I have moved!

I have decided to move my Blog to my website so everything is linked. This should make things simpler for my readers and me. This blog will still be here to refer back to previous posts. We will see how this works!

www.rnforwellness.com (click on the Blog tab)

Nutritional Stress

When reading my Thrive in 30 lesson for the week I came upon great information I wanted to share with you.

The lesson focused on the difference between complimentary stress and uncomplimentary stress. Stress is inevitable but, there is a difference in the type of stress we process.

• Complimentary- Stressors that are actually good for you. An example of this is exercise. Exercise stresses your overall body but in a way that is beneficial to its functioning.
• Uncomplimentary- Stressors that are harmful to your body. Examples are psychological and environmental stressors. To take this idea further the author points out that 70% of this type of stress is nutritionally derived.

Nutritionally Derived Stress

The primary source for this type of stress comes from over-processed, convenience foods. Due to the small nutritional value in these foods your body has to work harder to assimilate what little nutrients they may contain. This process builds unhealthy stress. The process of removing unhealthy nutrient weak foods and adding nutritious, nutrient dense foods helps to remedy this type of daily reoccurring stress.

One easy way to do this is to substitute a leafy green salad for one of your meals in the day. By doing this you get multiple nutrient dense foods in one sitting. Take caution though when adding your salad dressing. Store bought, bottled dressing is highly processed and low in nutrients so it would derail your nutrient rich meal. Instead make your own balsamic dressing to drizzle over your salad. (Refer below to my easy homemade dressing)

So this week try to focus on nutrient density when choosing what to eat for at least one sit down meal.

Balsamic Dressing

• 3 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/2c-3/4 olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing shaker and shake well. You can use a sport bottle if you do not have a shaker.

Nutrient dense breakfast smoothie

• 1 cup orange juice, preferably calcium-fortified
• 1 banana
• 1 1/4 cups frozen berries, such as raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries(Organic)
• 1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Recipe derived from Eatingwell.com

Killing Chickens

Brace yourself for the vent.....

Since reading the Omnivore's Dilemma last April I have had an increasingly difficult time eating red meat. Due to this change in my eating I have been advancing my library with books on "leaning in" to a diet without meat but mostly red meat. This new reading is not doing much to help me with my desire to eat meat of any kind. You see, for those of you that do not know, Vegan based books LOVE to shine the light on the killing process of the animals we eat.

Great!

I pick up a book to learn a few more ways to fill my recipe drawer with recipes that do not have meat and I end up totally traumatized! I am pretty sure I know why the authors do this, the "lean in" is really the jump in with both feet because they despise the killing of animals to fill our plate . Well shame on them!

I totally agree with Michael Pollan when he points out that we should not eat anything that we are unwilling to know where it came from. The problem is, is that the entire process of how we get our meat is completely screwed up. I get that, but I do not need to be slapped in the face with it when I want to learn about vegan eating or a vegetarian diet. So my fellow "leaning in" community BEWARE! If you pick up one of these books scan the table of contents and do not read the ones that hint to the discussion on chickens, turkeys, cows, or pigs unless you are ready to be traumatized. For those of you who still flip to that chapter and read, good luck to you and grab some tissues and a trash can because the eyes will not stay dry and the stomach will flip.

As for me, my "lean in" has begun to look a lot more like "I am a vegetarian" whether I like it or not. Boo!

Why you shouldn't be afraid to lift weights

This month in Women's Health Magazine they had an excellent article on why it is so important for women to include weights in their weekly exercise routines. I thought I would post a few of my favorite factoids from the article. (To read the full article, Women's Health March 2011)

1. You lose 40% more fat- In a study done at Penn State they found that women who lifted weights shed six more pounds then the women who did not. The reason for this is that women doing cardio only, lost muscle and fat, while the lifters only lost fat. Other studies have shown that those that do not lift lose on average 75% from fat and 25% from muscle. Muscle loss may drop your scale weight but it doesn't improve your reflection in the mirror and you are more likely to gain it back.
2. Your clothes will fit better- Between the ages of 30-50 you will likely lose 10% of your body's total muscle and sadly replace it with fat over time. This not only increases the scale number but also your waist size, this is because one pound of fat takes up 18% more space than one pound of muscle.
3. You'll burn more calories- Lifting increases the number of calories you burn while sedentary. This is because after each strength workout, your muscles need energy to repair their fibers. Research also shows that lifters who do three big muscle moves during their workout raised their metabolism for 39 hours afterward. Lifting also gives you a better burn during exercise. Doing a circuit of eight moves (about 8 minutes of lifting) you can expend 159-231 calories. That is the same amount you would burn if you ran at a 10-mile-per-hour pace for the same duration.
4. You will get into shape faster- The term cardio isn't only for aerobic exercise. Circuit training with weights raises your heart rate 15 beats per minute higher than if you ran at 60 to 70% of your max heart rate. This approach strengthens muscles and provides cardio benefits similar to those of aerobic exercise- so you save time without sacrificing results.

