Thursday, October 23, 2014

Public Enemy #1

These are the ENEMY:

4. Bagels, cream cheese and lox. What a treat! But Bagels should never have cheese or meat on them!

3.Starbucks. Sure, they say Coffee is good for you now. That's one tall regular coffee, not one of those Choco-mocha-sugarful Lattes! Not even one of those Chi Tea drinks. Too much sugar!

2. McDonalds. The All American Standard, cheeseburger and fries! well, you can eat the bun and the fries together, a real McFry sandwich, with no meat or cheese. See #4.

and finally,

1. The Earl of Sandwich, the man who invented all sandwiches, and all fast food! Put the meat and cheese between 2 slices of bread.Instead, put vegetables on the bread: lettuce and tomatoe, avocadoes, or a black bean burger!

What if everything you ever learned was wrong?

How do we know what we learned in school is true?

What if we were misinformed? By well meaning teachers who didn't know that the food pyramid was upside down? Personally I think it was ingenious. Canada came up with steps based on our pyramid. Then, the USA changed it a few years ago to be a pyramid, but with verticle divisions, completely defeating the genius of buliding a good foundation, and using less of each category on top, going up.

Now I think we are supposed to use a food plate. very unimaginative. and wrong still.
The pyramid was developed in based on the input of the Meat and Diary Associations. NOT based on Science. Did you hear that? NOT based on ANY scientific studies at all.

The Standard American Diet, based on the food plate, has resulted in 68.5% overweight or obese. So let's reexamine the evidence about healthy food choices.

Remember you were told that you couldn't get enough protein by eating vegetables?

They were wrong!

Think about it, do you know any vegetarians? I know several. I know a woman who has been a vegetarian for 24 years. She's obviously healthy. She's not overweight. Her risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer is quite low. It seems that a Vegan Diet can reverse heart disease. Let me repeat that, REVERSE heart disease. There is a scientific basis for this statement.They have done the studies.The consumption of meat is conducive to diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cancer.

Healthy Eating Plate from Harvard School of Public Health is slightly better and includes no area for DAIRY! Whereas the MYFood Plate has a place for a glass of milk (or yogurt).

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Happiness Techniques

Sonja Lyubomirsky wrote a book , called the How of Happiness. It's about proven techniques that you can use every day to elevate your happiness level.  Sonja has done a lot of research on this. She says that only 10% of your happiness is determined by your situation.

This means that you may think, when I get that car, or that job, or a new house, THEN I will be happy. Which is true, BUT, for how long? Sure you feel good driving that new car, for about a week. Then you get used to it. Human beings are very adaptable. So now you have the car and it's no longer a big deal.

Sonja found that all Happy People have a way to express Gratitude, and they express it EVERY day. You can do that, too.

She also found that they have a way to nurture their spirituality, and often meditate 20 minutes per day.

There are lots of great ideas in her book, and also in the The How of Happiness Song. The only way to hear it is to go to her website and click the clink on the bottom right:

http://thehowofhappiness.com/

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Mindfulness is a Misnomer

Mindfulness may not be the best term for it. People confuse mindfulness with thinking. But it is actually the opposite of thinking! It is, in fact, being.

It has nothing to do with the mindless monkey chattering away in your brain!

Mindfulness means presence or awareness, and in order to practice mindfulness, you try to become more aware of your body, by breathing, or feeling your sensations,or just focusing on your toes, for example. where were your toes a minute ago? They were in the same place they are now, but you weren't aware of them.

It's not easy to be mindful.              
But there are many benefits!
It can help you to more healthy, in body, mind, and spirit!
It boosts immunity, reduces stress, and increases productivity.
Just a few minutes of mindfulness recharges your batteries.

My colleague and I will be presenting a Workshop about Mindfulness next August!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Animal vs. Vegetable Protein

Remember you were told that you couldn't get enough protein by eating vegetables?

They were wrong!

Think about it, do you know any vegetarians? I know several. I know a woman who has been a vegetarian for 24 years. She's obviously healthy. She's not overweight. Her risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer is quite low.

 I am investigating this because my son has decided to become a vegetarian. I applaud his choice. There are many reasons to eat vegetarian. It is good for the environment, the economy, and your body!

A Vegetarian diet has been proven to reverse Heart Disease. No animal products, no heart disease. What a discovery! all we have to do is eliminate meat from our diet and we can be healthier. So why not? There are many vegetable sources of protein:

Mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, beans, lentils, nuts, avocados, and chia seeds are some of them. Grains and psuedograins (quinoa, buckwheat, and wild rice), contain protein, too.

I am enjoying a lot of new foods and recipes! I feel good about what I am eating, and I feel more healthy, too!