Balancing the Body

I just started reading Kris Carr's book, Crazy Sexy Diet and was re-inspired to ensure that the food I am eating is the BEST possible for my body.

Troy and I were talking last night and realized that since we started drinking a Green Smoothie daily, neither of us have been sick. Especially working in an office you really notice when the flu or a bug goes around and neither of us have been affected.

This morning I made an Apple and Greens Smoothie: 1 apple, 1/2 cucumber, 3 stalks of rainbow chard, 1/2 cup raspberries, and lots of water.

Starting our day out with a hit of all these amazing fresh fruits and vegetables helps to maintain the acidity of the body, which plays a HUGE role in our overall health. Basically the more acidic we are, the more susceptible our bodies are to the natural bacteria bombarding us on a daily basis. As our body strips cells of important minerals and nutrients in an attempt to regulate our PH, germs are able to invade.

PH is measured on a scale from 0-14... Anything above 7 (neutral) is alkaline, anything below is acidic. By eating foods that are already alkaline and minimizing those that are acidic, we help our bodies find that perfect balance (around 7.3-7.45 or slightly alkaline)

Alkaline Foods = Healthy and GLOWING!

- Vegetables (spinach, broccoli, parsley, kale... *Basically anything leafy and green)

- Dried Figs, Rasins, Kiwis, Apples, Pears, Berries

- Rice, Quinoa, Millet, Oats

- Goat Cheese (feta!)

-Olive Oil

-Green Tea, Ginger Tea, Lemon Water

Acidic Foods= Not so glowing :(

- Beef, Pork, Canned Tuna

- Eggs, Cheese

- Pasta, Pastries, Cookies... anything with refined sugar

- Peanuts, Cashews

- Coffee, Alcohol, Soda, Black Tea

Protein Power Cookies

Since reading Brendan Brazier's book, The Thrive Diet, I have been kind of obsessed with packing as much nutrient dense food into my life as possible. That being said however, I am still learning my way around the kitchen, and so when my Protein Power Cookies turned out to be a hit, not only last night, but on today's 1.5 hour bike ride to UBC, I am literally chomping at the bit to whip up the next batch.

They are all natural and will provide you with just the right amount of proteins, fats, carbs, and sweetness to curb a sugar craving, or power you up for a training session.

Here's what you need:

3 T flax seeds (ground into meal)

3/4 c almond milk

2 c old fashioned oats

1/4 c sunflower seeds, chopped almonds & chocolate chips

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c protein powder (i use Vega Vanilla Chai)

3 T honey

3/4 t salt

1/4 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet with small amount of oil... Mix flax seeds into almond milk and set aside... Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and then add milk... Stir it up good- you may feel like it's a little dry- it's not... Form into 8-12 balls and place in oven for 6-8 minutes... Remove from oven and let them cool completely.

Thai Chicken Salad

Tonight's dinner was from a cookbook I use called "Eating for Energy".

Because I favour really easy meals over anything extravagant, I thought that this one was on the medium side in terms of prep-work (only b/c you mix 2 separate sauces: this is big for me)... Other than that it was really easy and very tasty!

1. Slice chicken breast and tofu into strips; saute in oil with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Set aside.

2 Chicken Breasts (skinless/boneless)

1/2 Package of Extra Firm Tofu

2 tsp ginger crushed

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp teriyaki sauce

2. Add dressing ingredients to pan, heat and stir.

Dressing

2Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp organic brown rice syrup (can use brown sugar here too)

2 Tbsp organic almond butter

2 tsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp teriyaki Sauce

Sprinkle chili powder

Fresh squeezed juice from 1/2 a lime

3. Place 1 cup of noodles on a plate and top with spinach, green onions, sliced peppers, nuts and chicken. Add dressing and sprinkle with fresh cilantro.

1 bag baby spinach

2 green onions

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup toasted peanuts

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

1 package of brown rice noodles (You could also use whole wheat pasta here)

cilantro

January 30 Day Challenge

One of my goals for 2012 is to come up with a 30 Day Challenge every month to keep me on track with my health, and to remove some of the pressure that can sometimes be associated with New Years' Resolutions.

For January I have decided to cut out sugar from my diet, which at the moment doesn't seem too hard considering I have been indulging in pretty much whatever dessert I have wanted over the last month without guilt.

The rules are simple, no cookies, cakes, candies, etc- as well as no sugar in my coffee and a limit of 1-2 servings of fruit per day (sugar is sugar kids)... I'll let you know how it goes.

