Sunday, May 29, 2011

Satisfying Sunday

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending."
-Maria Robinson

Crustless Pumkpin Pie
1 cup pure pumpkin, canned
2tsp stevia
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground flax
1 tsp vanilla
Mix ingredients and bake in a glass pie dish at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve with a dollop of vanilla chobani yogurt! I love me some pumpkin pie (nevermind it is 80 degrees outside . . . ).

Off to watch Inside Job, a documentary narrated by Matt Damon that illuminates the 2008 stock market crash following the rise and fall of investment banks/insurance agencies. Knowing the ridiculous bonuses these investors and derivative firms made at the expense of everyone who has money invested in stocks and money markets through their banks is infuriating and a massive lesson in what greed does . . .

Friday, May 27, 2011

Avocado Option

Subway jumps on avocado bandwagon

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY

Updated 15h 1m ago |

81 | 7

The avocado's about to get respect in the one place where it can finally meet the masses: fast food.

  • Subway

Subway


Subway today will unveil plans to roll out avocado next week as a sandwich option nationwide. The public embrace of avocados by the sandwich giant, which with 24,188 U.S. stores has more domestic locations than McDonald's, is pegged to the healthier eating theme that's been crucial to Subway's success.

The move is expected to nudge other major fast-food chains to elevate the vitamin-, mineral- and calorie-packed fruit to their menus. At Subway, avocado makes its debut as preservative-free, 100% avocado spread in a Turkey & Bacon Avocado sandwich that sells for about $7.

Customers will have to pay from 50 cents to $1 to have the mashed avocado spread added to most other sandwiches. On the West Coast, instead of the spread, sliced avocados are offered at many Subways. Both have sold very well in tests, Subway marketing chief Tony Pace says.

  • We'll help avocado go mainstream," Pace says. So mainstream, that upcoming TV spots will showcase spokesjocks Michael Phelps and Apolo Ohno juggling avocados.

The move comes at a time avocado is showing up in new chips, dips and cooking oils. More than 75 new products made with avocado have rolled out over the past five years, Datamonitor reports. And domestic avocado sales rocketed to 1.3 billion pounds in 2010, up 16%, the Hass Avocado Board says.

Don't be surprised if some burger giants — under pressure to add nutritional offerings — soon embrace avocados, says Tom Vierhile, director of product launch analytics at researcher Datamonitor.

Subway's move is a bid to separate itself from major fast-food chains while luring customers from fast-casual chains such as Panera and Chipotle, where avocado is common. Rival Quiznos has sold subs with guacamole for years.

Subway is eager to boost its own better-for-you image. Last month it announced that it had cut sodium in its sandwich line by 15%.

Subway will tout the slogan "Grab the Green" in TV spots that promote avocados as well as the upcoming summer flick Green Lantern. Avocado also will be available on its breakfast sandwiches, Pace says.

"It's very good news nutritionally if you're substituting avocado for mayo," dietitian Hope Warshaw says. But she says, with the avocado spread at 70 calories per serving, "from a calorie perspective you can't do better than mustard and vinegar."

Thursday, May 26, 2011

A Walk and Jicama

Walking counts as exercise

  • Email"People try all these insane diets," then give up when they don't lose weight and don't feel any better, says Vik Khanna, executive director of Health and Wellness for Mercy Health Ministry in Chesterfield, Mo.


Instead, Khanna recommends baby steps to fitness — as in walking.

"It's one of the things that is very underrated," Khanna says. "Walking is the universal best exercise. It's accessible. Most of us can do it into our 80s and 90s."

Not only will you feel better, you can also improve your memory and maybe even live longer. How's that for multitasking?

A study published earlier this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that regular walking improved older people's ability to remember things. Also, says Khanna, "studies show that older adults who walk faster live longer."

So, once you get up and start putting one foot in front of the other, then pick up your speed.

"The problem is, most of us stroll," Khanna says. Going faster will make you feel even better, and you might lose weight.

Walking at 2 mph, a 150-pound person burns about 171 calories, taking more than 20 hours to lose a pound.

At 3 mph, it would take 15 hours to lose a pound.

Just one hour of walking at 3 mph, and you'll burn off the effects of a 99-cent bag of M&M's.

Getting off the couch …

Start with a slow walk, just a few minutes a day.

Increase time gradually.

Then walk faster.

Make a game out of it by spotting an object and speeding toward it.

Let breathing return to normal then speed up again.



