Prevention Pays Off

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body

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apple cider vinegar, Common cold, Cough, Daily Movement, drinking apple cider vinegar, Eating Healthy, Fever, Flu Symptoms, Health, Healthy Body, Healthy Lifestyle for Prevention of Colds and Flu, living a healthy lifestyle, Meditation, Mild Case of Illness, Prevention, Sleep, Sneeze, Sore throat, Washing Hands, Water, Whole Grains

Last week I was sick for a few days. It started with some sneezing and a runny nose. The next day I had a fever of 101 degrees for less than 24 hours, and by the fourth day I was just about back to my healthy self!

There is a virus going around and I attribute the “mild case” I had to living a healthy lifestyle of eating an abundance of vegetables, along with some fruit and whole grains. In addition, I meditate daily, drink lots of water, get some daily movement and go to sleep early. See last weeks post “Please Take Care of Me,” for more details about prevention.

By comparison, other people I know who have been sick with similar symptoms have had a sore throat, bad cough and higher fever, lasting for days. About a week before I developed any symptoms, I had begun drinking apple cider vinegar, one tablespoon in 6-8 ounces of water each morning for the health benefits. I never had a sore throat or a cough, and during the days I felt sick, I increased the drink to 2-3 times a day.

Do all you can this year to stay healthy, including frequently washing your hands!

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Have You Made a Resolution or a Commitment?

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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Breakfast, Commitment to Self, Healthy Breakfast, Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Long-term Healthy Eating, Making Healthy Choices, New Year Resolution, Plan Ahead, Plan Meals, Smooth Sailing, Start Your Day off Right, Swimming up stream, Whole Grains

So you want to get healthy in 2013? How is it going so far? In order to create a long-term healthy eating lifestyle, it’s going to take more than a simple new year’s resolution, it’s going to take a commitment to yourself.

How you start your day is how you will live your life. It’s easier to have smooth sailing than to swim up-stream. If you start your day with a healthy nutritious breakfast that includes fruit and/or vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains, you are more likely to continue eating well your next meal. If you start your day with a sugary cereal or pastry, or white flour pancakes or waffles with syrup, it may be more difficult to eat a healthier lunch and dinner.

Plan your meals, especially breakfast, so you don’t leave it up to chance, when you are really hungry, that you will make healthy choices.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Too Much of a Good Thing

27 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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Calories, Dried fruit, Eating Healthy Food, Excess Calories, Food, Healthy Eating, Healthy Food in Excess, More is Better, Multiple Servings, Nutrients, Portion Control, Serving Sizes, Too Few Calories, Too Many Calories, Too Much of a Good Thing, Whole Grains

“If a little is good, more is better.” Many people believe this motto, especially when it comes to eating healthy food. Consuming a lot of one particular food or food group can cause two potential problems. One, you may be depriving your body of necessary nutrients; and two, you may end up eating too many or too few calories.

Here are two examples:

1. We can all agree that kale and spinach are good healthy foods. If the majority of your diet was made up of these two greens, you most likely would not be taking in enough calories or nutrients.

2. Eating multiple servings of almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, avocado or whole grains will lead to an excess of calories, and may leave you too full for other foods like fruit and vegetables.

Everything in moderation.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Put Your Oxygen Mask On

11 Tuesday Dec 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body, Healthy Eating, Healthy Mind

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adequate sleep, Basic Needs, Breathing, breathing exercises, Creating a Healthy Lifestyle, Eating Well, fruit vegetables, Health, Healthy Lifestyle Habits, Healthy Snacks, Meditation, Mental health, Oxygen mask, Relationships, Self care, Sleep, Water, Whole Grains

Creating a healthy lifestyle is like putting on your oxygen mask on. When we take care of our basic needs we have so much more to give, making us better partners, better parents, better friends, better employees or employers, and just better human beings.

Let’s start with breathing. Take a deep breath. Breathing is one way to calm our nervous system, reduce stress and restore clearer thinking. Meditation or breathing exercises that include slow deep breaths are like putting on an oxygen mask.

