Here is a great simple chart explaining what the numbers on your produce mean.
Since I promote 80/20 plant-based eating here, I recommend you eat as much number 9's as possible, get your 3 and 4's, and avoid the 8's whenever possible.
image via @wearpact
One of the most significant things I did to help me boost my healthiness, and drop 40 pounds and keep it off for 4 years this January 2012 was eliminating and avoiding "chemical cuisine."
I define chemical cuisine as any food with ingredients that include additives, preservatives, antibiotics, hormones, pesticides, GMOs, pink slime and anything not made by Mother Nature - the best food engineer on the planet, in my humble opinion. With all these chemicals in our foods, it's no wonder health issues are on the rise.
If an ingredient sounds like it came from a chemistry experiment, I don't eat it. Eat real foods is my mantra.To simplify, I love Jack Lalanne's food philosophy, "If man made it, I don't eat it." The man lived to be 96 and was still working out til the day he died. Amazing!
If you too would like to start eliminating the chemical cuisine from your daily eating, here are a couple resources that can help educate you and guide you to brands and retailers that carry more all natural foods.
Resource: The Center for Science in the Public Interest
Here is a great and simple summary of, "The Safety of Food Additives" - which additives to avoid, banned additives, and safety ratings for all listed additives. There is even a handy chart you can print out and stick on your fridge.
Resource: The Non-GMO Project
The Non-GMO Project has a fantastic database that lists all the food brands that have been Non-GMO Project verified. The Non-Gmo Project is a non-profit organization and offers North America’s only third party verification and labeling for non-GMO food and products. Their certification has been widely adopted by the industry and consumers. I love that someone took it upon themselves to set some standard since the FDA has done very little in the way of GMO Food regulation.
If you have an iPhone, the Non-GMO Project database is also available in app form for free - handy for when you are at the grocery store.
Are there any other resources you use to help you avoid the chemical cuisine?
I was out at happy hour with some new friends a couple months ago, and I ordered french fries with bacon and a big IPA beer from tap. When my food arrived, I was completely focused on gleefully dipping that first crunchy potato stick in ketchup and then into my mouth.
Oh how I love french fries!
As I continued in my blissful fried noshing, being the energy sensitive that I am, I felt glaring eyeballs digging into me. I looked up and noticed that my three companions were holding their cocktails in silence staring at me with jaws practically dropped. It was like a scene in a sitcom.
"What?! I'm a chick who digs beer and bacon. Doesn't that make me cool?" I joked, as I continued to dip and munch my fries with bacon.
Girl holding raspberry martini says, "Um, aren't you Miss healthy living? Why are you eating fries and worse topped with bacon."
I wasn't quite sure if her tone was judgmental or just confused. No matter, I was in bacon bliss.
The other two nodded in agreement and wonderment as they took sips of their Gin & Tonic, and Chardonnay.
Another asked, "I thought you were vegan. Why are you eating bacon?"
Looking back at the three of them, I took in everything in stride, and remembered that I have never been one to ever follow norms. This is one reason people find my blog and Twitter content interesting.
I explained to them in my most happy self because french fries just make me happy much like chocolate does for many others,
"Yes, I am Miss healthy living and I help inspire people to live healthier lives. However, healthy eating doesn't mean perfect eating. I'm not vegan, but I eat lots of vegan foods because I have a dairy and egg allergy, and vegan recipes are far more creative with the vegetables. I am so done with baby carrots and steamed spinach."
Honestly, one of my pet peeves about diet and wellness books, magazines, and sites is that they sell this notion that to eat healthy means a menu of only things like apples, brown rice, boiled spinach, and steamed chicken. And oh boy, once in a blue moon you get to eat a "free" food like pie or chocolate chip cookies like you've won a prize at the carnival for being "good" with your eating all week.
Living in America surrounded with all this decadence in the land of the food courts, Costco, and drive-thrus not to mention my mom's Filipino cooking, I do not think it is either realistic or doable to eat perfectly healthy all the time without feeling you're living on some program where food is constantly judged to be good or bad.
This mentality is why diets have failed for me every single time...it's about control and deprivation versus the enjoyment of food and how food brings vitality to your life. My psyche goes nutzoid the second I say something is forbidden and I end up wanting those "bad" foods more than ever.
So, I found that what works for me is this 80/20 rule-of-thumb where 80% of the time, I eat vibrant tasty dishes like kale and avocado salad with lemon juice, seared salmon with fresh tarragon, dairy-free rotiserrie chicken salad with mandarin oranges and walnuts, and Quinoa chicken "fried rice."
