Do you ever go an entire day without eating more than maybe one or two meager servings of fruit and veggies? I have! Once you’re used to nourishing your body, the effects of fruit and veggie neglect can feel awful rather quickly…slumping energy levels, major lack of motivation (do I really need to go the gym today?), and tendency to downward spiral into an unhealthy eating pattern every day. Don’t allow this to happen to you! Here are some easy ways to get in your fruits and veggies.
• Add berries to your morning cereal.
• Add sliced cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, parsley, or cilantro to your sandwiches.
• Keep a fruit bowl filled with seasonal fruit in your home and at your office.
• If you have limited time to whip up a healthy dinner, do the pasta thing, but add shredded carrots and shredded zucchini. This is one reason why I have fallen in love with my Cuisinart food processor.
• Keep some dried fruit on hand (make sure they are sulfate-free); have them combined with some raw nuts to keep your blood sugar balanced.
• Aim for originality when snacking. Lately, I’ve been buying the pre-washed and trimmed snap peas, which I keep at the office and eat with hummus.
• Try juicing or smoothie making! I do this whenever I need a major veggie or fruit boost. Awesome for detoxing after a weekend of unhealthy eating (or drinking).
So often people ask me what type of diet I follow. My eating style certainly doesn't fit "neatly" into any category, but if I had to classify it, I would have to say that it is a combination of clean and Mediterranean. I consume an abundance of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, and olives are my friends!
It makes perfect sense that the Mediterranean Diet helps fight depression. It is an extremely balanced and healthy way to eat. Naturally, if your diet is balanced and healthy, you feel more balanced mentally. Trust me, I know. Run into me after a few days of not eating optimally; I am not the most pleasant person (you can ask my husband!!). Also, monounsaturated fats are high in the Mediterranean Diet and these fats are shown to be excellent for brain health. STAY TUNED FOR "MY FAVORITE FATS" series. In 2010, I will be contributing at least one blog a month on my favorite fats. Why? Because many of you are afraid of fats; I once was too. Not anymore; I couldn't imagine my life without them. You'll learn why next year!
Meanwhile, check out this summary about the study that explored the connection between the Mediterranean Diet and Depression:
Mediterranean Diet Helps Prevent Depression The benefits of eating the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular disease risk are well known. Now it appears that adhering to this dietary pattern also may prevent incidence of depression. Researchers at University Las Palmas in Spain followed 10,094 individuals for four years who, at study entry, were not depressed. Those people who adhered the most to the Mediterranean diet through the study period had a 30-percent lower incidence of depression than individuals who did not. The Mediterranean diet consists of low meat intake, moderate intake of alcohol and dairy products, and high intake of fruits, nuts, vegetables, cereals, and fish. The researchers found dose-response relationships for fruits and nuts, the monounsaturated-to-saturated fats ratio, and legume intake.Archives of General Psychiatry 2009;66:1090-1098.
Are you looking for a quick antioxidant kick and aren't the biggest veggie lover on the planet? Great news!! Consuming parsley is just as good for you as those leafy greens you often hear me preach about (kale, boy choy, collards, and arguula). Parsley is high in Vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate. Perhaps more important is the fact that parsley contains volatile oils and flavonoids, which protect our cells against oxidative damage. We could all use this protection. All of us are exposed to toxins on a daily basis (thanks to industrialization and processed foods) and these toxins damage our cells. We also create stress on our cells by doing healthy things, like exercising!
Try parsley in your diet today! It's great with fish and poultry. Awesome in soups! I have even used it as a "main green" in my salads!
So you’re almost done with your seasonal detox and you’re worried about getting back to your more familiar way of eating; perhaps you’ve been dreaming of chocolate chip cookies and you’re afraid that once you are “free” to eat as you please, you might indulge. Or maybe you’re afraid that once you start incorporating meat back into your diet, you might forget about the antioxidant and fiber rich veggies and whole grains.
The key to transitioning out of the detox/cleanse program is to use the cleanse as the foundation to your diet and slowly start supplementing other foods. Read your body—it’s the best barometer of your needs.How does it respond when you incorporate say, dairy, back into your diet? If it doesn’t respond pleasantly, then you know dairy is not for you and should be kept to a minimum in your diet. When you incorporate caffeine back into your diet, do you feel all jittery or to you feel easy going and cool?
I suggest keeping a food + body/mood response journal for the first few weeks after your cleanse; it will help tremendously and will still keep you in check…transitioning out of this structured diet should be slowed and controlled. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I was eager to have a beer and chicken fingers once I completed my cleanse, and I did just that, but I waited for about five days and I felt fine. So if you are having a super strong craving, do wait a little bit and go easy with it. I had one beer and three chicken fingers…so tasty and fulfilling.
Here’s an example of my food + body response/mood journal the day after the cleanse:
Wednesday May 6: Post-Cleanse Day 1
8:00 AM: 1 cup millet with ¼ cup chopped walnuts and 1/3 cup chopped mangos + ¼ cup rice milk and 1-2 Tablespoons of agave nectar:
(SO YUMMY…feel energized for my workout)
9:15 AM- 11:00 AM…1 Hour spin class followed by 45 Minute tempo run on the treadmill with 3.0 grade…my first serious triathlon brick workout this season.
(Feeling tired-probably a little “much” after just coming off of my 10-day Detox)
11:15 AM: “Apple Pie” LaraBar + 1 liter of water.
