http://www.bmi-calculator.net/
Showing posts with label DIETs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIETs. Show all posts
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Processed People
The statistics are terrifying.
Two hundred million Americans are overweight and 100 million are obese. More than 75 million Americans have high blood pressure. 24 million people are diabetic. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death for men and women, followed by stroke and obesity-related cancers. Obesity is about to overtake tobacco as the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the United States.
60% of bankruptcies are caused by what has become known as “medical debt.”
Fast food, fast medicine, fast news and fast lives have turned many Americans into a sick, uninformed, indebted, “processed” people.
Two hundred million Americans are overweight and 100 million are obese. More than 75 million Americans have high blood pressure. 24 million people are diabetic. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death for men and women, followed by stroke and obesity-related cancers. Obesity is about to overtake tobacco as the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the United States.
60% of bankruptcies are caused by what has become known as “medical debt.”
Fast food, fast medicine, fast news and fast lives have turned many Americans into a sick, uninformed, indebted, “processed” people.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Reality Check - July 14, 2011
Looks like I have a ways to go ... but me at 94 lbs would just gross, so I am aiming for 115, been there before and looked great.
So far the 1200 cal per day diet has been pretty easy, and its been great for me to really see what I have been eating and what my habits have been. I seem to be over on my sugars almost daily due to fruit, so I am not beating myself up over that at all. Carbs and fats have been in check every days and on those days that I have been over on calories, its been due to alcohol.
So bye, bye booze, its been fun, but we have to break up for a bit.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Eating Below your BMR?
BMR for those who may not know is your Basal Metabolic Rate, which is an estimate of how many calories you'd burn if you were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. It represents the minimum amount of energy needed to keep your body functioning, including breathing and keeping your heart beating.
Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise.
Now here is my question; Why would www.myfitnesspal.com tell me that my daily goal for weight loss should be 1,200 cal/day when my BMR is 1,292 cal/day??
This strikes me as odd, so off to Dr. Google I go, and this is what I find:
1) Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – the amount of energy your body needs to stay alive, just lying still, without moving. This makes up the bulk of one’s metabolic cost.
2) Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) – this is the amount of energy you expand in staying alive (BMR) and carrying out your daily activities, without any training or exercise.
3) Maintenance – this is the total amount of calories you actually burn in a day, factoring in all activity.
Here’s the deal: eat at or below BMR if you want to lose fat.
To lose fat, eat less than you burn. To gain or maintain muscle, increase your training intensity with each successive session
Interesting ...
My thoughts: This makes sense and is a great way to jump start initial fat loss, however to maintain this you would simply waste away.
Yes, No? Maybe I'm wrong and I'll have to review this again once I get to my target weight.
Regardless, for the foreseeable futures I will be sticking to my 1,200 cal per day eating plan (which really is not that hard at all when I can see it all laid out for me - yay for accountability!), but it does seem to me like something is amiss here for the long term.
Your BMR does not include the calories you burn from normal daily activities or exercise.
Now here is my question; Why would www.myfitnesspal.com tell me that my daily goal for weight loss should be 1,200 cal/day when my BMR is 1,292 cal/day??
This strikes me as odd, so off to Dr. Google I go, and this is what I find:
1) Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – the amount of energy your body needs to stay alive, just lying still, without moving. This makes up the bulk of one’s metabolic cost.
2) Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) – this is the amount of energy you expand in staying alive (BMR) and carrying out your daily activities, without any training or exercise.
3) Maintenance – this is the total amount of calories you actually burn in a day, factoring in all activity.
Here’s the deal: eat at or below BMR if you want to lose fat.
To lose fat, eat less than you burn. To gain or maintain muscle, increase your training intensity with each successive session
Interesting ...
My thoughts: This makes sense and is a great way to jump start initial fat loss, however to maintain this you would simply waste away.
Yes, No? Maybe I'm wrong and I'll have to review this again once I get to my target weight.
Regardless, for the foreseeable futures I will be sticking to my 1,200 cal per day eating plan (which really is not that hard at all when I can see it all laid out for me - yay for accountability!), but it does seem to me like something is amiss here for the long term.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Wise Words from Tera Warner & Alex Ortner
There are the three big reasons for why most "diet" and weight loss programs don't work and
just lead people into a rebounding roller coaster with their food and their weight.
1. You'll never get thin as long as you feel fat.
We've proven by now that there's more to "you" than your meat and bones. The thoughts you think,
your relationships, attitude toward life have a HUGE impact on your overall health.