I found the Skinny Hummus at Costco and of course had to buy 6 pounds of it :) It really is delicious and has 50 calories/3 grams of fat per 2Tbsp serving (versus 100-140 calories/9-13grams fat for the typical hummus). I cut up a bunch of veggies, including a new fav: jicama. I peeled the jicama, which looks like a giant turnip, and sliced it (looks like a potato, tastes like celery). I plan on experimenting with it as a chip by baking it with some garlic powder and olive oil tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Wrong Major?

Just one word of advice for the nation's 2011 high school graduates: petroleum.

  • Public Health graduates celebrate during commencement at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

    By Jessica Hill, AP

    Public Health graduates celebrate during commencement at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

By Jessica Hill, AP

Public Health graduates celebrate during commencement at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

An analysis of the projected lifetime earnings of 171 college majors provides a clearer picture of what one bachelor's degree means compared to another in the labor market. And the answer can be as much as $3.64 million.

That's the difference between what petroleum engineering majors can expect to earn over a 40-year career ($4.8 million) and what counseling psychology majors could earn ($1.16 million). Even the lowest-paying major beats the $770,000 average earnings of a person who holds only a high school diploma.

"Getting a (college) degree matters, but what you take matters more," says Anthony Carnevale, director of Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, which released its analysis today. It's based on data on undergraduate majors across all age groups, collected for the first time in the Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey and released last year. Estimates were based on 319,081 responses from bachelor's-degree holders who work full time over a full year.

The study is the latest, and most finely detailed yet to demonstrate a financial payoff for college. A study this month by American Institutes for Research found economic returns are greater for people with degrees from highly selective colleges than from less selective schools, but that even those degree holders were likely to earn $230,000 more over a lifetime than a person with no more than a high school education. (It also found that less selective schools generate a "much better bang for the taxpayer buck.") And a Pew Research Center study out last week found that, even after the cost of going to college and the foregone income while in college is considered, an education reaps greater benefits.

College Majors

Ten majors with the highest median earnings per year:

Petroleum engineering: $120,000

Pharmacy sciences and administration:$105,000

Mathematics and computer science:$98,000

Aerospace engineering: $87,000

Chemical engineering: $86,000

Electrical engineering: $85,000

Naval architecture and marine engineering: $82,000

Mechanical engineering: $80,000

Metallurgical engineering: $80,000

Mining and mineral engineering: $80,000

Ten majors with the lowest median earnings per year:

Counseling/psychology: $29,000

Early childhood education: $36,000

Theology and religious vocations:$38,000

Human services and community organizations: $38,000

Social work: $39,000

Drama and theater arts: $40,000

Studio arts: $40,000

Communication disorders sciences and services: $40,000

Visual and performing arts: $40,000

Health and Medical preparatory programs: $40,000

Source: Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

White workers and men fare best, the Georgetown study found. Even in their highest paid major, electrical engineering, blacks earn $12,000 less a year on average than Asians and $22,000 less than whites with the same major. Women tend to hold the majority of degrees in many of the lower-paying fields, such as education. Female chemical engineering majors earn on average $20,000 less a year than male counterparts.

Other details:

•Annual incomes for liberal arts and humanities majors — think English, history, philosophy — averaged $47,000. About 40% of those majors also obtained a graduate degree, which boosted their average earnings almost 50%.

•Four majors among the 10 with the highest average annual earnings also are among the least popular majors, "suggesting there's a real demand in these areas that we have yet to meet," Carnevale says. Those are mathematics and computer science, naval architecture and marine engineering, metallurgical engineering, and mining and mineral engineering

Richard Fry, an economist who crunched lifetime earnings data for the Pew report, cautions that the data can't predict what today's students will make: "The future is inherently unknown."

Monday, May 23, 2011

Forks Over Knives

I intend on participating in National Vegetarian Week (starting today!) and in seeing this film:

While I am not a traditional vegetarian, I do not eat red meat and try to eat more of a plant-based diet. I have seen the studies and research that supports this approach in preventing (and treating) many of the common chronic diseases (i.e., Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Hyperlipidemia, Cardiovascular Disease, as well as many Cancers). I strongly believe in eating free-range eggs, poultry, wild fish and seafood, as well as antibiotic-free animal products. The concept of eating whole foods and knowing where your food comes from is not only fascinating to track, but it also makes the most sense in creating a sustainable, healthy food supply. A challenge I urge you readers to participate in, is to spend an entire day eating only foods that you know the origin and can pronounce every ingredient (looks like processed foods will be OUT). Try it and let me know what you learn. I bet you will be surprised at how frequently you eat foods that have been shipped from everywhere but here . . .

