11Dec

Five Delicious Low Carb Alternatives

December 11, 2019 Chris Lathrop 16

If you’re like me, you’re watching your figure and it’s never too early to start preparing for string bikini season. So, carbohydrates need to be kept in check. I’m always looking for healthy alternatives that I can use in classic meals. Below are five of my favorite healthy low carbohydrate alternatives. They are easy to make and extremely versatile for numerous dishes.

Parsnips – With a similar flavor and texture to potatoes, parsnips are a great substitute. They have far fewer carbohydrates per serving.
Swiss Chard – The leaves are great as a wrap instead of taco shells or tortillas. I prefer them to iceberg lettuce wraps because of their durability and nutrient content.
Zoodles – A great alternative to pasta, the key here is to dry the zucchini noodles before cooking. I prefer to sear them in a pan with olive oil and spices; this gives them a texture closer to traditional noodles. You can find these precut near the produce in most grocery stores.
Spaghetti Squash – Similar to Zoodles but they usually need less drying before cooking. Also, found in the produce section.
Cauliflower Rice – A great substitute for rice or quinoa and will absorb most flavors you mix it with. Broccoli stem rice is also very similar if you don’t like cauliflower or are looking for another variation.

27Nov

Why I Understand My Clients’ Struggle with Weight Loss

November 27, 2019 Iman Abdul-Salaam 16

When you see me training my clients at work or lifting heavy weights on my own, you wouldn’t believe that I spent several years struggling with my weight. I am not like many personal trainers. I didn’t play a sport growing up and I most certainly wasn’t always in shape.

There was a time when I wouldn’t have been able to run from my bedroom to my front door (which can take all of 3 seconds to do) without having an asthma attack. I wasn’t raised in an athletic home. My dad had played sports when he was younger but no one in my family exercised on a regular basis and our eating habits weren’t that great. I sometimes got picked on and called names for being a little chunky. Surprisingly, I handled the criticism pretty well especially for only being in middle school. I figured being a little overweight with some health issues (asthma and epilepsy) was just the card that I was dealt with.

That was until I watched the movie The Nutty Professor. There was a scene when the main character, Sherman Klump (who was also overweight) attended a comedy show and the comedian on stage began cracking jokes on him about his weight. You could see how Sherman tried to laugh it off and act like it wasn’t a big deal but you could tell deep down it definitely made him feel bad about himself. I know it’s crazy how something so simple like that hit home with me and made me want to do something about my own weight problem.

Like that character, I definitely tried to overlook the fact that I wasn’t thin and pretty as some of my classmates. I didn’t want to continue looking the way that I did. I didn’t want to go to high school being overweight. It wasn’t so much about the health issues it had more to do with looking a certain way. I was a typical teenager when it came to body issues. I wanted to be thinner like my friends because to me being thin meant that I would be pretty.

At that point, I decided to make some huge lifestyle changes. I started working out at home using my mom’s VHS workout tapes, which were sitting around collecting dust. The summer before freshman year in high school I began working out. I lost about 10 pounds before hitting a plateau. I then started changing what I was eating. My sister and I had become regulars at several of the local drive-thrus (Burger King, Taco Bell, McDonalds, etc.). I spent about a year making sure that I didn’t go to any of them and started spending my allowance on fitness magazines and books. I pretty much taught myself how to cook healthy food because of course this was before the Internet was popular so I couldn’t just Google healthy recipes.

The weight continued to drop and my clothes got bigger and bigger, which I loved! There was even a brief time that I got a little crazy about losing the pounds that I did develop a few unhealthy habits because I wanted to hit a specific number on the scale much faster. I weighed myself multiple times a day. The number on the scale even determined if I was going to have a good day or a bad day. I slept as much as I could on the weekends so that I didn’t have to eat too many calories. I consumed very little calories in the day, which zapped all of my energy so I would come home after school and take long naps.

In my head, I just had to get to 130 pounds. I don’t know why but that number was always in my head as being the number I needed or thought I needed to be. Like I said these poor habits didn’t last long and only made me feel crazy. I did manage to get to 130 pounds but it definitely wasn’t sustainable and I had no muscle tone. By junior year in high school, I finally leveled out at around 140 pounds (about 40 pounds from my highest weight) and wore a size 8-10, which was a much more appropriate weight and size for my body. I felt strong, healthy and proud!