The fact is, as long as you feel fat, you'll never get thin. The image you hold of yourself is the one you're walking into. You've got to start changing that image NOW to really be able to change your personal shape and appearance!
Any program that doesn't address your attitudetoward yourself, your body and life in general,
isn't worth a dime! It's just not going to work.
2. What good is being "skinny" if you're SICK?
Most programs out there focus on counting calories, carbs, and grams of fat, etc. but they have completely overlooked the nutritional value and quality of the foods they're eating.
What good is a calorie-reduced brownie and lasagna in a small portion, if it contributes to diabetes, asthma, chronic bowel issues and feeds cancer!?
When you're feeding yourself the foods your body really needs...
When you're eating unprocessed, whole foods the way nature served them up...
...cravings disappear and you lose your addictive relationship to salty, sweet, and fatty processed foods that pack on the pounds and leave you feeling
terrible.
When your body finds what it really needs, it will stop looking and start letting go of the excess weight. You'll start to look younger and feel better than ever before almost effortlessly.
Your cravings will disappear, and you'll stop fighting your body and start listening to what it really wants.
3. You need help and new habits.
After a lifetime of creating not-so-healthy habits, it takes more than wishful thinking and carrot sticks to make lasting health changes.
It takes courage, persistence, determination, dedication and...
...it takes support.
Sometimes just the fact that someone else believes in your ability to change your life is the inspiration you need to make it happen.
Life is not easy, and in our instant-gratification society most people are hooked into their iphone more than their heartbeat these days.
To make new habits stick in our fast-paced world, we need a clear structure, a rhythm--something we can rely on to stabilize us in an increasingly unstable world.
A helping hand and a clear, organized system can be the most important ingredients to your long term success!!"
So…
How would your life be different if you had someone who believes in you and a system to put in place the healthy habits you know you could be doing?
Find out this summer by going here:
www.rawfor30days.com/Get_Bikini_Ready
To your bikini body success!
just lead people into a rebounding roller coaster with their food and their weight.
1. You'll never get thin as long as you feel fat.
We've proven by now that there's more to "you" than your meat and bones. The thoughts you think,
your relationships, attitude toward life have a HUGE impact on your overall health.
The fact is, as long as you feel fat, you'll never get thin. The image you hold of yourself is the one you're walking into. You've got to start changing that image NOW to really be able to change your personal shape and appearance!
Any program that doesn't address your attitudetoward yourself, your body and life in general,
isn't worth a dime! It's just not going to work.
2. What good is being "skinny" if you're SICK?
Most programs out there focus on counting calories, carbs, and grams of fat, etc. but they have completely overlooked the nutritional value and quality of the foods they're eating.
What good is a calorie-reduced brownie and lasagna in a small portion, if it contributes to diabetes, asthma, chronic bowel issues and feeds cancer!?
When you're feeding yourself the foods your body really needs...
When you're eating unprocessed, whole foods the way nature served them up...
...cravings disappear and you lose your addictive relationship to salty, sweet, and fatty processed foods that pack on the pounds and leave you feeling
terrible.
When your body finds what it really needs, it will stop looking and start letting go of the excess weight. You'll start to look younger and feel better than ever before almost effortlessly.
Your cravings will disappear, and you'll stop fighting your body and start listening to what it really wants.
3. You need help and new habits.
After a lifetime of creating not-so-healthy habits, it takes more than wishful thinking and carrot sticks to make lasting health changes.
It takes courage, persistence, determination, dedication and...
...it takes support.
Sometimes just the fact that someone else believes in your ability to change your life is the inspiration you need to make it happen.
Life is not easy, and in our instant-gratification society most people are hooked into their iphone more than their heartbeat these days.
To make new habits stick in our fast-paced world, we need a clear structure, a rhythm--something we can rely on to stabilize us in an increasingly unstable world.
A helping hand and a clear, organized system can be the most important ingredients to your long term success!!"
So…
How would your life be different if you had someone who believes in you and a system to put in place the healthy habits you know you could be doing?
Find out this summer by going here:
www.rawfor30days.com/Get_Bikini_Ready
To your bikini body success!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Music to my Ears!
A new study may help to dispel the commonly held belief that eating soy products can reduce a man’s chances of fatherhood.
The results, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, showed their semen volume, sperm count, sperm motility and sperm morphology remained the same throughout the study.
Read more here: Don't worry, fathers-to-be. It's okay to drink soy
The results, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, showed their semen volume, sperm count, sperm motility and sperm morphology remained the same throughout the study.
