Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Honeybun

I bet that title got your attention. :)  A couple of weeks ago while I was traveling I started to have a craving for something sweet.  In the past when I was hit with this feeling I would stop at a service station and pick up a diet drink and a honeybun.  But much to my surprise, I was not craving a honeybun.  I was craving a big juicy crisp apple.  I pulled into the Walmart in Goldsboro, went inside and purchased several apples and a bottle of water.  They were delicious and just what I wanted.  If you think this could never happen for you, yes it can.  I rarely ate fruit and now I actually crave it.  Fruit has natural sugar to ease your sweet cravings, not the many other kinds of sugars that are making people overweight and leading to diseases that can even kill.

Food for Thought:

Is sugar a sweet old friend that is secretly plotting your demise?
There is a vast sea of research suggesting that it is. Science has now shown us, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that sugar in your food, in all its myriad of forms, is taking a devastating toll on your health.
The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup. Just take a look at the sugar consumption trends of the past 300 years:[1]
  • In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
  • In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
  • In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
  • In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year!
Sugar is loaded into your soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and hidden in almost all processed foods—from bologna to pretzels to Worcestershire sauce to cheese spread. And now most infant formula has the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, so babies are being metabolically poisoned from day one if taking formula.
No wonder there is an obesity epidemic in this country.
Today, 32 percent of Americans are obese and an additional one-third are overweight. Compare that to 1890, when a survey of white males in their fifties revealed an obesity rate of just 3.4 percent. In 1975, the obesity rate in America had reached 15 percent, and since then it has doubled.
Carrying excess weight increases your risk for deadly conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes.
In 1893, there were fewer than three cases of diabetes per 100,000 people in the United States. Today, diabetes strikes almost 8,000 out of every 100,000 people.[1]
You don't have to be a physician or a scientist to notice America's expanding waistline. All you have to do is stroll through a shopping mall or a schoolyard, or perhaps glance in the mirror.
 By Dr. Mercola   Read the whole article at:


http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/04/20/sugar-dangers.aspx


Recipe of the Day:


Layered Vegetables
Layer Zucchini


This a simple recipe but it turned out delicious.




Layer Yellow Summer Squash
Layer Eggplant
Layer Tomatos
Layer Onions add two cloves of crushed garlic and sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Top with cheese, I used vegan cheese,  bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Reflections Don't Lie

As I was going into a building this week and saw my reflection, it made me realize that the windows had not been lying.  In the past, I would look while walking in a door or by a building with big windows and think, wow, that window really makes me look big.  I knew I had put on weight.  It happened slowly over time.  I would look at other people that were a lot bigger than me and be thankful I was not that big.   But, I was too big and on the road to becoming very unhealthy.  When a small person put on five pounds, panicked and told me she needed to lose weight, I would think how crazy it sounded because it was only 5 pounds.  It is much easier to lose 5 pounds than 50 pounds.
 For the next 6 weeks, I have decided to try and not eat any meat at all.  We are going on a trip in April and I would like to lose at least 5 more pounds before then.  I have lost 23 so far.  It really isn't hard at all to give up meats.  I have no craving for meat or sweets.  I ate a small piece of my grandson's birthday cake on Sunday. It was made with a gluten free recipe.  I had to scrape the icing off and it still tasted too sweet to me.  My friend was telling me yesterday of the two cakes she had made. She apologized and said she shouldn't be telling me about the cake she had at dinner.  I told her it was fine because it really doesn't bother me at all.

So...if you pass a window and catch a glimpse of yourself and think "my that makes me look big" remember reflections don't lie.  :)  We just lie to ourselves.


Food for Thought:

If you don't like water you will like this new rule.  Provided you eat right.  :)

Old Rule: Drink eight glasses of water a day.
New Rule: Eat your water.

The recommendation to chug all that H2O was likely based on guidelines published in 1945. However, says Howard Murad, MD, author of The Water Secret, much of your daily requirement is contained in foods: Fruits, vegetables, beans, and cooked whole grains like oatmeal and quinoa (which soak up moisture in the pot) all deliver servings of water. And, as Murad points out, they offer the added bonus of nutrients: "Watermelon and cucumber are more than 90 percent water, but they also contain antioxidants. With a glass of water, all you get is water." You'll know you're hydrated when your urine is colorless or pale yellow and you're rarely thirsty.

This was a great article, check it out at  http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/4-health-rules-break-today-160000576.html.  If it isn't a click link copy and paste it.

Recipe of the Day:

Cucumber Salad (My Recipe)



Used 1/2 of onion





Love this vinegar, very light.






3        Long Cucumbers
2        cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2    cup Pear Infused Vinegar
1       cup diced carrots
1/2    chopped onion
5       dates
1/4    tsp dried rosemary

Puree' vinegar and dates together.  Combine chopped vegetables, add rosemary and toss with dressing.  Chill 

I plan to eat this today in a pita with romaine lettuce.