• How to Live to Be 100

    By sarajean on 7/30/10 5:06pm
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    Do you stress over antioxidants, striving as hard as you can to incorporate superfoods into your diet? Do you work out every day, refrain from smoking and drinking too much—maybe enjoy a glass of wine a day for its health benefits—and try to be as healthy as you can, hoping to live to be 100?

    You still might not make it past 90, friend.

    Of course, you still could—and more power to you for trying! By living a healthy lifestyle, you’re probably happier and healthier anyway, so even if you don’t live to be a decade, you’ll still enjoy the years you are here (not to say you won’t if you don’t do those things, of course).

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  • What's my goal?

    By CindyLu on 7/30/10 12:52am
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    no soybean oil mayo!no soybean oil mayo!What is my ultimate goal in my diet?  Feeling good, energetic, and healthy, actually being healthy (as far as my vitals, etc.) and living long enough to help my children and any others who need me in whatever they need.

    I love sharing my thoughts, ideas, and experiences of this journey with you.  Your thoughts, questions, and comments are so welcome.  Feel free to comment any time or even start a new thread!  I love hearing from you.  It's very encouraging.

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  • The Idiotic New Food Pyramid

    By erika on 7/29/10 1:42pm
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    As much as I disliked the old governmentally prescribed food pyramid, at least it made a kind of sense.  The new food pyramid (I'm inclined to put it in "scare quotes" and call it a "pyramid," but I shall refrain) is so clearly the work of a bureaucrat, it makes me want to bury my head in my hands.  It's so bad, it should come with its own Powerpoint presentation.

    For one thing, the original food pyramid WAS a pyramid.  You had different sizes of blocks which stacked on top of each other.  To make a pyramid.  It made logical sense, and visual sense as well.  

    Okay, so the base of the pyramid was this gigantic slab of grains.  Which was sacrilege to the carb-haters.   But what would you expect from the United States Department of AGRICULTURE?  That's what they're for - to get you to eat plants.


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  • Ban on BPA in Baby Products a Small Step Toward Human Health

    By sarajean on 7/29/10 7:59am
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    The banning of bisphenol A (BPA) in one single state is not a whole lot to celebrate. The optimist in me wants to say, “Yay! If California can do it, the rest of us can, too!” Unfortunately, I am feeling much more pragmatic today, and given the fact that California has routinely passed laws that support the environment, health, children’s issues, and plenty of other things I care about over the past couple of decades (at least) that my state still has yet to even give a damn about, I’m not going to hold my breath.

    And the chemical is still being allowed to be manufactured. The ban, recently passed by the California House of Representatives, is part of the Toxic-Free Babies and Toddlers Act—which, as you might guess, means that the chemical is only being banned from materials meant for people ages three and under.

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  • I've cut soy from my diet and feel great!

    By CindyLu on 7/21/10 1:28pm
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    Cut soy from my diet too?  I've already cut out coffee (yes, after writing the article about how wonderful it is), soda, and artificial sweeteners.  Now, I've added soy to the list after reading a small part of Jillian Michael's book, "Master your Metabolism" in a bookstore.  I've ordered the book, along with the cookbook of the same name off Half.com and am anxiously awaiting their arrival.

    I really like her premise that most health issues, including many things associated with being overweight, can be solved by balancing your hormones (insulin, thyroid hormone, estrogen, progesteron, etc.).  I didn't get to read very much in the short amount of time that I was in the bookstore, so I'm really excited about learning more when the books arrive.

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  • 10 Things to Do with Blueberries

    By sarajean on 7/15/10 3:45pm
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    July is National Blueberry Month, and for good reason: blueberries are in season all across the country, ripe and fresh and on sale. The foods are considered one of nature’s biggest superfoods, filled with antioxidant super-ninja powers—or, at least, plenty of nutrients. To incorporate blueberries into your summer meals, here are ten things to do with the small blue fruits.

    10. Add Them to Cold Foods

    What better way to cool off during the summer than by adding blueberries to your cold foods like ice cream, yogurt, or iced fruit drinks?

    9. Freeze Them in Ice Cubes

    For a festive summer look as well as a surprise taste when your cubes start to melt, freeze some blueberries in your ice cube trays. One or two per cube should work fine.

    8. Stick to Your Diet

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  • I managed to stay on track!

    By CindyLu on 7/11/10 1:40am
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    I stayed on track yesterday!  That's the whole key to getting started on a nutrition plan... starting with such a spark that you see results soon.  Results keep you motivated.  The better the results, the more the motivation.  Well, I'm motivated.  I lost 1 lb. yesterday!

    It's like a vicious circle when you just play at dieting or eating right.  If you dont drop enough calories out of your diet to see results, then you don't have a reason to continue.  I've done this so many times, thinking I'm "dieting" but not losing weight.  It's so discouraging!  You know when this usually ends is when I start keeping a journal of everything I eat and counting the calories.  Sometimes it's a real eye opener, and I think, "No wonder you're not losing weight!"

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  • Time to get to work!

    By CindyLu on 7/9/10 11:07pm
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    I'm done playing around!  Remember the post about Koli not counting calories?  Well, that's been me lately, and it doesn't work.  I can tell you from experience.

    So today I logged into fitday.com, put in my current weight, my goal weight in 2 months (Sept. 8th), and started logging in everything that I ate... And it surprised me!  I would have thought that I'd be more aware of what's going in my mouth.

    I thought that I was doing good, and when we got home from a lunch out and a matinee movie, I'd have a little snack to finish my great day (calorie wise).  But as I sat down and logged in every single thing that I ate, I soon realized that there wasn't room for anymore, except a few (8) fresh strawberries (45 calories = great calorie value). 

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  • Free-Range Eggs Less Healthy Than Battery Cage?

    By erika on 7/1/10 1:59pm
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    You may have seen the headlines.  "Free-Range Eggs May Be Less Healthy Than Regular Eggs."  Oh, the news loves a good "man bites dog" story.  Much less one which seems to puncture what so many see as the smug hypocrisy of the organic food movement.  

    My first quibble with this title is the use of the phrase "regular eggs."  I think we should just be honest about it and call them "battery cage eggs."  After all, that is what "regular eggs" really are.  You should see people's faces fall when I point out that all eggs are from hens living in battery cages, unless otherwise specified.   A lot of people don't realize the truth about eggs.  Pretty terrible, right?  

    (In case you were wondering, I don't buy eggs - I have pet chickens.  When I do buy eggs, I'm lucky enough to be able to buy them from a local chicken farm which has been Certified Humane.  But I digress.)


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