Photo by Remy Snippe

So, you don’t know where to start with eating, and living a healthier life?  I suggest taking small steps (“baby steps” in other words) so you won’t become discouraged and/or “burnt out.”

Suggestions on Eating Healthier:

• Never skip breakfast, making it as balanced as possible (protein, good carbohydrate, healthy fat, vegetable).  By eating a balanced breakfast you are “starting the furnace”, helping jump start your metabolism, which in turn will help you loose weight.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
• Make a conscience effort to eat healthy snacks.  You want to always include some protein but not too much.  Some suggestions are: hard boiled egg and a vegetable, peanut butter and celery, white cheese (less fat than yellow cheese) and crackers (whole grain).  Be creative, but try to keep the snack balanced.
• Work on cutting down on eating red meat.  I suggest one serving a week or none at all.  If you insist on eating red meat try buying buffalo.  It is more lean then beef.  The leaner the better for your arteries and all around health.  There are some suggestions that colon cancer is linked to eating too much red meat.  Try cooking with more chicken and fish.  I highly suggest your chicken be “free range” or organic (see other post about this subject).  Fish should never be farm raised.  The farms feed the fish chemicals to: 1) produce more fish, and 2) with salmon they give them colored red pellets to make the skin red.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.  You can eat quite a bit with very few calories.  A good way to incorporate more into your diet is to have vegetables cut up ready to grab, and with fruit you can either make a fruit salad or just have fruit out on the counter ready to be eaten. Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  Andrea_44

• Most people think they have to drink a large amount of milk and eat dairy products to get the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of calcium into their diet.  This is a huge myth and can sometimes be very damaging to a person’s health.

• Cow’s milk does provide a person with nutrients such as. protein, fat, carbohydrates, and calcium.  However, humans can get these same nutritional factors from healthful food.  The amount of calcium a human absorbs drinking a glass of milk is only 32 percent compared to healthful foods such as:

Based on One Cup

Kale = 40.9%

Broccoli = 52.6%

Brussels Sprouts = 63.8%

Turnip Greens = 51.6%

Orange Juice = 37%

Continue Reading »

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• I find myself always looking for new information where I can gain knowledge to improve my health, and spiritual being.  The year 2000 is when I really became interested in learning how I could benefit by changing my eating, and lifestyle habits.  This is the year I was diagnosed with ductual carcinoma in-situ breast cancer.  Prior to this I actually thought I was eating fairly healthy and living a good lifestyle.  Little did I know I had a lot to learn.
• I thought I would share some of my favorite books that I have read and use for reference whenever I have a question regarding how I feel, or to improve how I live my life.

Suggested Reading:

Prescription for Nutritional Healing; Phyllis A. Balch, CNC

• This book is a great reference from A-to-Z on drug-free remedies using herbs, food supplements, vitamins, and minerals.  It starts out explaining the elements of health and then goes into a breakdown of disorders.  The last part of the book discusses different options of remedies and therapies that can be considered.  The part I appreciate when looking up information regarding a disorder is the explanation of the disorder, a list of supplements to consider, suggested herbs that can be used, along with recommendations and considerations to think about.  I refer to this book often.   Continue Reading »

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• I am not a real fan of seaweed but have found this salad to taste quite good.  Using ginger and garlic as seasoning is a big help.  I have been told arame, the type of seaweed used in this recipe, is good to use as an introduction to seaweed used in cooking.  I hope you enjoy this recipe like I do.  It would be an easy recipe to prepare for a carry-in or when having company over for dinner.

Seaweed Sesame Salad – serves 6

2 cups dry arame

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

2 carrots, sliced in matchstick pieces

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon tamari

4 scallions, shredded

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/2 cup daikon radish, sliced in matchstick pieces

1/2 cup red bell pepper, sliced in matchstick pieces

Boston or romaine lettuce Continue Reading »

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• I want to share a personal story about what I have learned regarding uterine fibroids.  I was having a pelvic ultrasound done to check for ovarin cancer which took my mothers life many years ago.  The radiologist didn’t find a problem with my ovaries but discovered I have many uterine fibroids.  Through some reading on my own I have discovered fibroids can be genetically linked (known to run in families).
• As many as 20 to 30 percent of all women develop fibroid tumors.  Uterine fibroids are benign tumors that form on the interior and exterior muscular wall of the uterus.  The tumors are abnormal muscle cells which are not fibrous.  So the name fibroid can be misleading.  The fibroid tumors tend to form around a woman’s age of late thirties and early forties, and then usually shrink after menopause.
• There are many times women don’t even know they have fibroid tumors.  In a lot of cases there are no symptoms.  But there can be symptoms of heavy and frequent menstrual periods, anemia, fatigue and weakness as a result of blood loss, and bleeding between periods.  Also a women can have back/and or pelvic pain, pain in the legs, pressure upon the bladder or the bowels, depending upon where the precise location of the fibroids.  I was experiencing back pain, a symptom my mother talked about after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer, which is what made me question my health.  I also had been having heavy and frequent menstrual periods.  This concerned me due to another symptom my mother discussed about her hemorraging , even though she had already gone through menopause.  I have not quite reached that point yet.  Had I not allowed myself to question my health I would not have known my fibroids were bad.  The radiologist did say my uterus is quite enlarged which might explain the bloated feeling I have had lately in my abdomen.  I have done some reading about ways to help reduce the tumor growth, and improve my immune system.  Some nutrient supplement suggestions are: Continue Reading »

