Post #15

I again didn't take a picture of the foods because I wasn't the one to go grocery shopping last. I will say that even when others in the house do the shopping less processed foods are being bought. I know that I feel better and have more energy. Everyone else seems to feel better as well. I know that in the future I will be eating healthier, cutting out more caffeine, and other foods that aren't so good for me. I do like the fresh foods over the boxed foods.

Post #14

I tried the quinoa, it has a delightful nutty flavor (now I sound like a commercial). It was very good, my sister-in-law said the meal I made was very relaxing. I credit it to the choice of the quinoa. Different foods can make you feel differently. Some foods can make you energetic, some can make you sleepy, and others can make you calm and relaxed. Grains can fill you up and keep you calm. The quinoa made feel full without feeling stuffed. I like that it is also a complete protein and is a good source of other vitamins and minerals. I think the next time I make it I will try making it as a risotto.

Post #13

I decided to try the organic grapes. Which I found that they were not as sweet as the commercially grown grapes, yet they tasted much better. There was no aftertaste like there are with the non-organic grapes. So I was able to eat more of them without feeling icky. The non-organic grapes have a subtle after taste that gives my stomach a feeling of being over full when I've only had a few. The organic grapes didn't have that taste nor did they make me feel like I had eaten to much. I am going to have to eat more organic foods.

Post #12

Since the 1970's fish has been known as "brain food" meaning that it promoted a healthy brain function. Tuna is one of the easiest fish to get and prepare. It has high levels of proteins, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12, as well as good source of niacin and phosphorus with blue fin tuna being the best source amongst the tuna varieties. Not only is it good for the brain, it is also good for heart health, Alzheimer's, it lowers the risk for many cancers including prostate, breast and colon. Because it is a large fish the mercury content can be high, so it is recommended that we eat no more than 12 ounces of fresh or canned tuna per week.

Post #11

I decided this week to try wheat germ. Had no idea what it was or how to consume it. Did find some at Sunflower Market and read the package. It can be used in bread making, smoothies, and a few other things that were printed on the bag. It said it was also good on fruit, yogurt, ice cream and a few other things. I like yogurt, so I decided to mix it in some yogurt. The first time I put the whole recommended amount in my yogurt, while it didn't taste bad, it was to much for a cup of yogurt. The next day I put way less of it on and it tasted pretty good. I think I'm going to try it on peanut butter sandwiches. If I can find ways of using it through out the day it would be better. I haven't taken it long enough to notice any differences. It is easy to keep doing, so I'm going to keep it up.

Post #10

Now I have a dilemma, as long as I do the grocery shopping I eat fresh foods. When others in the house do the shopping it's back to highly processed foods. The past couple of weeks I haven't been doing the shopping, and the food just doesn't taste the way it did when I wasn't eating fresh food. Not that I ate a lot of processed foods before, just not as much fresh foods. So as long as I shop we eat good, nutritious foods.

I looked at the top ten list, other than the beans, the only thing I haven't had would be the wild blueberries, which is rather hard to find here in the desert. The only beans I like are green beans.

Filling out the dietary form wouldn't reflect the way I eat when I shop, and there isn't a new food on the top ten list for me. So here I am blogging about what I can't do this week. Hopefully next week I will be able to write more, try something new.

Post #9

Fats and fatty acids, I knew that there are different forms, I just didn't realize the complexity of the chemical make-up. We do need fats and fatty acids in our diets to keep the cells elastic, the liver functioning, and the brain sharp. The fats and fatty acids that are found in fruits and vegetables are easier for our bodies to utilize and we do need some fats from animal sources. The ones we don't need are the ones that chemical companies manufacture. We need omega-6 in a proper ratio, 4:1, with omega-3. Omega-6 can be found in a variety of foods, omega-3 can be found in cold water fish and in smaller amounts in flax seed.

As for fats in my own diet, I've had to watch how much I eat for years. About 24 years ago I had my gall bladder removed, more often than not people don't have too much problem with their diet afterwords. I, on the other hand, am in the small number that does have problems with foods. Mine is with fats in foods, the worst offender is the fats found in breads, tortilla shells, the breading on fried chicken, and with gravy made with flour. I will now be reading labels for hydrogenated oils, triglycerides, and other processed fats.

