Oatmeal

What can be more natural than eating Oatmeal? Your grandma ate it because it was the most nutritious, most filling, inexpensive food around.

I eat oatmeal for its taste and nutrition and it’s many other benefits. Here are 10 Reasons Why I Love Oatmeal

1.   Low calorie food stops cravings.

A cup is only 130 calories!  It also stays in your stomach longer making you feel full longer.  You will have less hunger and cravings.

2.    Provides high levels of fiber and low levels of fat. A half a cup has 4 grams of fiber and 3 grams of healthy fat.

3.    Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces risk of diabetes (type 2)

The high fiber and complex carbohydrates slow down the conversion of this whole food to simple sugars. The high levels of magnesium nourish the body proper use of  glucose and insulin secretion.

4.    Removes your bad cholesterol (without affecting your good cholesterol).

Many studies have shown that the unique FIBER in oatmeal called beta-glucan has beneficial effects on cholesterol levels.

5.    Gluten free safe.

In the past Oats did contain gluten from nearby wheat field contamination and processing facilities, but that would be rare today.  In our house we consider it "Rusty friendly". 

6.    Contains lignins which protect against heart disease and cancer.

Oatmeal, like many whole grains, contains plant lignans, which are converted by intestinal flora into mammalian lignans.  One lignin, called enterolactone, is thought to protect against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers as well as heart disease.

7.    Contains unique antioxidants beneficial for heart disease. A study at Tuffs University shows that the unique antioxidants in oatmeal called called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

8.    Protects against heart failure. A Harvard  study on 21,000 participants over 19 years showed that found that men who enjoyed a daily morning bowl of whole grain (but not refined) cereal had a 29% lower risk of heart failure. Guess what grain is most easily found and prepared unrefined – oats.

9.    Enhances Immune Response to disease. The unique fiber in oatmeal called beta-gluten also has been shown to helps neutrophils travel to the site of an infection more quickly and  it also enhances their ability to eliminate the bacteria they find there

10.    It tastes GOOD! All oats whether in flakes or groats form have gone through a heat process which gives them their rich nutty flavor .  This keeps them from spoiling. They have also been hulled.  This process does not strip away all the bran and germ allowing them to retain a concentrated source of  fiber and nutrients .  This means that oats are not raw and will not sprout.

Different Kinds of  Oatmeal:

All the benefits mentioned above are actually for OATS.  Most people don’t think about oats – they think about oatmeal. In fact most people could not identify whole oats if it was sitting in front of them.

There are many different levels of processing of oatmeal. Generally the larger the ‘flake’ – as in rolled oats or the bigger the seed or groat  – as in steel cut oats – the less processed it will be, the more nutrients it retains and the slower it will be to digest.  It will also be slower to cook though.

Most people think steel cut oats are the least processed since that is how the largest groats are labeled, but some of the most processed oats like instant and baby are also steel cut.

An easy way to cook steel cut oats is to place them in a pot with water (usually about double water), bring to a boil, turn off burner and cover pot. Leave until morning, reheat and eat. You can also do this in a slowcooker on low overnight. 

Once again, Grandma was right!

Are you Normal?

I have been a vegetarian all my life......so I must be healthy, right? Then why, in my mid 40s, was I low on energy, having joint pain, and allergies? I was getting older so those things are normal, right? They are not NORMAL, they are COMMON. About 15 years ago I decided I needed to be healthier than just a vegetarian. I started eating more fruits and vegetables and whole grains, stepped up my exercise (I parked further from the store and danced while I vacuumed), and I purposefully removed the junk from my diet. Within weeks I had more energy, within months my joint pain went away and my allergies practically disappeared. As a bonus my hair was thicker and my nails were no longer splitting. 

Getting the junk out consisted of removing toxins from my diet: white flour, white sugar, white chemicals (MSG, Aspartame), white oils (hydrogenated oils) and dairy. Nobody is perfect and these still slip into my diet on occasion; however, if I am able to keep them out of my daily life, the old ailments do not return.

I am now NORMAL, which, it seems, is very UNCOMMON. Won't you join me?

Plants that Detox

The modern home is often a toxic environment, from the building materials to our cleaning products. Indoor air is up to 4 times more polluted than outdoors.  The EPA ranks indoor air pollution in the top-five biggest threats to our health. A natural way to "detox" your home is with house plants. House plants can reduce the level of toxins present in the home by 50-70% making the air you breathe at home user friendly!