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• Not sure why but I keep finding these recipes that have full-flavor with a great combination of spices.  This stew is just another one of those great tasting recipes.  The stew was full of hearty seasoning.  I enjoyed the combination of vegetables, beans, and pasta.  This recipe will fill your house with a flavorful aroma.

Eggplant and Tomato Stew Recipe

1/2 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin preferred)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red, yellow, or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

14.5-ounce can no-salt added diced tomatoes with green peppers and onions, undrained

8 ounces eggplant, peeled and diced (about 1 small)

8 ounces whole button mushrooms, quartered

1/2 cup red wine (regular or nonalcoholic) or water

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

15-ounce can no-salt added dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained

4 ounces dried rotini

1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin preferred)

1/2 teaspoon salt Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  CarbonNYC

Are you one of those people that just can not sleep?  Or you find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night?  There are many factors that cause disturbance in getting a good sleep.  Poor nutrition, stress, and anxiety can be a cause for insomnia.

• Ideally a person should go to bed at the same time every night.  By doing this you allow your body to be on a schedule which may give you optimum sleep.  Try to be in bed before 10-11pm.  Allow yourself at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night.  From the hours of ten to two in the morning the immune system does its most regenerating, while we are asleep.

Eating late at night, drinking alcohol, caffeine, and sugar can interfere with a good night sleep.  Some medications such as sedatives, stimulants, cold medication, steroids, antihistamines, and headache medication containing caffeine can affect a persons sleep. Continue Reading »

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• It is winter time, and for most people a nice warm soup sounds good for lunch or dinner.  I suggest you try this recipe if you are one of those that likes to have soup on a cold winters day.  This soup has a unique taste that has the sweet and spicy flavors really popping.   I enjoyed the warmth from the ginger, so if ginger is your thing you might want to give this bisque a try.

Sweet and Spicy Carrot Bisque

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 cup)

1 tsp. plus 1 pinch salt

2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

1 Tbs. curry powder

1 pinch cayenne pepper

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds (4 cups)

1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced

1 13.5-oz. can light coconut milk, divided

2 1/2 Tbs. lime juice Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  boopsie.daisy

• You have probably heard before how bad sugar is for the body.  If not, I am going to make a few points about the empty calorie food.  What I mean by “empty calorie” food is that sugar is full of calories with no nutritional value.  Do you know that it is estimated the average American eats almost his/her entire body weight in sugar every year?  Almost all processed foods have added sugar.  A can of soda alone has 10-12 teaspoons of sugar.
• Eating sugary foods and processed, refined starches increases the risk of pancreatic, colorectal, stomach, and breast cancer.  There are three ways a diet high in sugar contributes to cancer development.  They are:

1. It produces a toxic burden.
2. It raises insulin levels.
3. It negatively affects immunity. Continue Reading »

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Photo by:  yanasawa

• I would like to share some eating habits that can be changed to improve the mind, body, and spirit. 
• The way we eat is important and can make a big difference in our nutrition.  Eating slowly and completely chewing the food starts the digestive process in the mouth and saves stress on the stomach and digestive tract. 

Some eating habits that can be changed are:

• Overeating:  We all overeat, and this is one of the most common dangerous dietary habits of all.  When people get together it is mostly done around the idea of eating.  The more food that is consumed makes it harder to reach the state of feeling satisfied all the time.  A way to change this into a good habit is to eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of 1 or 2 large meals.  Incorporate 2 healthy snacks and 2-3 meals a day.  Make sure you have a variety of flavors, textures, and types of food to help satisfy you and lessen the desire to eat more.
• Eating Late:  Due to many people having busy schedules eating late is another common habit.  Food acts as a sedative and can help us physically relax.  Late eating can contribute to poor sleep and digestion.  This can cause a person to wake up feeling full and sluggish.  The best suggestion is to eat earlier in the evening.  My rule is to eat no later than 7:00p.m.  Try to keep the meal on the lighter side.  If possible get some type of activity, both physical and mental, after dinner, limiting yourself to very little food two to three hours before going to bed. Continue Reading »

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