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Food Tip: Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipes
Nava Atlas, author and illustrator of many books on vegetarian cooking, has released a huge list of vegetarian Thanksgiving recipes. Here is one that looks really good to me:JICAMA COLESLAW WITH CITRUS DRESSING
8 to 10 servings
Jicama is a slightly sweet crunchy root vegetable. Ask for it at well stocked supermarkets and produce stands. If you can't find it, substitute crisp white turnip.
- 3 cups red cabbage, thinly shredded
- 3 cups white cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 cup peeled, matchstick-cut jicama
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1/2 cup organic plain low-fat yogurt or soy yogurt
- 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
- Juice of 1/2 orange
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine the cabbages, jicama, and scallions in a bowl and toss together.
Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Pour over the cabbage mixture and toss well. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
For the complete list, visit Nava's site.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Bonnie
Labels: food, recipe, thanksgiving
Walking Is The Best Exercise... Or Is It?
I frequently hear conflicting opinions about walking, ranging from "it is the best exercise" to "it is not enough." Which is true? Both statements are true and false - it all depends on you, your goals, your fitness level, and your interest in the activity.
If you do not currently exercise, walking is a good way to start: you know how to do it (no training required), all you have to do is walk out your front door, and you can go at a pace that suits your beginning fitness level. Walking is a great way to get going for someone at this level.
And, because of its low-impact and low-intensity nature, walking is a good option for someone coming back from an injury or illness.
In the beginning, depending on how often and how long you walk, you will notice changes in your body shape and endurance. After some time though, if walking is your only form of exercise, you may notice that your body stops making changes - you plateau. At this point, to continue making improvements, you need to cross train (add another activity) and train by heart rate (monitoring your exercise intensity to make sure it is appropriate to meet your goals). This will sufficiently challenge your body to continue making improvements.
Even for someone at a higher level of fitness, walking can be helpful. For example, it provides athletes (from amateur on up) an exercise that is easy on the body - a way to cross train and provide the body with rest from its usual routine. For someone whose exercise program consists mostly of biking or swimming (both of which are non-weight-bearing exercises) it offers a weight-bearing alternative - another way to cross train as each type of exercise has its pros and cons.
Whatever exercises you choose to do, do them well and, most importantly, do them consistently!
In Health,
Bonnie
If you do not currently exercise, walking is a good way to start: you know how to do it (no training required), all you have to do is walk out your front door, and you can go at a pace that suits your beginning fitness level. Walking is a great way to get going for someone at this level.
And, because of its low-impact and low-intensity nature, walking is a good option for someone coming back from an injury or illness.
In the beginning, depending on how often and how long you walk, you will notice changes in your body shape and endurance. After some time though, if walking is your only form of exercise, you may notice that your body stops making changes - you plateau. At this point, to continue making improvements, you need to cross train (add another activity) and train by heart rate (monitoring your exercise intensity to make sure it is appropriate to meet your goals). This will sufficiently challenge your body to continue making improvements.
Even for someone at a higher level of fitness, walking can be helpful. For example, it provides athletes (from amateur on up) an exercise that is easy on the body - a way to cross train and provide the body with rest from its usual routine. For someone whose exercise program consists mostly of biking or swimming (both of which are non-weight-bearing exercises) it offers a weight-bearing alternative - another way to cross train as each type of exercise has its pros and cons.
Whatever exercises you choose to do, do them well and, most importantly, do them consistently!
In Health,
Bonnie
The Stress-Fat Connection: Cortisol and Weight Gain
"Reduce stubborn belly fat!" These commercials imply that you can lose all your excess weight by taking a pill to control the stress hormone cortisol. Is it true? Let's find out.
Cortisol is a hormone that is produced by your adrenal glands. Throughout the day, it is released in a predictable cycle, peaking in the morning and dropping during the afternoon and into the evening. This is natural and healthy, and appropriate for most people's sleep/wake cycles. Cortisol has many functions, but we will focus on its role in handling stress.
You may have heard of the "fight or flight" response. If you are confronted with stress (such as a dangerous situation) the adrenal glands release a high level of hormones, including cortisol. This helps prepare you for fight or flight - your heart rate increases, blood pressure goes up, muscles tense, energy stores are released for use, and other body functions, such as digestion, are slowed. Cortisol takes stored fat, glucose, and blood to the brain, heart, lungs, and muscles for immediate energy. After the stress has passed, cortisol levels remain high for a while longer to stimulate appetite so you can replace the energy stores you used in response to the stress.
