Sluggish bowels?

Did you know? Ancient Egyptians were not only known for their pyramids but their sluggish bowls. Yes it is true. In their culture laxatives were a common medicinal use by the Pharaohs. In our culture today 15- 20 percent of Americans experience chronic constipation, four million have continual constipation and with age the problem only worsens. An adequate bowel movement would be defined as every day to every other day, without being dry or hard to pass.

Now it is time to fix the problem! Perhaps it is the way you are sitting on the stool? Now I never thought about this one. Try taking a stool and place your feet on it, creating a squatting position (like you are out in the woods). This is the perfect physiological way to have a smooth bowel movement. This may seem awkward at first, but hey if it works-it works. Here are some other things we can do to regulate ourselves: exercise, get a good nights sleep, relieve stress add needed vitamins and minerals such as C B5 choline and magnesium, quit eating refined foods and add fiber.

Researches say we need to consume about 35 grams of fiber a day. High fiber foods include: figs, bran, prunes, apricot, oatmeal, beans and vegetables. You could even take a supplement; however, make sure it contains both insoluble and soluble fiber. Herboligists would suggest Triphalia constipation, along with its many other health benefits. Dehydrtation also can lead to irregularity, for when water moves through the gastro-intestinal tract it is absorbed into the body and dry out the large intestine. Be sure to drink a half ounce to every pound you weigh.
It is also important to remember that if you are taking any medication which may constipate you as well, for you may be doing all of this and are still feeling “stuck”. Or you may also have inadequate digestive enzymes contributing to your problem, another factor which isn’t an easy fix. Overuse of laxatives and enemas could furthermore add to the predicament. Now it is your turn to be active and prevent or fix constipation for ever.

Portion Size

The findings of a recent study regarding portion size and over eating were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study was led by a Dr. Jennifer Fisher, who focused on 59 low-income black and Hispanic children at risk for obesity. The mothers and the children’s caloric intake was monitored. The five-year-olds in the analysis ironically did not finish the smaller portions; though, when given the super sized portions they seemed to consume 12% more. The mothers also ate a larger amount, at 6% more. The children ate 180 calories more from those particular foods. WOW that’s a lot. Their snacks were even doubles. You may even ask yourself, “is this humane?” They are putting human beings health in jeopardy.

Nonetheless, one can surmise greater portions are a great contribution to our obesity in the world today. However, the article did state that long-term studies will be needed to further cement children’s risk of obesity through larger portion sizes.

Do we feel pressure to finish a certain portion, or percentage of our food? Is it set in our mind to leave or finish our food? Personally, I believe so. Lesson to be learned: do not super size it! The key is to watch portions, for this meal is not you last meal you will have another…I promise! Not only will you keep yourself healthy and give yourself longevity but you may watch your weight.

Good BYE white flour!

There are other flours out there. Sometimes I go to the health food store just to look around. Funny right? Every time I go there I find new and exciting products for healthy eaters like you and me. Last time I was there I found the best baking flour of all-SOY FLOUR. With soy flour you can only replace it with 1/3 of the recipe. Before I begin I want to explain the idea of net carbs it is the total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber. So here we go. Soy flour= Net Carbs: 5 ( 8 carbs -3 dietary fiber = 5 grams ), Protein: 10, Total: 6 Sat: 1. This particular flour has a higher total fat, which is good for, don’t be scared. It is also high in protein, another good factor. I also recently purchased barley flour which has, Net Carbs: 15 (19 carbs – 4 dietary fiber = 15 ) Total: 1 Sat 0, Protein 3. This flour is reasonably low in carbs, lower in fat and lower in protein, though you can substitute it cup for cup. Compare this to regular wheat flour at Net Carb 19 ( 22- 3= 19 Dietary fiber) Total: 1 Sat:0 Protien:3. Wheat is the highest in carbs of these basic flours, though similar to barley in other aspects.

Yet taste does come into play. Barley flour has a distinct taste, more of a doughy taste while whole wheat is more on the gritty side. I have made brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and even my own pasta with these flours. You simply substitute the flour for white flour, except for the soy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

As we look around us we see others exchanging flowers, teddy bears and of course the decadent chocolates and candies in a way to show their love and appreciation for one another. However, there is no reason why we can’t love what we eat on this day just as well. Although it is easy to indulge in the plethora of sweets and give in to the “Well its only one day a year” mantra, there are ways to survive and be strong. Whether your method is to have a little bit of everything (if it is possible to survive with a bite) or to simply make healthier choices; be WISE.