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Common Question

In keeping with my nutrient coaching theme, I thought it would be fun to start addressing some of the common questions that I receive from clients on a daily basis. With so much information and changing viewpoints on ingredients and food products, it is no wonder that we are all a bit confused as to the truth behind many nutritional claims. Here is my answer to the question regarding the safety of sugar substitutes.

Sugar substitutes

Few of us are really aware of how many new Splenda® products there are in the supermarkets. We’ve been told that this artificial sweetener is different from all the past failures — Sweet’N Low®, NutraSweet®, etc. — and according to the claims, that this Splenda is the perfect sugar substitute: as sweet as sugar, but no calories; as sweet as sugar, but no surge in insulin; as sweet as sugar, but no side effects or long-term health damage.

Splenda side effects

Observational evidence shows that there are side effects of Splenda, including skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain. These show up at one end of the spectrum — in the people who have an allergy or sensitivity to the sucralose molecule. But no one can say to what degree consuming Splenda affects the rest of us.

The health effects of sugar

What happens to our metabolism, on all that sugar? A sugar craving (which is really a craving for an energy and serotonin surge) becomes a habit. What’s more, this process is exacerbated by stress — because that’s when your body needs immediate energy and serotonin.

Over time, your body loses the ability to make enough sugar-digesting enzymes to meet the demand, and sugar sensitivity develops. Women tend to notice this more during perimenopause, when excess sugar and other simple carbohydrates trigger symptoms of hormonal imbalance.

Excess sugar consumption also upsets the balance of intestinal flora in your digestive tract and can cause symptoms of intestinal distress such as bloating, cramping, and gas (for more on this, see our section on digestion). Other symptoms of sugar sensitivity are headaches, insomnia, aggression, panic attacks, irritability, mood swings, and depression. Too much sugar can deplete levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter whose deficiency is linked to depression. What’s worse, low levels of serotonin actually trigger more sugar cravings.

Dangers in aspartame

Possible side effects of aspartame include headaches, migraines, panic attacks, dizziness, irritability, nausea, intestinal discomfort, skin rash, and nervousness. Some researchers have linked aspartame with depression and manic episodes. It may also contribute to male infertility.

Saccharin

Saccharin, the first widely available chemical sweetener, is hardly mentioned any more. Better-tasting NutraSweet took its place in almost every diet soda, but saccharin is still an ingredient in some prepared foods, gum, and over-the-counter medicines. Remember those carcinogen warnings on the side of products that contained saccharin? They no longer appear because industry testing showed that saccharin only caused bladder cancer in rats. Most researchers agree that in sufficient doses, saccharin is carcinogenic in humans. The question is, how do you know how much artificial sweeteners your individual body can tolerate?

That being said, some practitioners think saccharin in moderation is the best choice if you must have an artificially sweetened beverage or food product. It’s been around a relatively long time and seems to cause fewer problems than aspartame. I don’t argue with this recommendation, but I encourage you to find out as much as you can about any chemical before you ingest it.

Artificial sweeteners are body toxins. They are never a good idea for pregnant women, children or teenagers — despite the reduced sugar content — because of possible irreversible cell damage. If you decide it’s worth the risks, then go ahead, but pay attention to your body and your cravings. Once you start tracking your response to artificial sweeteners, it may surprise you.

Stevia and sorbitol — natural alternatives to artificial sweeteners

For many years, diabetics have used products sweetened with polyalcohol sugars like sorbitol, xylitol, malitol, and mannitol. These are natural sweeteners that do not trigger an insulin reaction. (Xylitol can be derived from birch tree pulp.) They have half the calories of sugar and are not digested by the small intestine. Most polyalcohol sugars have no side effects with the exception of sorbitol, a natural laxative that causes diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, bloating and flatulence.

For this reason, the herb stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) which has been used for over 400 years without ill effect is recommended. It’s 200–300 times sweeter than sugar, so just a small portion of stevia will sweeten even a strong cup of tea. Stevia can be used for anything you might use sugar in, including baking. It is naturally low in carbohydrates. You can buy stevia at most health food stores and over the web.

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals, not food! They have no calories because they don’t nourish your body in anyway — they’re toxins your body has to clear, or, depending on how well you detoxify, store.

