eating pretty

18 notes

chemicalfreeskinny: FOOD CHEMICALS: AVOIDING FOOD CHEMICALS + EATING WHOLE FOODS = BETTER HEALTH, LONGER LIFE ___ “Common sense and scientific research lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies we must put the right raw materials in them: real; whole, local; fresh; unadulterated; unprocessed; and chemical-, hormone- and antibiotic-free food. There is no role for foreign molecules such as trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup, or for industrially developed and processed food that interferes with our biology at every level.” ___________ How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life Mark Hyman, MD “The slow insidious displacement of home cooked and communally shared family meals by the industrial food system has fattened our nation and weakened our family ties. In 1900, 2 percent of meals were eaten outside the home. In 2010, 50 percent were eaten away from home and one in five breakfasts is from McDonald’s. Most family meals happen about three times a week, last less than 20 minutes and are spent watching television or texting while each family member eats a different microwaved “food.” More meals are eaten in the minivan than the kitchen. Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in U.S. preschool-aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don’t watch TV on weekdays. We complain of not having enough time to cook, but Americans spend more time watching cooking on the Food Network than actually preparing their own meals. In his series, “Food Revolution,” Jamie Oliver showed us how we have raised a generation of Americans who can’t recognize a single vegetable or fruit, and don’t know how to cook. The family dinner has been hijacked by the food industry. The transformations of the American home and meal outlined above did not happen by accident. Broccoli, peaches, almonds, kidney beans and other whole foods don’t need a food ingredient label or bar code, but for some reason these foods — the foods we co-evolved with over millennia — had to be “improved” by Food Science. As a result, the processed-food industry and industrial agriculture has changed our diet, decade by decade, not by accident but by intention. That we need nutritionists and doctors to teach us how to eat is a sad reflection of the state of society. These are things our grandparents knew without thinking twice about them. What foods to eat, how to prepare them, and an understanding of why you should share them in family and community have been embedded in cultural traditions since the dawn of human society. One hundred years ago all we ate was local, organic food; grass-fed, real, whole food. There were no fast-food restaurants, there was no junk food, there was no frozen food — there was just what your mother or grandmother made. Most meals were eaten at home. In the modern age that tradition, that knowledge, is being lost. The sustainability of our planet, our health, and our food supply are inextricably linked. The ecology of eating — the importance of what you put on your fork — has never been more critical to our survival as a nation or as a species. The earth will survive our self-destruction. But we may not. Common sense and scientific research lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies we must put the right raw materials in them: real; whole, local; fresh; unadulterated; unprocessed; and chemical-, hormone- and antibiotic-free food. There is no role for foreign molecules such as trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup, or for industrially developed and processed food that interferes with our biology at every level. That is why I believe the most important and the most powerful tool you have to change your health and the world is your fork. Imagine an experiment — let’s call it a celebration: We call upon the people of the world to join together and celebrate food for one week. For one week or even one day, we all eat breakfast and dinner at home with our families or friends. For one week we all eat only real, whole, fresh food. Imagine for a moment the power of the fork to change the world. The extraordinary thing is that we have the ability to move large corporations and create social change by our collective choices. We can reclaim the family dinner, reviving and renewing it. Doing so will help us learn how to find and prepare real food quickly and simply, teach our children by example how to connect, build security, safety and social skills, meal after meal, day after day, year after year. Here are some tips that will help you take back the family dinner in your home starting today. Reclaim Your Kitchen Throw away any foods with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats or sugar or fat as the first or second ingredient on the label. Fill your shelves with real fresh, whole, local foods when possible. And join a community support agriculture network to get a cheaper supply of fresh vegetables weekly or frequent farmers markets. Reinstate the Family Dinner Read Laurie David’s “The Family Dinner”. She suggests the following guidelines: Make a set dinnertime, no phones or texting during dinner, everyone eats the same meal, no television, only filtered or tap water, invite friends and family, everyone clean up together. Eat Together No matter how modest the meal, create a special place to sit down together, and set the table with care and respect. Savor the ritual of the table. Mealtime is a time for empathy and generosity, a time to nourish and communicate. Learn How to Cook and Shop You can make this a family activity, and it does not need to take a ton of time. Keep meals quick and simple. Plant a Garden This is the most nutritious, tastiest, environmentally friendly food you will ever eat. Conserve, Compost and Recycle Bring your own shopping bags to the market, recycle your paper, cans, bottles and plastic and start a compost bucket (and find where in your community you can share you goodies). Invest in Food As Alice Waters says, food is precious. We should treat it that way. Americans currently spend less than10 percent of their income on food, while most European’s spend about 20 percent of their income on food. We will be more nourished by good food than by more stuff. And we will save ourselves much money and costs over our lifetime. To learn more tips for taking back the family dinner and using your fork to effect change in our world visit www.drhyman.com. To your good health, Mark Hyman, MD Huffington Post

chemicalfreeskinny:

FOOD CHEMICALS:

AVOIDING FOOD CHEMICALS + EATING WHOLE FOODS = BETTER HEALTH, LONGER LIFE

___

“Common sense and scientific research lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies we must put the right raw materials in them: real; whole, local; fresh; unadulterated; unprocessed; and chemical-, hormone- and antibiotic-free food. There is no role for foreign molecules such as trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup, or for industrially developed and processed food that interferes with our biology at every level.”

