8 posts tagged “healthy eating”

It is important to broaden our horizons, to reach just a little further in knowledge each day, to stimulate our brain and encourage it to learn and store more information.  One way to do that is to learn something new each day.  As long as you are interested in learning and are actually learning something each day, the odds are in your favour that you will lead a more fulfilling, well-rounded life. Plus, you’ll be smarter than a fifth grader in case you ever get the opportunity to be on the show.

Over the past few weeks, we have learned far more than one thing a day and most of our minds are a little overwhelmed at the moment.  I post this blog simply to remind you that it is important to continue the process of learning as long as you are alive.  In fact, I believe, it will help keep you alive and alert.

Here’s a little example:

Over a decade ago, I was the regional representative for a high-end line of sewing machines that also did computerized digitized embroidery. One sewing machine – these were consumer not commercial – could easily cost $5,000 or more.  Twice a year we participated in a huge tradeshow where 10s of thousands of guests went through the show each day.  Every year, in the fall, there was one particular senior who dropped by the booth in her wheelchair to see the newest machine and other goodies.  Every year, she bought the newest model.  One year, I asked her why.  She said “as long as I am learning something new, I won’t die.”  She looked to be well into her eighties and possibly nineties, so it obviously worked for her.

There is a famous Oliver Wendall Holmes’ quote that states: “A mind stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension.”  May that be true for all of us in this course.

Which (finally, you say!) brings me to the point of the headline … where do sesame seeds come from?  My daughter asked me that one day while she was eating a freshly baked bagel that I had sprinkled with sesame seeds.  I thought, perhaps, it was a grain, but I actually did not know anything about sesame seeds … other than they’re really tasty toasted. There we were -- eating something that we knew nothing about.  Being curious George types, we took a ‘time out’ to go look it up (TG for the internet). Then, all that week, I asked everyone I met where sesame seeds came from.  I found out I was not alone … not one person I asked knew the answer.

To your continued learning….

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor

PS – good answer at this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame

What do I mean by that?  And, how dare I say it?

The fact is most people, quite literally, are full of crap (feces, waste matter, poop, cawcaw … whatever you call it).  Your intestinal tract is sluggish, full of gas pockets, it may be twisted, not lubricated properly, not functioning efficiently and is likely reintroducing toxins to your system.

If this is not you – you deserve a medal. It would be rare indeed for your system to be functioning at peak efficiency.  And, since you’re doing so fabulously, you are most welcome to skip this blog entirely.

But, before you decide to skip it, may I respectfully request that you at least skim through?

You may find one nugget of information that is useful to you. Then, you will have already attained one goal for today on the road to success in life – learn something new every day.

Figuratively – I personally don’t know you well enough to answer this one.  You, however, do know the answer at some level and you choose what you want to do, or not do, about it.  I am not here to judge. I am here to gently remind, poke, prod, and initiate conversation / thought as well as to offer suggestions.

To understand why you may have problems with eliminating waste regularly and easily, we need to understand the basics of human anatomy and physiology (what are the parts and how do they work).  Do not panic – we are not going to take a college course here.  This is simply an introduction.  I do not know how much you know.  Therefore, I need to start at the beginning.

The digestive system is composed of organs that break down food into protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and fats which the body absorbs and uses for energy, growth and repair.  Any leftover undigested waste is eliminated.  After food is chewed and swallowed it travels down the pharynx and esophagus through a process called peristalsis and enters the stomach.  Here it is further broken down by powerful stomach acids.  From the stomach, the processed food enters the small intestine a little at a time through a valve.  In the small intestine, food is broken into various nutrients which can then enter the bloodstream through very tiny hair-like projections.  Gradually, it gets to the large intestine where any last bits of moisture and nutrients are absorbed and the final waste is eliminated.

Hopefully you are at a point of ‘preventative maintenance’ and have not graduated to digestive problems. How do we achieve preventative maintenance in ‘baby steps’?  Simple.  We start with what is going in your mouth. Then we add in some other factors that will contribute to overall health. Following are five healthy lifestyle tips that you can easily incorporate into your daily lifestyle.