What are you willing to do for 30 days?

Chia: What is it good for?

Chia Seeds epitomize the expression that good things come in small packages…. Used for centuries as a staple food of the Tarahumara tribe (See Born to Run by Christopher McDougall), the author relates a number of stories explaining how a handful of these tiny seeds allow members of this tribe to run, seemingly effortlessly, for up to 50 or 100 miles per day!

Remember the Chia Pet? Yep, it’s the same thing. Mix a spoonful of chia seeds with water and you will notice that it forms a gel-like substance… It does this because chia absorbs 12 times its weight in water! When you eat it, the gel that forms in your stomach creates a barrier between carbohydrates and the enzymes that break them down and subsequently slows the conversion of carbs to sugar. In other words, these little guys sustain you for longer.

They also keep you better hydrated, act as a significant source of protein, and because you can add them to pretty much anything, from smoothies, to power bars, or just sprinkled on your cereal, they are extremely easy to incorporate into your diet.

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Great BIG Salad

Well, I think it's official. I am a Salad Junkie.

Here is one rendition of what I make almost every night....

Baked Chicken&Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet Potato cut into small pieces

Big handful Kale

Big handful Spinach

1/2 can of black beans

1/2 Cucumber

1 Red Pepper

1/4 of a Red Onion

1/2 carton of pea shoots

5 dates chopped into small pieces

Small handful dried cranberries

Crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds

1 Avocado

Combine all ingredients and add 1 part Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 parts Balsamic Vinegar: A squeeze of honey and Pepper to taste.

For the chicken breasts, I marinated them in a mixture of 2 parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 3 parts Rice Vinegar: 1 part Dijon honey: 1/2 part honey

Bake chicken for 35-40 minutes @ 350' or until cooked through. Cut into small pieces and add to salad.

Easiest Green Smoothie.

My new goal is to drink one of these/day... I used to try and work kale and other crazy things into my smoothies, but it really proved to be too much fussing around. This green smoothie is super easy and a great way to start your morning or give yourself a little kick in the afternoon.

Simply combine 1 banana, 1-2 handfuls of spinach with 1 cup of water and an ice cube. Blend. Enjoy.

Keen-Wah :)

Meet my new food Compadre: Quinoa.

Although a seed, quinoa is commonly mistaken as a grain because of its light and fluffy consistency when cooked. Being very high in protein, quinoa is an essential part of any healthy vegetarian's or vegan's diet (I am neither of these)... and more importantly is a complete protein, which means it includes all nine essential amino acids. Here are some other things its good for : Manganese and Copper (antioxidants), Magnesium (blood pressure), Fiber (digestion, linked to cancer prevention), and Riboflavin (AKA Vitamin B- AKA Energy!)... SOLD!

Right now I am doing the Wild Rose Cleanse and quinoa is up there on the list of recommended foods... so I am all over it.

Last night I made a really yummy Black Bean Salmon and Quinoa Salad and this morning I whipped up Quinoa with Berries and a splash of coconut milk. Both meals were totally filling, really healthy, and most importantly for me: SO easy to make.

Black Bean, Smoked Salmon and Quinoa Salad

Prepare Quinoa by boiling 1 1/4 Cups of water and adding 1 cup of quinoa- turn the heat down and cover for 12 minutes. Fluff up with a fork when done.

Add:

1 Red Pepper

1 Yellow Pepper

1 Cucumber (skin on)

4 stalks of green onions

Chopped Cilantro to taste

1 can of Organic Black Beans (rinsed)

1 Avocado

Cut up pieces of smoked Salmon

Quinoa and Berries

Prepare quinoa the same as above- once cooked add fresh or frozen berries and some coconut milk. Yum!!!

"Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food"

The body is a seriously amazing organism.
Keeping us going on a daily basis through an endless number of chemical and neurological reactions that we never see or think about, we eat and the body garners and utilizes nutrients from our food resulting in better functioning and efficiency. However, the body is also a storage house, and has the ability to hold on to the things we actually don't want in our system...
While the market is teeming with a variety of cleanses and detox formulas to clear our systems of excess waste, one area that is rarely touched on is the storage of heavy metals such as mercury and aluminum in the body.

Some people spend thousands of dollars undergoing intravenous chelation therapy to rid their body of these metals, however, I recently stumbled across an article detailing the benefits of cilantro as a natural chelae. As metal substances in the body have been associated with autism, muscle pain, Alzheimer's and memory loss, it would be wise to consider doing this cleanse for 3 weeks at least once a year.