I have included some tips to remember as the day goes by such as paying attention to labels. By reading the labels you can be sure to avoid all hydrogenated fats found in a lot of WHITE CHOCOLATE. The reason for this is because it tastes best when made with cocoa butter, a natural fat. Hence, when presented with the choice of a chocolate covered something or another or a tart with vanilla cream filling, go for the chocolate. The filling consists of more fats, cream and artificial flavorings. Who knew the purest, lightest chocolate is the worst. Dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate only contains 60 percent sugar coming directly from the cocoa bean, hence less carbs than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is made with dairy.

A good chocolate fix is dark chocolate bark, which resembles tree bark. You can find this with sliced nuts or dried fruit inside. An even better choice would be a chocolate covered pretzel in comparison to chocolate covered nuts for example. They have less calories and less fat. Last but not least, make sure if you are going to splurge, make sure it is a high quality chocolate-one that melts in your mouth for sure.

Good Carb BAD carb?

Do we all know why carbohydrates are so bad? Perhaps its time you should. You see when sugar enters the body, minerals are taken from the body to digest the substance balance the acids; therefore, you loose natural minerals form veggies we consume as well as our own bones. Also, once the sugar turns into glucose it is stored in the liver. Once the liver cannot handle its capacity, the glucose returns to the blood as a fatty acid. The blood carries the fatty acid to all areas of the body, storing them in inactive areas. After these areas are targeted, organs such as the heart and organs are influenced. The result can lead to abnormal blood pressure.

Now when you eat complex sugars, such as honey and wheat, they are digested into products called "monosaccharides", which are usable substances-nutriments. Now think about it which would you rather eat? After hearing the chemical path sugatr takes in your body, would you rather consume one of a natural source? I hope so, for these are less detrimental. We hear “don’t eat sugar” or “don’t eat white flour” all the but are not really sure why or what exactly what it does to our bodies, well not we know!

I for one am a yogini, a female practitioner of yoga. With many years of practice, I have come across numerous Buddhist beliefs I am fond of; Ironically, I am a devout Catholic. I was surfing the internet a few days ago and saw a web site on the Buddhist’ view on eating. I have listed their values below:
1. I consider the work required in producing this food. I am grateful for its source.

2. I evaluate my virtues and examine any spiritual defects. The ratio between my virtues and defects determine how much I shall deserve this offering.

3. I guard my heart cautiously from faults, particularly greed.

4. To strengthen and cure my weakening body, I consume this food as medicine.

5. As I continue on the spiritual path I accept this offering with appreciation and gratitude.

I truly feel America does not consider more than one of these beliefs when eating. I would say the most popular belief would be number four, as for our culture is selfish and thinks of only him of herself. However, if we stop and consider these points we may cherish our food, and enjoy it to the fullest. Not to mention, by slowing down being grateful and actually reflecting on where the food came from, we may eat less. Number five, can also help with the guilt healthy eaters experience if they eat something “not so healthy”, as they accept the offering and continue on with life. Or on the flip side, one may take it as not wasting food, even if it is not tantalizing to your taste buds. Either way, when we stop and consider the Buddhist pointers on eating we prevent ourselves from shoveling food in our mouths, without purpose.

Is Weight Watchers another diet or truly a life style? I pose this question as a former dieter looking for a good and easy system. You see weight watchers has it all planned out for you. On the flip side, it can still be restricting! Once you start the “diet”, if I may dare to use that word, you receive a certain amount of points you are not allowed to exceed. “Uh ohh I went over my points today and I ran out of extra points for the week!” Does this lead to a feeling of disappointment any other diet would give? Or I ate more than 3 pretzels rods (which serving size is 2 points.) Hmm? For those strict dieters out there, this could take a little getting used to, unless they are trying to get rid of the diet mentality completely.

For that matter I would suggest taking a little from Weight Watchers and adding a little of your own twist. For example, eat everything in moderation, not excluding any foods. However, when eating, take a break half way and access your hunger and see if you want to finish the rest of your food, as they mention in the book. Another aspect of Weight Watchers I do not agree with is the consumption of pure sugar. Since sugar, as we all know, turns into fat eventually, I feel it is a better idea to eat natural sugars. Natural sugars are found in cane juice, and corn syrup. In addition I prefer to stick to whole wheat, rye ect., as Weight Watcher does not. Regular carbs, tend to make my body feel bloated.
The meetings are another great aspect of Weight Watchers, for it is a support group for you and your fellow weight conscious friends. You guys are in it together. Each week you discuss how you handled your eating healthy and share tips with one another. At each meeting you also get weighed to see if you have lost, gained or maintained. In retrospect the “weigh ins” could be a good thing unless you have anxiety or are embarrassed. They also tend to suck money out of you with all the Weight Watcher products at these meeting. Like I said, you can learn a lot about portion sizes and analyzing your hunger from their program. I would say it’s worth a try.

