Be Holistic..Integrative Nutrition

For the past few weeks I have seen several patients that are frustrated because the "traditional" or "western" medical world cannot figure out what is causing their muscle cramps, pain, bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, frequent infections, etc...Many of these patients have been to specialist after specialist and have had numerous labs and diagnostic tests done that have all been inconclusive. Unfortunately, most of them are told that it is all in their head and to live with it. I have heard from many of these patients that they have turned to holistic practitioners/chiropractors and/or changed their diet and have had resolution of symptoms. I work in the medical field and practice western, evidence based medicine, but I do see the importnance of some eastern philosophies, as well as the role that nutrition and chemicals play on our health. I do get frustrated when I hear patients talk about their practitioner who told them they they were allergic to something because when they held it in their hand, their arm dropped. Where is the science behind that? But I have no problem if patients want to try eliminating certain foods from their diet (the most popular being gluten and dairy) in an attempt to feel better. And if they do, great! I do wish that the medical community took more of a holisitic/integrative approach to health in general, that we could spend as much time talking about the foods patients eat and the activities that they do as treatments to their conditions rather than just giving them pills, but until that happens, the best I can do is try and educate whenever possible. I have seen the power of diet changes and exercise in bringing down blood pressure, blood sugars, and helping patients to stop medications. There is so much information out there about diet and nutrition, some of it good and some bad, that I think patients and people in general get confused and frustrated. One website says eating dairy is good for you and causes weight loss while another one says that it causes heart disease and makes you fat! One of the reasons that I am trying to learn as much as I can about diet, nutrition and fitness is not only for my personal gain, but so that hopefully I can help patients that seek it as well.

I am a firm believer that what we eat adn the way we treat our bodies leads to the diseases that plague america right now. I have seen 80 yr old patients that take no medications because they live an active lifestyle and eat healthy, and thus do not have heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. It has been my goal with this journey to try and change my bad habits for the better for good, so that as I get older, my body stays young and healthy. So, I will get off my soapbox now, just something I had been thinking about and wanted to share. I plan on posting things that I learn along the way, from sources that I trust.

Thoughts?

Be Fit..Fat shredder diet

I had posted recently about my new found fitness motivation....shopping! So I thought I would post a little about my progress. First off, my sister is getting married this summer and I recently ordered my bridesmaid dress. I think iwas being a little ambitious when I ordered it ( either that or I have no idea how to measure myself properly) because it is just a little too small ( a little being kind of a lot). The dress is fitted at the top and flows at the bottom, so the area that need to most improvemt will be my chest, back and waist. So besides hopefully getting a cute new spring wardrobe, I have the ultimate goal of fitting into my dress by May/June ( because I may need a few months if I have to order another one).

So, for the past week I have been trying to follow the P90 X nutrition guide and have been doing the Fat Shredder plan. This plan is high protein, low carb. Basically 50% of my cals from protein and 25% from fat and carbs each. My nutrition plan includes 5 serving protein, 1 fat, 2 vegetable, 2 dairy, 1 fruit, 0.5 grains, 0.5 legume/tubers and 1 snack. I plan on doing the plan for only 4 wks, as I know it is not good to eat low carb all the time. I am hoping that I will develop some good habits through this, as most of my carbs seemed to have come from sweets, breads, pastas ( aka simple carbs). I have also been working out everyday and following my program, along with taking extra whey protein and supplements. So far I feel great and have lost 2 lbs! I have been reading studies that show that doing a low carb, high protein and fat ( good fat) diet for short bursts of time can help your metabolism and help your body be more efficient at burning fat. Again, I stress that eating a low carb diet in the long term IS NOT good for your health, as you need a balanced diet and that includes good/complex carbs (esp if you have an active lifestyle).

I plan on working on some healthy recipes over the weekend that include lower carb and higher protein/ good fat foods and will post those soon!

Be Fit..New found motivation?

After basically taking all of last week off from exercise and eating healthy I was feeling a little bad about myself, and usually when this happens I give up and throw in the towel. I went shopping over the weekend and tried on several things that I thought would look good on me, but as I am in that "in between stage" of my fitness goals, they did not. As someone who loves clothes and shopping, that was enough for me...I need to kick my butt in gear, get fit and the body I want so that I can wear the clothes that I want! So for the past 3 days I have been kicking my own butt and feel AMAZING! To help celebrate my birthday yesterday, I even did 1 hr of Plyometrics (jump training) followed by a 1 hr, very hot, very rigourous C2 yoga class.

It seems a little sad that the prospect of clothes and shopping has been my most motivation so far instead of my overall health, but whatever works!

I am about one month into my fitness program (give or take a few weeks that were "lazy" weeks) and have seen slight changes but am determined to make the next 2 months really count and see SIGNIFICANT changes!

What motivates you?

Be Creative..photography

I have not been very good about cooking or baking this week, as I have mostly just been working and sleeping. I plan on doing alot more of that this weekend!

So instead of posting about health or nutrition, I thought I would just post a fun photo collage showing the things that I love! I am by no means a great, or eve a good, photographer (as you can probably tell from my recipe photos!) but it is my goal to get a good camera someday and learn! I love being creative and taking pictures and would love to be good at it one day!



I love...medicine, nature, baking and of course Lily!



Be Fit..and Get a Strong Core!

I love the feeling of knowing that my body is getting stronger. Beofre starting my workout program, I was, well, a wimp. Not that I am super strong by any means, but I can feel my body getting stronger. For example, I used to hardly be able to do one push up, let alone several Chatarungas (aka tricep pushups) in yoga class. Now I can do chatarungas during vinyasa flow, no problem. These little milestones are motivation for me and get me excited to do my next workout, so I can see how strong I can continue to be.