Post #8

I've known for a long time that fiber was good for digestion and for keeping you regular. What I didn't know was that different types of fiber did different things. Water insoluble fiber that keeps moisture in the fecal matter, which in turn keeps the blood sugar from spiking right after meals. A diet that is high in dietary fiber helps to keeps the bacterial flora healthy. A diet high in dietary fiber is good for the heart as well, reducing triglycerides and increasing HDL levels. All in all, a diet that has the proper amount of fiber does more for your health than keep you regular. Eating whole grains is a good way, and a tasty way, to get most of the dietary fiber that we need. It's also a good way to regulate how much we eat.

Post #7

Protein and Amino Acids have become buzz words to be bandied about by people who know just enough about nutrition to be dangerous yet not enough to really make choices for anyone other than themselves. Reading this weeks chapter took me a while because there is a lot of information that got me thinking, so I had to read it in sections. I have learned quite a bit about what proteins are and the different types of amino acids.

The two I found interesting are Methionine and Cysteine. I hadn't known that there are amino acids that contain sulfur. These help with the health of hair, nails, joints, skin, and connective tissue. I also didn't know that methionine was converted to SAMe (I thought someone had made up SAMe) which helps the body with the detoxification reactions. These two proteins are needed for all processes that require sulfur.

Knowing that these two proteins are mainly found in meat, fish, eggs and dairy products gives reason to my craving for meat on occasion. I had thought that the cravings were for protein and iron. That doesn't mean I will go over board on eating animal proteins, because we only really need a small amount of protein to stay healthy.

Post #6

I've always liked trying new foods, and would try them when they were presented. A couple of years ago I discovered that I like eel. Two friends and I would get together a couple times a year for sushi night. We learned to make all kinds of good things. When we first started it took over four hours to make dinner, the last time we got together it took us only two hours to make a full sushi dinner. It was so much fun.

I needed to make up for last week because I didn't try any new foods. So I chose a few different things to try. For dinner tonight I'm making chicken, Quinoa, and a salad with a type of arugula called wild rocket. Have no idea how to make the Quinoa, I do know a few sites that I can look up recipes. I also purchased a lemonade that uses natural ingredients, no preservatives or additives. I need to find a substitute for sodas and highly sweetened tea and fruit drinks. It's also a sparkling lemonade, it is very good, very tart, just the way I like it.

More later on how the dinner went. Having a captive audience to try new foods is fun, they get to try healthier foods and I get feedback on what they think of the new food and what I could do to make it taste better.

Post #5

After reading this chapter I had to wonder why do I bother eating? With all the additives that are meant to preserve food that end up preserving us is disheartening. When reading labels on different foods you need to be a chemical engineer to understand what the food is made of. Then I wonder is it really a food or is it just chemicals, which is not good for us. I've cut out almost all processed foods from my diet, am down to a 20oz soda every 3 to 4 weeks, and generally eating better foods. The hardest part about implementing a new diet is the cost of some foods, and getting others in the house to eat them without complaining.

1. Eating more organic foods-When I can I will get organic foods, and when I cant I will thoroughly clean the foods I do get. I have already started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. I haven't tried organic meat yet, so that should be interesting.

2. Safer Water-Other than pouring positive energy into the water I drink, I will have to get a report on the safety of the tap water. There was only one bottled water that I liked and they don't sell it here anymore. Distilled water is good for aquariums, car batteries and irons, it doesn't taste very good. There are drops that are used to take some of the chlorine and other impurities out of water that is used for aquariums, I will have to see if there is the same thing for drinking water.

3. Choose where I shop-I normally shop at grocery stores, now I'm going to shop at stores that are health stores and that have more choices of organic foods. The biggest problem I have with these stores is that they don't always have much of a selection of different food types.

The hardest part of making any of these changes is being able to afford the organic foods and just changing habits of where I shop and the choices that I make without thinking to much about them.