Working out had become addicting. I loved how I looked and most importantly how I felt. People who knew me constantly asked what I had done and how had I lost so much weight, as if there was some kind of magic potion. I knew then from my experience that I wanted fitness to always be a part of my life and that I would somehow incorporate it into my professional life someday.

Since then the number on the scale has fluctuated up and down but I still manage to wear the same dress size. Now I don’t even bother weighing myself; I’m not going to lie the number on the scale can still bother me. I like to just go by what I see in the mirror and how I feel in my clothes as a way of gauging if I need to re-evaluate my food choices.

I try to get my clients who are on their own weight loss journey to do the same thing. I’m going to be honest, though and I’m sure anyone who has had a weight issue knows it’s a constant battle that never really goes away. Even as a fitness professional I have my good days and bad days just like anyone else, but I think it also helps me understand my own clients and their struggle with weight loss even more. I like to always remind them patience and consistency are key.

13Nov

Eat Clean & Lean

November 13, 2019 chuckbecomecox 16

This particular secret to getting back the svelte man bod you had in your younger days is quite simple. Unfortunately, it’s the one thing that we have the most trouble with. Clean eating. We find it difficult for two reasons. Giving in to our cravings and getting lazy on food prep.

Have you heard the old saying, “If you fail to plan, you should plan to fail,” ? Well, when it comes to reaching workout goals, that saying definitely applies. Taking one to one and a half hours on a Sunday to prep some meals and snacks for the week and be an absolute lifesaver. It sets you up for success in eating healthy and keeping money in your wallet that you would have spent buying unhealthy, calorie-dense food for lunch.

Here are some general eat clean and lean eating guidelines.

Eat clean and lean 5 days each week.
All meals and snacks should consist of protein, carbohydrates, and some fats.
Lean proteins include eggs, turkey, fish, and leaner cuts of beef.
Be sure to eat leafy greens to get the iron necessary to help build your muscles.
In addition your leafy greens, be sure to get a color variety with your vegetables. Carrots, tomatoes, different peppers, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, etc.
Drastically limit sweets and junk foods like soda, alcohol, ice cream, desserts, snack chips, etc. If you have to ask if a certain food in included in this list, then the odds are good it IS.
Don’t forget the most crucial tip, drinking water. Water helps your body process all the nutrients you take in.

Eat clean and lean 80% of the time and success will come your way. Next time I’ll talk about what you need to do to get your muscles to grow the most. SLEEP!

23Oct

3-Day Refresh: My Experience

October 23, 2019 Ronda Williams 13

I am so excited to be embarking on the 3-Day Refresh program, and below is my account of the entire process.

A little bit of history – I have tried cleanses in the past – 10 day, 14 day, 21 day – all with varying levels of intensity. Almost always my motivation for doing a cleanse has been to “lose a few pounds.” And almost always has that goal been met. However I do typically feel better after a period of cleansing so I decided to give it a go the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Sunday October 13

I read through the materials today, and started to mentally prepare myself for the 3 days ahead. I felt a sense of excitement for the next 3 days because I can prepare everything today, and then just grab and go. Honestly one of my biggest stressors and time sucks is the amount of time I spend shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning up dishes. I don’t mind the shopping and prepping so much, but I feel like there is an endless cycle of dishes going in my house at all times… and I only have one kid. HA!

After looking over the program I headed to the store, and I planned for my daily allotment of fruits and veggies. I decided to make a big kale salad + avocado for lunch each day. I also bought clementines, apples and blackberries to vary up my fruit servings.

I’m a little nervous about not having a enough fat because that is what usually satiates me so I have hummus, almond butter and avocado on hand.

Once I returned home I roasted up some veggies – red peppers, squash, zucchini. I made the kale salad and chopped up red peppers to have for snack. I also made a vegan butternut squash soup to freeze and have on hand for the end of the week. All in all I’m feeling prepared, and I’m excited to see how the next 3 days go.