1)         Increase your water intake by ¼ to ½ cup a day for a week; then increase the same amount again the next week; continue until you reach the suggested daily intake for your body type and weight.  Click here for more information on suggested water intake.

2)         Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet – they contain a higher percentage of water and are more easily absorbed.  Try adding one different fruit or vegetable each week.

3)         Make an effort to each one fruit or vegetable of each colour each day.  This will increase your chances of receiving a wider variety of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that your body can utilize.

4)         Rub your abdomen in a clockwise motion (if you are looking down at your hand); apply more and less pressure on a random basis.  Do this whenever you think of it, but especially before you go to bed at night.

5)         Walk more.  Start with 5 minutes a day for a week.  The next week, raise it another 5 to 10 minutes a day. After a month, you’ll be up to 20 minutes a day … a reasonable achievement.

Coming up … looking at digestive issues from other ways of thinking.

This blog is an excerpt from a healthy lifestyle e-book that I am working on – let me know what you think.

To less crap in your life….

Sue Crutcher, Complementary Care Practitioner

Life Empowerment Mentor, Success Coach

Today I wanted to remind everyone of what we learned over the past week, to review how much we applied and how much we simply theorized would be helpful.

Did you:

• Add ¼ to ½ cup of water to your daily intake?
• Try one new fruit or vegetable?
• Attempt to eat a fruit or vegetable of each colour each day?
• Not look at the scale as often?
• Use a smaller plate for lunch and/or dinner?
• Sleep a little better?
• Clean up one or two 15 minute segments of organizational disaster?

Yes, to 4 or more:

Congratulations, you’re on your way!

Less than 4:

You either are a totally awesome person because you’re already doing everything and are past the baby steps to success

Or…

you need to do a lot of work and perhaps require itsy bitsy baby steps.  Don't panic.  Simply start adding in what you can from the list ... one thing at a time.

This week:

• Work on incorporating everything we learned in the past week into this week.
• ADD ANOTHER ¼ to ½ cup of water to your daily intake (so now you will be up to ½ to 1 cup more than the week before last).  See some of my other tips regarding water at my website. 

Much more in store … get ready.

HELPFUL HINT: I suggest that you keep a point-form list (or simply print out this blog and put a check mark by each item completed each day this week) of your successes.  In 6 weeks, you will be able to look back and realize that you are indeed on your way to a healthier lifestyle. And, all this, while working extremely hard keeping up to Kevin Hogan’s hectic paced course. Another opportunity for a ‘celebration’ to look forward to!

To your success

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor and Success Coach

Some of the most difficult things to cope with when you are trying to lose weight is how not to feel persecuted, like you’re being punished or that you are missing out on something.  Here is an SIMPLE HEALTH TIP that will start you on the right track to reducing your caloric intake.  It’s a baby step to success – an important one.

When filling up your dinner plate, is it usually overflowing (especially at a buffet)?  So it would be extremely depressing and dissatisfying to see your plate with too much ‘creative white space’ surrounding your food, wouldn’t it?  The answer is simple:

Next meal: put your food on a plate that is one size smaller than the one you usually use.  Most people use a 11-12” dinner plate – reduce it to a 10” plate.  FILL IT UP (just like always).  Make it look like it always looks (don’t overdo it here).  You want your mind to think it’s getting the same amount of food.  In reality, you are automatically eating approximately 10% fewer calories.  Do you see how that could add up over the next week and next month?  Simple. Easy. Try it.

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment and Success Coaching

You don’t have to give up your favourite snacks. Chances are, though, that you are eating more than ‘one portion’ when you are snacking especially if you are not consciously aware of how much you are eating.  So, today, we’ll address portion and coping skills (often baby steps to a goal down the road).

Always check the ‘nutrition information’ on the package – it will state what amount is considered a portion.  Surprise!  One package or one item does not a portion make.  A muffin a most coffee shops is actually anywhere from 2 to 4 portions.  People think they are being healthy because they eat only one muffin but if they actually looked at the ingredients and the amount of calories they would be shocked.

