Mindful Eating & Vitamins/Minerals Facts.

What is mindful eating?
Part of successful long term weight management is minimizing deprivation and eating foods that you enjoy on a regular basis. Deprivation or avoidance may work in the short-term, but usually leads to feeling out of control, self-criticism, and eating more.
It is helpful to adopt a more healthy and balanced approach to eating.

VITAMINS
Vitamins are a group of organic substances (made by plants or animals), that are essential for normal cell function, growth, and development.
There are 13 essential vitamins, meaning they are needed for the body to function. They are grouped into two categories:
Fat Soluble Vitamins:    A, D, E, & K
•    Small amounts needed to maintain good health
•    Stored in the body’s liver and fatty tissue
•    High doses can be toxic and lead to health problems
Water Soluble Vitamins:
B-complex group & Vitamin C
•    Not stored in the body and must be replaced each day
•    These vitamins are easily destroyed or weakened during food storage and preparation
•    Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C
MINERALS
Minerals are substances that come from the earth (soil and water) and are absorbed by plants. Humans absorb minerals from the foods that we eat. These are important for optimum health. There are two kinds of minerals:
Macrominerals
•    Includes calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, and sulfur
•    Body requires large amounts
Trace Minerals
•    Includes iron, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride, and selenium
•    Body requires limited amounts
WHY ARE VITAMINS AND MINERALS IMPORTANT?
Vitamins and minerals have many functions that help the body carry out different processes. Vitamins and minerals assist the body in the following ways:
✓ Protects arteries
✓ Produces healthy skin
✓ Boosts your immune system
✓ Balances hormones
✓ Energy production
✓ Proper functioning of your brain and nervous system
✓ Slows down the ageing process ✓ Protects against certain cancers and heart
disease

FACTS TO CONSIDER
•
• •
•
Vitamin and mineral supplements are considered dietary supplements, not drugs, so they do not have to be tested in order to prove their safety or effectiveness before they are put on the market. They are considered safe until demonstrated
by the Food and Drug Administration to be dangerous.  Gees, play the guinea pig or russian rulette with your health & wellness.  Key is to do your research.
The American Medical Association has stated that it is acceptable for a healthy adult to use a multi- vitamin/mineral supplement.  I say first try to get V & M from a food source.

Go to www.usda.gov for a list of recommended daily allowances for other vitamins and minerals.

Top 5 Foods to AVOID!!!

Focus on what you do is always my motto, don’t sweat what you didn’t do.  Yet, I do sometimes focus on what not to do in order to support my health.  Avoiding specific types of food can yield a positive experience within the body.


Wellness Hero’s Top 5 Foods to Avoid and Why....


  1. Microwavable food - Many reason’s can support this and the biggest is that the microwave itself is a destroyer of actual nutrition, whatever goes in it, well the food comes out with less nutrients automatically.  The idea is that store bought frozen meals/snacks are usually made with the lowest quality ingredients possible.  Sodium levels are usually through the roof and the idea of just focusing on calories or another category of the Nutrition facts can be miss leading as many GMO ingredients are lurking.  Just remember it is likely the lowest quality type of food in the store and is NOT considered health food. Of course their are some that can support health, just such a small percent...


2.  Non-Water Beverages - It’s not complicated, if its not water it likely has little benefit.  A smoothie of locally grown fruit or veggies is acceptable in moderation.  We are a nation of drinking way to many calories.  Fruit is mean to be eaten not juiced.  With all options every where, its best to avoid anything that isn’t 100% H2O. 


3.  Ingredients You Can’t Pronounce

Does ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate or partially hydrogenated soybean oil sound appetizing to you? Follow this rule of thumb: if a food product is made of stuff you need a course in chemistry to comprehend – or —if you can’t pronounce the first 5 ingredients, don’t let it near your cart.

Stay focused on buying whole foods comprised of only 1 ingredient. Instead of snacking on neon-orange cheese curls, slice up some carrots or celery sticks. Invest in an air popper and enjoy fiber-rich popcorn. Make homemade veggie chips: cut up kale, thinly slice beets, sweet potatoes or yams, sprinkle them with herbs and a little olive oil and bake in the oven.

4. Fake Health Foods

Fake health foods are those deceptive foods, billing themselves as “low in fat”, like Cheerios which has GMO ingredients and certain cookies, salad dressings or yogurt brands. Look closely at their labels. To make up for flavor, these items are inevitably high in sugar or salt. Other tricky foods include packaged breads and crackers with labels stating “contains whole grains.” This often translates into considerably less fiber than 100% whole grain products. Mulit-grain is a fake health term as well.