___________

How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

Mark Hyman, MD

“The slow insidious displacement of home cooked and communally shared family meals by the industrial food system has fattened our nation and weakened our family ties. In 1900, 2 percent of meals were eaten outside the home. In 2010, 50 percent were eaten away from home and one in five breakfasts is from McDonald’s. Most family meals happen about three times a week, last less than 20 minutes and are spent watching television or texting while each family member eats a different microwaved “food.” More meals are eaten in the minivan than the kitchen.

Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in U.S. preschool-aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don’t watch TV on weekdays.

We complain of not having enough time to cook, but Americans spend more time watching cooking on the Food Network than actually preparing their own meals. In his series, “Food Revolution,” Jamie Oliver showed us how we have raised a generation of Americans who can’t recognize a single vegetable or fruit, and don’t know how to cook.

The family dinner has been hijacked by the food industry. The transformations of the American home and meal outlined above did not happen by accident. Broccoli, peaches, almonds, kidney beans and other whole foods don’t need a food ingredient label or bar code, but for some reason these foods — the foods we co-evolved with over millennia — had to be “improved” by Food Science. As a result, the processed-food industry and industrial agriculture has changed our diet, decade by decade, not by accident but by intention.

That we need nutritionists and doctors to teach us how to eat is a sad reflection of the state of society. These are things our grandparents knew without thinking twice about them. What foods to eat, how to prepare them, and an understanding of why you should share them in family and community have been embedded in cultural traditions since the dawn of human society.

One hundred years ago all we ate was local, organic food; grass-fed, real, whole food. There were no fast-food restaurants, there was no junk food, there was no frozen food — there was just what your mother or grandmother made. Most meals were eaten at home. In the modern age that tradition, that knowledge, is being lost.

The sustainability of our planet, our health, and our food supply are inextricably linked. The ecology of eating — the importance of what you put on your fork — has never been more critical to our survival as a nation or as a species. The earth will survive our self-destruction. But we may not.

Common sense and scientific research lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies we must put the right raw materials in them: real; whole, local; fresh; unadulterated; unprocessed; and chemical-, hormone- and antibiotic-free food. There is no role for foreign molecules such as trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup, or for industrially developed and processed food that interferes with our biology at every level.

That is why I believe the most important and the most powerful tool you have to change your health and the world is your fork. Imagine an experiment — let’s call it a celebration: We call upon the people of the world to join together and celebrate food for one week. For one week or even one day, we all eat breakfast and dinner at home with our families or friends. For one week we all eat only real, whole, fresh food. Imagine for a moment the power of the fork to change the world.

The extraordinary thing is that we have the ability to move large corporations and create social change by our collective choices. We can reclaim the family dinner, reviving and renewing it. Doing so will help us learn how to find and prepare real food quickly and simply, teach our children by example how to connect, build security, safety and social skills, meal after meal, day after day, year after year.

Here are some tips that will help you take back the family dinner in your home starting today.

Reclaim Your Kitchen

Throw away any foods with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats or sugar or fat as the first or second ingredient on the label. Fill your shelves with real fresh, whole, local foods when possible. And join a community support agriculture network to get a cheaper supply of fresh vegetables weekly or frequent farmers markets.

Reinstate the Family Dinner

Read Laurie David’s “The Family Dinner”. She suggests the following guidelines: Make a set dinnertime, no phones or texting during dinner, everyone eats the same meal, no television, only filtered or tap water, invite friends and family, everyone clean up together.

Eat Together

No matter how modest the meal, create a special place to sit down together, and set the table with care and respect. Savor the ritual of the table. Mealtime is a time for empathy and generosity, a time to nourish and communicate.

Learn How to Cook and Shop

You can make this a family activity, and it does not need to take a ton of time. Keep meals quick and simple.

Plant a Garden

This is the most nutritious, tastiest, environmentally friendly food you will ever eat.

Conserve, Compost and Recycle

Bring your own shopping bags to the market, recycle your paper, cans, bottles and plastic and start a compost bucket (and find where in your community you can share you goodies).

Invest in Food

As Alice Waters says, food is precious. We should treat it that way. Americans currently spend less than10 percent of their income on food, while most European’s spend about 20 percent of their income on food. We will be more nourished by good food than by more stuff. And we will save ourselves much money and costs over our lifetime.

