Nutrition Fitness Life

Maybe it has something to do with summer, but I’ve been in a Hawaii sort of mood. I’m longing for pineapples, beaches, and palm trees. Those of you who live in such climates, please an enjoy one or all three for me.

I was inspired by a recipe I found in my files the other day, a nameless recipe scribbled on a notepad, as if I were in a rush. I played around with it and came up with a macadamia coconut granola that has pleasantly sweet, as well as buttery, nutty flavor. I added organic banana chips to my batch for an added tropical taste.

This granola works well as a breakfast cereal, as a topping for yogurt, or as a snack by itself.

Tropical Granola

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/3 cup flax seed meal
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup olive oil or canola oil
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp coconut extract
• 1 cup macadamia nuts

Optional:

• 1/3 cup banana chips
• 1/4 cup dried pineapple

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl. Then pour wet ingredients into dry, and combine.

Spread mixture on a 9×13 baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove baking pan from oven and stir granola. Add macadamia nuts. Add banana chips and/or dried pineapple if you are using. Bake for 20 more minutes, or until toasted. Keep a close eye on the granola to prevent burning. Stir every 20 minutes.

Let cool completely. Store in airtight container.

 Congratulations, Debbie B!  You are the winner of The Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook!  I hope you enjoy the recipes! 

Back in November, I viewed a screening of Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein’s documentary, The Business of Being Born. Applauded by the American College of Nurse Midwives, I too agreed it was an excellent perspective of the more natural side to childbirth, without all the excess medical interventions that sometimes occur in the hospital setting.

Well, the American Medical Association (AMA) had quite the opposite view of this film. Their alarm and disagreement with Lake’s documentary prompted them to establish a resolution against home births stating, “The safest setting for labor, delivery and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital or a birthing center.”

The AMA also issued another resolution to regulate licensure and scope of practice of nurse midwives and oversee their practice. Not very desirable for nurse midwives who practice outside of the hospital setting.

The Big Push for Midwives, a national campaign organized to advocate for regulation and licensure of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) throughout the U.S. is appalled. Steff Hedenkamp, Communications Coordinator for the Big Push for Midwives stated:

“Maternity care is a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. So it’s no surprise to see the AMA join the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in its ongoing fight to corner the market and ensure that the only midwives able to practice legally are hospital-based midwives forced to practice under physician control. I will say, though, that I’m shocked to learn that the AMA is taking this turf battle to the next level by setting the stage for outlawing home birth itself—a direct attack on those families who choose home birth, who could be subject to criminal prosecution if the AMA has its way.”

My opinion? I don’t really care for the “thou shalt not” stance the AMA seems to be taking. I think it all boils down to money, control, and lawsuits.

As far as where my thoughts on home births lean, I am not opposed to them. In fact, I believe they can provide a natural, comfortable, and even empowering environment for women to deliver their babies. Home births have been the method of delivering babies far longer than the hospital setting, and I also feel the hospital setting can become too “medical.” Pregnancy is treated like a disease instead of a natural process.

I am also of the opinion that women who choose home births have uncomplicated pregnancies for safety purposes. Ideally these women should have received proper prenatal care, have done their research, will be attended by a licensed, certified midwife, and have a well, thought out plan in the event of an emergency. The lines of communication must be open between the mother-to-be, her midwife, and an obstetrician in the hospital in case of an emergent transfer.

I feel that the hospital setting, with an operating room and neonatal intensive care unit, would be more suitable for women and/or their unborn babies with serious medical conditions, such as placenta previa or neural tube defects, among other health issues.

I’m also of the opinion that most women feel more comfortable in the hospital setting because of the usually quicker access to care in the event of an emergency. I support either decision, whether home birth or hospital.

There is also the option of a birth center. It offers more natural birth options, fewer medical interventions (inductions, augmentation of labor with Pitocin, constant external fetal monitoring, episiotomies, or drugs) yet may be connected to a hospital.

The bottom line is, no matter how this debate eventually pans out, I feel all women should know what their options are for their labor and delivery experience. The delivery of one’s baby is an amazing, life changing experience. Therefore, it deserves careful consideration on the part of women, their families, and their health care providers to make the experience as positive and safe as possible.

I’m back from the great state of Texas; my visit with family was long overdo and enjoyable.

One of my goals during the vacation was to maintain an exercise schedule, and honestly that was a challenge! I focused more on isometric/strength training exercises in the privacy of the guest bedroom (with the door closed, mind you).

Also, this born and bred Northern girl had the gumption to go for a walk outside in the afternoon… in the sun… in HOUSTON! The crazy thing was I walked for over a half hour, but that was mainly because I couldn’t remember exactly how to get back to the house - echem! SO! Needless to say, I returned, red-faced, sweaty, and in need of lots of water. What’s crazy is I really enjoyed my walk! (Too much heat affecting the brain, I suppose.)