Read more here: Don't worry, fathers-to-be. It's okay to drink soy
The Gluten Debate
A very interesting read today in the Globe and Mail on the ongoing gluten and wheat debate.
The gluten debate: cutting the wheat from the chaff
I was told in January that I had a wheat sensitivity, so for over a month I abstained from all things containing wheat and gluten. It was painful. Gluten is in everything. After about 6 weeks of being off the ever present wheat/guten, I slowly started re-introducing it to my diet again.
Now, keep in mind I never had any of the following to begin with, and the reason my Naturopath asked me to test my diet was because of my ever present adult acne (I have been plagued with acne since I was 13 years old and this was an attempt to get off the proactive and on to a chemical free regime)
abdominal pain
eczema or other rashes
headaches
a “foggy” mind
fatigue
diarrhea
depression
anemia
numbness (arms, legs or fingers)
joint pain
While I was wheat/gluten free I never noticed a change in my skin, not even the slightest. It simply stayed the same, no better no worse. When I started adding wheat/gluten back in, it again did not change, no better no worse.
So this little experiment makes me beg the question: How much of an "sensitivity/intolerance" must one have before symptoms start showing?
Clearly for me, my system was not all that fussed by wheat/gluten and I am happy to not have to aviod it any longer (though there will be no bread binges happening).
That being said, I do not discredit the gluten issues others may face and feel for them, as I would anyone who has to avoid anything for fear of pain and suffering.
Hopefully science will start to look at this issue a bit more seriously in the future and at some point a solution will be found.
The gluten debate: cutting the wheat from the chaff
I was told in January that I had a wheat sensitivity, so for over a month I abstained from all things containing wheat and gluten. It was painful. Gluten is in everything. After about 6 weeks of being off the ever present wheat/guten, I slowly started re-introducing it to my diet again.
Now, keep in mind I never had any of the following to begin with, and the reason my Naturopath asked me to test my diet was because of my ever present adult acne (I have been plagued with acne since I was 13 years old and this was an attempt to get off the proactive and on to a chemical free regime)
abdominal pain
eczema or other rashes
headaches
a “foggy” mind
fatigue
diarrhea
depression
anemia
numbness (arms, legs or fingers)
joint pain
While I was wheat/gluten free I never noticed a change in my skin, not even the slightest. It simply stayed the same, no better no worse. When I started adding wheat/gluten back in, it again did not change, no better no worse.
So this little experiment makes me beg the question: How much of an "sensitivity/intolerance" must one have before symptoms start showing?
Clearly for me, my system was not all that fussed by wheat/gluten and I am happy to not have to aviod it any longer (though there will be no bread binges happening).
That being said, I do not discredit the gluten issues others may face and feel for them, as I would anyone who has to avoid anything for fear of pain and suffering.
Hopefully science will start to look at this issue a bit more seriously in the future and at some point a solution will be found.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
A Message from Dr. Campbell
If you had a friend who had been a smoker all of his or her life and looked to you for advice, would you tell them to cut down to only two cigarettes a day or would you tell them to quit smoking all together? Moderation—even with the best intentions—sometimes makes it more difficult to succeed. Why should you try a totally plant-based diet? Because it can stop the development of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. The epidemic of chronic, degenerative diseases like these that are sweeping the world can be stopped and reversed with a plant-based diet. The solution lies in the choices we make about what we put on our plates.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
For more than 40 years, T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., has been at the forefront of nutrition research. His legacy, the China Project, is the most comprehensive study of health and nutrition ever conducted. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. He has more than 70 years of peer-reviewed research and has authored more than 300 research papers. Dr. Campbell has also co-authored with his son, Thomas M. Campbell II, M.D., the best-selling book The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Village on a Diet
I have admittedly become a fan of this show. As with Biggest Loser, I find myself more interested in the people and their stories and background than their weight loss. I feel for them, I want to see them succeed. And while I have defeated my weight demons (for the most part), there was a day when this little 5'0 gal was pushing 170 lbs. I was not so TINY then.
So I get it, I know where they are coming from. Plus there is no cash carrot dangling in front of them. They have to want to do this for themselves.
I bring this all up because I have been following this VOAD review column and find it interesting that the author chooses to pick apart the people and attack the production of the show.