Post #4

What concepts from this weeks reading do I want to integrate into my life? This becomes a challenge because I will have to increase the amount of food I eat. I don't eat much because I don't feel hungry. Seventy percent of the time I eat healthy foods, the goal now is to have even more healthy foods in my diet.

1. Exercise: This will probably the hardest thing to do. I've never been very athletic. I can start walking more, especially as the weather cools off, and I can take my dog. He will love that.

2. Drinking more water: Even though I have severely reduced the amount of soda I drink, I have not replaced it with the corresponding amount of water. I grew up drinking the tap water here in Phoenix, so bottled water tastes tinny to me and I don't drink it. I do drink a glass of water every morning. I will increase the amount of water I drink to three glasses of water a day and decrease the other drinks I used to substitute for soda. I will continue to bless the water before I drink it.

3. Fresh fruit: This is one that will require me to increase my intake of food in general. If I were to eat only when I was hungry, I would only eat every other day, which is not good. I do love fresh fruits, I am working towards eating more organic fruits. I will have more of a variety of fruits to choose from.

4. Vegetables: I don't eat canned vegetables, I will though incorporate more fresh vegetables. Frozen vegetables are the norm for dinner, or at least when dinner is made. I do have a vegetable/rice steamer that I could put into use more often.

5. Breathe: Remembering to breathe deeply. It is important to oxygenate the body. It is also a great way to relieve stress and clear the mind. It is also a way for the body to expel toxins.

6. Meditate: This is also just taking time to unwind, time to sit and contemplate my belly button. My sister sent me the Artists Way workbook, one of the first things that you do everyday is to write three pages in the morning of the random thoughts that are going through your head. After doing this for just a few days I noticed that I wasn't distracted by random thoughts, things that I needed to do, worry's or doubts. I have even come up with an idea for this years' NaNoWriMo (see the group I started on SWIHA Connections called Novel Writers Unite for more info), and I've even started writing the ideas down and the first charater profile. I do consider this a type of meditation.

7. Concentrated Tea: I need to make this again. I use teas and herbs that are for specific health concerns. I chose what would strengthen my kidneys, liver function, and lungs. I am the only one in the house that doesn't smoke, so I'm inhaling a lot of secondhand smoke even though I have my own smoke free room.

Some of these things I'm already doing, some I have to increase, some will be easier to do, and I will have to increase the amount of food I eat. I'm not worried about gaining weight because eating healthier foods doesn't mean an increase in calories that will be stored in my body as fat.

Post #3

Guilty pleasures. The things I would love to eat yet don't because they aren't that good for me.

My favorite, and one that indulge in occasionally, chocolate. I don't indulge to often and I have set up certain protocols before I can eat any. If I don't follow these protocols I get migraines from it. The basic protocol is I have to eat at least two good meals that day.

Another favorite, Liverwurst, one that I don't indulge in more than once a year. Love the flavor, don't like the high fat content.

There is a pie I like, yet I don't make it because I'm the only one who likes it. It is a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe called shoo-fly pie, so named because while it is cooling the fly's are buzzing around it. The ingredients are simple, molasses, sugar, flour, and a pie shell. Very rich and very good.

More later when I can handle the cravings.

Post #2

Reviewing what I eat normally, I once again realize I eat way to little. Even though the foods I choose to eat are healthy foods, I still don't eat enough to keep a bird alive. This seems to be a family trait as my mother eats very little herself. Through this course I hope to learn to make better choices in food and to increase what I do eat.

At this point in time though, my taste is changing. Nothing seems to taste right anymore. I'm not sure why this happening. Hopefully I will learn why this can happen.

Post #1

This is my first post in yet another blog. I am supposed to put pictures of the foods that I have in my fridge and pantry. Unfortunately the only foods that are in either of these are mostly foods that I don't eat. There are three other adults in the house that also buy food, and while I'm trying to get them to not eat as much processed foods as they have been used to, there is still the tendency to buy them. After steering clear of highly processed foods for several months, I have a hard time eating them now.

I will post more later when I have my thoughts more organized.