Then 20% of the time, I eat whatever the hell I want...without any judgements or feelings of guilt. Operating this 80/20 way has helped me keep off 35lbs for the last three years now. I get to stay in my skinny jeans and enjoy food! Most importantly, I no longer live with that anxiety of, "Oh shit! I effed up with my eating because I ate a glazed donut or a fried chimichanga."
Life is too short to not enjoy food, and I've spent way too many years being afraid of food and letting it control my life. Besides, there is a big difference between eating french fries every day and a couple times a month.
So today, as I sit here with you lovely people and eat my french fries with bacon and a frothy IPA, you are witnessing one of my 20% moments...and life is good!"
I also added,
"This morning, I ran 5 miles. So one of my compromises when I know I'm going to have a 20% type meal, I do an extra hard workout that day. It's a trade-off that is easy for me to do."
All three of my new friends nodded their heads as they thought about what I said, and chimed in with their own philosophies in how they maintain give and take with food in their lives.
We continued on with happy hour talking about dating and why reality TV is a sign of the end of times. I thoroughly languished in my fries with bacon.
Here is a handy little card you can print out and hang wherever you need.
This inspiration card is about choosing to express your feelings instead of emo eat to hide, numb, or basically just not deal with what's going on inside you. Oreos, Cheetohs, and ice cream were a few foods I used to commonly overeat when I was feeling sad, lonely or hurt.
In fact, for a long time, I didn't even realize that whenever I felt hurt in anyway, the first thing I'd grab were some Oreos. Perhaps, subconsciously, I used the smooth creamy filling to metaphorically help me emotionally smooth out the stormy feelings.
What I should have been doing is talking or journaling out my feelings. Back then, I used to be a big time bottler and kept my feelings particularly the negative and uncomfortbale ones all bottled up inside me which of course is not the healthiest way of dealing with what's going on.
Night times are the most challenging for me especially when I'm alone for too long. I find it very easy to emo eat at night when no one is around. Nowadays, if I'm going to night eat, I at least try and make some effort to stick to healthier things like turkey and avocado rollups versus a bag of potato chips.
Last week, I had an especially tough emotional night on Thursday, and instead of emo eating, I blogged about what was going on for me...."I want you all to know...I'm not always the strong one." I'm very grateful for the gift of blogatherapy. The interwebs are full of so many wonderful and supportive people :)
Making a shift in habits will take some initial work in being conscious of your choices. But there will come a time, where the new habit will stick without you even having to think about it anymore, and that's a wonderful thing.
Enjoy your inspiration card!
That's my nightstand, and yes I drink lots of water! I do walk my hydration talk and even more so since I moved to Phoenix where it is very dry.
Now, I don't drink three huge 1.5L bottles at one time, I just tend to collect bottles. When I wake up first thing and I mean I literally roll to my nightstand, I pick up a bottle and will swig about 1/3 of it before I even take one step out of bed. Refreshing!
Not only do my cells start doing their happy dance (I can sense the rumba which feels energizing), the water helps me go do #2 which yeah is TMI, but according to any doc, regular #2s are vital to our healthiness. And honestly, it feels lightening to unload in the A.M.
I truly do believe that what we have produced in our current state of life is sum of our habits. It's pretty simple:
Actions = results
If we don't like what we have, then change the actions to produce different results. If we want better levels of healthiness, then we need habits which support those desires. Awhile back, I finally got tired of starting my day feeling heavy and lethargic. I'd be ready for a nap before lunch time.
After experimenting, I found that part of the link to my heavy and draining feelings in the morning was eating a heavy (to my body) breakfast and drinking coffee first thing in the morning. For breakfast, I tended to eat gluteny things like toast, bagels, english muffin, wheat cereals, or banana nut bread with a drip.
I used to believe that a muffin was "healthy" especially if it had a fruit or veggie in it like blueberry, pumpkin, banana, or zuchini. From last week's Dunkin Donuts post where we learned that their pumpkin muffin is more caloric than that frightening KFC Double Down, muffins can be worse than junk fast foods.
It's a good idea to experiment with your body. For some people, coffee energizes them in the morning, for me coffee gets me wired and crashed pretty quickly. Wheaties may pump you up, but for my bod, wheat first thing makes me feel puffy and not in a fun puffed rice kind of way.