Monday October 14

I woke up feeling excited about the day – hooray to a PLAN and fewer dishes. I drank my 8-10 ounces of water upon waking. Breakfast is about 75-90 minutes after I wake up b/c I like to eat when my daughter eats.

I never weigh b/c I can’t stand basing how I feel about my day based on the number staring back at me. But in the effort of the cleanse I will take a starting weight to see how it goes. Let’s suffice it to say I’m at the high end of my normal weight as I enter into this endeavor.

I packed my lunch for the day and it included:

1 Fiber Packet
1 Vanilla Sweep
My Shakeology Bottle
Kale Salad
Avocado
Red Peppers
Hummus
Clementine

I am always so terrified of being hungry or having a low blood sugar so oftentimes I over pack just in case. Today I left with only my allotment. Fingers crossed I’m not hangry within the next hour.

For breakfast I had:

1 small green apple
Chocolate Shakeology with 1 ¼ c. of water (a first for me b/c I always use coconut milk in my Shake-o)
Green tea – I think the plan says to have tea as a mid-morning break, but I had to have something to replace my morning coffee ritual.So far so good!

Mid morning

Lemon Zing Herbal Tea
Fiber sweep – I heard to mix it with cold water and that is what I did. It has a slight lemon taste to it, and it wasn’t that bad. I drank it quickly.

Lunch

Vanilla Sweep w/ ¼ banana – blended – I actually really like this Vanilla flavor and wish it was the regular vanilla flavor. It was yummy
Kale salad massage w/olive oil

Afternoon snack

Red pepper + blue container of hummus
Chamomile tea

Dinner

Vanilla Fiber Sweep
Roasted veggies – squash, zucchini, red peppers

All in all I feel good today. I got a little hungry b/n 4-5pm, but for the most part I feel satisfied and accomplished for day 1.

I’m already prepped for Day 2! And, I’m so happy to not have any dishes! Pshew!

Tuesday October 15

I woke up today a little more hungry than yesterday and my stomach feeling a little rumbly. Also I’m feeling less motivated to stick with the program, but I just reminded myself that it’s 3 days, and I can do it.

I find that it’s easier to just stick with the same foods for the morning.

Breakfast –

Café Latte Shakeology
1 small green apple

Feeling good as I head off to work!

Lunch

Vanilla sweep with ¼ banana- blended
Kale salad – massaged with olive oil -hey I’m a creature of habit

Afternoon Snack

Carrots + blue container of hummus
Chamomile tea

Dinner –

Vanilla Sweep
Cauliflower bowl – frozen riced cauliflower+ roasted veggies. I did add a little homemade lemon tahini dressing for a little bit of fat. It was YUMMY!

Ready for the home stretch and Day 3!

Wednesday October 16

Ok usually by Day 3 of a cleanse I am “hangry” and losing motivation to stay focused…. But I’m feeling pretty good, and I know it’s just one more day. I typically eat a clean, whole foods diet, but sometimes my portions get out of control. Or I’ll go too far with snacking on cheese or nuts or other crunchy things. My hope is that cleanse provides me with a bit of reset after the Thanksgiving holiday and keeps me mindful as we enter the end of year holiday season.

Day 3 looked a lot like Days 1 and 2 with following the same schedule for eating. It was pretty easy to follow the suggested plan, and I do feel a bit lighter and fresher.

My main focus is to enter the holiday season being mindful of my eating habits, and I feel like the 3-Day Refresh has allowed me to do just that. I feel like I hit the reset button on some bad habits, and I feel excited to charge forward to the end of the year!

Thursday October 17

Ok – despite trying very hard not to measure my success by the scale – I can’t help but take a peek to see if there has been any change…and to my surprise I’m down 4 lbs! Now, I know this is most likely water weight, but sometimes breaking through that psychological barrier of the number on the scale is the motivation I need to stay focused.

Big Picture

I love the way I feel post-refresh, and I am motivated to clean up my diet as we enter the holidays. With that said, my general philosophy around eating is to eat whole foods (mostly plants) with no food groups off limits. As a Type 1 diabetic I count carbs and I am always tracking my food intake to make sure my blood sugar doesn’t go too high or too low, and I just can’t imagine further limiting my food options by following a strict “diet.” I do believe the 3 -Day Refresh is a good jumping off point to bring your eating habits back into focus.