I did have the opportunity to visit a 24-Hour Fitness Center, which was great! I was able to get in with a guest pass from my mother-in-law (see, they’re not all bad!) I had an excellent cardio workout and weight training session, and I loved it! That felt pretty darn good!

Now it’s true that when families get together, “interesting” things are bound to be said. And here are a few that I overheard and would like to share with you…

My husband to one of the family:

“I don’t eat mayonnaise. I’ve enjoyed my life without it, so I don’t feel I need to start eating it now.”

When I overheard this, I paused a moment. What he said stuck with me because I thought of it in terms of sugar. I want to get to the point where I can truly say, “I don’t need sugar to enjoy life! I don’t need to eat it!”

Two friends of my sister-in-law during her high school graduation party. The two teenagers, a guy and girl, were rummaging through the kitchen in search of a snack. The guy decided on a bowl of strawberries. Upon learning of his choice, the girl stated,

“Strawberries?! That’s not real food!”

I was sorely tempted to ask her, “What IS real food, then? A greasy cheeseburger and chips?” (but I remained polite and kept my mouth shut.)

Two guys - again from the graduation party:

Guy 1: “You hear about the tomatoes and salmonella?”

Guy 2: “Dude, what’s salmonella?”

I laughed out loud at this, but I was in a different room, so no egos were damaged during the outburst.

And the one that got the best laugh out of all the family members was from my 6-year old nephew explaining why Aunt Susan didn’t want to go outside and have a water gun fight:

“She’s afraid of water. Cause if she gets wet she’ll melt.”

The response was an explosion of laughter and a certain aunt who was regretting telling a precocious boy those very words earlier in the day.

Be careful what you say to children because they WILL repeat it!

I recently received a copy of The Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook to review for you. As the title states, this is a cookbook designed for diabetics. The just under 200 recipes meet nutritional guidelines of the American Diabetes Association.

The cookbook emphasizes healthy carbohydrates - whole grains, fruits, and vegetables - stating that they are permitted with those who have diabetes and should be enjoyed.

The recipes are divided up into meal times: breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, and dessert. These labels are printed on the sides of their corresponding pages to easily find each section. Every recipe comes with a nutritional analysis and a cooking tip.

The authors of this cookbook have experience in both teaching and cooking:

Chef Jennifer Bucko, MCFE - She is the Associate Dean and Chef Instructor for Robert Morris College Institute of Culinary Arts and was the Excutive Chef of the MarketPlace Food Store in Chicago.

Lara Rondinelli, RD, LDN, CDE - She is the Diabetes Center Coordinator at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and an instructor at Rush University. She has also served on the board of the Chicago Dietetic Assocation.

My opinion

The recipes are simple, easy to follow, and create healthy and tasty dishes. I feel this cookbook is for anyone wishing to find healthier recipes, not just diabetics. You can cook dishes like Chicken Pesto Panini, Asian Beef Kabobs with Brown Rice, Jambalaya, Mediterranean Tortellini Salad, Banana Pudding, and Berry Sorbet.

This cookbook is in black and white, including the handful of pictures. Now, I like lots of colored photographs of food in cookbooks, so I would have preferred more color in this particular cookbook.

The biggest downside to this cookbook is that it uses Splenda as a sweetener, and I now avoid Splenda since I believe it causes more harm to the body than good. I’d actually rather use regular sugar over Splenda, but that’s not the healthiest option for diabetics. Other alternatives to the Splenda include sweeteners like mashed up bananas, applesauce, cinnamon, alcohol-free vanilla extract, or even organic honey. Each of these sweeteners would bring a different taste to the recipe, so I would need to experiment with amounts.

The final word

I did enjoy many of the recipes. I found them to be relatively healthy and easy to create. I’m even saving some of the recipes for future use (and tweaking).

If you’d like a copy of this cookbook, let me know in the comments section by Monday, June 23rd. I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner.

Want to try a sample recipe from The Healthy Carb Diabetes Cookbook? Check out this simple and tasty stir-fry:

Chicken Almond Stir-Fry

Serves 6

• Cooking spray
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup sugar snap peas
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 2 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 tsp lite soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp sliced almonds
• 2 cups cooked brown rice

1. Add cooking spray and canola oil to a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, sugar snap peas, and carrots, and stir-fry for 4 minutes.

2. Add chicken, soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper to skillet and stir-fry for 6 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add almonds and sauté 1 minute,

3. Serve stir-fry over rice.

Thank you to all the wonderful Dads out there for all you do! I wish you a relaxing and enjoyable Father’s Day!

Photo credit: theophine

If you’ve just arrived, or you’d like a review, check out my posts about sugar addiction and the solution to sugar addiction. I’m following the 7 steps outlined in Potatoes, Not Prozac.