To learn more tips for taking back the family dinner and using your fork to effect change in our world visit www.drhyman.com.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

Huffington Post

(via chemicalfreeskinny-deactivated2)

Notes

Steamed Vegetable “Stew”

This super simple stew is perfect If you want something light but filling. I love this for the winter, because chilled, refreshing salads are somehow much less appealing when it’s 20 degrees outside. When you want something warm and comforting without breaking the calorie bank or having soup (AGAIN), try this:

Get some vegetables together.  I always use 1 large carrot and a few big trees of broccoli as a base. I love kale and usually pop in a leaf or two but if that’s not your bag just find any vegetable you want, and chop all of your ingredients into smallish cubes. Edamame works great too, if it’s frozen add it now and if it’s fresh add it on top of the rest of the vegetables, at the end. Put your veggies into a steamer basket (one of these deals), and put the basket into a saucepan tall enough to accommodate it with a lid on, and fill the pan with water up to the bottom of the basket. 

Put it on high heat with the lid on for a while, until your vegetables are soft (approx. 10 min).  If you have fresh edamame, stir it in now.  Plop all the veggies into a bowl and add your favorite salad dressing— I like plain old oil and vinegar. Sprinkle on some pumpkin seeds and top with sprouts. Voila! A delicious, steaming, gigantic and healthy stew, for about 300 calories or less.

Filed under healthy recipe low calorie dinner idea vegetables vegetarian vegan healthy food weight loss

1 note

Change doesn’t happen by wishing it so. You must make the decision to change. It’s not enough to think about how your life could be better. You have to determine that you will make it better. Too often we daydream about change. We often think about how nice it would be if we were healthier, if we ate better, if we exercised. We have a moment of resolve when stepping on the scale or sitting in the doctor’s office. But we never actually decide to take action. You’ll be surprised at how empowering it is actually to make a decision to veer from your routine. Winter is the perfect time for a personal revolution. Make a promise to yourself that by this time next year, you’re going to be better. Commit to it by writing it down, right here, right now. You’re going to feel better and maybe even look better. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
SuperFoods HealthStyle: Proven Strategies for Lifelong Health by Steven G. Pratt M.D., and Kathy Matthews

Filed under thinspiration, healthy food health inspiration new year's resolution healthy food weight loss health exercise

Notes

OATMEAL 101

So, most people have had oatmeal, and reasonably like oatmeal. Some people love oatmeal. I AM IN LOVE WITH OATMEAL. We are in the middle of a torrid affair that’s lasted for as long as I can remember.

You can imagine, then, why it was so surprising when  I found out that some of my closest friends weren’t huge fans/never made it for themselves. I thought everyone loved oatmeal (and yes, I am a cat lady, it’s only natural to wonder at this juncture).  I set out to convert them to oatmealanity, and they have never looked back.  So, while it seems to me like oatmeal is kind of obvious, like making a post about toast or something, my experience tells me that, unthinkable as it may be, not everyone is obsessed with oatmeal. 

I LOVE OATMEAL

Oatmeal is just as easy to make as a bowl of cold cereal. Except it’s hot and delicious and amazing and fantastic.  I used to make it with steel cut oats, by boiling water in a sauce pan, adding the oats in, turning the heat on low and letting it sit covered for 3-4 minutes. That is all well and good, and it’s still the way I make it when I’m home upstate, but I’ve discovered just HOW quick and dirty it can be.

Get some quick oats.

These things are QUICK. They’re basically the same as regular rolled oats, except chopped into littler pieces so they cook faster.

The magical thing about oats is that they grow in water.

I use 1/3 cup of oats. If you ever look at the size of 1/3 of a cup, it doesn’t look like a whole lot, and that’s because it’s not! It’s 100 calories worth of oats.

I put 1/3 cup of oats in a bowl, pour boiling water on top (I pour slowly so it absorbs a little as I pour, and I keep pouring until there’s about  .5-1 centimeter of water on top of the oats) Then I cover it with whatever suitable object is around,  a plate, a tupperware lid, another bowl, and wait for 1 minute.

When you uncover it, VOILA!

There’s a big, steamy bowl of oatmeal. Like magic. Like those tiny little 1 cm. sponges that you put in water overnight and when you wake up its a 3 inch figurine. Just MAGIC! If I’m really hungry I’ll have a 1/2 cup, 150 calories, which is a really big bowl full after you cook it.

Add shit.

This is my favorite part of oatmeal making. It’s like build-a-bear. Except I’ve never been to build-a-bear so that analogy is probably way off. Anyway, be creative. First you’ve gotta add your choice of milk (I use soy milk) and sweetener (I use brown sugar or splenda).  My standby combo is chopped up almonds (for some reason I always use 8) and chopped banana. Also good is chopped up apple, raisins or craisins, apricots, strawberries, blueberries, and peaches (peaches are my favorite when they’re in season). Frozen fruit works really well too, I love using frozen strawberries and blueberries.And mix up your nuts! I usually alternate between almonds and walnuts, but pretty much any nut would work. I prefer them unsalted and raw in oatmeal.