Next to breathing, eating well and often enough are vital for your body. When we get too busy it’s easy to choose something quick to eat that may not be very good for the functioning of our body. Aim for more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and remember to hydrate with plenty of water. For snacks, apples, pears and almonds are quick and easy to eat at home, when traveling, at work, or when out and about.

Sleep is vital. In fact, it may be one of the most important things you could do for your body. Getting adequate sleep allows for regeneration, repair and healing of your cells. Sleep also affects your hormones that and regulate your body systems and everything from mood to weight.

Without your oxygen mask on you can’t respond to an emergency, yet alone daily life.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Boost Your Immune System

25 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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Antioxidants, Beta-Carotene, Boost Your Immune System, Cold and Flu Germs, Fruit and Vegetable, Healthy Eating, Immune system, Minerals, Phytonutrients, strong immune system, Vitamines, Whole Grains

When we take good care of our bodies, we may be able to ward off germs that are in our environment resulting in cold or flu symptoms in people with weaker immune systems.

By eating between five and nine servings of fruit and vegetables a day, at least one serving at every meal and snack, we keep our bodies fueled with vitamines, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients.

Produce highest in antioxidants, vitamin C, E and beta-carotene include: sweet potatoes, yams, spinach, kale, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, snow peas, green peppers, red peppers, yellow or orange peppers, carrots, tomatoes, collard greens, chard, pumpkin, avocado, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, kiwi, mangos, blueberries, raspberries, papaya, apples, pears

Build your meals and snacks around fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, for a strong immune system.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Are You Getting Enough Folic Acid?

11 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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B-Vitamin, Beans, Blood Circulation, Depression, development of red blood cells, Folate, Folic Acid, Greens, Healthy Eating, Heart disease, Memory, Nutrition, Optimal Health, Oxygen, Prevention, Red Blood Cells, Vegetables, Vitamins and Minerals, Whole Grains

Folic Acid (Folate) is a B-Vitamin, and is important for the development of red blood cells that carry oxygen around your body and also helps maintain good circulation of blood throughout your body.

The consumption of natural foods high in Folic Acid plays an important role in prevention or reversal of many illnesses including heart disease, memory loss, and depression, to name a few. When the body gets the nutrients it needs and has good circulation, it can function optimally.

Here is a list of foods that are good sources of Folic Acid:

1. Greens/vegetables: romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, parsley, turnip greens, collard greens, mustard greens, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, summer squash, strawberries, papaya, green beans, cabbage, tomatoes, fennel, peas, kale, avocado

2. Beans: pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans, navy beans, kidney beans, lentils

3. Whole Grains: whole wheat, wheat germ, bran, brown rice, oatmeal, whole-grain breads and pastas, barley

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Have You Found The Lifestyle That Works For Your Body?

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body

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Deep Breathing, Feldenkrais Method, Healthy Body, Healthy Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, healthy-living, maintaining weight loss, Meditation, Metabolism, Movement, Obtain and maintain a healthy body weight, Physical Activity, Prevention of Diet Related Diseases, Relaxation, Sleep, Water, Whole Grains, Yoga

Many components make up a healthy body, including what we eat and drink, how much we sleep, some physical activity and relaxation.

Let’s look at each one:

1. What we eat and drink: A healthy diet, made up primarily of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and lentils has been shown to prevent and reverse diet related symptoms and diseases. Also, since our bodies are made up mostly of water, it makes sense to make this our “beverage of choice.”

2. Sleep: Recent research has shown how important sleep is for our basic functioning and the ability to reach and maintain a healthy body weight.

3. Physical Activity: Movement helps with circulation, burning calories, increasing your metabolism, building agility, stamina and strength. It can also improve mood, blood pressure and build a strong core and back.

4. Relaxation: For some people a regular practice of meditation, deep breathing, Feldenkrais or yoga serves as a way of relaxing the body and the mind.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Time For Breakfast

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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Breakfast, Breakfast Cereal, fruits and vegetables, Health, Healthy Eating, High Fiber, High Fiber Cereal, leftover vegetables, Leftovers, Low Sugar, Metabolism, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Whole Grains

We’ve all heard that breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day, but do you know why?