Snack examples: 30 mini pretzel twists = 180 calories; 1/3 cup roasted, salted baby cashews = 310 calories; 1/3 cup of Planter’s sierra trail mix = 290 calories.  We are not going into fat content or other nutritional information at this time.  What I want you to notice is the serving size.  The sierra trail mix is a small, ziplock pack containing a total of 1 cup of mix – it would be tempting (and very easy) to eat it all.  If you were noshing through it while reading the newspaper, reading a book or watching television, you could easily finish the entire pack in a matter of minutes.  Oops!  Just like that, in those same minutes -- there goes over 25% of your daily calorie intake required to maintain your body.  Do you see how extra calories can very rapidly sneak into your day?  Extra calories = weight gain.

HEALTH TIP: After you look at the portion listed on the package, actually measure out – do not ‘guestimate’ (you’ll be way over) the correct amount.  Now:

• Put the portion amount in a nice serving dish
• Carry the dish to where you are going to eat your snack
• Consciously sit back, enjoy and savour your snack (all at once or a little at a time)
• Take time to chew properly and thoroughly (this aids digestion)
• When it is done, stop and think: Would I like more of that?  Probably the knee jerk reaction is ‘yes’.  That’s ok.
• Do nothing.
• Wait 15 minutes.
• If you want more, go get another portion, put it in the bowl.
• Repeat all the steps.

The key element is to be aware of how much you are eating and make a conscious choice on how much you eat.  If you overdo it, do not feel guilty.  With time and practice, you will find that you gradually will reduce the amount of snacking and the snack itself.

If you’re a big snacker now: do not worry. There is hope. I used to plow through several family size bags of potato chips in a day (along with a case or two of pop … yes, you read that right, and a few chocolate bars along with lots of fast food stuff to balance my diet).  I can empathize with you – I know how difficult it can be to change your eating habits.  And, I know that, given time, baby steps to success is a process that will change those habits. Yes, I still eat potato chips on occasion and I enjoy them.  The difference is: now, I sit back and enjoy 10 potato chips and I’m happy (yes, I’ve stopped picking out all the big ones for my serving).  If a junk food addict can do it, so can you.

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor

A very simple health tip for you:

Since we’re on the subject of fruits and vegetables, here is another idea for you to ‘chew’ on.

Each day, aim to have ONE fruit or vegetable of each colour at some point throughout the day.  Not only will your snacks and meals more appealing to your senses but the chances of getting a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals increases substantially.

As an example, your day’s intake could include: tomato, orange, banana, spinach, blueberries, eggplant. Bonus, you’ve already entered the range of 5-10 recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day (for maintenance of good health).  A 'serving' is: 1 medium fruit or ½ cup of vegetables.

This is also a good time to check in with you on your baby steps to health for the week:

• Are you drinking an extra ¼ to ½ cup of water each day?
• Have you chosen your new fruit or vegetable to add to your weekly meals?
• Have you tried that new fruit or vegetable in at least one way this week?

I'm not going to lambaste (www.Dictionary.com Word of the Day) you if you haven't done any or all of the above.  After all, I am not responsible for your health -- you are. Whether or not you take the time to incorporate the simple, baby steps listed as healthy lifestyle tips is entirely up to you.  My responsibility as a life empowerment mentor is to offer you guidance and suggestions.

For those who are working on their baby steps to health -- CONGRATULATIONS!

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor

Today's suggestion is a very simple health tip:

ADD ONE NEW FRUIT or VEGETABLE to your repertoire this week.

Try a new fruit -- starfruit, if available, is a particularly interesting fruit (sort of a kiwi like tartness mixed with a texture between a fresh green grape and a pear).  It makes a nice addition to salad, beautiful on a fruit and/or cheese tray and quite good with melted dark chocolate (most things are!) ANY fruit that you do not currently eat on a regular basis is perfect!  A red pear instead of a yellow pear counts. 

OR

Try a new vegetable -- leeks are a wonderful start as they are mild and can be utilized in many dishes.  One of my favourites is leek and potato or leek and mushroom soup.  Too strange for you? How about a different colour of pepper than you would normally buy?  Or, parsnips instead of carrots?

The idea behind this 'baby step' is: by increasing the selection of fruits and vegetables in your current eating habits, you simultaneously increase the number and variety of vitamins and minerals available to your body for cellular function.

When you try the new fruit or veggie, do so with an open mind.  Consciously, savour it.  Notice: the colour, the texture, the scent, the flavour, the nuances that make it what it is ...

