I hope everyone is well. I wanted send out some 4th of July love and healthy food ideas. Also I have included some tasty vegetarian options. Holidays can be tricky when you are struggling vegetarian. Here go some recipe ideas.
When friends get together naturally there will be some drinks. Here is a tasty light drink that you can enjoy. It is watermelon rose sangria. Doesn’t it look tasty?
If you want to keep cool and enjoy a relative healthy treat. I got something for you. It is a red, white, and blue Popsicle where preparation work is done in the freezer.
It seems consumers and food manufacturers such as General Mills are focusing on the consumption of more natural food. I figured that it was a good idea to review the impact of eating all this artificial food in America.The movie Fed Up gives a good overview and history of the problem. The public and now General Mills knows the solution to the problem of society eating junk food,it is simple just eat real food. Keep an eye out for my blog post later this week exploring why General Mills is shifting towards making more natural foods. Do you think General Mills has good intentions?
As someone who craves salads in their sleep, I know that is weird and not everyone has such wonderful interactions with salads. The biggest complaint is that salads are not very filling. The other thing that I notice is that people have either an old or narrow definition of salad. When I say old, it means that it that horrible iceberg lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes. Salads are usually put into the box of always having to include lettuce. Today, I will be shattering all your preconceived notions about salads, while outlining how to make a salad that is filling. Here go the steps to creating a filling salad.
No Lettuce
Salads don’t necessarily need to include lettuce. A salad may include whole wheat couscous, quinoa, or even brown rice as base. All of those salad bases would fill you up along with having a slow metabolic burn.
Ok, a leafy vegetable
Yes, I know, but you say lettuce based salads don’t fill you up. My suggestion is not to use iceberg lettuce. Kale, Spinach, baby Spinach, and dark green leafy red romaine are very filling lettuce. These lettuces will assist you in filling full.
Good Veggies
These types of veggies will assist you creating a filling salad such as: avocados, cucumbers, cheese, eggs, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.
Salad Dressing
This is critical choice when eating a salad. The creamy salad dressings tend to put on the extra pounds, so select carefully. Oil and vinegar with spices are an easy low-calorie salad dressing. Generally, a salad dressing that is oil based will be fewer calories.
Protein
Many people are either omnivores or carnivores, thereby desiring some protein on their salad. One has many options if they are vegetarian seeking protein substitute, you can do soy artificial chicken strips, beans, crumpled soy, and tempeh. If you are more of a pescatarian, then a piece of baked fish such as snapper, salmon, or tuna might be your preference.
Cheese
I love cheese and adding it to a salad. I find that it makes the salad tastier.
It is my hope that this information makes you rethink salads. They can be filling and tasty. Also my personal favorite is to make a salad with either couscous or quinoa as the base. When I use either of those, the salad really seems to fill me up. Enjoy eating your salad. Happy Fruits and Veggies Month to you!
I know many of you have set New Year’s resolutions related to health. This is the time of year when people hit some obstacles. I wanted to let you know that I am rooting for you. My mother would say a try beats a fail all the time. Please just take it one day at time.
More inspiration and posts coming.
Have an awesome week. Keep warm if you are on the east coast.
As autumn arrives and children go back to school, it becomes harder to adhere to a healthier routine. My tips are general, but in an attempt to provide full disclosure there is a bit of focus on being vegetarian. In my travels, I run into individuals who are diabetic or choosing on their own to become vegetarian. Currently, the healthcare system is not preparing patients for living a “vegetarian lifestyle”. Notice, I said “vegetarian lifestyle” it is a way of life not a change in eating for most people. Here goes:
Get a Food Mentor
A food mentor can assist you with the transition into becoming a vegetarian along with being there for you through the tough times. You will need a friend to call for support. Also they can provide guidance about food options, recipes, and restaurants that are vegetarian friendly.
Takeaway: Join an offline vegetarian group, online vegetarian group, or take vegetarian cooking classes to get some guidance.
Plan for eating
Planning certain aspects of my eating is something that I struggle with personally. My mother would say that I have some nerve mentioning planning my meals! It is my hope that is she isn’t reading this because she is right. It is very helpful, if one wants to be a successful vegetarian to plan meals along with carrying healthy snacks on their person. Please don’t forget to eat the food you carry or it will go bad. I found this out the hard and smelly way. Giggle.