One of the side effects, if I can call it that, of going sugar-little at the start of the year and going gluten-little during the summer was that my body started craving kale and arugula first thing. Yeah, it was kinda weird at first because hello who wakes up craving a green salad?
Well apparently, my body is one of those with the green yearnings which hey, no one's complaining. The green cravings were just unexpected...pleasantly, but still out of the blue. At Sunday brunch, while others are eating omelets or pancakes, I'm jonesing on rocket greens or spinach.
So, here's a common thing I will eat for breakfast now, instead of a bowl of cereal, I eat a bowl of arugula with things like fresh corn, peas, mushrooms, carrots, walnuts or turkey pieces.
Instead of cofffe, I drink water or fresh green juices like this kale, cucumber with a splash of coconut water. I do have a juicer, but when I want something "now" I'm lucky that my local Whole Foods does fresh juices.
The drinks are a bit pricey but hey for $4 that veggie drink is making me feel all tingly good inside, and I know I'm getting nutrient goodness at its highest enzyme impact. Sometimes for breakfast, I'll eat cucumber or avocado sushi rolls with a fresh juice like this one with beets, carrots, kale, and apple.
I haven't eliminated coffee from my life like this mocha made with cashew milk because hold up, I'm a writer and coffee does help me write because it soothes me in the afternoon, yeah I know another weird thing. My bod can handle coffee better in the afternoon I believe because I've had a couple meals by then.
I blog at cafes plenty, and coffee is par the course...at least for now. We will save changing the caffeine habit for another time :)
So how do you start off your day?
Update: And yes I know about the plastic bottles. To be more green, I (and all of us) should be using a reusable bottle but one change at a time. I do my best to recycle...not always on top of it, I'll be honest, but I try. Patience.
The holiday season has officially begun today with Thanksgiving. Salud!
Over @thekitchn, I loved how they suggested creating a Gratitude Altar for Thanksgiving where you include things that represent what you are grateful for in your life. Not only did I think this was a fabulous exercise in appreciation of your life, I thought it a wonderful holiday decoration for the house along with the tree, lights, and sparkling things because what a fantastic gift to ourselves - the gift of gratitude!
So, I am going to share my Gratitude Altar with all of you :) I'll go clockwise...
by Eckhart Tolle is one of those books that had such a profound affect on me not only because it helped me so much personally but because I think it is a great reference to how we can grow in consciousness to help raise the vibration of the planet and create more love and peace in the world...which all starts at home with ourselves. We can't have more peace in the world if we don't have peace with ourselves first.Well, yes, but perhaps everything that happens to us is a happy thing but comes to us disguised as something painful and tragic. I know doesn't make sense does it, but hear me out for a second. My friend @josephranseth challenged me one day and said to the effect, "Everything that happens is perfect." Immediately I thought, "How could pain, hurt, disappointment, or tragedy be perfect?"
These situations are perfect in that born from them is an opportunity to experience our greatest learning lessons, our biggest opportunities to change or affect change in the world, or our biggest challenges to become a more loving human being. The only difference between being perfect and imperfect is how we choose to "see" the situation.
I think back to every hurtful, painful and tragic thing in my life, and yes I did experience some intense trauma, hurt, and pain, but those experiences all contributed to my growth, to helping me find my life purpose work, and to helping me become more loving when I'd rather close down.
I think back to when I started Back in Skinny Jeans five years ago and sharing some of my own pain of being raped by a boyfriend, having an eating disorder, being diagnosed with depression, put on pills and being put on medical leave, and becoming a millionaire and losing it all, how sharing all those experiences not only helped me heal but helped many other people in the process many of which I will never know.
With encouragement from my parents, I choose to take those tragedies in my life to use them to do some good in the world instead of allowing them to keep me down, depressed, and a bitter lonely person...all of which I could be right now.
I don't want to be a person filled with hate, regret, or remorse. I want to be a person who continues to have an open heart, who helps to make the world a better place, and is a person filled with more love than dark. I'm also learning that my dark side is actually an ally not an enemy who challenges me to see what I need to heal and work on in myself. We all have dark sides, and if we can see the teacher rather than the destroyer in those ugly parts of us, then we can become better humans. Trust me, I'm no angel, and have effed-up in some monumental ways, but that is human. What matters is what I did to grow and be accountable for.