TIP: Incorporate the new item into your menu one day, wait a day and add again.  Notice if you have any reaction to it (not likely since it will likely be a small amount but do pay attention to your body's signals) ... possibles include: slight headache, a little bloating and/or gas, good things like more energy, feeling happier.  It is always good when you are aware of what is happening in and to your body at a more subtle level and in tune with yourself.  Do not go 'crazy' and add 10 new fruits and vegetables to your menu -- it is best to make changes in a gradual way so your body has time to adapt and accept.

We'd all love to hear about your new experiences.

My new veggie this week is 'radish sprouts' (instead of 'onion, broccoli or mung bean').  I'm playing with a new toy -- a 'sprouter' unit instead of the old glass jar with cheesecloth and elastic band method. So far, the sprouts have been on sandwiches, in a salad, in stirfry (on top at serving time) and hidden inside a grilled cheese sandwich.  They are a 'keeper' for me.

ENJOY THE EXPERIMENTING>>>

Sue Crutcher, Baby Steps to Success

I could go on and on about water, but I’ll let that one ‘flow’ away for now and come back to it in the future.  It’s a great idea for a downloadable pdf document though, isn’t it?

For the next few days in this blog, I’m will be suggesting simple ways to work on a healthier lifestyle through your food intake (oops! I almost used ‘diet’ but that word has such bad connotations for most people, I prefer not to use it.  It probably has to do with a subconscious link to the first three letters of the word itself – which, to me, is a huge ‘clue’ … especially on beverages).

Remember, that a ‘healthier lifestyle’ for you is totally different than your perceived healthy lifestyle ideal and what you think a healthy lifestyle entails (usually things you’re not yet willing to do or try because they seem too overwhelming or radical at this time).

Eat food as close to its source as possible for the most nutritional value

Eat raw vegetables and fruits – from your own garden if at all possible.  It’s not as much work as you think and there are ways to grow something almost anywhere.  A patio container with a one tomato plant will yield tomatoes for your salads, appetizers, condiments, sautéed and/or stuffed – all season long.  It is one plant to look after and you get to start flexing those green thumb muscles to gain confidence (a 'baby step' to gardening). There is a certain level of success, personal satisfaction and pleasure achieved from growing your own food, not to mention self-reliance.

Last year, my daughter and some friends were ‘camping’ beside our garden and at lunch, she went to the garden and picked lettuce, onions, cucumber, tomatoes and herbs to make a salad.  She was so excited and proud!  Her friends were amazed how easy it was and how wonderful the salad tasted.  Later we had a ‘pop quiz’ (we often do that with guests on various subjects after they have a tour of the property by land or water) to name the different vegetables in the garden.  I know it is difficult to tell a watermelon, from a cantaloupe or a cucumber when you only see the leaves but I thought they would know the difference between a corn stock, beans, onions and tomatoes.  Sadly, most of the friends could only make guesses. Herein lays another area to educate people to be self-sufficient and responsible.  When they see how much land is required to grow the food they take for granted, perhaps it will help them relate to signs like: ‘farmers feed cities’ that they see along the roadside; understand the concern of our shrinking and changing farmland; consider composting and its importance.

If you do not have your own garden, choose the farmer’s market. Make the extra effort … these fruits and vegetables are normally picked that morning (at the most, the night before) and are about as fresh as you get without having your own garden.

Next choice: your local produce market if there is one in your area.  If you live in a large city, there are usually some of them around – go to the ethnic areas as they often have wonderful produce and unique choices to try.

Last choice, the supermarket – go to several, watch which ones are busiest and have the highest turnaround in the produce section.  Produce coming into the local supermarket, in season, is quite reasonable … the difference being the freshness level – it takes time to pack, ship, unload, unpack, stock and restock that quantity of items.

BONUS: Raw fruits and vegetables tend to be low in calories (by the way, “veggies with your dip” is different than “dip with your veggies”) and are an important part of a weight loss strategy.

If you are overwhelmed by the choices, or would like guidance: Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentoring

Would you like to visit my garden conveniently located next door to a year-round, luxurious 5-bedroom vacation rental home?