Takeaway: A tip would be to stock up on the staples that are easy to eat each week, so you set yourself up for success. For example, you can try to have the following available: nuts, fruit, pre-soak beans for cooking, and some CLIF bars.
Hydration is key
This will assist with managing your hunger. Hydration can come in the form of having a cup of hot tea, which can assist with digestion. A person can experience some indigestion, during the transition, so keeping hydrated via ginger tea for example, is so important. Consuming water can assist with keeping you clear headed as well.
Takeaway: One should try to drink several glasses of liquid with some of that being ginger or chamomile tea.
Exercise is helpful
The” vegetarian lifestyle” journey is about the mind-body connection. Exercise will help with your mood aka mind. When one eliminates sugar, salt, and fat there will be a change in one’s mood. Generally, exercising can release endorphins that can put one in a better mood.
Takeaway: Exercise will help with your mood. It can be as simple as cardio, yoga, walking, or Pilates. Physical activity will assist with digestion as well.
Meditation/Mindfulness/Prayer is so so important
This relates back to the mind-body connection. You will feel various types of emotions during this period and possible feel like you are out of control. The ability to connect with your breath or a higher power can be tremendously helpful. It will assist you in keeping perspective during this time of transition in your life.
Takeaway: A moment of stillness will let you connect and manage your emotions. As little as 10-20 minutes of quiet deep breathing a day can help.
Loving kindness is a necessity
Basically, go easy on yourself and take it one meal at a time. If you fall off the vegetarian wagon, then get back on the wagon the next meal. We are all human and will make mistakes, so don’t be too hard on yourself during this process. Hey, I am also rooting for you!
Takeaway: You may fall off the wagon and eat meat, but it is okay. Get back out there and try again!
Embrace the variety of foods out there! Have fun!
There is so much healthy and tasty food out there! Have fun and remember being a vegetarian doesn’t mean that you are eliminating options. You are creating more options and ways that you can eat food. There are tons of recipes to make and great vegetarian restaurants out there! Go forth and eat!
An important last note, please check with your doctor before and during this process because you don’t want to do yourself harm accidently.
Recently a PSA video on childhood obesity on YouTube became very popular and received over a millions views. The video was very powerful and provided slightly scary imagery. After seeing the video two times, a few things immediately came to mind regarding this issue. Social media has the ability to communicate and elevate an issue in the public discourse. All forms of communication really come down to the conversation, which should be the goal of any PSA video. Images in the video were more than just that of the patient/child, but others in “ the village” surrounding the child.
Organizations and individuals have used social media to as a vehicle to get support for various causes. This PSA being posted on YouTube along with the views it has received have raised the visibility of this tremendously important issue. The conversation has been vigorous and lively in the comment section where this video has been posted. It has created a ripple effect as so many times happens with social media. Countless “social media campaigns” have been successful such as #BringBackOurGirls, ALS ice bucket challenge, and the Arab Springs uprising. As a manager who leverages technology and consults regarding it the platform when used strategically can be a game changer. Social media is a powerful tool, but it must be use precisely, thoughtful, and align with a strategy for improving healthcare outcomes in this instance.
This YouTube video may assist increasing awareness among the public and support to eradicate this epidemic. Childhood obesity will require a whole village to create improvements in the lives of obese children. My thoughts gravitated in that direction during the video because of everyone in the village shown such as teachers, other kids, clinicians, etc had a part to play in the child’s health. Studies have shown that who one hangs out with can determine their health and obesity profile. Additionally, where one livesPSA on Obesity has a big impact on someone’s health. That last point really reflects the village concept. Though the video shows a parent at the end discussing parenting related to food, I came away asking what I can do to assist parents and other care givers of children. As a result, I am formulating some ideas that I will blog on later.
Blogging such as everything else is about the conversation including that PSA related to child obesity posted online. It is my hope that genuine conversation manifests as a result of this PSA. PSAs are needed, since many times society doesn’t want to have the hard conversations about sex, drinking, etc. Even worse than not having the conversation, are situations when parents and others “in the village” are ill informed about a topic such as childhood obesity. Also the discussion should not about shaming or blaming busy mothers. They are not the only source of this problem. Parents do play a critical role in a child’s nurturing process, but we as a society need to provide resources as well as create work/life balance culture to support busy parents. That teacher in the video who game him candy for getting an A shares some responsibility for his obesity along with his parents and others “in the village”. Also we must look in the mirror as well as individuals. I am ashamed to admit it, but I have given people cookies for gifts yet don’t consume them. My take away for immediate change is not to give out sweets and other fatty foods as gifts to others. We have to work together with parents to stem the tide of childhood obesity in society.