I feel it’s time for me to officially start the next step in breaking the sugar addiction, and according to the plan for sugar addiction outlined in Potatoes, Not Prozac, Step 3 involves:

1. eating three meals a day
2. at regular intervals
3. with sufficient protein.

Eat Three Meals a Day

Why just three meals and not little meals throughout the day?

For sugar addicts, stopping a meal can be difficult. Having three meals a day trains the body to start and, more importantly, end a meal.

It’s easy to turn those little meals into an entire day of constant grazing and snacking. That’s not necessarily because the sugar sensitive individual is undisciplined. No, brain chemistry may be more to blame in this instance. A true sugar addict is thought to have the short end of the stick when it comes to brain chemicals such as serotonin and beta endorphin levels. These neurotransmitters help you have better impulse control and the ability to turn down sweets, among other things. Sugar sensitive individuals may have low levels of these chemicals.

Having three meals a day also teaches impulse control, which can be difficult for a sugar addict, especially in regards to sweets.

You can still eat sweets on Step 3; just move them to an official mealtime. In fact, moving sweets to meals decreases sugar’s effect. Having sugar after eating protein, rather than eating the sweet by itself, will diminish that crazy sugar high and subsequent nasty crash.

Exceptions to the three meals a day rule are those who are very active and those who are pregnant or nursing. These individuals will need what is called a “planned snack” of protein and a complex carbohydrate. The snack is planned for a certain time of day with foods chosen ahead of time. A planned snack involves being mindful of the foods you choose and eat instead of spontaneously grabbing junk food without thinking. Learning to start, stop, and pay attention can still play a role with planned snacks.

Eat at Regular Intervals

Why? To keep blood glucose levels steady, reduce cravings, and keep you from feeling irritable, shaky, and lethargic. Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons suggests aiming for about 5-6 hours between meals, but not longer than 6 hours (except between dinner and breakfast the next day). Going without eating for more than 6 hours can lead to a big drop in blood glucose levels, and that’s something we want to avoid!

Eating at regular intervals also requires you to pay attention to your body and the foods you put in it, both of which are important in healing from a sugar addiction.

Eat Sufficient Protein at Every Meal

Protein is essential in helping the sugar addict’s brain and body heal. Protein also keeps blood glucose levels steady. And it aides in the production of serotonin, one of those chemicals that is usually low in sugar sensitive persons. Serotonin is what contributes to feeling calm, in control, and able to say no to sweets.

Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons recommends a daily protein intake for the sugar addict to be between 0.4 and 0.6 grams per pound of body weight, depending on the individual, health conditions, and the extent of healing that is needed.

Generally speaking…

.

It Takes Time

Step 3 is stated to be one of the hardest steps in Dr. DesMaison’s program. It’s hard because each part of this step is sometimes the very opposite of what the sugar addict prefers! Therefore, it’s also important to take your time while on this step and not expect perfection right from the start. Good advice for me!

Step 3 has a lot of behavioral healing woven into it… Don’t be fooled into thinking that this part is so easy you don’t have to work on it. If you are sugar sensitive, Step 3 is the key to getting your body chemistry in balance. Give yourself as much time as you need to master it (Potatoes, Not Prozac, pp. 137,138).

The good news is that mastering Step 3 will provide noticeable, positive changes. The sugar fog will begin to lift, and the need and desire for sugar will slowly grow weaker. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe, just maybe it really is possible to be free of the sugar monster forever!

Photo credit: WordRidden

I was supposed to follow up my last post with a description of my next step for curbing the sugar addiction. However, I can’t pass up not telling you about my thrill-seeking experience.

Yesterday, I did something I can cross off the proverbial list, something I never thought I’d actually do. I went skydiving!

All I can say is WOW! Crazy, scary, thrilling, amazing kind of wow!

Honestly I was scared, and I even had second thoughts I as read through page after page of release and consent forms that noted in bold, capital letters: SKYDIVING CAN RESULT IN DEATH! My husband and his brother laughed, but I said, “This is serious stuff! I feel like I’m signing my life away!” It also didn’t help that they were singing “Bodies” by Drowning Pool. ‘Boys!’

I thought to myself, “And why am I doing this?” But then another part of me countered that thought with, “Face your fears! Do something crazy and fun! Expand your limits!” That crazy/fun side of me won.

We all jumped in tandem, which means each of us were attached to an experienced skydiver, who had the parachute. However, my biggest fear was not necessarily the falling, but that the parachute would fail to open! My instructor was really cool, though and calmed my fears. He helped me get in the harness properly and double checked everything, letting me know safety was paramount for him.

I wore a blue suit that reminded me of the Fantastic Four characters. After secured tightly in our gear and practicing the proper jump moves, we ambled out to the propeller plane and sat cramped, in a line, one in front of the other. I was reminded of the movie, Band of Brothers, as they sat in the plane heading off towards Normandy on D-Day. Only in this instance, we weren’t being shot at!

