Spring Clean your Body!

I look forward to the weather changing! Winter is harsh, your body suffers and your mood suffers. Spring is fresh, new and full of vitality all around you! It is one of the best times of the year to change your eating and lifestyle practices. Start with a 3 day cleanse and if you can tolerate a 5 or seven day cleanse that rids your body of sugar cravings, salt cravings, meat cravings and fat cravings. It can be a homemade juice cleanse or one that consist of delicious fruit smoothies, salads with lemon juice dressing, bean soups and stews. No matter what kind of cleanse you choose it should not include anything processed, any sugars other than what is found naturally in fruits and vegetables, no carbohydrates unless it's of the vegetable variety and no, potatoes are not included. Avoid adding salt or other sodium products to your foods, drink plenty of water 6-8 cups, snack on raw nuts, seeds, dried fruits and absolutely no meat or animal by products such as milk, cheese, yogurt and butter. You can do it! Let's Go!

Green Monster Smoothie consist of: 

1/2 green Granny Smith Apple 

1/4 cup kale

1/4 cup carrots chopped 

1/4 cup frozen pineapples and strawberry 

Water can be used to adjust thickness. Blend and drink! 

Sex and Nutrition

It's been so long! But here I is.

I recently caught a snippet of a rapper who will remain nameless and his wife, yes, his wife, some rappers actually do believe in marriage but I digress. They were doing one of those solacious, late night talk shows and the topic of oral sex came up. Well, this unknown rapper said and I quote, " I love performing oral on my wife, she tastes good, she tastes like mangos, fruity, it's true you are what you eat." Hhhmmmm, I liked said rapper before but that interview garnered a new found respect for him. Men don't often discuss why they like to perform fallacio much less how it tastes.  His statement is the definition of, you are what you eat, and often times what you eat secretes through your biggest organ your skin! Body odors though widely hormonal also has a lot to do with your diet. Hence the reason someone might smell garlicky, smell like pungent seasoning or just plain foul. 

There's no complicated remedy other than to eat healthy, drink plenty of water and sweat as much as possible. Eating healthy means eating a variety of whole foods, fresh fruits, vegetable, whole complex carbohydrates, limiting meat intake which takes far longer for your body to break down and process than most foods, limit pungent herbs and spices and I say this with bitten lips because I love to flavor my foods with garlic, cloves, cayenne and I am a curry freak! Drinking plenty of water will help balance out your intake of pungent herbs and spices by flushing and cleansing the body. Eat raw nuts and seeds for added protein and fiber. Try a new exotic fruit paying attention to the flavor and the smell and imagine that's how you want to taste. 

Good nutrition serves to promote good health but it's also important for our sexual health, sexual pleasure and flavor 🙊. 

FAT Matters

Why do we go around it, trim it, substitute it, as if it is the cause of all our problems. 

 The truth is FATS are good, it is a necessary part of a healthy balanced diet.  FAT is one of three macro-nutrients, Carbohydrates and Protein being the other two, it is a energy source used to fuel our brains, regulate body temperature, provide cushion for our major organ, maintain healthy cell membranes aid in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E and K.  FAT is also needed to absorb carotenoids the antioxidants found in colorful foods that may be beneficial in the fight against cancer and heart disease.

So why do we dread those 3 little words, when the truth is we consume more sugar than we do fat and more people crave sugar than they do fat.  With the low-fat craze of the past we were conditioned to believe fat was the reason behind the rapid increase in weight for many Americans. We were so confident that fat was the enemy that we removed it from foods and replaced it with (drum roll) "sugar"!  Sugar in the form or potato starch, corn starch and tapioca to name a few.

FATS by far yield the highest percentage of calories per gram when compared to the other macro-nutrients therefore, overindulgence of fats and fatty foods can lead to weight gain and other issues such as high cholesterol, heart disease and atherosclerosis. Still, fat is not the blame for the weight issues we face as Americans.  To summarize the blame lies in inactivity, conveniently fast foods, processed foods, artificial fats (trans fat produced by hydrogenated oils) and overeating.

Choose and Eat Healthy FATS

It is recommended that 25-35% of your diet consist of fat energy, less if you are overweight, obese, have heart disease or a condition that requires a low fat diet.  Of this 25-35% saturated fat should constitute less than 7-10% of your daily fat intake. Saturated fats are that fats which increase your risk factors for high cholesterol and heart disease.  These fats are found more in meats and animal by-products such as dairy, butter and cheese.

