To Meat or Not to Meat?

Have you ever thought about why there are vegetarians and vegans? What's the deal with that? Why are they so anti meat? Should I be anti meat too?

Let's define some of these less meat categories.

Vegetarian- This is a general term that means someone who does not consume red meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.

There are variants of vegetarianism including,

Lacto-vegetarian- a vegetarian that eats dairy products but excludes eggs.
Ovo-vegetarian- a vegetarian that eats eggs but excludes dairy products.
Lacto-ovo vegetarian- a vegetarian that eats dairy products and eggs.
Semi-vegetarian- a person that eats mostly vegetarian foods but will eat at times fish and sometimes even poultry, as well as dairy products and eggs. Some vegetarians don't recognize this group as a vegetarians.
Vegan- a vegetarian that also excludes all products and by-products of animals, including eggs, dairy products, and even honey and yeast.

There are many reasons why a person would choose to eat these ways including moral, religion, culture, ethics, aesthetics, environment, society, economy, politics, taste, or health reasons. There are even more vegetarian sub-categories or similar categories that you can look in to.

We will suggest some health reasons to think about while deciding what you would like to choose for yourself.

First off, some studies to think about.

There are recent studies that have shown that a diet where the person eats a lot of red meat (this is including pork, beef, veal, and lamb), or such meat products were diagnosed with colorectal cancer more often than people who ate little of it or none at all. In comparison, those who ate a lot of fish on a regular basis, had a lower chance of being diagnosed with colorectal cancer as opposed to those who ate little to no fish at all.

Red meat and processed meat (this includes poultry sausage and such), has also been linked to breast cancer in women.

Now, studies aside, lets look at our bodies. Are we carnivores or herbivores?

Answer, neither. Are bodies have been made to survive on what's available to us. Or, in other words, we are omnivorous. Are bodies have been made to survive on both meat and veggies.

But let's look a little deeper into our bodies. Our intestines are very long and bumpy similar to an herbivore's length. We also need fiber to help our meat digest, where carnivores don't. Carnivores have 20x the amount of acid in their stomach than humans do. Interesting, isn't it?

Our bodies lean more toward what an herbivore's body looks like inside and reacts inside.

I have found this facsinating and dwelled upon this subject many times in my life. Personally, I am not considered to be a vegetarian. I usually eat fish on a weekly basis and from time to time (meaning a few times a year), I will eat turkey and chicken. I do exclude red meat for the most part. My diet is high in veggies, whole grains, herbs, and fruits. I'm not sure if that falls into any "catagory or sub-category" yet. My reasons are health and religion and it fits well with me and so far with my family.

In conclusion, this article is meant to help you think about your own food choices especially with meat. What you feel is best for you and your family. There are studies and voices calling all over the world (mine could be included in that). Don't follow one just because the crowd does or because one study told you too. Do the homework and choose for yourself. Feel confident in your choice because you've done the homework.

Have a great day!

Daily Stretch

Remember when you were a young child and could bend and twist into every position imaginable? Well what about now? Most likely, you are not nearly as flexible as you were then and consider yourself pretty “bendy” if you can reach your shins when sitting with your legs straight out in front of you.

The fact is, as we age our joints and ligaments naturally start to tighten and atrophy, due to less collagen being produced in our body. Because of this, our range of motion is smaller than it used to be and it becomes increasingly difficult to perform regular daily tasks, such as bending over to tie our shoes.

My husband works at the hospital and takes care of patients ranging anywhere between the ages of 30 to 95 years old. He often explains how sad it is to see them be so dependent on other people – just to help them move. And 98% of the time, their inflexibility has nothing to do with their illness, but because they have been so sedentary throughout their life.

We live in such a chair-bound society and spend a large portion of our day sitting in front of a computer, in our car, or slouched at a desk. Because of the repetitive nature of this, the muscles in our body get so accustomed to the flexed hips, the hunched forward shoulders and the protruding neck, that our posture suffers tremendously and we cause muscle imbalances to occur throughout our entire body.

