Kitchen Conversations By Michelle Goldbach (Guest Post)

Kitchen Conversations

By Michelle Goldbach

 

 Not long ago some family and friends were gathered in my kitchen on a beautiful morning in San Diego. As each person helped themselves to breakfast, coffee, and juice, conversations were provoked by some missing items in my kitchen. These items included, diet soda, margarine, artificial sweetener, regular peanut butter and coffee creamer. As each guest asked if I had one of the items I found myself saying, "no, but I do have..." I also gave them the rationale as to why they are absent, which I would like to share with my readers.

First of all, let me clarify, even though I am a nurse and I am well educated in proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles, I do not eat 100% clean nor do I only eat raw and organic foods. I love food way too much for that! But I have made some simple changes to improve the way I do eat and live a healthier lifestyle. It is a known fact that what we eat or do not eat has a direct effect on our overall health and has been linked to several chronic, inflammatory diseases. Over 90% of those in our hospital system are suffering from such diseases. Now, nutrition is only component. Daily movement, mental stimulation, and practices to maintain spiritual and emotional health is also vital. Today, I am going to focus on the nutrition component.

Soda
No, but I do have sparkling water or club soda. Did you know that diet sodas actually retain fat in your body and deplete it of crucial minerals such as Calcium and Phosphate? While regular soda is better for you than diet, just remember that a can of soda contains approximately 14 sugar packets, plus sodium and caffeine. Best alternative is water, but if you like a little "fizz" now and then like I do, try sparkling water.

Margarine
No, but I do have butter. What! I thought margarine, especially the new ones better for you than butter! Chemicals! Chemicals! Chemicals! Did I say that margarine is full of chemicals and processed ingredients including partially hydrated oils? Margarine is probably the closest thing to eating plastic! Best Alternative is not using anything at all. I cannot believe the taste of really good bread without the use of butter. Or use it sparingly. Another alternative is natural peanut butter, macadamia butter, or almond butter. Again, watch your serving size! Note: You can also use avocados instead of butter when baking!

Artificial Sweeteners
No, but I do have organic raw sugar or honey. Stevia is another option. The pink stuff, the blue stuff and the yellow stuff are all just chemicals! Best Alternative- no sweeteners or use a small amount of the real stuff like organic raw sugar or honey or try Stevia.

Coffee creamer- plain or flavored
No, but I have low fat milk. Again, partially hydrated oils and chemicals! Best Alternative- use cream, half and half or milk (sparingly)

Conclusion
So, do you see a theme here? Try to avoid chemicals and things that are processed. Can we completely? Yes, you can. It is possible but not easy and it will take a lot of planning for shopping and preparation of your meals. And a lot of times it is not feasible to avoid all chemicals and processed food. However, am I able to make simple changes to improve my diet and still eat foods I love in small portions, yes? I do suggest, however that you try to eliminate the items above entirely. Start with one and be patient to yourself. Change takes time and focus.

I would love to hear from you on your thoughts on these food items and others. Visit my website to sign up for my Newsletter or check out my blog at http://PathForHealthyLiving.com
Michelle Goldbach, RNC, BSN, MHA
Health and Wellness Resource

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Goldbach

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Posted in: Guest Post

Welcome back to Watch My Weight Wednesdays!

Today I am so delighted to introduce my first guest blogger, Kate from Mommy Monologues.  Welcome Kate I am so happy you could come and share with us today!  If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Kate at her blog   Mommy Monologues, I suggest you all run on over and check it out. I promise you, you'll be glad that you did!

Finding Ways to Enjoy Running

Hi All! I'm Kate & you can usually find me over at Mommy Monologues. I'd like to give a big thank you to Angie for letting me write over here today! I love her blog, she's so inspirational, & her menus pretty much rock! So I'm super excited!