Thank you for following my journey on the 3-Day Refresh. It’s been a great experience, and I’m so grateful that I’m able to share it with you!

If you’d like info and coaching through the 3-Day Refresh, please contact me us at owners@becomepowerful.com or join our fitness community Stronger, Healthier, Happier!

To get started order your 3-Day Refresh Kit here!

09Oct

Nutrition for Bone Health: 10 Foods to Consider

October 9, 2019 Chris Lathrop 17

Osteoporosis is responsible for millions of broken bones and billions of dollars in healthcare cost every year. In my last blog I spoke to the importance of strength training for improving bone health. Nutrition also plays a vital role. Most are probably aware of the need for calcium and Vitamin D in our diet to keep our bones strong but you may not realize what types of foods have a negative impact. There are also healthy foods that may not effectively contribute to our calcium supply despite being present. Below is a list of the foods to keep in mind if you have Osteoporosis or are concerned about your long-term bone health.

5 Questionable foods to be aware of:

– Alcohol Consumption: The effects of alcohol on the stomach and liver can inhibit calcium absorption. Drinking alcohol in moderation, or avoiding all together may be best.

– Tobacco use: It’s not a food. Now you have one more reason to quit.

– Protein: Very low levels of protein in the diet can be as harmful to your bone health as very high levels. If you’re consuming lots of protein rich food this may be negatively impacting your calcium absorption. Try consuming just a handful of meat per day.

– Sodium: Too much salt draws calcium out of storage; they’re a package deal within the body. Where one goes so does the other.

– Carbonated beverages: The phosphorous in these types of drinks can deplete calcium.

5 Healthy foods to be aware of:

These foods can be part of a healthy diet and are a great source of many essential nutrients. Due to their nature, however, they may not be the best choice for improving bone health. Although many of them contain calcium, these particular foods contain natural chemicals that inhibit absorption, potentially rendering them an ineffective source of the mineral. Many plant-based foods contain these chemicals but these in particular tend to have high levels, something else to keep in mind when looking for sources of calcium.

– Rhubarb: May have the highest levels of Oxalate (a chemical impending calcium absorption) of all vegetables.

– Beets: Similar to Rhubarb and other root vegetables with high levels of Oxalate.

– Spinach: Contains one of the highest levels of Oxalate of any green vegetable.

– Cereal Grains: Rice Bran and Wheat Bran in particular may actually have a negative effect on calcium levels.

– Nut Products: Almonds have of the highest levels of Oxalate of all nuts. Peanuts and Cashews also contain relatively high levels. Pistachios, Pumpkin seeds, and Walnuts may be better choices.

References:

“Osteoporosis Diet & Nutrition: Foods for Bone Health.” National Osteoporosis Foundation. 2017. https://www.nof.org/patients/treatment/nutrition/, 15 September 2017.

“Oxalate Content of Foods-Urology-Wake Forest Baptist”. Wake Forest Baptist Health. http://www.wakehealth.edu/Urology/Kidney-Stones/Oxalate-Content-of-Foods.htm. 10 21 2016.

Krall, E. A., & Dawson‐Hughes, B. (1999). Smoking increases bone loss and decreases intestinal calcium absorption. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 14(2), 215-220.

11Sep

Cheating vs. Healthy Indulgence Cheating

September 11, 2019 Telese Coleman 16

We have all heard and maybe used ourselves, the phrase: “I cheated on my diet and ate…..” or “this is my cheat meal” or even heard the terms “good foods vs. bad foods”. These phrases and others like them create a mindset that demonizes foods. Yes, of course there are plenty of foods that we should limit or consume in very small amounts if we want to achieve our best health, or reach a weight loss goal. However, you don’t want to feel like you have done something terribly wrong if you decide to indulge. It’s all about balance and seeing how we can enjoy that favorite dessert or indulgent food in a healthier way.

For example, you LOVE and want some vanilla ice cream, but you’re also working hard to be healthier and lose some weight. Create the environment that will allow you to do both and stay on track. That means NOT getting a tub of Breyer’s vanilla ice cream from the store and bringing it in the house (my personal rule is: “If its in the house, its in my mouth!”). You should go somewhere (restaurant, Ben-n-Jerry’s, wherever your pleasure), get a scoop, enjoy it…..then be done.