DETOX PESTO

Ingredients
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup Brazil nuts (selenium)
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds (cysteine)
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (zinc, magnesium)
• 2 cups packed fresh cilantro (vitamin A)
• 2/3 cup flax seed oil
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice (vitamin C)
• 2 tsp dulse seaweed powder
• Sea salt to taste

Process the coriander and flax seed oil in a blender until the coriander is chopped. Add the garlic, nuts and seeds, dulse and lemon juice and mix until the mixture is finely blended into a paste. Add a pinch to sea salt to taste and blend again. Store in dark glass jars if possible.

Combined with the benefits of the other ingredients, this recipe is a powerful tissue cleanser. The pesto is delicious on toast, baked potatoes, and pasta.

enjoy!

What Do You Crave?

A craving is the body's way of telling us what it wants. Sometimes however, what we think can be satiated with chocolate actually goes much deeper.

Here are some common cravings which indicate what your body really needs:

Chocolate = Magnesium (Raw nuts/seeds, legumes, fruits)

Sweets= Chromium, Carbon, Phosphorus, Sulpher(Broccoli, cheese, grapes, fresh fruits, chicken, dairy, legumes, cranberries, kale)

Fatty Foods= Calcium (Legumes, cheese)
Carbonated Beverages= Calcium (Kale, Leafy greens)

General Overeating= Silicon, Tryptophan, Tyrosine (Nuts, Seeds, Sweet Potato, Raisins, Vitamin C supplements, Red Peppers)

via Naturopathyworks.com

Chew on This

I have never been a big calorie counter... However, for the sake of this blog I decided to look at some of the restaurants I frequent (probably too often) to see exactly what I am eating. I have to say I was pretty shocked to see the caloric content of what I thought to be the healthy option on the menu...

First Find Your Number...

Women who exercise 30-60 minutes/day versus less than 30 minutes of exercise/day

• Age 19-30 2000-2400 calories vs. 2000
• Age 31-50 2000-2200 calories vs. 1800
• Age 50+ 1800-2200 calories vs. 1600

Men who exercise 30-60 minutes/day versus less than 30 minutes of exercise/day

• Age 19-30 2600-3000 calories vs. 2400
• Age 31-50 2400-3000 calories vs. 2200
• Age 50+ 2200-2800 calories vs. 2000

Earls: Posts all Nutritional Information for menu on this site: Earls

Santa Fe Chicken Salad: 880.5 calories/44 grams fat

Cesar Salad: 1120.26 !!! calories/76.79 grams fat

Prawn Dynamite Roll: 445 calories/19 grams fat

Veggie Quesadilla: 606 calories/36.5 grams fat

Cajun Chicken: 540.11 calories/36.22 grams fat

add Garlic Mashed Potatoes=

another 457 calories and 32.75 grams fat

add Coleslaw= another 300 calories and 28 grams fat

Cactus Club: Does not publish Nutritional Information for menu, but I searched my favourite salad their and found the Raincoast Greens has 600 calories/20 grams fat

Joey's: Also does not publish Nutritional Information, but found the Beach Salad at 670 calories and 45 grams fat and the Ahi Tuna Salad 670 calories/46 grams fat

Kale.

It has come to my attention that food is like the fashion industry. Trends emerge slowly at first, but it is only a matter of time before the masses are wearing one feathered earring and sunglasses 3 sizes too big for their face...

Right now in food, KALE is in.

Every health blog and beauty magazine is raving about this superfood- kale chips, kale smoothies, kale with garlic and olive oil... it's everywhere. Coming from the same vegetable family as broccoli and brussle sprouts, kale is one hot commodity, and here is why:

Just 1 Cup of Kale contains:

1- Beta-Carotene (Protects vision and prevent cataracts)

2- 89%RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of Vitamin C (Prevents colds, oxidizes cholestrol, and renews collagen in the skin)

3- 3 grams of fibre- Prevent colon cancer

4- Iron, Manganese (helps get rid of belly fat), Calcium, and Potassium

5- 1328% RDA of Vitamin K (Bone health)

6- 354% RDA of of Vitamin A (Eye health)

Get on the bandwagon and serve up some kale with your next meal... here are some great recipe ideas:

http://www.katheats.com/favorite-foods/kale-chips

http://chezmegane.blogspot.com/2006/11/white-bean-kale-and-sausage-soup.html

http://www.tablefor2andahalf.com/family-friendly-recipes/toddler-tested-pasta-with-turkey-sausage-kale