Its only episode 3 and he is making noise about various things, like the fact that food and diet choices are only now being addressed (again, its EPISODE 3, not 12) and that the participants are being told to overhaul their diets in full and start from scratch. He complains that there is "No discussion of calories, just the same old, "servings". Ummmm, why on earth is that an issue? Screw calories, these people need to learn to eat right and learn to eat less. 10 oz of steak is too much for ANYONE (no steak at all would be preferable of course), let alone an obese 23 yr old mother.
Sure, the CBC is out to make profitable TV. Is that any sort of secret?
Get over it. Watch the show and be entertained, get emotional and maybe even get inspired to get off your ass and move.
Weighty Matters: Village on a Diet episode 3 recap: Nobody yelled!
And if you want to read more abot the show and its the LIVE RIGHT NOW program, here you go:
CBC Winter Season Focuses on Canadians' Health
So I get it, I know where they are coming from. Plus there is no cash carrot dangling in front of them. They have to want to do this for themselves.
I bring this all up because I have been following this VOAD review column and find it interesting that the author chooses to pick apart the people and attack the production of the show.
Its only episode 3 and he is making noise about various things, like the fact that food and diet choices are only now being addressed (again, its EPISODE 3, not 12) and that the participants are being told to overhaul their diets in full and start from scratch. He complains that there is "No discussion of calories, just the same old, "servings". Ummmm, why on earth is that an issue? Screw calories, these people need to learn to eat right and learn to eat less. 10 oz of steak is too much for ANYONE (no steak at all would be preferable of course), let alone an obese 23 yr old mother.
Sure, the CBC is out to make profitable TV. Is that any sort of secret?
Get over it. Watch the show and be entertained, get emotional and maybe even get inspired to get off your ass and move.
Weighty Matters: Village on a Diet episode 3 recap: Nobody yelled!
And if you want to read more abot the show and its the LIVE RIGHT NOW program, here you go:
CBC Winter Season Focuses on Canadians' Health
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Don't Stress Over Organic
I have often wondered which items are best bought organic. This is mainly because I simply cannot afford to have a fully organic diet at this point (but dreams can come true). I do my best to keep as organic and clean as possible by shopping at the weekly farmers markets and making as many organic choices as I can while grocery shopping, but sometimes I wonder ...
Which items are best when choosing organic and where can I back off a bit?
So when I came across this it really helped med set my priorities. Now its not an organic minefield for me when shopping. Phew!
Which items are best when choosing organic and where can I back off a bit?
So when I came across this it really helped med set my priorities. Now its not an organic minefield for me when shopping. Phew!
Organic produce is great — if it’s available and affordable. But what if your grocery store doesn’t have the organic produce you need? Or what if it’s too expensive?
In these cases, it’s important to know which “conventional” fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues, and which have the least.
We call these two groups “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Clean Fifteen”.
Most contaminated: THE DIRTY DOZEN
FRUITS:
Peaches
Apples
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Imported grapes
Pears
VEGETABLES:
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Kale
Lettuce
Carrots
Least Contaminated: THE CLEAN FIFTEEN
FRUITS:
Avocados
Pineapples
Mangoes
Kiwi
Papayas
Watermelon
Grapefruit
VEGETABLES:
Onions
Sweet corn
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Cabbage
Eggplant
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes
To download a PDF guide, or an iPhone application with the above list, visit: www.foodnews.org
What if you don’t mind springing for organic produce, but the items you need aren’t available? For example, suppose you want to make an organic peach pie, but organic peaches aren’t available locally.
Here’s one solution: plan your menu based on the organic produce that IS available.
For example, peaches aren’t in season in November — but pumpkins are. If you can buy organic pumpkins, you might consider making pumpkin pie instead. Then when peaches are in season again — next summer — you can buy organic peaches again.
If organic produce is readily available – but too expensive – you can save money by buying conventional avocados, onions, and other items from the CLEAN 15 list.
Monday, January 10, 2011
My Daddy Makes Me Proud
While I was back home over the holidays my Dad gave me a wicked gift: The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook: 125 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Jump-Start Weight Loss and Help You Feel Great by Dr. Neal Barnard.
I started flipping through it immediately and was tossing out quotes here and there. A few times my Dad showed some interest in what I was saying so I ran with it and started talking about all the health benefits of a plant based, vegan diet. See, my Dad suffers from Type II Diabetes and has been struggling to get it under control for some time now. Over a few days I talked more and more about it, cooked him a few things from the book and by the end of my visit my Dad had committed not only to going more veg, we had gone grocery shopping and stocked his kitchen with yummy, vegan friendly foods AND he had signed up for the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart program. I WAS SHOCKED AND SO SO SO HAPPY!