The problem is that most of our daily stressors in today's world last more than a few minutes. We have stress that we are exposed to constantly, whether it is work, family, lack of sleep, or poor nutrition. None of these stressors require an immediate physical response, such as running away, and the stress continues over a long period of time.
Remember that one role of cortisol is to stimulate your appetite so that you will eat and replenish the fuel you used during the fight or flight response. In chronic stress, you continue to feel hungry because of the elevated cortisol, which leads to overeating. In addition, fat cells in the abdominal area are very receptive to cortisol and are very willing to fill up from all the overeating. This is because fat stored in the abdominal area is more accessible to the body when it needs fast fuel. However, with chronic exposure to stress, combined with increased insulin release, the fat cells do not want to release abdominal fat easily. This is how cortisol causes abdominal fat to increase and hang on.
If you think you can go on a diet to counteract the weight gain, think again. Dieting can actually make you gain weight, something you may have experienced yourself. Here's one reason: levels of cortisol in your body actually increase as the amount of calories you eat decreases. The higher the cortisol levels, the more your appetite will be stimulated. Low carbohydrate diets are just as guilty of increasing cortisol, as they are very stressful on the body.
So, do the miracle pills work? Stay tuned...
In Health,
Bonnie
Cortisol is a hormone that is produced by your adrenal glands. Throughout the day, it is released in a predictable cycle, peaking in the morning and dropping during the afternoon and into the evening. This is natural and healthy, and appropriate for most people's sleep/wake cycles. Cortisol has many functions, but we will focus on its role in handling stress.
You may have heard of the "fight or flight" response. If you are confronted with stress (such as a dangerous situation) the adrenal glands release a high level of hormones, including cortisol. This helps prepare you for fight or flight - your heart rate increases, blood pressure goes up, muscles tense, energy stores are released for use, and other body functions, such as digestion, are slowed. Cortisol takes stored fat, glucose, and blood to the brain, heart, lungs, and muscles for immediate energy. After the stress has passed, cortisol levels remain high for a while longer to stimulate appetite so you can replace the energy stores you used in response to the stress.
The problem is that most of our daily stressors in today's world last more than a few minutes. We have stress that we are exposed to constantly, whether it is work, family, lack of sleep, or poor nutrition. None of these stressors require an immediate physical response, such as running away, and the stress continues over a long period of time.
Remember that one role of cortisol is to stimulate your appetite so that you will eat and replenish the fuel you used during the fight or flight response. In chronic stress, you continue to feel hungry because of the elevated cortisol, which leads to overeating. In addition, fat cells in the abdominal area are very receptive to cortisol and are very willing to fill up from all the overeating. This is because fat stored in the abdominal area is more accessible to the body when it needs fast fuel. However, with chronic exposure to stress, combined with increased insulin release, the fat cells do not want to release abdominal fat easily. This is how cortisol causes abdominal fat to increase and hang on.
If you think you can go on a diet to counteract the weight gain, think again. Dieting can actually make you gain weight, something you may have experienced yourself. Here's one reason: levels of cortisol in your body actually increase as the amount of calories you eat decreases. The higher the cortisol levels, the more your appetite will be stimulated. Low carbohydrate diets are just as guilty of increasing cortisol, as they are very stressful on the body.
So, do the miracle pills work? Stay tuned...
In Health,
Bonnie
Aging: What Can You Control?
A New York Times article last month focused on factors that dictate how we age, specifically what contributes to frailty. One surprising factor that came out in this article is that undetected cardiovascular disease is thought to be a major reason for why people become frail as they age. While someone may not experience a heart attack or stroke, partly-blocked blood vessels can lead to mental confusion, weakness, and exhaustion. These symptoms lead to reduced physical activity (and I would expect reduced mental activity such as games and reading). Can you see the downward spiral?
One measure that can indicate problems, published by researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year, is that of not being able to walk a quarter mile in five minutes or less. The article states, "For each minute beyond five, the risk of dying in the next four years increased by a third, the risk of having a heart attack increased by 20 percent, and the risk of having a disability increased by half."