I have seen the greatest changes in my body since adding weights to my weekly routine. For me, the key was finding a weight program that was fun and worked for my body. I love to do a circuit class at the gym or a boot camp class that includes weights in the series of cardio bursts. If you are not familiar with working out with weights I strongly suggest you try out a class or meet with a personal trainer at least 2 times to ensure you are lifting correctly. The last thing you want is an injury. Happy Lifting!!!!

Green Tea=Bacteria Killer

I found this great article about Green Tea and thought my readers might find it interesting too! Being a mom of toddlers and school age kids I am always looking for ways to cut down on the "puking" episodes. If you need any clarification on the information in the article please ask in the comment section.

Green Tea, the “Selective” Bacteria-Killer
One of the amazing effects of tea polyphenols is their ability to destroy pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridium inside the body, particularly in the digestive tract. But if tea polyphenols are strong enough to kill major pathogens, do they also kill the “friendly” bacteria in your intestinal tract – the ones you need to digest and absorb your food properly?

To find out, scientists from the National University of Singapore looked at the effects of different tea polyphenols extracted from Yunnan Chinese tea on the growth of 28 kinds of bacteria, both “friendly” and pathogenic, found in the intestines.

As expected, the polyphenols inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria, especiallyClostridium perfringens (a common cause of food poisoning), Clostridium difficile (linked to colitis), and Bacteroides (a cause of abscesses if the bacteria manage to escape from the intestines). However the gut’s “friendly” bacteria, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus,were relatively unaffected by the tea polyphenols.

In short, tea was able to increase the "friendly" bacteria while decreasing the "unfriendly" bacteria, thus changing the balance of bacteria in the gut for the better.

(Lee HC, Jenner AM, Low CS, Lee YK. Effect of tea phenolics and their aromatic fecal bacterial metabolites on intestinal microbiota. Research in Microbiology 2006;157(9):876-84

My New Website!

www.rnforwellness.com

OKRA!!!!

So I can not believe that I have waited this long to Blog about one of my favorite foods in the whole world, OKRA! I am not sure if it is my southern roots or just my love for green vegetables but this yummy vegetable makes me eat until I get a belly ache. Fortunately for me I married a man who will eat almost anything and I gave birth to at least one child (Luke) who loves it too! Jake is not really a fan but hopefully over time we can break him down. Since most of my friends are from California I thought I would give a little info on this wonderful southern treat!

• Very low in calories, provides just 30 cal per 100 g and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; but is a rich source of dietary fiber, minerals, vitamins; recommended in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.

• The rich fiber and mucilaginous content in Okra pods helps smooth peristalsis of digested food particles and relieve constipation condition.

• The pods contain healthy amounts of vitamin A, and flavonoid anti-oxidants such as beta carotenes, xanthin and lutein. It is one of the green vegetable with highest levels of these anti-oxidants. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural vegetables and fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.

• Fresh pods are good source of folates; provide about 22% of RDA per 100 g. Consumption of foods rich in folates, especially during pre-conception period helps decrease the incidence of neural tube defects in the offspring.

• The pods are also an excellent source of anti-oxidant vitamin, vitamin-C; provides about 36% of daily recommended levels. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps body develop immunity against infectious agents, reduce episodes of cold and cough and protects body from harmful free radicals.

• The veggies are rich in B-complex group of vitamins like niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid. The pods also contain good amounts of vitamin K. Vitamin K is a co-factor for blood clotting enzymes and is required for strengthening of bones.

• The pods are also good source of many important minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium.

  Info:www.nutrition-and-you.com

  
  

  Nutritional Breakdown per 1/2 cup:

• Dietary Fiber = 2 grams
• Protein = 1.5 grams
• Carbohydrates = 5.8 grams
• Vitamin A = 460 IU
• Vitamin C = 13 mg
• Folic acid = 36.5 micrograms
• Calcium = 50 mg
• Iron = 0.4 mg
• Potassium = 256 mg
• Magnesium = 46 mg
• Calories= 25

When cut, Okra releases a sticky substance that acts as a thickening agent in soups and stews. This is one of my favorite ways to eat okra. I add it to many of my soups and find that it adds a great texture. I also must admit I love to eat it fried or sauted in garlic and olive oil.