So on January 3rd, Dad kicked animal products to the curb. I got a few text messages and emails that week asking about foods and substitutes and it made my heart sing each time they pop up on my BB.
Today I sent out a congrats email to him on his first week vegan and his reply brought tears to my eyes:
I don't know how to explain how I feel right now. I am overwhelmed with happiness and love for my Dad. I knew that this change would have positive effects but I wasn't sure if it would happen fast enough for him to stick with it.
I hope that if he reads this he can see just how proud I am of him making this step and how amazing it is to see him start this journey.
xoxoxoxoxox
I started flipping through it immediately and was tossing out quotes here and there. A few times my Dad showed some interest in what I was saying so I ran with it and started talking about all the health benefits of a plant based, vegan diet. See, my Dad suffers from Type II Diabetes and has been struggling to get it under control for some time now. Over a few days I talked more and more about it, cooked him a few things from the book and by the end of my visit my Dad had committed not only to going more veg, we had gone grocery shopping and stocked his kitchen with yummy, vegan friendly foods AND he had signed up for the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart program. I WAS SHOCKED AND SO SO SO HAPPY!
So on January 3rd, Dad kicked animal products to the curb. I got a few text messages and emails that week asking about foods and substitutes and it made my heart sing each time they pop up on my BB.
Today I sent out a congrats email to him on his first week vegan and his reply brought tears to my eyes:
Feeling good. Stayed at L's for dinner last night. They had roast beef dinner - I had all the veggies and no gravy. Keeping my protein up with Soy shakes/kale/chick peas etc. Tacos for dinner tonight with no meat. Different. Blood sugar is down to the perfect zone.
I don't know how to explain how I feel right now. I am overwhelmed with happiness and love for my Dad. I knew that this change would have positive effects but I wasn't sure if it would happen fast enough for him to stick with it.
I hope that if he reads this he can see just how proud I am of him making this step and how amazing it is to see him start this journey.
xoxoxoxoxox
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
2011 - The Year of the Food Sensitivity
Well, well, well. It would appear that today is the start of a new Me. And not just because its January 2011.
After a hour long session with my new and amazingly fantastic new Naturopath and a very thorough food sensitvity and digestion analysis, it is now the case that I am no longer able to enjoy the following:
Poor P. He was just getting used to organic vegan shopping and now I am tossing all this at him (me, I am not so fussed other than the wine and chocolate!)
After a hour long session with my new and amazingly fantastic new Naturopath and a very thorough food sensitvity and digestion analysis, it is now the case that I am no longer able to enjoy the following:
- Wheat
- Spelt
- Gluten
- Potatoes (but yams are OK!)
- Peanuts, peanut butter (no worries with almonds and cashews and almond/cashew butters - phew!)
- Corn on the cob, frozen corn, popcorn, corn oil, corn nuts (mind me while I mourn the loss of my huge movie popcorn love-ins)
- Red Wine and all other alcohols (no big deal, really! I am "on the wagon" for 2011 anyway)
- Caramel
- Chocolate (Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!)
- Coffee (Again, no big deal, I prefer green and herbal teas)
- Sugar (meh, I have been living without it for years as it is)
- MSG
- Soy Sauce (Braggs only now)
- Tofu (none, whatsoever, this will be a tricky one)
- Soy Milk (no issues with this. I'll just alternate between enriched almond and rice milks)
- ALL FAKE MEATS (Again, nothing huge really as they didn't factor into my diet much any ways and they do contain nasty sodium nitrate and sodium nitrites, but I did just cook my first and very yummy Tofurkey for Christmas so I am glad I got that in when I did)
Poor P. He was just getting used to organic vegan shopping and now I am tossing all this at him (me, I am not so fussed other than the wine and chocolate!)
After a month off these foods we will start testing them in smaller doses to see if I have developed a tolerance for them and if so, then it should be OK in small amounts. But if not, they are out for good.
And if my acne clears up (as I have been promised) then I don't care what I have to ditch, it will be worth all the emotional relief and stress. Being almost 32 and having suffered with acne for over half my life has taken a toll on me like nothing else. It is time for it to come to an end.
So off to the kitchen and cookbooks I go.
Its a new year and a new adventure!
Canucks Take on Their Bad Eating Habits
As a proud Canadian Gal I also found this little gem on cbc.ca interesting.
It would appear that even thought we as a nation are still overwrought with health issues and engaged in a never ending battle of the bulge we are keen and eager to do something about it.