  • Take a daily multivitamin to support your body’s nutritional needs.
  • Eat protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates for breakfast. Simple carbs and sugar fire up your insulin receptors and spark those sugar cravings.
  • Shop the perimeter of your grocery store — avoid the processed foods in the center aisles. Read all labels and be wary of food that contains apartame, neotame, saccharin, acesulfame K, or sucralose.
  • Minimize or avoid products that have sugar, high-fructose corn syrup or corn syrup near the top of their ingredient list. Sugar can also be disguised as evaporated cane juice, cane sugar, beet sugar, glucose, sucrose, maltose, maltodextrin, dextrose, sorbitol, fructose, corn sugar, fruit juice concentrate, barley malt, caramel, and carob syrup.
  • Keep a bowl of fresh ripe fruit nearby to snack on, to relieve your sugar cravings. Think primitive and eat fruit that is in season. The fresher the fruit, the more succulent and satisfying it will be. You may find you don’t need anything sweeter!
  • If you are craving something sweet, don’t feel guilty. Most of the time, uncontrollable or patterned cravings stem from a malfunctioning metabolism or low serotonin.
  • Indulge yourself sometimes. Remember, we have sweet taste buds for a reason. Try a piece of fruit first — you may find your craving diminishes. If you still want a piece of chocolate or pie, go ahead! Just make it a treat, not a habit.
  • Remember that wine and alcohol are sugar.
  • Take a short walk after eating and breathe in deeply.
  • Focus more on what you’d like to cook and eat than what you shouldn’t. If you listen to your body, it may surprise you with a craving for eggs, not a diet soda.

Finding comfort in the right places

After taking a closer look at what you eat, it may also be useful for you to examine the role sweet food plays in your life. This often ties in to deep associations and emotions buried in childhood. Perhaps you always crave sugar in the mornings because you associate family, home, and security with the pancake breakfasts your mother used to make.

But just as a pancake breakfast won’t satisfy your emotional longings, fake sugar won’t feed your body’s needs — nor real sugar, for that matter. So I encourage you to nourish yourself from the inside out, with healthy food, self-care, and healthy relationships. In life there is bound to be some bitterness — the secret is to restore enough balance to delight in the sweet.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Fajita Friday

Brown bag show and tell . . .fun game to play with elementary-school kids!

Dinner at the rents-- shrimp fajita salad. Followed by a lovely walk and dare I say-- sans rain! Hooray!

Can't wait for the Sister to come visit :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Lots to Update!

Rewind to Wednesday and the end-of-season GOTR party . . .

Here are some race shirt pics:
The girls signed the back :)

I baked a blueberry muffin cake for the GOTR end of season party. It was bittersweet to end such a fun season, but I am looking forward to being Head Coach next season :)

After the party, I stopped by the library to return some magazines and by the time I got back to my car, the skies had opened and a torrential downpour was in progress. I sat in my car until it passed (more because I do not trust others driving in the rain, not my own fantastic driving skills, haha). I wanted something quick for dinner and remembered that I picked up a new (to me) product, Applegate Farm's uncured hot dogs. I sauteed 2 on the stove (we do not have a grill, unfortunately) and served them in lettuce wraps with ketchup, mustard, and one of my fav condiments-- saurkraut!! They were amazing. A little crispy on the outside and the perfect balance of flavor (not too salty or smokey). The nutrition stats are fantastic as well with only 40 calories per link, 3.5g fat, 0g carbs, and 5g protein. No antibiotics. I am a fan and will definitely be making these again (perfect for summer bbques)!

Today was devoted to cleaning and chores. It was way overdue. So I used my new toy, er vacuum cleaner, and got to work!
It is so light weight (the last vacuum we had kept knocking me over and was too big to shlep up and down the stairs). This one is perfect for all of our townhouse levels. The brand is "Shark" and it certainly attacks all of the dirt, hair, and crumbs the two of us accumulate.

Laundry was done and clean sheets + bed made= promise of a great night's sleep!!

Cooking (while I am in my domestic mode, and all) included my take on chicken cacchitore (however you spell it):
I baked off skinless, boneless chicken breasts with garlic powder and dried italian seasoning blend. Diced it up and added it to organic marinara sauce and leftover sauteed veggies (mushrooms, broccoli, onions, and zucchini). Then I made those whole wheat rotini for Director Doc's portion and served mine over sauteed spinach. I also added some shredded mozzarella on top. Yum!!


Sunday, May 15, 2011

Race Day

Well the race is over, but the endorphin high of running next to an energetic 10-year-old among 7000 neon-green clad runners lingers. It was a fabulous morning filled with team spirit, photo sessions galore, and weather that could not have been better (despite the promise of rain, per weather.com)! It was bitter sweet to be running a race that marks the culmination of weeks of track practices. Everyone finished; therefore, everyone succeeded. Now there is only one thing left to do . . . eat homemade overnight museli:
and rub warm therapy Sombra (great timing as it arrived at my front door yesterday!) all over my tired legs (I ran 8 miles prior to the race and walked 4 miles as a "cool down" later in the afternoon. Totally normal, right?).