And I have learned by becoming that butterfly, that all this happens by choice....and in many cases can and will be some of the most painful and hard choices you will make, along with making some most idiotic of choices and smartest of choices, but again in a sense it is all perfect because if we never make mistakes, fall down, or get hurt, we'll never grow, expand, or become a better version of ourselves. I'm not saying it's easy, it sure as hell isn't, but that is the process. We can choose to fight it or learn from it.
So, the Tigger situation is perfect in what it is and has taught me and rightly belongs in my altar because it has challenged my heart both open and closed....this is a gift. I hope that one day, we can come to a peaceful connection. I've experienced it before with other people in my life and believe that it is possible in this situation, maybe not right now but someday. We're just two people having our human experiences. It's all a choice. I can't control other people but I can control how I choose to experience life. And on this Thanksgiving day, in this present moment, I will choose an open heart.
And there you have my holiday gratitude altar! Why not create one of your own, and if so inclined blog about it and share with others. I'm telling you it feels wonderful!
In my opinion, two of the greatest fashion inventions: stretch pants and putting spandex in denim so jeans can stretch. It's great that we have clothing that can work with us on those days when we over indulge.
On Thanksgiving day, it is very easy to over do it on the food gluttony, and if it's just once year, then heck why not go for it! However, if you're one though who'd like to partake yet want to avoid feeling like a stuffed bird or feel like you have to unbutton your stretchy jeans, here are 7 tips to help you enjoy the food cornucopia that is Thanksgiving.
For example, in Europe, 4 hour dinners are not uncommon because people eat slowly, converse, laugh, and really relish the flavors and textures of the dish they are experiencing. Plenty of time and love went into the preparation of your Thanksgiving meal, so equally take the time to savor the food and the time with your loved ones.
So, there you have some tips that have helped me over the years. What are some tips that help you enjoy Thanksgiving without feeling over stuffed?
The fastest way to get a wallop of nutrients is to fresh juice veggies and fruit. With juicing you don't get the fiber as if you were eating the vegetables and fruit raw, but if you just want nutrients and want to enjoy a combination of veggies and fruits together, then I highly recommend fresh juices.
The other day, I made this juice combo of kale, hot house cucumber, carrot, and Gala apple.
I've been doing this going sugar little journey since February to cut down my daily sugar consumption from 80g of sugar per day down to around 25g/day. One of the biggest changes I have noticed is that my body craves greens more than ever especially kale and arugula for some reason. In fact, I'm eating salad for breakfast now.
One of the things I started doing again which I used to do years ago when I was marathon training is fresh juicing. I enjoy being able to create all kinds of interesting combos of vegetables and fruits.
What I also really like about the fresh juices is how it makes my body feel. There is a big difference between how bottled juices and fresh juices makes your body feel.
I believe that difference is the fact that fresh juice is packed with way more enzymatic goodness. You see, juices start to lose their enzymatic oopmh once it hits oxygen. You can make extra juice and bottle it for later and the juice will still taste good. However, the enzyme power degenerates over time.
Admittedly, although I love fresh juicing, the one thing I do not look forward to is the clean up. Juicers can get really messy with all the roughage from the veggies and fruit. You have to clean up the juicer right away especially the filters because stuff gets crusted like carrot, and then it can take forever to clean up. Who knew carrots could be so messy.
Getting started
If you want to start juicing or have a juicer at home that is collecting dust, here is a really cool book
that I use to help inspire me with juice combos, Squeezed: 250 Juices, Smoothies, and Spritzers
What's cool about this book is that not only do you get juice ideas but ideas also for smoothies and spritzers. The book also has beautiful glossy pictures which is always thumbs up in my book! Since we're into summer time now, spritzers made with fresh juice is really awesome like one of my favorites raspberry with white peach.
So, what is one of your favorite combos for fresh juice?
Note: photos taken with an iPhone 3GS
How about a little life chat about perspective over a cup of oat milk mochas? There's something very soothing about chocolatey caffeine.
I find it really amazing how simply changing how you look at something can literally shift your feelings in moments. The data and facts will stay the same but how the situation looks can dramatically change simply by changing your perspective.
I always loved this scene from Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams' character showed his students how the world could look different by simply standing on your desk.
I remember a time when I would be stuck in a depressive state for days mainly because my thoughts were stuck on the negative or downside of whatever was pressing me at the time.
For example, whenever I'd go through a breakup, I would lament for months about why the guy left me, why I wasn't good enough, or what is it I could have done to be prettier, sexier, or nicer. Thinking about those things constantly just made me feel more unworthiness and "not-enoughness."