The article's author, Gina Kolata, reports that, "Investigators say that there is a ray of hope in the finding - if cardiovascular disease is central to many of the symptoms of old age, it should be possible to slow or delay or even prevent many of these changes by treating the medical condition."
While researchers say this news is good for middle-aged people who have the advantage of drugs to control their cholesterol and blood pressure before serious damage occurs to the blood vessels, I am encouraged for reasons other than the use of medication. We know that many risk factors for cardiovascular disease are controllable. In fact, one risk factor is a sedentary lifestyle, which is completely reversible! Other risk factors, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, can be positively affected with exercise and nutrition.
The article disclosed a second finding - the cliche that you're only as old as you think you are. Negative images of aging were shown to produce negative outcomes (such as walking more slowly), whereas positive images had the opposite effect.
To me this is good news all around: we each have more control over the conditions of aging than previously reported by the medical community at large. Staying active, nourishing the body, challenging the mind, and feeding the mind with positive images... it looks to me that living well is the best medicine.
In Health,
Bonnie
One measure that can indicate problems, published by researchers in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year, is that of not being able to walk a quarter mile in five minutes or less. The article states, "For each minute beyond five, the risk of dying in the next four years increased by a third, the risk of having a heart attack increased by 20 percent, and the risk of having a disability increased by half."
The article's author, Gina Kolata, reports that, "Investigators say that there is a ray of hope in the finding - if cardiovascular disease is central to many of the symptoms of old age, it should be possible to slow or delay or even prevent many of these changes by treating the medical condition."
While researchers say this news is good for middle-aged people who have the advantage of drugs to control their cholesterol and blood pressure before serious damage occurs to the blood vessels, I am encouraged for reasons other than the use of medication. We know that many risk factors for cardiovascular disease are controllable. In fact, one risk factor is a sedentary lifestyle, which is completely reversible! Other risk factors, such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure, can be positively affected with exercise and nutrition.
The article disclosed a second finding - the cliche that you're only as old as you think you are. Negative images of aging were shown to produce negative outcomes (such as walking more slowly), whereas positive images had the opposite effect.
To me this is good news all around: we each have more control over the conditions of aging than previously reported by the medical community at large. Staying active, nourishing the body, challenging the mind, and feeding the mind with positive images... it looks to me that living well is the best medicine.
In Health,
Bonnie
Give Thanks For All That Food... just don't eat all of it!
Guess What? The holidays are right around the corner! Food galore! How do you get through the season without loading on extra pounds??I just got back from a 16 day cruise and you think that Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a challenge? You cannot believe the food that is available on board a cruise ship. Not only do you have the regular dining room, you have a buffet that is constantly available and if you don't want to go to the trouble of walking along making choices, you can go to an Italian restaurant and have a sit down dining experience. If you don't want to wait in line at the buffet, you can opt to go outside and order a hotdog or hamburger from the grill. The desserts are massively available. They are plentiful and oh, so rich and calorie laden.
How do you reduce the temptation of eating everything in sight; whether on a Cruise ship or at a family Thanksgiving get together??
Mindset: state of mind, frame of mind, attitude, approach, way of thinking or outlook. Anyway you look at it; we are all in control of our choices.
Here's what I do.
I remember that my stomach is only as big as my two fists. I want to eat enough food to fuel my body for 3-4 hours. After 3 or 4 hours I get to re-fuel. If I eat more than two fistfuls I will be miserable and I won't have any energy to get me through whatever it is that I have to do for the next few hours.
I also look at my plate and try to fill 3/4 of it with vegetables. (Raw and steamed) The other 1/4 doesn't really matter since it will be such a tiny portion.
Also, a great idea is to eat as much green, yellow, purple, orange, and other vibrant colored foods and stay away from the bland whites and browns.
Another wonderful rule, especially for desserts, is the three-bite rule. Plan to eat only three bites of the sugary, rich, gooey desserts. You'll be amazed at how satisfying only 3 bites can be.
Using these few simple little secrets, you can approach the upcoming holiday parties confidently, knowing how to conquer the "battle of the bulge".
Do you have more questions about which foods honor your body? Do you want to know how to reach your ideal weight? Do you want to rid yourself of aches and pains? Talk to me about my pH Miracle for Weight Loss E-Class.
(907) 229-7652
bonnie@bfitandwell.com
http://www.bfitandwell.com