FAD diets = not so good

FAD DIETS can also lead to eating disorders. I for one was on a fad diet, the South Beach diet. I started off with the no carbs the first two weeks and saw positive results. After that I decided, “hey i like this I can keep this up!” Six months later I lost 15 pounds going under my goal weight of 115 to 110. I loved the attention I was getting. At this point I wasn’t purging or exercising excessively, or at least I thought so. I was just eating the same thing every day, my safe foods and always seemed to be mad at the world. This went on for two and half years.

Once I went to college and saw everyone else eating everything in the universe, I suddenly lost my will power. Perhaps, I could not deal with the distance of my friends and family. I began to binge and purge. I learned you don’t get any skinnier when you binge! WOW weird huh? When a person takes laxatives to release the intake of food, he or she surprising only gets rid of 10% of the calories.

The DSM-IV-TR for Bulimia states a person must binge eat at least twice a week for three months, feel a lack of control when eating and purging i.e. laxatives, starving, exercise, enemas, diuretics, and vomiting. Anorexia Nervosa states the refusal to maintain body weight at or above normalcy, distorted body image, fear of weight gain. He or she may also binge and purge or restrict. When an anorexic being goes under their natural weight, they develop a layer of furry hair, like peach fuz, called lanugo. This is a defense mechanism in order to protect the body from hypothermia. Both of these “eating problems”, as I like to refer to them as, can be caused by biological, social or psychological dimension.

It is important to seek help to find the root of the problem, for it is not worth living life for others, or living life under certain constraints let alone all health risk which come a long with these disorders. I myself am now seeking counseling and have learned a lot about myself and the sickness.

At the very start of this of this year I was working at a small restaurant named “Call it a Wrap”. It was a pun off of the plethora of wraps offered on the menu. The place is a healthy restaurant, as is offers Weight Watchers portions and the option for whole wheat everything, including pasta and pancakes! Sounds like a pretty nice restaurant huh? Well if you really think about it, it was the worst time to just start a job at this specific location. Everyone and their mother came in with their New Year’s resolution to loose weight! You couldn’t believe how many people were on these FAD DIETS. It’s a terrible thing see. How about all the commercials that air just around Christmas time as you sitting on the couch eating your Christmas cookies, indulging in your last supper type of meal, promising tomorrow, “I will start all over again!” The truth is these diets do not work. They may work for a little, perhaps a month or even longer depending how long your tolerance it; nonetheless, you are bound to give in at one point or another. It is only natural! Sure the South Beach Diet will cut the weight in two weeks fast, but after that what happens? I’ll tell you, the idea of good and bad foods (may) permeate(s) the mind. This isn’t true for all; however, appears in lots of cases, this is called the DIET MENTALITY. Once the idea of bad foods is created it is forbidden and guilt is felt immediately after eaten. This leads to the depression-binging and the cycle of yo-yo dieting. The body also becomes accustomed to the low calorie intake slowing the metabolism; therefore, when calories are added, the body cannot take them and in fact stores them as fat quickly. There is actually a show on MTV called TRUE life "Im on a FAD diet", or somehting of that nature. The girl only eats cottage cheese to look good for a beauty pagent. Mean while she has a dietition working with her. What is wrong with her??!!! The cure is to eat in moderation. This is not easy for professional dieters (anyone who has been on a diet for many years) as certain foods are embodied in the mind as bad and good. The process takes time, and he or she needs to give themselves permission to eat freely again. At the end you will look like the girl below! lol

Nutrition 101

Nutrition is defined as the process of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues. Where as a nutritionist is defined as a person who is trained or expert in the science of nutrition. I would like to consider myself a trainee, for I feel my job in life is to reach out to others and teach them about health. As a college student I am the outcast who knows all the nutrition facts on every label while I sit there and enjoy my apple when everyone else is guzzling down pizza, ice-cream and chips. Then they turn to me and ask hey tal, “How bad is pepperoni for you?” Or my roommate asked me yesterday, “does water make you loose wait?” It is for this very reason I believe I can help many people learn the right way to treat his or her own body and in fact better their mind and soul. It is easy to start paying attention to your own body, just listen to what it wants, and pay closer attention to what you are putting inside it.

For example my idea of “running” to the super market to pickup a few things turns out to be an hour outgoing, for I read the backs of every label, then the ingredients, then I compare it to the other foods I am looking into. This simple process becomes a confusing completive battle between the foods. Should you go for the one gram of sugar over the one gram of fat? AHHH all these diets out there tell you something different, ultimately leaving you puzzled! Don’t worry the answer is simple: treat your body with dignity. “Health is not associated with denial of anything.” –D.W. Winnicott. Everything in moderation is the key to basic health and nutrition. Hah and life basically! Simple right? Easier said than done.