The goal when it comes to better health and nutrition is not to deny or deprive yourself. You can actually benefit from having the occasional “treat myself foods” as long as you’re not eating foods on the “consume in very small amounts” list multiple times a week. It has been shown that people trying to lose and maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle, get better results when they don’t deprive themselves of so called “bad cheat meals”.

As I stated above, it’s also about creating healthier versions of that indulgent food. I have a friend that has a very close relationship with chocolate brownies. The typical brownie has lots of sugar, butter, flour and usually is pretty high in calories. I decided to make a healthier version minus the sugar, butter, flour and eggs. Believe it or not my friend could NOT tell the difference! When I said that the recipe is made with black beans, cocoa powder, a little raw honey and a couple other ingredients he was shocked! The point being, there is always a way to create and enjoy your favorite foods in a healthier way. If you do, on occasion, decide to enjoy a less healthy version, do it sporadically and in moderation.

We all have our different relationships with food. However, once you get on a healthier nutritional track you are not “cheating” if you know how to create balance. My charge to you is to choose a favorite “indulgence” food, experiment with making healthier versions, then enjoy!

Here is one of the better brownie recipes I enjoy:

Ingredients

1 (15 oz) can black beans rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree or 1/4 cup creamy raw almond butter

3 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup maple syrup room temperature or raw honey

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups vegan dark chocolate chips + handful more for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease an 8×8 inch non-stick square baking pan.  Combine everything in the food processor except chocolate chips. Next, process until very smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour batter into prepared baking pan and top with more chocolate chips.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 20 minutes.

Serve and EAT WELL!

15May

Cheetos & Beer: 4 Tips to Better Snacking.

May 15, 2019 chuckbecomecox 19

As someone with something of a perfunctory relationship with food, there are a few things about it which I know with an absolute certainty.

Cheetos taste good. Cookies taste good. Chips taste good. Add a little beer to wash these down and its a party, because beer tastes great too.

Alas, like everything else all good things must come in moderation, which can be challenging.

In the United States, snacks are kind of a big deal. Snacks, including calorie loaded beverages (i.e. lovely, lovely beer) make up more than 25% of our daily caloric intake on average. A full 70% of the snacks we eat as a nation are classified as ‘unhealthy’ (highly processed, nutrient poor/calorie rich).

If those numbers seem high never fear, you are correct. Because its usually done on the go, or minus the ritual/formality of a traditional meal snacking normally occurs with very little forethought. Consider: how often do you consciously think of what you eat when you’re snacking?

Do you reflect, and take a measured assessment of your hunger levels? How much time has passed since you last ate? When is your next meal? Does said snack fit in with your nutritional plan for the rest of the day?

No?

Does, “I’m bored/stressed/tired/et cetera. – what can I eat?” sound more realistic?

Increased screen time (binge watching, video gaming, laptops. etc. ) along with decreased physical activity elevate the frequency of snacking even more. In general, sitting and watching something is more fun when you doing it with a bag of something salty/crunchy at your side, right?

As noted above, snacking is kind of a big deal. In some ways, its essential to our on-the-go, every-minute-counts 21st century lifestyle. If we are going to do it, we may as well make sure it will control our hunger, and provide enough energy to get through the hardest parts of the day, and not contribute to weight gain.

With that in mind, here are 4 Tips to Better Snacking:

1. Mindful Eating

– Something as simple as paying attention while you’re eating reduces overall food intake. Chew carefully. Savor the flavor. Think about how many handfuls of (your bite sized snack of choice here) you’ve already eaten. Try making a game of your munchible. “Can I make these 4 cookies last an entire episode of The Umbrella Academy?“

2. Downsize

– Studies show that bigger package sizes encourage over eating regardless of people’s appetite or the taste of the snack. Limited serving sizes can curb overeating. Likewise, having a large variety of snacks available can encourage overindulgence. Chose your three favorites to have around and ditch the rest. In the end you’ll eat a little less.