Here are 6 plants that are high on the "Natural Air Cleaner Plants" list:

1) Bamboo Palm (cleans formaldehyde and is a natural humidifier)

2) Snakes Plant (cleans out nitrogen oxcides and formaldehyde)

3) Areca Palm (one of the best air purifying plants for general air cleanliness)

4) Spider Plant (cleans out carbon monoxide, toxins/impurities, best at removing formaldehyde from the air)

5) Peace Lily ("clean-all" plant, mould spores, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene)

   

6) Gerbera Daisy (cleans benzene, absorbs carbon dioxide and give off more oxygen over night) 

Improve your health and your environment with beautiful plants for your home.

Water

If you don't take in an adequate amount of water, you will likely find it impossible to achieve control over your weight! What this means is 10-12 eight ounce glasses of WATER per day, plus eight more ounces for every 25 pounds you are overweight. This is the basic requirement for healthy living. Unfortunately, not many people drink as much water as they need. Many problems of weight control can be cured by increasing your water intake. Constipation, nausea, and headaches can all be helped with this, the greatest nutritional supplement in the world. WATER!

Restricting your water can promote fat deposits. Your body uses water as the major component of blood to transport nutrients and wastes. A lack of water in the system can cause fats and other toxins, that are normally disposed of, to remain in your body - including that dimpled fat commonly referred to as cellulite.

The good news is that it is easy to solve this problem. An 8 oz. glass of water isn't very large. Keep it on your desk and keep refilling it. Don't go by the water cooler without taking a sip, thirsty or not. Keep a glass on your night stand and drink when you first get up. Sixteen ounces upon rising will prepare your body for the day.

Dieters and non-dieters alike must establish a "fluid balance" where water going into the body approximately equals the amount being excreted. When you reach this balance point, you will see what an incredible difference water can make in your weight control program. Pounds and inches begin to disappear.

Trying to solve the problem of fluid retention by drinking less water only aggravates matters, because it (retention) occurs even when you drink no water. If you don't drink more water after salty food, your body pulls water from your intestines and bowel to dilute the extra sodium. If you drink more water, you force stored water out of your body through the kidneys.

I suggest you give water a chance. Only with an adequate supply of clean, fresh, life-giving water, can your body's systems function in a way that keeps you healthy.

If you are unaccustomed to drinking water, start with 4-8oz. glasses the first day and build up an ounce a day until you have reached at least 12-8 oz. glasses a day. I leave a large pitcher of filtered water on the counter (keep in the frig if you like it cold) and drink a little all day until it is empty.

Drinking water at a certain time maximizes its effectiveness on the body:

2 glasses of water after waking up - helps activate internal organs

1 glass of water 30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion

1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure

1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack. Water at bed time will also help prevent night time leg cramps. Your leg muscles are seeking hydration when they cramp and wake you up with a Charlie Horse.

If you are drinking enough water to be healthy, you won't be craving those unhealthy drinks as much. Another plus!

Living in a Plastic World

Right up front I want to say that I am not a fanatic about nutrition or the environment. However I do believe we should be good stewards of our bodies and our world. So when presented with the “problem” of plastics being toxic (http://www.foodmatters.tv/articles-1/5-reasons-to-avoid-plastic-containers), I had to look at my own little world. We have all heard that plastics are toxic and should switch to BPA-free plastics....now we are told that that is not good enough. And as I look around my kitchen (because the food that comes in contact with said plastics would be the place to start) I see PLASTIC everywhere! I use plastic containers for storing food in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry. I use plastic cutting boards (they are just so handy). Even my favorite “glass” is plastic. The paranoid side of me wants to chuck it all and start over.....the practical side of me will start slowly.

When my plastic containers “die” I will replace them with glass, ceramic, silicone or metal. I’ve already started using glass canning jars for storage. I will replace my plastic cutting mats with silicone or wood (Rusty has been dying to make some cutting boards). One thing I will do right away is purchase a glass or stainless steel water bottle to replace the plastic ones. At any given time I have a bunch of plastic bottles rolling around in my hot car because I always keep water with me. I guess heat plus plastic is the worst....my bad!

