A Word About Whole Wheat Bread

"Whole Wheat" has become an increasingly popular adjective when it comes to breads, pastas, crackers, etc. 

I encourage everyone to choose whole wheat items whenever possible. So here is some food for thought: If something is in fact whole wheat, it will not contain any bleached, or enriched flour.

The problem is, many breads and bread items can say that they are whole wheat, but really their first (and most prominent) ingredient is enriched flour! 

White Bread Ingredients

It is your job as the consumer to be on the lookout for this! You should be looking for a bread that has whole wheat flour as its first ingredient! Also you want to be on the look out for other ingredients like high fructose corn syrup! It is not necessary to use this to make bread, so why should we have it!?

When it comes down to it, you want to choose a bread that has the lowest amount of ingredients overall, meaning that it will have less unnecessary additives.

Alvarado St. Bakery has great yummy whole wheat breads that a free if additives! Take a look:

Easy Healthy Pasta Night!

I have a great way to whip up a yummy, healthy and fulfilling dinner!

Start with some fresh veggies, tonight I used broccoli and green beans.

Coat a large sauce pan with PAM spray and toss in the broccoli and green beans. I like to add some fresh garlic and some seasonings:

I like to cover the veggies and let them cook up nicely.

At the same time you should have water boiling and be ready to put in the pasta. 

I choose multigrain or whole wheat pasta:

As the veggies start to turn a nice bright green I add the sauce. Choose any sauce you'd like, but stay away from creamy alfredo sauces because it adds in extra fat and calories. 

The sauce will be heating up nicely with the veggies while the pasta finishes cooking up!

Strain the pasta and dish out your (manageable) portions. Then top it off with the veggies and sauce, and voilà! 

Dinner is served:

Yum! How easy was that!?

Try out different veggies and styles of pasta and sauces to see what you like the best!

Prevention First

I was watching the 5:00 news last night when my ears perked up to the intro line of: "The latest new cure for type 2 diabetes". However, I was soon let down by the information following this. The new 'cure' for type 2 diabetes is now gastric bypass surgery! 

Um, what?!  

The report went on to say that "studies have shown better results than diet and exercise alone". 

Well I'm sorry, but, NO KIDDING! If everyone's stomachs were reduced to the size of a couple of ounces rather than liters I doubt we would ever see a case of obesity again!

Now, I am fully aware that this type of surgery has truly helped many people, and in some cases this drastic measure is necessary to save a life. I am just not keen on the idea of advertising something so serious (and possibly life threatening!) as a way to 'cure' type 2 diabetes. 

It all begins with PREVENTION! 

Type 2 diabetes has also been known as 'adult onset diabetes'. This is because it is primarily found in overweight/obese adults. Sadly, this is no longer the case because with the childhood obesity epidemic on the rise, more and more children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, we must begin from the ground up and instill the knowledge and skills in our youth about how to eat and cook healthy, how to stay active and how important all of these aspects of life are. If these types of steps were taken in the first place, there would be much less incidence of obesity along with type 2 diabetes and then there would be no need to push the idea of gastric bypass surgery as the 'quick fix' to these problems.

Along with the fact that this type of surgery can have many complications occur, it effects the way a person will eat for the rest of their lives! With a stomach so small, there is no way to absorb as many nutrients as your body needs from the foods we eat. Going out to dinner with friends, or big family dinners will now become a struggle instead of a joyful experience, which is something everyone deserves!

Another point that has me confused is the fact that many people reach a point where they are in fact too overweight to even have the surgery, so what do the doctors tell them they must do before the procedure can be performed? Diet and exercise to reach the appropriate weight! Yes, in these cases people have over 100lbs to lose, but no one said it would be easy! And I am the first to agree that having one surgery vs. years of dedication sounds so much easier, but if you have to begin a diet and exercise plan anyway, just go for it!

I completely understand that every individual and their situation is different, but if you take anything away from this, it is the idea of PREVENTION! Starting out healthy life practices will reduce the incidence of so many different health issues it would take me a whole other blog to write about! 

Instilling healthy behaviors is our way to a healthier future!

No Need for Numbers

 

When people think about health, they often think about body weight and size. I am here to say stay away from the scale (I don't even own one)! 

Everybody and everyone's body is different!  We can not be expected to fit into categories of certain sizes and weights especially when they may be completely unrealistic. I hate for people to become obsessed with the number on the scale and really lose sight of the big picture. Focusing on a 'number' or a certain 'size' is bound to lead to unhealthy choices that can be detrimental to our bodies.  

We must worship our bodies!

To do so, we must maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Some things work differently for different people, so find your own groove and strive to stick with it. Yes, you are going to give in and have those potato chips or chocolate cake here and there, but do not allow it to define you. Get back on the horse and ride the healthy trail again!

Along with diet comes exercise! Again, different strokes for different folks; some like running, others biking, or maybe just walking! Whatever it is, do it for you! With exercise too, there will always be setbacks, like a full schedule or traveling too much, but you can always get back into your routine no matter what!

It is hard in today's society with many negative body image views and media influences, but you must rise above! Only you can do you, so why not do it the best way possible; healthy and balanced!

 

Colorful Salads!

With spring in full swing and summer coming around the corner vegetable gardens are going to be flourishing! Take this opportunity to really rev up your salads and make them fun and exciting! 

I always start with some dark leafy mixed greens. 

Then I love adding the basics like; carrots and tomatoes. My favorite tomatoes right now are the yellow sunbursts, they really are like a burst of sunshine in your mouth! I could eat them by the handful!

Lately I have been adding beets to all of my salads! Many stores have pre-cooked and peeled beets which make it easy to add them to anything!

Also, for a little crunch a like to add some sunflower seeds! 

This is an easy, quick way to make a lovely, healthy, colorful lunch! It takes me about 5 minutes to make! 

An old teacher of mine once said "Eat a Rainbow Everyday!", meaning eat a variety of foods and the more colors the better! This is how you can maximize getting all of your vitamins and minerals while mixing it up and eating yummy foods!

A Little Perspective...

Ever feel like you are being weighed down?

This is why!

By being active you can lose fat and in turn gain muscle! This is sure to make things a lot more comfortable! 

Looking at the amount of space the grapefruits take up vs. the tangerines, imagine the force being put onto your internal organs!  It is harder for your body to perform the normal everyday tasks it needs to do to keep you alive when they are being pressured externally. So do your precious body a favor, and get active!

Other great things about muscle: it helps you to burn slightly more calories  throughout your day because it is more metabolically active than fat, it helps strengthen your body to improve on functionality, and helps give it shape! 

I am not suggesting that everyone needs to go out there and become the next biggest body builder! However, strength training is very important in staying fit and a great way to be active, get out there and have some fun!

Convenient Healthy Snack

I love finding ways to make being healthy easier!

Here is a great little snack idea that will fit into anyone's busy schedule:

Pre-Sliced Apples!

Apples are delicate and somewhat hard to travel with.  So, with these pre-packaged and sliced apples, there is no excuse not to have an apple a day! These packets are perfect to just throw into a purse or a backpack for complete convenience, and they taste great!

I found these by Earthbound Farm at Costco! I love that they are organic and come in perfect sized packages. I have seen other brands like Chiquita at Safeway and Trader Joe's has some too!