One day, a new healer I went to see asked me a simple question, "Is it possible that your Ex did you a favor by leaving?" Instantly, I was captivated because that thought never even occurred to me.
She went on and said, "Perhaps, if you had stayed with him your life might have gotten worse instead of better. By ending the relationship, you are now free to go be with someone else who adores you and appreciates you. Maybe you are actually saving time by being cut free from a relationship that wasn't joyful or helping you grow....Is that a possibility?"
I remember sitting in my chair, staring at her with my mouth hanging open...but now feeling calm and even a sense of relief versus the sadness and melancholy I was feeling when I first got to my appointment.
My brain started to analyze her question because the healer was correct in that my Ex breaking up with me was a benefit for me as it is feasible on the grid of possibilities. I was so focused on the negatives that it never occurred to me that there were advantages to this breakup.
There are always advantages to what seems like loss
She and I started to list the advantages to the breakup, and it was amazing to me that in a matter of mere minutes, I was now feeling hopeful, excited, and yes even joyful. I was feeling joyful about the possibilities of the future and of the next relationship. I was feeling joyful that I could be with someone who was a better fit for me, who connected with me, and who shared more of my values.
Nothing changed on the outside. The guy and I were still broken up, and he was with someone new. But, on the inside, everything had changed because I changed my perspective. I stopped focusing on what I had lost and started to focus on what I had gained.
I also came to realize that my ego was more hurt about this breakup than my higher self. The ego wanted control, and it didn't get control so it created a drama...the constant depressive state.... to simulate some sense of control. We can never control other people, only ourselves. But, we also have a choice in how we control ourselves. I'd much rather put myself in a state of feeling abundance versus lack.
Changing perspective on what problems are can also shift your feelings dramatically. Before, I used to see problems as annoyances or even punishments, but now I can see them as big homework assignments from life and ask, "What is the lesson I am to learn from this situation? How can I grow from this challenge"
When put like that, problems don't seem as daunting. In fact, when put like that, problems are of benefit to us because we can come out being a better human being which is always a huge win in my book.
We're almost at 4 months now since I started this going sugar little adventure. My goal was to go from consuming 80g of sugar/day down to about 25g/day. I'm happy to say that I'm solidly at about half way at about 40g/day. Of course, there are days where I will eat more sugar or less sugar, but consistently, I'm at about 40g average. *throwing confetti*
Cutting down the sugar in drinks
Where I have cut down significantly are in drinks with added sugar. I didn't realize that almost more than half of my daily sugar consumption was coming from drinks alone. I no longer buy many of the same drinks I used to simply because they have too much sugar in them.
Also, when I go to a cafe to work, my usual drink is now an unsweetened rice milk latte or a plain iced coffee. I'll add either one packet of raw sugar, a couple tsps of agave, or go without anything which is ideal but I'm honestly not there yet.
Carrying snacks with me
I also bring some snacks with me to help avoid the temptation of getting a pasty, biscotti, or donut when I start getting hungry. Some snacks I'll bring include cucumber or avocado sushi rolls from the Whole Foods deli, wild jungle peanuts, or a raw food bar.
One day, if I were to open a cafe, I would have a section of the food menu that was non-sugary eats. When you go out, and try to find food without or with very little sugar, you quickly discover just how much we are bombarded with the sweet stuff. It's eye opening in a scary way.
Night time is still challenging
So, I'm very thrilled that I've cut down on the sugar in the drinks and that my palate has changed so that the taste buds can't tolerate as much sugar, and that I'm also craving greens for breakfast when I wake up in the morning.
The area that still needs work is noshing on sweets at night time. I am very conscious now that the emotional reasons driving my sweet cravings at night are tied to when I start feeling lonely...particularly missing having a relationship. I'd much rather have the sweetness of cuddling with my sweetie but in lieu of that I've been cuddling with a pint of coconut milk dark chocolate ice cream. I may not have a man but I can always rely on getting love from ice cream.
I've been reading Geneen Roth's Women Food and God
Sometimes, I do wonder if I can get to a point where I can deal with my feelings without food at all. I am very proud of myself though for the progress I have made over the years when food used to control me. Indeed, I have come a long way baby, so I'll focus on that success.
Since I'm a bit of lost place with this relationship thing, I'll ask you guys. What have you done or tried to not use food as a way to help ease the loneliness of not having a relationship? What did you find that worked? Thank you for your insight!