Overnight Museli
serves 1 hungry runner
1/2 cup raw oats (not instant)
1/4 cup mix of dried blueberries and dried apples
1/4 cup shaved almonds
1/4 cup brown rice flakes
1 cup vanilla almond milk

Put all ingredients in a bowl and place in fridge overnight. Enjoy :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Happy to Help

I have mentioned my Head Coaching position for GOTR at a local elementary school. This weekend is the big 5-K race at GMU so today's practice was the "practice 5-K." It was a blast seeing the girls SO excited for the main event and sporting their bright, lime green shirts and neon pink laces (which also doubled as hair ties) during the session. I really love volunteering and feeling like I am helping to shape these young girls (3rd, 4th, and 5th graders). The GOTR program doesn't just have the girls run laps, but it also teaches important lessons like how to deal with bullies and peer pressure as well as ways to live a healthy lifestyle and time management. All of these topics can be extrapolated to any age and stage of life. I even learn new strategies and enjoy observing the girls' reactions to various scenarios. My favorite part of each practice is at the end when we all put our hands in a circle and shout "girls on the run is so much fun!" There is something really special about a group of young girls of different grades, socioeconomic backgrounds, and varying ethnicities bonding together over the mutual enjoyment for running and just being girls!

Tips for Race Day:
Rest up. As the race draws close, it's normal to get caught up in wanting to run or walk more miles to make sure
you can finish. But doing so can leave you tired and unable to perform at your best in the race. Get plenty of rest
during race week. You'll show up ready to rumble race morning.
Plan ahead. Read through the race day information and familiarize yourself with the race course. Put on your
race day outfit, bib number, socks and shoes the night before the race and then put it out on a chair for the morning
so you won't forget anything. Planning ahead and laying things out will make for a very pleasant journey to the
race start line.
Rise and shine. Plan to arrive at the race site at least one hour before the event. This will give you time to find
the starting area, check in and use the bathroom before the race begins. Eat a light breakfast (toast and jam,
banana) two hours before the start of the race. Topping off your fuel tank will give you power to run the race.
Have faith in your preparation. We all experience a little nervousness before the race. In fact, nervousness can
help you perform better because it teaches us to respect the race distance and prevents us from doing anything
silly the night before (staying up all night for a girls sleep over for example). : Have faith in your training, it will carry
you through to the finish line.
Ignore the Race Gremlin. It's easy to be lured by the Race Gremlin to try something new (spicy food, new shoes,
running more miles) right before the race because of nervousness but doing so can create problems on race day.
Stick with what you've learned and practiced and avoid that Gremlin when it taps on your shoulder…
Think tortoise and hare. Remember who won the famous running challenge between the tortoise and hare?
That's right, the tortoise out-witted and beat the hare because she paced herself from the beginning of the race.
It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of the race and take off too quickly. Remember, she who runs
comfortably early in the race, finishes strong and with a smile on her face. Run at a pace where you can talk and
hold a conversation for the first half of the race and you'll know you'll have plenty of energy left for the finish line,
not to mention a really cute photo too!
Be grateful. It takes a lot of volunteers to make a race happen and it's always nice to thank them while you're
out on the course. It not only makes them feel appreciated for their investment of time, you'll earn some good
karma along the way as well.
Think your way through the race. The distance can seem a little scary standing at the start line, especially if
this is your first race. Running is as much a mental sport as it is physical, and a solid mental plan will help you
think your way through to the finish. Break the distance up into smaller pieces, rather than thinking about the finish
at the start, focus on reaching the first mile, or a location along the route. Before you know it, you'll be running
across the finish line!
Celebrate good times. Have fun and enjoy yourself on race day. You've trained all season and race day is all
about celebrating your successful season. Finishing is winning, no matter how long it takes to reach the finish line.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Meal Planning

Tonight, I planned ahead. Director Doc and I have been trying to establish a food budget and proper meal planning strategies for the week so we are not running to the grocery store daily. I took the initiative to make a list, shop for food on the list (no "it's on sale, I'll buy 10 of them" items), and [my fav part] cook the food and store it in cute snapware containers for plenty of reheatable lunch/dinner options for the week. I also took the time to wash and portion out produce, snack items (I make my own rice cake and pb and apple butter sandwiches as well as trail mix), and general organizing of the pantry, fridge, and freezer. I'll let you know how this experiment pans out in a week!

Fajita turkey burgers made with red peppers, onions, chili powder, garlic powder, and ground turkey breast. A large batch of broccoli, organic chix breasts, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts in a low sodium ginger soy sauce (this was also tonight's dinner, yum!). The leftovers are all stacked below and ready for the fridge :)