It would appear that we are now eating the equivalent of an ENTIRE extra meal per day in calories as opposed to just 30 years ago. Jebus, that a whole heck of a lot of food! No while I may have been surprised by that information, I was not however surprised to that most of those calories are coming from sugar and salt.
Its sad to realize that most people just don't know the facts and are simply uneducated in food science and therefore unable to make good, healthy choices. But that is not to say that they dont want to know, want to be educated and want to make the right choices. They just havent been given the tools
For example, how many people think chocolate milk is "good for you"? Lots! But the reality is far from it
"People believe chocolate milk is a very healthy beverage, but yet chocolate milk has double the calories, double the sugar of Coca-Cola, drop per drop," he said.
YIKES!
So now it is time for everyone to take responsibility and be accountable for their own food and heath education and get on track. Its the start of a new year, a new decade. Start it right!
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/12/31/con-live-right-now-portions.html#ixzz1A8PnYM3K
It would appear that even thought we as a nation are still overwrought with health issues and engaged in a never ending battle of the bulge we are keen and eager to do something about it.
It would appear that we are now eating the equivalent of an ENTIRE extra meal per day in calories as opposed to just 30 years ago. Jebus, that a whole heck of a lot of food! No while I may have been surprised by that information, I was not however surprised to that most of those calories are coming from sugar and salt.
Its sad to realize that most people just don't know the facts and are simply uneducated in food science and therefore unable to make good, healthy choices. But that is not to say that they dont want to know, want to be educated and want to make the right choices. They just havent been given the tools
For example, how many people think chocolate milk is "good for you"? Lots! But the reality is far from it
"People believe chocolate milk is a very healthy beverage, but yet chocolate milk has double the calories, double the sugar of Coca-Cola, drop per drop," he said.
YIKES!
So now it is time for everyone to take responsibility and be accountable for their own food and heath education and get on track. Its the start of a new year, a new decade. Start it right!
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/12/31/con-live-right-now-portions.html#ixzz1A8PnYM3K
New View of Obesity
A very interesting article today on cbc.ca regading the outlook and reality of today's growing overweight and obesity issues/
Its a stright forward slap in the face kind of article and this is why I like it. Its time to stop pulling punches and to be honest about diet, health and exercise.
Here are some of the highlights from Dr. Arya Sharma of the University of Alberta
On YoYo Dieting:
"The minute you go on a diet, the minute you start losing weight the first thing that happens is your body says, 'OK we're going to shut down the furnace, there's not enough fuel coming in, we're not going to be shifting to fourth gear anymore,' and it happens automatically," he said.
On Stereotypes:
"We keep hammering home the stereotype of the fat, lazy slobs who are eating fast food all the time who are not moving, not exercising or not taking care of themselves, making poor choices, when there's very little science that actually backs this up."
On Exercise:
"'There's a million benefits of exercise. It does everything including improving depression, preventing cancer; it'll do a million things for you. The one thing it does not do is help you lose weight.'"
Read the full article here: CBC News - Health - Doctor urges new view of obesity
Its a stright forward slap in the face kind of article and this is why I like it. Its time to stop pulling punches and to be honest about diet, health and exercise.
Here are some of the highlights from Dr. Arya Sharma of the University of Alberta
On YoYo Dieting:
"The minute you go on a diet, the minute you start losing weight the first thing that happens is your body says, 'OK we're going to shut down the furnace, there's not enough fuel coming in, we're not going to be shifting to fourth gear anymore,' and it happens automatically," he said.
On Stereotypes:
"We keep hammering home the stereotype of the fat, lazy slobs who are eating fast food all the time who are not moving, not exercising or not taking care of themselves, making poor choices, when there's very little science that actually backs this up."
On Exercise:
"'There's a million benefits of exercise. It does everything including improving depression, preventing cancer; it'll do a million things for you. The one thing it does not do is help you lose weight.'"
Read the full article here: CBC News - Health - Doctor urges new view of obesity
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Adventures in Bread
Never, has it ever crossed my mind to make my own bread.
A few times I may have had a fleeting thought about getting one of those fancy bread makers, but nothing has ever come of this idea.
But for whatever reason, last week while I was out shopping I stopped in front of the baking section and the yeast packages started to stare at me. I never really noticed them before, but today they were all I could see.
I took this to be a sign, grabbed a few and checked out.
Back at home I grabbed my trusty La Dolce Vegan and flipped through until I found this: Easy French Bread. It seemed really straight forward, with a long, but not overly involved process.