3. Go healthy. Stay healthy.

– Shift those chips and cheetos into fruit and nuts. Seeds, whole grains and veggies can also blunt hunger’s edge and keep you fueled up between meals. This will help you avoid the crash from many common high sugar goodies.

4. Water can be a snack too

– The benefits of drinking water are well documented. On its own, or coupled with your between meal treat of choice, water can help you to feel full decreasing your overall intake. Try to drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water each day ( e.g. 180 lbs = 90oz ).

19Mar

Food As Medicine: Ginger

March 19, 2019 Telese Coleman 17

Ginger! Yet another medicinal food that is right in your nearest grocery store produce section. Remember when you were young and had an upset stomach and your mom told you to get some saltines and ginger ale? Well I do. There were plenty of times in college when I would grab the “upset stomach cure all”, saltines and ginger ale, from the campus store to ease my stomach woes. Well although fresh ginger is known for it’s ability to help with stomach pain and discomfort….using a soda with a trivial amount of ginger and large amounts of High Fructose Corn Syrup and 32g of sugar, may not be the best 1st choice to get that ginger fix into your body.

There are several forms to get and use ginger. From whole root, dried, pureed, frozen, as an oil, tea or powered. All of these, when used are beneficial to your body both preventatively and to relieve real time discomforts.

Two of the main active compounds in ginger are gingerol and shogaols. Both show many biological activations including anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic and many nervous system ailments. It has been shown to provide protection against diabetes, cardiac and hepatic disorders. Below I’ve listed some of the well studied benefits of ginger:

1. Alleviates nausea and morning sickness

2. Decreases arthritis and joint pain

3. Can rev-up metabolism

4. Helps fight against cancer

5. Treats Type 2 Diabetes symptoms

6. Calms and relieves menstrual cramps

7. Improves joint mobility

8. Reduces cold symptoms

9. Improves circulation

10. Aids in digestion

To some, ginger can have a strong flavor when used as a spice (although I love good ole’ ginger snaps….these are not the medicinal option we’re talking about=}). Two of my favorite ways to enjoy ginger is in my ACV (apple cider vinegar) “Spritzer”! I just take fresh ginger root (it looks like a mini tree root if you’ve never seen it), juice it then mix in a glass with ACV and a little organic honey, then pour over sparkling water…..it actually has a ‘ginger ale’ taste and fizz! But if juicing isn’t your thing, you can shave off a few slices and put in hot water to brew as ginger tea. Add honey or stevia and lemon juice and its a warm relaxing throat fix.

Grab some ginger today, experiment and try to work it in to your diet. You’ll love the benefits of this “Farm-macy Food”!

“Let food be thy medicine & medicine be thy food!”

-Hippocrates

02Feb

Purge the Pantry: Set up for Success

February 2, 2019 Telese Coleman 17

So you want to eat better, improve your diet, lose weight and just feel better overall. Well it starts with what you consume. How we look and feel on the outside has a direct correlation to what’s on the inside. If we consistently put “garbage” inside, we will eventually look and feel like garbage on the outside….. that’s not the goal!

If you want to be successful in any task or goal, you have to set your environment up for success. So let’s create the nutritional environment that is most conducive to helping you EAT WELL!

One phrase that I live by is, “if it’s in the house, it’s in my mouth!” That means we need to “Purge the Pantry” and get out all of the junk so we don’t put that junk in (our mouths).

Take some time over the next few days to go through your pantry, refrigerator and freezer and assess what’s in there. Most of us probably have things that are old and outdated way back in the back. And surprisingly, we often don’t even know all that we have and or what we don’t have…..so take inventory!

Start this inventory process by pulling out and separating foods into categories. For example, put all canned goods together or all “snack foods” together. Next, separate out all the foods that you want to eliminate from your diet. If your goal is to eliminate or decrease starchy carbohydrates, put all pastas, noodles, rice, breads, cereals and potatoes together.

Now it’s time to PURGE! Make sure you have a giant trash bag nearby because we’re going to potentially be throwing out a lot. Get rid of anything that is not in line with your healthy goals. Don’t look at it as throwing away money. You’d much rather get rid of $5 worth of cookies than to put the unwanted sugar and calories into your body and portentially have to spend more health-wise down the line. You’re worth it, your body is worth it, your health is worth it!