I often work with clients who have terrible posture due to chronic sitting and a lack of stretching. However, through regular stretching and strengthening of those weak muscles, I have seen amazing transformations in people. In fact, just a few days ago, I was speaking with a young, 25 year-old client of mine that I’ve been working with for a several months. When we first met, she was frustrated with and expressed concern about her improper posture when she stood. Even at her young age, her shoulders were hunched forward, her upper back rounded excessively and her hips were tilted upward. Well, looking at her now, you would never know her posture was a problem!
To ensure a high quality of life, especially during the later years of life, flexibility and proper posture alignment must be a priority in your daily activities. In an ideal world, we would all spend five to ten minutes daily to stretch our muscles and keep our body limber. Even just a few minutes a day can add up to big differences in how your body can move and function freely.

Stretching doesn’t need to be fancy in order to be effective. Too often, people think they need to perform yoga or other strenuous forms of stretching, to see improvement. Of course, those methods do work. But if that’s not appealing to you, simply stretching your muscles to a point of comfortable discomfort is fabulous and will work wonders for your body!

So as you work toward achieving a healthy lifestyle through proper diet and regular exercise, don’t forget that stretching frequently is a very important part of the equation.

Cold Weather Gardening

My broccoli ready for harvest. They will be smaller in size than at the grocery store.

If you happen to live where you have the joyful opportunity to plant vegetables in two different seasons you are most blessed! I planted my broccoli, cauliflower, leaf lettuce, spinach, and beets in September and October. I will begin to plant my tomatoes and warm season vegetables in March and April.

The beets have a little more time before we can eat them. The beet leaf is great for salads too!

Some tomato plants will be put into the ground next week, second week of February, protected with “Wall o’ Water,” self-standing plant protectors filled with water that provide additional heat, allowing one to plant earlier and harvest later without fear of frost damage. These are available at most nurseries and mail-order garden supplies.


The cauliflower is well on it's way.


My harvested broccoli, lightly steamed with leaf lettuce and sliced sweet peppers.

My daughter and I feasted on the broccoli and leaf lettuce for lunch. There really is a difference in homegrown!

Pantry Posts: Substitutes Part II

With Substitutes Part I, we stayed with items stored in the pantry. In this next Pantry Post I'll start with some that are stored in the pantry as well as other items that are refrigerated.

Before sharing, in healthing up your pantry, don't stress about changing everything out now. Make small changes each time you go buy food for you and your family. You may scare your family into thinking you are a crazy nut to think they are going to eat that way. Also, by doing it gradually you can price out the healthy food options before purchasing. Your budget will thank you later. My husband wishes I had done it that way at first.

Now let us continue with the substitutes . . .

Sweetened Condensed Milk- How can something taste so good yet work against the body being healthy? No worries, we have another option . . .

Sub: Coconut cream, butter, or oil (cold pressed). The only thing to take note is that these are not to be heated. They can break done easily into bad trans fats when used in cooking or baking. I am refining my recipe for pumpkin pie using coconut cream. I'm hoping it will be ready for Thanksgiving. Let me know if you have used any other healthy options in lieu of sweetened condensed milk.

Bleached White Pasta- For the Italian food lovers there are options that taste just as good and no one will notice.

Sub: Brown rice pasta (I like this brand), buckwheat soba noodles, whole wheat pasta

Soy Sauce- There are tons of conflicting views on soy products. I was extremely frustrated to have a person share their opinion to me while I was buying some soy milk while pregnant. Constructive criticism is fine but out right putting down a person's choice is not. I took what I could from the experience and read up on as much as I could on the subject. I suggest you do the same. From my knowledge, I believe that consuming NON-GMO (non-genetically modified) soy beans are safe and goof for the body. As well as non-fermented sources of soy too. You make your own call. Make sure you check your organic soy to see if it is NON-GMO. If it is not labeled on the package, than it is most likely not.

Sub: Braggs Liquid Aminos

Mayonnaise- You may be buying "real" mayo but it may not be real healthy for your body.

Sub: Vegenaise made with grapeseed oil. You will enjoy this more than regular mayo. You may even want to classify it as a dressing instead of a mayo substitute, it's that good. Grapeseed oil in two studies showed that if taken in a small amount daily with a good diet will increase your good cholesterol (HDL), and lower your bad cholesterol (LDL).

Pantry Posts: Substitutes Part I

Yay for all of you! Are you wondering what Health My Pantry is? Well, the new and upcoming Pantry Posts will be an ongoing series in answer to a Simply Healthful reader's query. That's right, we love hearing from you and love even more helping you get healthy.