So I jumped in and was up to my wrists in bread dough before I knew it. It was so enjoyable to see it come together and start to resemble ... bread.
After letting it rise, pounding the crap out of it again and then shaping it, it was time for the oven. The oven
scared me the most since mine is beyond temperamental. I kept a close eye on the bread at the last 10 minutes or so, not wanting to burn it at the very end.
What came out was a stunning, crispy on the outside, soft (but a bit gummy and dense, so I clearly have work to do on my skills) on the inside. It was awesome. I was so proud of my self. I made bread from scratch. Gold Star for Me
Once I perfect the Easy French Bread I want to move onto raisin and pumpernickel ... and maybe eventually rye.
Ooooooh let the adventures in bread begin!
A few times I may have had a fleeting thought about getting one of those fancy bread makers, but nothing has ever come of this idea.
But for whatever reason, last week while I was out shopping I stopped in front of the baking section and the yeast packages started to stare at me. I never really noticed them before, but today they were all I could see.
I took this to be a sign, grabbed a few and checked out.
Back at home I grabbed my trusty La Dolce Vegan and flipped through until I found this: Easy French Bread. It seemed really straight forward, with a long, but not overly involved process.
So I jumped in and was up to my wrists in bread dough before I knew it. It was so enjoyable to see it come together and start to resemble ... bread.
After letting it rise, pounding the crap out of it again and then shaping it, it was time for the oven. The oven
scared me the most since mine is beyond temperamental. I kept a close eye on the bread at the last 10 minutes or so, not wanting to burn it at the very end.
 |
| Time for the oven! |
What came out was a stunning, crispy on the outside, soft (but a bit gummy and dense, so I clearly have work to do on my skills) on the inside. It was awesome. I was so proud of my self. I made bread from scratch. Gold Star for Me
Once I perfect the Easy French Bread I want to move onto raisin and pumpernickel ... and maybe eventually rye.
Ooooooh let the adventures in bread begin!
 |
| Freshly Baked |
I Had to Use a Steak Knife ...
Who would have thought I would ever say that again?
Chickpea Cutlets: I know these have been blogged about and posted to death, but last night was my first foray into the vital wheat gluten world and I was both pumped and sceptical.
I had been reading about these for ages on numerous blogs and in my trusty, messy and well used copy of Veganomicon and seeing that there was a massive lack of food in my once crazy stocked freezer I stopped off at Whole Foods on the way home, grabbed me some Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten and headed home in the cold and snow (yes, we here in Vancouver are having a massive snowfall. It’s so pretty and makes me want to curl up on the couch with my flannel pants on and a warm blanket, a hot cup of tea and a good book, but I digress …)
Once home I got to work. I thought that these babies were going to take me ages to make, like my first attempt at Whole Wheat French Bread ended up being, but this recipe was fast and darn easy.
The recipe says you can get 8 pieces out of a doubled batch, but I ended up with at least 12 good sized cutlets.
I also opted to not float my cutlets in a sea of oil to cook, and since I was too damn lazy to get the oven going I simply brushed each cutlet with some canola oil before popping them into the pan, and again when I flipped them and they came out nicely browned and crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
In a word: Delish.
Over all they ended up being far superior to what I had imagined and will for sure be a new addition to my manic Sunday cooking sprees.
Since I had so many, I chose to freeze most of them and keep only a few in the fridge for the next few days.
In closing, there are a few things that I wanted to note about cooking adventure:
- · Waiting for the cutlets to cool, not only avoids the mouth burning issues, but also makes them a bit chewier and tougher which really gives them a ”meaty” texture.
- · While I was making them I kind of got a bit grossed out. Why? Because when the gluten strands started coming together it reminded me of chicken and I only then realized just how OFF meat and dairy I really am. Even the “fake” stuff makes me queasy now. Interesting …
 |
| Chickpea Cutlet w Tiny's BIG Salad |
Tiny's BIG Salad
If can I squeeze in a Seinfeld clip, know that I always will.
I made this when I realized that I had a bunch of odds and ends in my pantry. I was inspired by all the fantastic salads that I grab from from Whole Foods now and then (they have a lentil one that is unreal).
With that in mind, I decided to toss together a salad that turned out quite well. It needed a bit of a kick so I added a few red pepper flakes at the end, and think that after it sleeps in the fridge overnight the favours will pull together.
This BIG Salad is very filling, chock-a-block full of fibre and protein and big on taste.
Enjoy!