Hope you are taking a moment to smile this week. It is my hope this blog post will assist you in smiling. This feature was inspired by a wonderful show called the Pop Culture Happy Hour, a favorite podcast of mine from NPR. Please follow them on twitter at @nprmonkeysee. At the end of each show, they discuss what is making them happy. As a result, I am going to have a weekly feature in a similar vein, what is making me smile this week. The two things making me smile are pinto beans and The Amazing Spiderman 2.
Since I am a struggling vegetarian, I have explored many of the legume options available to me. My new favorite bean the pinto bean found me via a Spanish burrito at a restaurant. My eating out experience inspired me to make some quasi burritos at home, which were wonderful. I had no resulting digestive problems. As a result, this bean has taken first place in my heart and in my digestive system. It was hard fight but the pinto bean beat out the black bean for the number one spot. So here are my top 5 legumes from easiest to digest to hardest in my opinion.
Pinto Bean
Black Bean
Chick Peas
Black eyes peas
Cannellini Beans
The second thing making me smile is the Amazing Spiderman 2, which I found to be very enjoyable. Andrew Garfield gives a more intense, dynamic, and dark approach to Spiderman. He strikes a nice balance between being cool and dorky/nerdy. As result, I highly recommend the movie to everyone who enjoys the genre. Additionally, I am excited about the next installment of Xmen. That will keep me smiling I am sure, since I adore the depth and breadth of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Of course, there is the marketing tie that I cannot be overlooked with Spiderman, so I must address it.
Sony did an awesome job of teasing us with trailers for months to keep the fan base excited. Naturally, the movie studios provided the required complimentary Spiderman merchandise and video game, which appeared to get concept of swinging and web throwing correct according to experts. The movie did a great tie in with the US post office on their trucks and television commercials. Naturally, Disney will work with Sony to time the release of the DVD for Halloween to be in tandem with merchandise to support fandom as well as excited youth market. The marketing of movies and related merchandise are always interesting along with being innovative sometimes. I didn’t see the US post office tie in with Spiderman coming, however US post office is feeling a great deal of external market pressures. As a result, the Spiderman marketing buzz was helpful in increasing the post office’s brand awareness to a different segment of potential consumers.
Well on that note, I say smile a little more this week. Have a great day!
My blog originates out of a desire to help myself and others seeking a healthier way of being. As a result, I am confessing that I am struggling vegetarian. The challenge that I face is related to time, access, knowledge, and finances. The time issue creeps up either in small or large ways. A small way is taking the time to plan my meals for the week along with the weekly run to the produce junction. In addition, time is needed to exercise and meditate because vegetarian eating is a lifestyle, so exercise is needed to assist digestion. Time plays a bigger part with getting to a grocery store that sells vegetarian food items such as tofu, tempeh, falafel, etc, trips which I cannot always make because of time.
Access is another issue, since the store locations that would best support a healthier diet are not in my immediate area. My neighborhood is a wonderful mix of upper income, working class, and new entrants as a result of gentrification happening all at once. Most residents don’t purchase a lot of products in the community including life sustaining items such as food in the neighborhood.
Finances can be an issue for all parties even me. Sadly, broccoli in many communities cost more than the dollar menu French fries. This is an issue that I am only slightly insulated from, but anyone of us could be struggling with this additional limitation.
Lastly, the knowledge part is something that I struggle with in particular. I grew up in a family that ate all imaginable and unimaginable parts of the pig. Along with eating the wonderful edible pig, a lot of food was cooked in a white substance called Cisco aka lard. Conversely, my mother was a big advocate of not eating lot candy, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and playing outside. Also I must confess, I do love vegetables and fruits. I guess I got the good with the bad from my family. Thanks, Mom. Smile.
So, I am confessing, so that you know I am SO SO imperfect as it relates to this vegetarian and healthy living thing. It is my hope to share my journey, support fellow struggling vegetarians, and keep myself accountable in a public way via this blog. Hopefully, my starts and stops along the way will be amusing as well as supportive to others. My next step is to share a weekly post about my food mishaps along the way to being a better vegetarian! The other weekly post will be more general healthcare topics. We can be our best selves together. Join Me. Share this Blog Post!
Digitally Savvy Vegetarian 