Right now I am spending alot of time focusing on my core strength, as that seems to be lacking. I feel like I have fairly strong stomach muscles (even though you cannot see them...yet!), but the rest of my core, especially my lower back and chest-forget it. I have learned that core work is so much more than just ab strengh- it encompasses abdominals, back, glutes, thighs and chest-essentially the trunk. And, as Tony (P90X guy) would say, the core is the foundation to all other movements.
So what do you think of when you think of a strong core? Sit ups? Thats what I used to think. Now I realize that core stabilizing exercises are the best. Examples of these include Plank, Forearm Plank and Side Plank. These exercises engage the entire core and engage all the abdominal muscles to hold you in the position.
Below is a great core strengthening series from the Tone It Up girls. After one set my core is on fire, and I have yet to do more than 2 sets, even though it says to repeat 6 times!
Here is the link to the Abs Circuit.

Be Healthy-Clean Eating

I've posted about some of my goals, including wanting to "eat clean". Looking back on my progress so far, I realized that I am still eating too much sugar and still some processed foods, so I wanted to spend some more time looking into Clean Eating and really get myself a good game plan/eating plan so that when I start month 2 of P90X sunday, I can also start with a clean eating slate.

Clean eating is simple really-basically eating whole, natural foods and avoiding anything processed or un natural. A good rule of thumb to remember when shopping is to shop the perimeter of the gorcery store, where are the produce, meats and fresh baked goods are located and to avoid the middle aisles, which consist of canned, frozen, packaged and processed foods. Of course, there are foods in the aisles that are still healhy and should be a diet staple, such as all natural peanut butter, frozen veggies and fruit. But the main concept is to eat foods whole and in their natural form.

I developed a shopping list of foods that I want to eat and have on hand (and only these foods-minus the occassional sweet/indulgence).

Clean Eating List-Shopping and Stocking Up:
EVOO, balsalmic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, natural lemon juice
Dijon mustard
Hummus
Sun dried tomatos
Sea salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and other natural herbs/spices for cooking/baking and adding flavor
Salsa (organic of course)
Dry beans-black, pinto, chickpeas, kidney
Quinoa
Wild and brown rice
Sweet potatos/yams
Variety of fresh fruits and veggies, as well as frozen fruits and veggies
Edamame
Avocados
Spinach/mixed greens/kale (maybe...)
Eggs
Greek yogurt
Lean meats-chicken, canadian bacon
Fish-salmon, tilapia, tuna
Cheese-all natural (feta, goat, cheddar, etc)
Oatmeal/oats
Kashi granola bars (my favorite-Trailmix)
Variety of raw, unsalted nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios,etc)
Tea-green
All natural peanut butter,almond butter, jams
Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat tortillas

There is not reason you (or I for that matter ) cannot make all your meals with these all natural, whole, clean ingredients.

Starting this AM, I had baked apple oatmeal, 2 hard boiled egg whites, green tea and greek yogurt (vanilla)
For lunch I packed mixed green salad with chicken, strawberries, cucumbers, walnuts and feta cheese, an apple and whole raw almonds for a snack.

My work always has treats and food, which they have again today, so we'll see if I can resist the temptation, as will power seems to be where I am lacking in trying to eat clean. I love the all natural foods and the taste of raw foods, I just love sugar more :)

One thing I was planning on doing this weekend was to start a detox-not a juice or fast or cleanse, but basically a detox to rid of body of caffeine, sugar and processed foods. Starting today I did not have my normal cup of coffee (or 2) and instead will be drinking green tea. I plan on eating alot of protein, fruits and veggies. I am sure that my body will not like me this weekend, as I tend to get caffeine withdrawl headaches, but I have noticed over the past few weeks that I have been getting a caffeine/sugar crash about 2-3 pm where I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. I am hoping that detoxing these things from my body will eliminate the vicious cycle of caffeine and sugar, crashing and than eating more sugar and drinking more caffeine to stay awake/avoid headaches. I will post of results of the detox sunday!

{Recipe} Baked Oatmeal and Strawberry Walnut Chicken Salad

In my quest to eat healthier I find myself eating the same thing over and over and than getting bored and craving something sweet and terrible for me. So I have been trying to look up recipes and try new foods to get soMe variety. Today I came across a delicious recipe that I decided to try and the best part is it involves baking, my favorite.

                                Baked Apple Spice Oatmeal



finished product. Another great Ipad photo



Ingredients:

1/2 c oatmeal/ rolled oats

1/2 c egg whites

1/2-1 apple diced
2 tbsp apple sauce
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

Cinnamon,nutmeg to taste
Sweetener to taste ( I like pure maple syrup)

Preheat oven 375
Mix together apples ( heated in microwave 1 min to soften), applesauce, egg whites, vanilla
Separate bowl mix together oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg,sweetener

Mix dry and wet ingredients together, spread into greased loaf pan, and bake covered with foil 25 mins. Bake an additional 5 mins uncovered.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can customize it to include other ingredients including pumpkin, banana, nuts, berries, etc.
* recipe courtesy of www.youngmarriedchic.com


Since I was in the kitchen already I decided to make something healthy and easy for lunches.

                             Strawberry Walnut Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
Salad mix
Strawberries
Chicken breast cut up
Walnuts
Feta cheese
Cucumbers
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy! Nice and easy!