(I almost forgot what bars taste like…tasty and simple, the ingredients are merely dried fruit and nuts)
12:30 PM: 2 cups homemade lentil soup with carrot, onions, lentils, wild rice and cabbage. (hit the spot…I was craving smoothing warm…felt really nice…and my digestion is still working as well as it did through the cleanse)
3:30 PM: ½ banana chopped with 1 teaspoon sunflower seed butter on kamut cake
(tasty….needed a little energy increase…went for this instead of caffeine. but it’s not working. Ah, well)
6:30: Dinner: 6 ounces wild-caught haddock grilled (marinated with lemon juice, olive oil and ground pepper). 1 cup wild rice. Huge salad with mixed greens, grapefruit, fennel, cucumbers and shredded carrots with balsamic vinaigrette.
(Felt really full. had a hard time finishing salad...saved half of it)
8:30 PM: Starting to feel hungry---so rest of my salad
(Note to readers…my former go-to bed-time snack would be ½ cup kashi heart to heart cereal with rice milk)
I continue logging my nutrition and body/mood response and as a result, I’ve been able to set some “rules” for myself. I feel so in-touch with my body now. Rules don’t have to be followed strictly, but they help set the standard for your healthy lifestyle. Here are the rules I’ve come up with so far:
1.)No thank you to ice-cream. This past weekend while dining at a friend’s house, she offered ice-cream for dessert. It was a delicious rendition of Moose-tracks. I had a mere scoop and my intestines were quite peeved at me.
2.)As for caffeine…Try to start the day without it. Encouragemyself to exercise first. If that wakes me up, great! If not, go for green tea…and if that doesn’t work…a teaspresso is okay. (Note: So far I have only had green tea once..and no teaspressos yet).
3.)Eat whole grains for at least two meals a day…It makes you feel good! (Wow, I can’t even say how grounded and satiated I feel with a cup of whole grains for breakfast and a cup of whole grains at lunch or dinner).I made the BEST “Better than Rice and Beans”---super quick and easy…using millet and quinoa…I’ll post the recipe on my blog very soon.
4.)Meat only three times a week…better if fish. (I’ve been loving eating vegetarian…and 3 seems like the perfect number for me. I have fish once or twice a week and then organic chicken once or twice a week. When I’m in a phase of my menstrual cycle where I need more iron, I’ll have grass-fed beef and fish).
5.)GET SLEEP! (The other night I was up working on an article and I went to bed at 2:00 AMand had to wake up at 7:30 AM the next morning…felt so off the next day…and craved packaged goodies)
6.)Raisins instead of gels on the bike. YUM and all natural!
7.)Keep doing sun salutations and meditation each morning. What a great way to start the day!
8.)Keep dry brushing after showering. My skin is super-thankful!
9.)No pasta or bread. Okay, well maybe good hearty breads for special occasions. (Note: I had whole wheat pasta the other night and felt really bloated after. I haven’t had bread yet and don’t really care to. No more sandwiches for lunch…salads (with grains) or soup instead and I feel great)
10.) As far as baked goods...they're permissible, but must be low-fat and homemade (I made strawberry muffins a couple days ago-YUM)
How often are your eating habits influenced by convenience? At the office you’re craving a snack and the vending machine is your only option. After a long day at work you opt for ordering in Chinese food or a pizza, or popping in a microwaveable meal, because it’s the easiest thing to do for dinner.
I’ll save “Eating Healthy at Work” strategies for another entry. For this entry, I’ll focus on keeping a pantry at home, so that no matter what, you can maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.
I’ll use myself as an example. Below is a list of fresh, dry, and frozen goods that I always keep on hand. This strategy has benefited my husband and I tremendously. I can not tell you how many times we’ve been able to throw together a quick healthy meal, simply because we have a wonderful array of ingredients stowed away specifically for those “I’m too tired to shop or make anything elaborate” nights.
Dry Goods: Red and green lentils (lentils cook super quickly and are loaded with protein and fiber) Quinoa Millet Steel cut oats Barley Buckwheat Almonds Walnuts Pistachios Pecans Filbert nuts Raisins Dried Cranberries Sun-dried tomatoes Various seaweeds (a quick and easy way to boost nutrients in a soup or salad) Organic popcorn kernels (Brent makes a mean popcorn – and what a nice healthy snack it makes) potatoes Gnocchi Soba Noodles “Healthy” pastas (whole wheat, Jerusalem artichoke, quinoa pasta) Nature’s promise whole wheat tortilla Sprouted bread Trader Joe’s pre-made polenta Kashi Heart to Heart cereal Jarred and Canned Goods: Annie’s Gingerly Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Canned beans (cannelloni, salad bean mix, refried beans, chickpeas, and red kidney beans) Canned artichokes Canned diced green chilies Newman’s salsa An organic spaghetti sauce Organic tomato paste Organic crushed tomatoes Various Trader Joe’s Indian style Sauces Low-fat coconut milk Organic chicken broth Organic vegetable broth
Fruit bowl: Granny Smith apples Bananas A pineapple Avocados
Condiments: Agave nectar Maple syrup Rice vinegar Balsamic vinegar Apple cider vinegar Bragg’s Liquid Amino Acids Extra Virgin Olive oil Lots of spices Onions Garlic
Frozen goods: Spinach Organic frozen pie crusts Frozen veggie stir fry mixes Frozen shrimp Frozen fruit Our sin: Always an organic, fair-trade dark chocolate bar for emergencies!