When it comes to fat you want to eat more foods containing mono and poly unsaturated fatty acids and foods with a good amount of omega 3 fatty acids.

Foods with healthy FATS are: nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocados, cold water fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel, tuna other fish like  sardines, herring , halibut, cod , liquid oils such as olive oil, canola, sesame seed, flax seed and peanut oil. 

Consuming foods high in unsaturated fats and minimizing saturated fats in your diet will protect your heart, decreases instances of high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. The next time you reach for a low fat product, read the label, identify the fat content as well as the ingredients in the product. Calories matter, therefore, calories in low fat foods should not equal the calories of that food in its natural state. 

Twin Doctors Test Diets

This is an awesome display of why diets do not work! Read the story on Yahoo Shine. See link below!


http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/twin-brothers-act-guinea-pigs-sugar-v-fat-190600102.html

Validation that the Whole Body Nutrition concept is on point with its message! Healthful living, eating whole foods, having an active lifestyle, a positive outlook and eating less process and convenient foods will help fight the war on fat (fat gained not fat eaten!)

Treat Winter Blues With These Low Calorie Comfort Soups

Winter Blues?

Try these easy soup recipes, they will put a smile on your face and keep calories at bay!

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

1 medium butternut squash peeled (can also leave skin on)
1 cup soy or almond milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cinnamon stick for garnish

Peel and rinse butternut squash, or wash thoroughly if you choose to use squash with the skin.

Slice butternut squash into chunks and add to boiling water until cooked.

You can also roast squash in the oven for a more robust flavor. Keep in mind that it will take longer to roast the squash in the oven about 40 minutes to an hour.

Once the butternut squash is cooked, drain the water and blend it in a blender or a food processor.  The soy or almond milk can be added during this process, or you can add a small amount of water to get squash to desired consistency in the blender or food processor.

Pour butternut squash mixture into a saucepan and reheat for about 5minutes adding the salt, black pepper. Pour in the soy or almond milk slowly to gage the thickness.  If 1 cup is not enough feel free to add more.

Once cooking process is completed let soup cool for about 10 minutes, serve and enjoy!

*this is a very versatile soup, to add more interesting flavors use sweet cinnamon and cloves instead of salt and black pepper! Add fresh ginger for a spicy desert like soup. Try it!

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

2 medium sweet potato peeled, rinsed and sliced into small cubes

1lb bag or fresh frozen corn (kernels only)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic mashed and chopped into tiny pieces
1 small shallot chopped into small pieces.
2 cups low sodium vegetable of chicken broth
1 cup water

In a medium saucepan, add water and broth, bring to a boil.  Add sweet potatoes, garlic, and shallot.  Cook until sweet potatoes are soft enough to mash. Once potatoes are cooked, use a fork to mash some of the potatoes then add corn, salt and pepper (Taste mixture before adding salt, salt is always optional. Only add salt if you find the recipe a bit bland and in need of more flavor).

Cook until soup is slightly thick, don’t want it too thick. If overcooked and too thick just add more broth or water to get desired consistency.

 I love this recipe! The color and taste is fantastic! Hope you enjoy it!

 
Lentil and Roasted Tomato soup

1 cup dry lentil peas (preferably the brown or greenish peas, not the colorful ones)

1 cup tomatoes chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
cloves garlic mashed and chopped
1 small onion chopped
 ¼ tsp cumin
 3 cups vegetable broth, chicken broth or water
 Salt to taste

Rinse lentil peas and combine with the broth or water, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan. Cook for about 30 on medium heat.

In a small baking or roasting container add tomatoes, chopped garlic and onions, coat with olive oil and roast in a 360 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You want tomatoes, onions and garlic to look roasted not burned. (Can also opt for a can roasted tomatoes seasoned with garlic and onions)

Once lentils are cooked add the roasted mixture, the cumin and a dash of salt (as needed). Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, cool and serve. 

*This is not a thick, pasty soup, if lentils are overcooked that will increase thickness. To avoid this, try not to overcook your peas and if you do so just add a bit more broth or water to get desired consistency. Bon a petit!

 

 

****pictures taken from internet, recipes all mines*****