane we would not be in so much trouble but because so much of our processed food it filled with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and other artificial sugars that is where the real problem lies.

Mary Glenda of No Weight Cookbooks tells us this about HFCS. "High-fructose corn syrup" is highly valued by food manufacturers. It's easy to transport in tanker trucks. It isn't susceptible to freezer burn, as is sugar. It has a long shelf life and keeps foods from becoming dry. It gives bread and baked products a wonderful color. It's also cheaper than white sugar, partly because of generous federal subsidies and trade policies that encourage farmers to grow more corn. Fast food chains add it to their products because it is cheaper. It's in the sauces, in the condiments, in the breadings, in the buns and in the drinks. It is the commercially preferred artificial sweetener, which goes directly to the liver, releasing enzymes that instruct the body to store fat.

So how is it that we think we have a health crisis when really what we have is a food crisis with the government subsidizing the production of HFCS which in turn causes sugar addiction which leads to sickness and disease. If we could make the small change of avoiding foods with HFCS and only eat foods with pure cane sugar or other natural sugars we would be so much healthier overall. We would not be so bloated and overweight nor would we continue to have the excessive cravings for more sweet foods.

So for now look at the labels, read the ingredients and become aware of what is on the packaged foods you buy, if you see HFCS put the package back and find something else to eat that is more nutrient dense without all that sugar. You will feel better and your body will thank you!

Measuring Snacks

I have come to the conclusion that I am good at planning my 3 healthy, balanced meals but I seem to fall short when it comes to the time in between the meals. It may be a couple of hours after lunch and I am having that feeling of wanting something to eat but not having anything planned. If I am out in my car I may stop somewhere to get a snack (my favorite place to stop has been a bakery or sweet shop) or I will rummage around in my kitchen for something sweet I can have. At this point I have completely forgotten that I am eating healthy, non-processed foods. The next thing I know I have consumed several chocolate chip cookies, a large fudgy brownie, ice cream or I will eat a bag of popcorn or chips. There is no longer any thought of appropriate portion sizes or selecting a piece of fruit or other healthy snacks. By the time this little feeling of hunger has subsided I have consumed an excessive amount of fat and calories not to mention sugar or salt and I am feeling bloated and full. Plus there is the emotional feeling of guilt and remorse that I have failed to maintain a healthy diet.

After doing this same cycle over and over for many years I have now come to understand that if I plan my snacks as well as I plan my meals I will be far more successful in how I nourish my body and the added benefit of weight loss and health. In my mind portion size is the most important aspect of snacking. How easy it is to open that bag of chips, nuts or candy and before you know it having consumed the entire bag. You only realize it when the bag is empty and you don't even remember eating it all! If you then look at the bag and see that their were 6 serving all at 150 calories that means you just consumed 900 calories, yikes that was all from being a little bit hungry and eating mindlessly.

My solution has been to portion out my snacks in bags so I eat the exact amount I have mindfully chosen. Now when I buy a bag of nuts, chips or even fruit like grapes I figure out what the portion size I want and then make smaller bags of the perfect snack! For instance I just bought a bag of almonds, cashews and cranberries and the portion size for 150 calories is 1/4 cup. So I got out the 1/4 cup measure and a bunch of baggies and made up snack bags. So now I have 14 bags of appropriate sized snacks that will last me quite a while. I keep some of the bags in my kitchen and I carry some of them with me in the car in case I am out driving at my appointed snack time.

So now when I choose to have a snack, I know I have just the right snack with the right amount of calories and it is a healthy choice as well. I feel better about myself, about my choices and the weight is slowly vanishing and this makes me happy as well!

Helen

Scheduling my Meals

I have a friend who eats her meals on a very strict schedule, to the point that I like to make fun of her about it and I ask her about it in total disbelief. She has breakfast every morning at 8am, not any earlier because then she will be hungry before noon when she has lunch. She has her snacks in between and then dinner always at 5. I am amazed that someone can live with such a strict schedule and yet, she is thin and does not complain about being ravenous and over eating. As I am learning more about the importance of snacking and eating on a regular schedule I am thinking that there is something to her schedule of meals and snacks and I can learn from her.

I have very little schedule in my life so I find myself eating whenever I want or whenever I am hungry. I will be working on my computer and stop for breakfast when I feel like it, eat something healthy and nutritious and then a little while later I may feel a twinge of hunger and then get something little to eat. But then in a little while again I may have something little again too. Or I will go out and not pay attention to eating and then find myself feeling ravenous and wanting something to eat NOW! Of course since I was feeling ravenous I think I must eat a lot of something to satisfy that terrible hunger I am feeling. Of course then I will overeat with most of it being high fat, sugar or salt foods to the point that I feel stuffed and bloated and naturally unhappy with myself.

Now I have created a schedule (although not as strict as my friend!)for myself around eating that has made a big change in how I think about eating. I eat in the morning shortly after I get up, then I plan my snack for several hours later and lunch several hours after that, I do the same for a midday snack and then dinner as well. I write down all my meal plans so I know what it is I have planned on eating for my snacks and meals. So now when I am feeling a little hungry mid morning, but before my snack time I can just remind myself I will have a snack shortly and I am content to wait, the same goes for the other meals as well. I feel much better because I am not overeating and my food choices are much healthier too.

Do you have a schedule for your meals and snacks?

Helen