Be practical.....if you are out and about and need to buy water in the dreaded plastic.....remember that a bit of “plastic toxin” would be better than dehydration. You do what you can and don’t worry about the rest. Remember it is not the occasional odd unhealthy thing we do, but the daily habits that make the difference to our health and our world.

                                                   Seems old ways are sometimes best......

Tricky Foods

Americans are battling an obesity epidemic. More than one-third of us are obese, and we've handed the problem down to the next generation: Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Making smart food choices is the best defense. But misconceptions persist about foods that are healthy—when they're not. Here are 8 ways you may be sabotaging your healthy life style:

1. Bran may have more fiber than other cereal grains, but let's get real: A bran muffin is essentially a miniature cake. For example, a typical Bran Muffin is over 500 calories and contains 24 grams of fat. 
2. Peanut butter (the processed brands) is full of fat, but some of those fats are good for your heart. The bigger issue is trans fats. While some major processed brands have replaced trans fat with palm oil, trace amounts of trans fats remain. (By using small serving sizes on the label, brands can claim there is no trans fat in their product.) The all natural brands (Trader Joe is my favorite) which have simply peanuts and salt are very healthy.
3. Though tuna's packed with protein, it also contains high levels of mercury. These tasty fish are one of largest in the oceans—bluefin tunafor instance, can grow up to 15 feet long and weight 1,500 pounds—and because tuna are high up on the food chain, tuna accumulate a greater concentration of mercury and other heavy metals just from eating other fish. Consumer Reports found canned tuna, especially white tuna, to be high in mercury and recommends young children and pregnant women reduce their consumption to less than 2.5 ounces per day.
4. Ramen looks innocent enough, but one bowl gives you a full daily intake of fat and sodium. A package of popular brand Maruchan packs 14 grams of fat and 1540 milligrams of sodium into its 380 calories. 
5. Though a yogurt-covered granola bar sounds like an ideal breakfast on the go, read the small print. Nature Valley’s Chewy Yogurt Bars are covered with a “naturally flavored yogurt coating” —which means they’re more or less granola bars covered in yogurt-flavored frosting. Nature Valley’s yogurt-frosting creation contains 4 grams of fat, 14 grams of sugar, and a paltry 2 grams of protein in each bar.
6. With the exception of vitamin C, fruit snacks have no positive nutritional value. Most brands don't even contain a drop of real fruit. Simpsons Fruit Snacks have 100 calories, 24 grams of carbohydrates, and 17 grams of sugar. Sorry, folks—that's candy.
7. Sports Drinks like Gatorade have plenty of electrolytes sodium and potassium, but its sugar content makes the drink unhealthy for regular consumption. A 32-ounce bottle of original Gatorade packs a total of 56 grams of sugar. Too few people realize a bottle contains four serving sizes.
8. Protein Bars have protein and carbs, but unfortunately these snacks are more like candy bars with added protein. A healthy protein bar should have less than 10 grams of sugar per 100 calories and a protein-to-carbohydrate ratio between 1:1 and 2:1. But some brands contain 30 grams of sugar in their 270 total calories. Not a good idea for weight loss.

Avoid these tricky "foods" and replace them with whole foods for a better year.

Twelve-hour Fast

This is a really easy health tip.......

Fast for half the day (the dark half when you sleep anyway!) From your last meal of the day until you "break" "fast" in the morning with breakfast. It takes 8 hours for your body to fully digest your food from the day. By adding another 4 hours to that the body actually goes into detoxification mode and has more time to remove dead and dying cells from the body.  During this “idle” time, the body also stimulates the development and regeneration of new cells.

There are several benefits of a 12-hour fast.

• This practice also burns up fat cells. When you fast for 12 hours, your body has to use up stored glucose for fuel, burning excess fat off your body. 
• Your brain can also deal with stress better. Twelve-hour fasts give the brain a chance to fight the chemical byproducts of stress.  They also help the mind to re-focus and improve memory and sensory perception. 
• It also promotes heart health. Twelve-hour fasts lower the body temperature, the blood pressure, and the heart rate and increase your good cholesterol.
• Your sleep improves because you are not going to bed on a full stomach. 

Here’s to breaking the fast and waking up feeling lighter, more rested and re-engerized in the New Year!