A healthy breakfast fuels your body with calories so that your body can function. It provides needed nutrients, especially phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables. Also, eating breakfast can help boost your metabolism and that may help with weight loss and weight control.

Plan ahead so that you have time to eat breakfast. Sometimes I take out what I need the night before. For example, I usually have oatmeal, so I’ll take out the oats, a bowl, a spoon, and a measuring cup. Then in the morning I don’t have to go looking in the cupboards and drawers for these items. All I have to do is cook the oatmeal, and add cut up banana or blueberries, and walnuts, flax seeds or chia seeds.

A high fiber, low sugar breakfast cereal is another option. Add low-fat milk or almond or soy milk and fruit for a satisfying healthy breakfast. If you eat dairy, adding fruit and a spoonful of walnuts or almonds to plain yogurt is a good choice.

Breakfast can consist of any leftovers of whole grains like quinoa or brown rice and vegetables, or an omelet with leftover vegetables and a side of cooked beans. You could even have soup for breakfast or a salad.

Just like your other meals, a healthy breakfast will be comprised of some fruit or vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, nuts, seeds, and/or legumes.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis

Are You Aware of What You Eat?

23 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Eating

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Artificial Colors and Flavors, Artificial Flavorings, Calories, Fast Food, Fiber, Food, Food Labels, Fruit and Vegetables, Health, Healthy Eating, healthy-living, Ingredient Lists, Man-Made Food Chemicals, Nutrition, Nutrition Facts, Nutrition Food Labels, Optimal Health, Plant Based Diet, Prevention, Processed Food, Real Food, Reverse Food Related Illnesses, Sugars, Whole Food, Whole Grains

Do you make it a practice to read nutrition food labels and ingredient lists on the foods you buy? Do you have an idea of how much fruit and vegetables you eat in relation to processed foods?

Living a lifestyle of healthy eating, that is, eating a diet made up primarily of real food, whole foods, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds, has been shown to provide optimal health. Switching to a plant-based diet, with small amounts of chicken or fish if you choose, has been shown to prevent and reverse food related illnesses that so many people suffer from by eating a diet high in fat, cholesterol, and sodium from eating too much fast food and processed food.

Getting in the habit of reading nutrition food labels will help you be able to see just how many calories you are consuming along with the breakdown of fats, sugar, cholesterol, sodium, protein and fiber.

When reading the ingredient lists, remember that ingredients are listed in order of the most to the least. Keep in mind that there are many names for sugar and a food item will often show more than one form. Also, be on the lookout for ingredients you can’t pronounce or don’t know what they are. Beware, they may be artificial flavorings, colors, or other man-made chemicals to preserve and make the food item taste better.

Stay informed for better health!

Love, Health & happiness,

Phyllis

Maintaining Weight Loss

16 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by creatingahealthylifestyle in Healthy Body, Healthy Eating

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Beans, breakfast lunch dinner, Fruit, Health, Healthy Body, Healthy Eating, Healthy Habits, Healthy Snacks, healthy-living, International Journal of Obesity, maintaining weight loss, Monitoring Weight Loss, Nuts, Portion Control, Seeds, Serving Sizes, Vegetables, Weight Gain, Weight Loss, Weight Loss Maintenance, Whole Grains

Did you know that half of all Americans who lose weight gain at least some of it back within a year, according to research published in the International Journal of Obesity.

It’s a lot easier to keep the weight off than to lose it all over again. Maintaining weight loss is possible by creating life-long healthy habits and monitoring them. This includes:

1. Eating regularly, especially breakfast and eating moderately throughout the day, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner and one or two healthy snacks.

2. Consuming a variety of whole foods: fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

3. Being aware of portions and serving sizes.

4. Weighing yourself once or twice a week or being mindful of how your clothes fit will allow you to know if you have gained a few pounds. Then you can go back to what works for you to lose the weight and maintain your weight loss.

Love, Health & Happiness,

Phyllis