If you are in the mood to indulge,

add butter. I’m not a big butter person, but I will (very occasionally) stir a bit of butter into my oatmeal. It’s delicious without it, but with it, it’s like dessert. And sweeten! I like my oatmeal pretty sweet, so I’ve taken to using Splenda. I’m planning to look into Stevia when my giant box (don’t judge me!) of Splenda runs out, as I’ve heard some very bad things about it.  Before my Splenda addiction took hold, I used brown sugar. You could also use maple syrup, agave or honey. Or, I suppose, regular sugar.

Because it’s good for you!

Oatmeal will keep you full for hours. Especially with a serving of fruit and nuts in there. It’s my absolute favorite, most bang-for-your-buck breakfast. 


Filed under healthy food weightloss breakfast healthy breakfast oatmeal berries fruit nuts breakfast healthy

Notes

One of THOSE Weekends

This weekend, I slipped a little. As I’ve mentioned, my mom is in town visiting, and although she is also a relatively healthy vegetarian, she has a bit of a (contagious) sweet tooth. “OH MY GOD, we HAVE to get some of that Whole Foods tiramisu.” “Do you want a cookie? Yessss, you want a cookie!” “Let’s just SHARE a piece of this cheesecake, look how amazing it looks! Or, you know, I could get the cheesecake, you could get the dutch chocolate…? Or maybe I should get the key lime too and we’ll eat what we can, and take the rest home?”

And while I said no to more of these suggestions than I probably would have a month ago, I did give in a few times. She also brought with her a giant bag of Fiddle Faddle (caramel covered popcorn with peanuts) and some Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies, which I had a lot more of than I would have liked.

But, I realize that these things happen. One of the most important aspects of healthiness as a lifestyle rather than a temporary phase is acceptance that you can’t be perfect all the time. I think people (myself included), especially those with a tendency for perfectionism, are terrified to allow themselves to go a little off track without punishment. We fear that once we get an inch we’ll take a mile and totally lose track of our goals.  That is exactly the mentality that led me to hating myself, because when I inevitably messed up and ate an extra cookie or two, it led to a horrible cycle of “punishment” (trying to repent by not eating) and then more “messing up”; (binge eating), that eventually led to me gaining weight and feeling terrible.

We have to trust ourselves. I think a big component of the “diet” mentality is that you develop a sort of double identity: one part that wants to lose weight and be “better;” that judges you and punishes you when you slip up, and one part that is a sort of uncontrollable monster, who eats too much and doesn’t want to exercise.  

You have to treat yourself like a grown up and trust yourself to do the best you can to accomplish whatever you set out to do.

You’ll be less likely to make unhealthy choices, not when you know you’ll punish yourself later for it (and have the potential to feel like you’re making up for your mistakes), but when you know you’re betraying your own trust, and that you’ll have to continue on your journey with no make-ups, re-do’s or punishments to alleviate your guilt.  The point is not to make yourself more guilty, but to give yourself less reason to feel guilty.

You should try to replace guilt with confidence in yourself to fix things—  that goes not just for eating, exercising and taking care of yourself, but for everything in life. Feel like you wronged a friend? Don’t sit around feeling guilty, and go do something positive about it.

It is YOU who controls what you do, and you have to take responsibility for that. When you treat yourself like a child, in the sense that you feel you must punish yourself in order to “get the message,” you will act like a rebellious child. You are one person who is wholly responsible for your actions. If you get off track for a meal, a day, a few days, a few weeks, a few years, trust in yourself and your complete ability to turn it around. Tell yourself you’ll make better choices, starting right now, and mean it. 

**I kind of hate the way this post reads. It’s very… preachy? I really don’t want my blog to take this sort of authoritative tone but after I wrote it I’ve decided to publish it because I think the message is pretty honest and true, and when I wrote all those “YOU HAVE TO’s” I was really talking to myself. It reflects some of the unedited thoughts that have been going through my mind as I’ve been transitioning between my ways of eating. Obviously I still feel the need to coach myself, because old habits die hard. Hopefully someone will relate to this. Part of me thinks that no one will understand what I’m even saying, but oh well. It’s still worth a go, I suppose. I’m getting more followers here and there, so I’d love to hear some of your thoughts and experiences! And thanks for following! Just so you know, this is not my main blog, so I’m not capable of following you back on here, but I do follow most or all of my followers on my main blog.

 I hope you all had a great weekend, and here’s hoping for an even better week.

Filed under dieting diet skinny vegetarian binge eating food health healthy food weight loss