For this first post we are going to touch upon making those changes that seem so overwhelming. Where do I start? What choices do I have? Why am I making these choices?

Let us start in your actual pantry. What other options can you use in lieu of your not so healthy pantry foods? Here is a short substitute list and reasons for making those changes. These are basics in most pantrys. I will continue this list in future posts.





All Purpose Flour- Usually people will sub this one with whole wheat. Is whole wheat healthy? Well, let's just categorize it as healthier. Whole wheat is a great substitute when in need of something with gluten and can be mixed with other flour options. All purpose flour and other bleached flours, although great for using in baking, is not the best for giving nutrients to the body.

Subs:
Flour subs- whole wheat, whole grain, almond, kamut, spelt, millet, soy, flax meal, and there are others you can find.
Best subs- all of the above but sprouted. Like I posted about sprouting before. It is one of our greatest food sources for nutrients we need on a daily basis. In an upcoming pantry post I will post a recipe for sprouted wheat bread.


Sugar- I'm pretty sure most of you have a good understanding why refined sugars are not good for our bodies. If not, let me name a few reasons we feel it's not something to consume on a regular basis. Refined sugars including high fructose corn syrup have been directly linked in studies to type 2 diabetes, memory decline and there are studies of them being as addictive as cocaine and heroin. I could go on for some time about reasons why sugar is bad for the body but I'll let you do the research. You may even be suffering from a related health problem from consuming too much. When we control the amount of sugar we intake we see few complications in our health.

Subs:
Better subs: honey, pure maple syrup, agave, stevia or other natural sweeteners (although I am not a big fan of xylitol, which they say is all natural. Mainly because it comes from xylose, a derivative from corn and bark, which is then hydrogenated into xylitol, a sugar alcohol. The ruling is still out for me).
Probably the best sub that I know of: green stevia, so basically the plant. This is because it actually has good nutrients in it for the body.


Table Salt- You will find that most everything that is processed and refined has a negative affect on the body when consumed. In the refining process of table salt, 82 out of the 84 minerals are extracted out. Did you know your body actually could use salt for health benefits? With unrefined Real Salt or Himalayan Salt you still have those minerals and they come from a pure source. These unrefined salts can actually help regulate your blood pressure and blood flow. Go ahead and do some research on it, you will be amazed. Also, take a bath with a few tablespoons. It has been known to help draw out toxins in the body.

Subs:
Real Salt or Himalayan Salt and Braggs Liquid Aminos


Peanut Butter- Did you know that peanuts are not even nuts? It is actually a part of the Fabaceae legume family. Most peanut butters are heated in processing and that can create toxins to be found in peanut butter. With the salmonella outbreak, it's best to just stay away for now.

Subs:
Raw almond butter. Why raw? Same reason for not wanting our peanuts heated, it can create trans fats and toxins in the food. You will find when you use raw almond butter that your dishes actually taste better. It has a sweeter and more mild nut taste. You can find the best prices for raw almond butter at Trader Joe's health food store.

Is Blogging Bad For You?

I love blogs. I love keeping up to date with family and friends, connecting with people from my past, learning all sorts of helpful information and best of all - I love writing posts for my own blogs!

As wonderful as blogs are, (and I don't really mean to pick on blogs, but rather surfing the internet all together) I can't help but wonder if blogging is quickly becoming an unhealthy habit. Now, before you decide to quit reading this blog entry, let me explain what I mean.

How often have you gone to one of your friends blogs, only to see a name on their blogroll that sparks your interest, you click on it - spend a good amount of time reading what they are up to - and see yet another name that you are curious about and go to their blog as well? And how long does this little web of blog surfing go on? Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes? An hour?

It's so easy to get caught up in blog hopping, that before you know it, you've spent a good portion of your free time SITTING, doing NOTHING, burning NO calories whatsoever! (Too bad clicking a button on a mouse doesn't burn a few hundred calories huh?!)

Now before you ban yourself from reading blogs, there are some few simple things you can do to make sure blogging, (or any computer time) doesn't cause undesirable side effects. (One of them being weight gain.)