Now doing this purge does not mean you have to eliminate all indulgences or treats. The point is to create an “out of site, out of mind….out of mouth” mentality around temptation and unhealthy foods. So if you want an ice cream treat, take a trip to Goodberry’s, get a scoop, enjoy it and be done with it. Don’t go to the grocery store and buy a big container of vanilla ice cream and bring it in the house. Remember the motto “if it’s in the house, it’s (more likely) to be in your mouth”.

Once everthing is cleaned out and thrown out, it’s time to reorganize and restock. Let the majority of your pantry, refrigerator and freezer be filled with healthy foods and snacks.

Set your healthy eating goal. Clean out and throw out. Restock. You’ll be one step closer to making it happen!

You have ONE body, if YOU don’t take care of it…. Who will?

18Dec

Food As Medicine: Immune System

December 18, 2018 Telese Coleman 18

It’s that time of the year again! It’s the season for playing in the winter snow, cozying up with some hot chocolate, a blanket and binging on Netflix…and the time for seasonal sniffles, coughs, colds and flu. This time of the year we are more vulnerable to viruses and allergies. No one enjoys being sick and contagious. So to decrease our chances of getting colds and coughs, we MUST strengthen our Immune Systems!

What is the Immune System anyway? It’s the body’s defense system against infection. It’s our built in armor that protects against and destroys viruses and illness. Think of your Immune System as a parent or that protective older brother. Because they love you, they will protect you at all costs and not let anyone or anything hurt you. Like our Immune System, they can also be “overprotective”. So although majority of the time we are being protected from the bad, that protection can also destroy some of the good that is meant to help. This can lead to Auto-immune Disease. For example, in the case of a donated organ or blood, the Immune System recognizes that as unfamiliar and therefore can turn on it’s own cells. Overall though, the stronger our Immune System, the healthier we are.

Just as a soldier in war without proper artillery and body armor would be highly vulnerable to attack, a weakened Immune System leaves our bodies open to attack from viruses, parasites and more. So how can we build the strongest armor? Well there are several ways you can strengthen or weaken your Immune System. Some of those include avoiding tobacco and alcohol, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, taking cold showers (which is strangely one of my favorites!). I have a love for “healing” foods however, and this is the “Food As Medicine” series so I am going to focus on how our diets can build or destroy our armor.

The specific tasks of the Immune System include:
1. Neutralizing pathogens, viruses, parasites and removing them from our bodies.
2. Recognizes “self-cells” (of you) and “non-self” cells (not of you) and destroys the unfamiliar cells to protect.

Let’s begin with what weakens the Immune System and therefore should be avoided (just as a reminder, EVERYTHING we put into our body is important). It will come as no surprise that red meat, fried foods, excess sugars and processed foods all contribute in various ways to weakening our Immune Systems. Just drinking a couple of sugary drinks can curb the Immune System cells that attack bacteria for at least a few hours post consumption! For various reasons and optimal health, these foods should be limited or avoided.

A lot of those, often called, “junk foods” cause our Immune System to activate the inflammation response to protect our cells. As the intake of junk food continues, the immune cells will “overreact” and inflammation starts to run rampant throughout the body. For a myriad of reasons…no-one wants chronic inflammation!

So now that we know what to avoid, let’s dive into the must have Immune Boosting Foods! It’s important to point out that, it’s really about the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that boost our bodies armor. Therefore I will list below the important nutrient and foods that contain them.

All of the above foods definitely do more than just strengthen the Immune System. They benefit our body in so many ways. As noted earlier, there are other things we should do to boost and maintain a strong Immune System. Let “food be your pharmacy” and include as many of these nutrient dense foods as you can to naturally heal and prevent illness!

Bonus: Many teas have Immune Boosting Properties as well. My current daily fix is Eucalyptus tea! Will a little cinnamon and honey, its AWESOME!

“Let food be thy medicine & medicine be thy food”
~Hippocrates

Shop Small Deal

We have rolled Black Friday, Shop Small Saturday, and Cyber Monday all into one fantastic deal!