At 14,000 feet the plane door opened and one by one we jumped off of a perfectly good and working airplane. I was towards the end of the line and slowly scooted along the narrow bench closer and closer to the opened door, watching those before me make their jumps.

The scariest part for me was seeing my husband tumble away from the plane as my instructor and I positioned ourselves for our jump. “Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed. “I’m scared!” But before I had time to analyze the situation, my instructor, to whom I was attached, was shouting, “Ready! Set!…” And out we jumped.

I screamed, but I couldn’t hear my voice because a blast of cool air hit my face and roared in my ears. I arched my back like we practiced on the solid ground and opened my eyes. We were falling through a cloud. I saw the earth below.

Surprisingly, the free fall didn’t feel like a roller coaster, where your stomach is slow to catch up with the rest of your body. No, the free fall really did feel like flying. It was loud, the air was cool, and my ears popped a little, but once you get over the fear factor, it’s actually a really amazing experience.

After a minute of falling to the earth at 120 mph, we were at the right altitude to pull the parachute lever. And it opened without a hitch - Praise God!

This was my favorite part of the whole adventure - gliding to the ground via a parachute. Suddenly the roaring wind was replaced by silence. I laughed and could hear my laughter. My instructor showed me how to steer the parachute as we glided over farm land, ponds and even a road. The view was amazing! Think of looking out the window of an airplane, only you’re not in the airplane!

All too soon it was over, and we landed perfectly on our feet. My instructor and I hugged. “Awesome job!” Then, after getting detached and out of the harness, I went in search of my husband who was beaming. He gave me a hug and kiss. “You did it!” he exclaimed.

Yes, I did do it, and even had the matted, windblown hair to prove it.

I’m on a personal quest of sorts. Three months ago I made the realization that I am a sugar addict and decided to commit to breaking my addiction.

Following Dr. Kathleen DesMaison’s plan for sugar addiction, I started off including protein and a complex carb at breakfast. After creating my new breakfast habit, I moved on to step two, the food journal. I’ve been working on journaling what I eat and how I feel for about a month.

I used to think I didn’t need a food journal, that I had it all figured out in my head. I thought I knew what I ate and how I felt and what I needed to do. Not true! The food journal can be very eye-opening. I’ve learned things about myself that I otherwise would have ignored.

Some things I noticed from reviewing my food journal:

• I eat at the same times just about everyday.
• I snack or chew the same berry flavored gum in the afternoons if I’m at work.
• The most common feeling I record for the mornings: tired
• The most common feelings overall: happy, antsy, tired, not hungry
• Yeah, I see that I often eat when I’m not really hungry
• But I write “shaky” if I don’t eat for more than 6 hours
• Eating sugar is associated with feelings of nervousness, elation, and then of feeling really really tired and irritable
• I eat way more chocolate than I thought!
• The more sweets I eat, the more I crave them.
• Recently, my diet has gradually shifted to include more protein at lunch and dinner, as well as veggies.
• With this change, I notice snacking in the afternoons has decreased.

This shift towards healthier foods makes me want to move on to the next step in beating my sugar addiction. Step 3 is eating regularly throughout the day, including adequate protein at each meal. I’m naturally drifting in this direction already, so I feel it’s time to make it official! I’ll explain more about step 3 in my next post…

Photo credit: ppreacher

I’m in the middle of preparing for a trip to The Lone Star State. The husband and I are to visit family. I admit the organizer in me enjoys the list making - what to pack, water the plants, take out garbage, lock door, etc. etc. etc and so forth. I also do a major house cleaning before any extended leave from home. I love coming home to a clean house; it feels refreshing.

Very nice, but not the kind of plane I want to fly in to Texas!

Usually I let exercise slide when I’m on vacation, but since I’m participating in the WOMAN Challenge, I feel my conscious and competitive nature urging me to fit in exercise during the family visit. I am determined to get my certificate at the end of this fitness challenge!

No, not this one.

Perhaps I can fit in 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there if there’s no opportunity to workout in one, long session. Maybe a walk in the evenings when the heat reduces from a blazing hot to just hot. I’ll scout out my options once I arrive.

Um, no.

So, on my packing list sitting next to the computer here, I’ve included workout clothes and shoes. Besides the essentials, (clothes, shoes, toiletries) I’ve listed a book I’ve been waiting to start, notebook to jot down ideas should the moment strike, music to study and practice (well, ideally I should practice), and my iPod. I had planned on only taking one carry-on to avoid the nuisance of baggage checking and hoping my luggage makes arrives at its proper destination, but my packing list seems to be growing by the minute.

Maybe if I stick things in my husband’s bag… He wouldn’t notice, right?

Well, guess this doesn’t look so bad after all.

Take care! And hopefully “see” you soon from Texas!

Photo credits: dusifabian, tlloyd, miras, macleod