1. The most effective thing you can do, to make sure you don't waste too much time sitting at the computer, is to buy a little timer and set it next to you. Decide how much time you are willing to use surfing the internet and when the buzzer goes off... make sure your computer does too. This is a fabulous technique, because it is so easy to lose track of time when you are at the computer and this simple little trick keeps you right on track.

2. Another idea is to get up off your rear when you are using the computer. (This only works for laptop users.) Often, I will place my laptop on the kitchen counter and write my blog entries while I stand. Since I am standing, I am burning at least few more calories than if I was sitting - plus, it helps me avoid wasting time looking at random, websites that I'm not even that interested in.

3. If you DO have to spend a lot of time in front of a computer because of a job or project you are working on, make sure you get up and move at LEAST every hour... if not sooner. If you can, get up and do 100 jumping jacks or run in place for three to five minutes. Whatever you do, just do something to get your muscles moving and blood pumping.

4. A common problem that occurs when people sit in front of a computer for a long period of time, is that they start to slouch and have terrible posture. A way to cure this problem is to get rid of your chair and use a stability ball instead. It forces you to sit up straight and it also engages your core muscles the entire time you are sitting. Another plus to sitting on a stability ball is that every now and then, you can bounce yourself up and down, do 20 crunches, or lay down on it and stretch your back muscles.

5. And last, but not least, I recommend subscribing to your favorite blogs through RSS, so you don't waste time checking to see if there is a new post or not. Each time you check your email, you are alerted which of your favorite blogs has a new article. It takes a lot less time than jumping from blog to blog to blog.

Hopefully these little tips will help you think about how much time you are spending in front of your computer and make you more aware of how often you are moving your body. Do what you can, to avoid the pitfalls that come from being chair-bound and inactive.

Start Off the New Year Right

I'm sure most all of us don't need to be convinced that exercising is good for the body. And, now that the holidays are over and there is more of us to love (or at least more of me), I'm sure most of you are resolving to recommit to your workout schedule. Well, last year I chose to say goodbye to my favorite form of exercise (running), to prevent possible surgery on my feet and knees. It was a hard choice but I have felt good about the decision. So, in search of other forms of exercise, for someone who needed low impact but wanted results, I came across a few I really like and wanted to pass along the information, especially to those in my situation. These exercises would be great for seniors too.

My favorite right now is the rebounder mini trampoline. I actually have been using this form of exercise for years and when I use it consistently I get major results. Pros: Easy to use, fun, can watch t.v. while using it, I usually see significant results. Cons: For an outdoor lover, it's not the easiest to use outside (at least for me since I have a small yard) plus it's not a form of exercise I feel comfortable having my neighbors see me doing. Some places to visit for more info - here, and NASA even did a study on it, look here. My favorite rebounder that I love but can't afford is here.

Yoga. Surprisingly you can burn a significant amount of calories in an hour and break a sweat while doing yoga. For the past few months I have been consistently waking up in the early morning to do yoga. I not only enjoy the peaceful movements but it has been helping me with my achilles tendon that has been causing me problems. My favorite class I've been to is on the television. If you have BYUTV the Yoga series on at 4 am PST, is great (I DVR it and use at a different time).

A vibrating machine. There are a growing amount of medical studies on vibrating machines. Particularly on older women (65+ years) and if it helps osteoporosis. Some studies may lead you to believe that it does but personally I think the ruling is still out on that until we get a long term study done. It is believed that these machines can help the body release nitric oxide (which helps cells communicate with each other) and endorphins. I have not used one of these consistently but have tested out a few and have really liked how my body felt afterwards. It is on my wish list now.

Bicycling. I love being outside and miss that the most from not being able to run. Bicycling can be hard to get into in the beginning so start off on flat terrain and BE SAFE. I have yet to get a bike, it is also another item on my wish list. This is the option my doctor suggested I do in lieu of running. He told me it is the equivalent to running in exercise intensity without being harsh on the body like running can be. I'd like a 24 speed and cruiser from here.

You will notice I don't have as much to report on the last two but that is because I haven't been able to test them out on a consistent basis. I'm hoping to try them out more this upcoming year.

Whatever you choose just resolve to choose something this year. Doing even a small amount of exercise on a regular basis has been known to help various ailments like edema, arthritis, fibromyalgia, heart disease and others not to mention obesity.

Happy New Year!