I started sports at the age of 11 which eventually led me to collegiate sports (basketball & cross country) but I never really liked my weight, but I didn't hate myself either. I just knew that I could be healthier. My dad was diagnosed with diabetes, I transferred to a new university, quit sports, & because of all these events happening around the same time it made me want to discover a healthier frame of mind. With that healthier frame of mind & fear of being diabetic, I lost 25 lbs via an overhaul in my eating habits & exercise routine (aka my lack of exercise routine.)

A few years passed, I got married, gained a little bit of weight back, was unhappy about it, found out I was pregnant, and that obviously changed everything. Since I've had the baby (who is now 12 months) I have been an on & off again runner. I seriously have a love/hate relationship with running! I have mostly relied on healthy eating & breastfeeding (burns 500 calories a day woot woot!) to keep me at my "dream" size. And now that breastfeeding is no longer happening I'm having to get back into a work out routine. And y'all that is hard & no fun!

Last night while I was running I got so frustrated. In my mind, I consider myself the ultimate athlete. My body, make that lungs, however would totally disagree with you. I know I'm out of shape and I know my body isn't in it's prime condition.

So, there I was pounding the pavement and after 15 minutes I just stopped. Sat down like a big toddler & wouldn't budge. I was throwing a serious temper tantrum. And then I started talking to myself, "If you aren't going to be positive about this then there is no point in doing it. If aren't going to be nice to yourself while you run then you should just stop now."

And that's when I came up with this list of how to make my daily jogs more enjoyable:

1. Have a set route in mind. Last night I went out to run with no clear map in my head of where to go. So all my mental energy went to focusing on trying to figure out what direction I wanted to run instead of focusing on the actual run itself. Running is just as much mental as it is physical! And it's usually your mental state that will beat you every time!

2. Play games with yourself. Tell yourself that your going to run to the next light pole 50 yards (or even 10 yards) ahead. And when you get to that point you will slow down or take a break. And then start the game again. Or sometimes I have motivational sayings that match up with the beat of when my feet hit the ground. It sounds weird, but seriously I have made it through 13 miles of running saying the same phrase over & over & over in my head.

3. Don't always focus on your watch. When I look to see how long I've been running & I realize that it's been 3 minutes & it feels like 30, that's when I flip my watch to where I can't see it anymore. This always helps me focus on my strides instead of focusing on being miserable.

4. Don't start out overly ambitious. Like I said, I'm getting back into running after an extended amount of time off (that's nice for saying a year away from running.) So whenever I'm trying to get back into the swing of things I start out very, very moderately. For example, if I'm in bad, bad shape I'll start out running 1 minute, walking 2. And I will rotate that cycle for 30 minutes. This way I can build up to running a full 30-45 minutes over a period of time. Check out Five Weeks to Your First 5k-- even if you aren't wanting to run in races, this will help you to become a runner!

5. Don't push yourself. If you're at a breaking point for the day, take it easy. Do whatever you need to in order to get some sort of work out in for the day. But don't push your body or your mind because you won't look forward to your workout the next day if you've pushed too hard. Sometimes you need to be easy on yourself.
Today for example, I mentally could not handle an actual run. So I walked & I felt great afterwards! Tomorrow, I'll try to run because I didn't push myself so hard. I'm actually looking forward to making myself go harder (and yes, I have my route already picked out! :) Exercising is supposed to be fun, it is definitely hard, but it can be a blast at the same time!

So get out there, pound the pavement, & enjoy yourself!
And Good Luck!

Written by Kate
Mommy Monologues
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How are you all doing this week? 
I am doing well!  I have been reading up on metabolisms and metabolic typing.  I can't wait to tell you all what I have been learning!   This week I am sticking to my normal goals, with the addition of squeezing in a half hour of wii fit in the afternoon.  I also got this cute tracker!  20 lbs to go!  Hopefully this well remind me and motivate me to keep at it!  
Would love to see what you all have been up to!   Linky is open!!!





Please link directly to your post and not your blog URL. Link back here so that everyone can join in the fun.  And don't forget after linking check back and visit some great blogs!  That why we are doing this!  To help each other succeed!  We can do this!

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Posted in: Guest Post,weightloss