TINYs BIG SALAD: Mixed Bean & Quinoa Salad
2 cups mixed dried beans (I used kidney black, pinto and black-eyed)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn nibblets
2 cups Quinoa
Water
Soak beans in cold water over night, rinse well
In crock pot add beans and enough water to cover them
Cook for 2 hours on low heat
Drain beans and set aside
Cook Quinoa according to directions and set aside
Steam peas and corn and set aside
Combine beans, peas, corn and tossing in dressing
Add Quinoa and incorporate into bean mixture
Add Sale & Pepper to taste
DRESSING
I make a bunch of this at once and keep the leftovers in a jar in the fridge. It settles after a while so make sure you give it a good shake.
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp lemon pepper mix
Add ingredients together in glass jar and shake!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Vegan iPhone App
Now ain't this rad. Any of you iphone, itouch, ipad users out there can now us this handy dandy app to check out protein content in your food.
Protein App for Vegans
Don't that just make life a bit easier.
Protein App for Vegans
Don't that just make life a bit easier.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Vegans Fire Back!
HYSTERICAL!
Marla Rose has posted this biting and well written post in response to this weeks very hot topic: Ex-Vegans
Sure Its a a tad over the top, but hey, she is keeping in style with Tasha's post.
Highlights:
Read it in all its glory here: Vegan Feminist Agitator: Omnivore: Fail
Marla Rose has posted this biting and well written post in response to this weeks very hot topic: Ex-Vegans
Sure Its a a tad over the top, but hey, she is keeping in style with Tasha's post.
Highlights:
If I can trace my falling out with omnivorism, the path would lead back to our family dog. His being helped to usher in the first inkling that something was wrong. I could observe that he had emotions, that he had preferences and the same reasons anyone else would have for not wanting to be exploited, abused, killed. Then, somehow, this view expanded outward, try as I might to contain it, and it grew like a thing out of control to encompass the birds, pigs, cows. Before I knew it, it no longer felt justifiable or rational to eat some but not others.
When I threw away the cheese, tossed the chicken in the garbage, it just felt so profoundly right: even more, when I piled the pizza high with gorgeous roasted vegetables, a cornucopia from our local farms, it just felt so correct, deep inside, and I felt the ancient echo of uncomplicated contentment I had been missing from my life for so long as an omnivore. I don't know if I had ever been so hungry or had that innate hunger so completely satisified. Yes, my starving soul nearly screamed with each voluptuous bite of silky roasted vegetables and chewy crust, yes.
Read it in all its glory here: Vegan Feminist Agitator: Omnivore: Fail
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
FREE Vegan Resources
On the heels of my rant on ex-vegans, I have found this interesting link that requires sharing.
Virginia Messina of the Vegan Examiner gathered together a great list of FREE vegan online resources.
The opening paragraph of her article also made me laugh:
There’s just no excuse for a star like Angelina Jolie to abandon her vegan diet. After all, the rich and famous can hire personal nutritionists and private chefs. Eating a healthful plant-based menu should be a breeze for them.
A must read for ALL VEGANS new and old.
Be Educated, Be Smart
Five must-have resources for new vegans (and they’re free!) - National vegan | Examiner.com
This one is my recommended reading. http://www.veganoutreach.org/guide/gce.pdf
She also had some funny words for my massive girl crush: Angelina Jolie.
Can't everyone just listen to Jack Norris when he says: “Something as simple as not eating enough calories might be a problem for an uninformed person who decides to give the vegan diet a try for a few days. They might only be aware of low-calorie vegan foods (e.g., salads, vegetables, fruits), and eating only these foods for a day might leave them feeling hungry and weak.”
Virginia Messina of the Vegan Examiner gathered together a great list of FREE vegan online resources.
The opening paragraph of her article also made me laugh:
There’s just no excuse for a star like Angelina Jolie to abandon her vegan diet. After all, the rich and famous can hire personal nutritionists and private chefs. Eating a healthful plant-based menu should be a breeze for them.
A must read for ALL VEGANS new and old.
Be Educated, Be Smart
Five must-have resources for new vegans (and they’re free!) - National vegan | Examiner.com
This one is my recommended reading. http://www.veganoutreach.org/guide/gce.pdf
She also had some funny words for my massive girl crush: Angelina Jolie.
Can't everyone just listen to Jack Norris when he says: “Something as simple as not eating enough calories might be a problem for an uninformed person who decides to give the vegan diet a try for a few days. They might only be aware of low-calorie vegan foods (e.g., salads, vegetables, fruits), and eating only these foods for a day might leave them feeling hungry and weak.”
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