Again, choose real foods as much as possible. If it’s a sweet tooth you need to satisfy, buy tasty dried fruits, such as apricots or mango. A spoon full of honey can work too!

5. Canned Foods High in Sodium

Eighty percent of our sodium intake comes from processed and canned foods. In fact, many canned foods are so chock full of salt, they contain half or more of your daily recommended intake. A diet high in sodium is dangerous since it can lead to high blood pressure and many other heart related problems.

Instead of buying canned soups, try making your own simple versions, like a healthy cream of carrot soup or hearty lentil. If you don’t have the time to cook, purchase canned soups low in sodium.

Food Video by the Wellness Hero:
Food Matters Video

Top 5 MOOD Enhancing foods!

Wellness Hero’s Top 5 MOOD Enhancing foods!

Do you like feeling good?  Sometimes adding specific nutrients to your body's systems creates reactions that boost emotions and the way a person can feel.  If a person eats something heavily processed like fast food, so much unhealthy CHEMICALS start to be absorbed by the body, which in turn effects the mood as well.  I recommend eating them raw or combined in something you are already eating to enhance that food choice with a MOOD Booster!

1.  Avocado - can elevate your spirit!
(Avocados contain serotonin, a type of feel-good neurotransmitter)

2.  Raw Cocoa - High in magnesium and contains significant quantities of the essential amino acid Tryptophan, which is crucial for the production of the neurotransmitter, serotonin.

3.  Spinach - Nutrient dense and a powerful health - mood and illness prevention food. Spinach is full of vitamin B9 (folate) which helps the body maintain normal levels of the mood-enhancing neurotransmitter serotonin. Low levels of folate are often associated with depression. RDA is around 400 micrograms. *Some other folate rich foods include asparagus, beans and broccoli.

4.  Chia Seeds - A potent vegetarian source of omega 3 and packed with amino acids.

5.  Sunflower Seeds - Their richness in vitamin E - Selenium and Magnesium all contribute to improving your mood! (also rich in selenium)

Top 5 High Energy Eating Strategies

 Eating is something a person does daily.  As a wellness professional I've had to many conversations about food with just focused on calories.  The idea here is to MAXIMIZE your body's response to that food (calories) with understanding what will pack a punch to BOOST you with that energy.  All calories are not created equal, just ask a Chia Seed :)....

Here are my Top 5 High Energy Eating Strategies

1. ✓    Get your B-vitamins. Studies show that low levels of folate and B-12 are sometimes associated with fatigue and depression. Food sources of folate include fortified whole grain cereals, beans and peas, dark green leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds, and oranges. Foods high in B-12 include salmon, lean beef, low-fat dairy, and eggs.

2. ✓    Boost your intake of omega-3’s. This may help to improve memory and mood, making you feel more energized. At least one good source of omega-3 fatty acids daily is recommended. Choose from
oily fish (salmon, mackerel and sardines), ground flaxseeds, walnuts and omega-3 fortified eggs.

3. ✓    Limit refined carbohydrates. Refined white starch and added sugars in food and drinks can cause blood sugars levels to rapidly rise and fall, leaving you feeling cranky and tired. To lessen blood sugar swings, choose high quality carbohydrates, such as vegetables, unsweetened fruit, beans and peas, brown rice and oatmeal.

4. ✓    Incorporate protein with meals and snacks. Healthy protein sources include nuts, beans and peas, skinless chicken, lean beef and pork, and eggs. Protein helps keep blood sugar levels stable and promotes increased levels of brain chemicals that make you feel more alert and focused.

5. ✓    eat something every 4 to 5 hours. This provides your body with a constant supply of energy and keeps blood sugar levels stable. Plus, it is easy to do. Here’s one example of a healthy eating pattern- have breakfast or a morning snack within 90 minutes of waking, lunch, an afternoon snack and a sensible dinner.

CANNOT forget WATER too!!!

Metabolism and Eating go hand in hand.

Metabolism and EATING with ways to control it throughout the day.

The metabolism goes through peaks and valleys, high points and low points throughout the course of 24 hours.  It is our energy and the foundation for how we feel.  When a person wakes up in the AM after sleeping the recommended 7-10 hrs for adults, their metabolism is at the very low end of the spectrum.  So, how to increase it to have energy in the AM?  Simple, put food in the body, because food is calories and calories are energy. This is why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it jump starts your metabolism.

No longer will I reference eating a meal, bur refer to eating by saying  the word “feeding.”  Ideally, an adult should have 5-7 feedings a day.  A traditional example of 5 would be, breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner to cumulatively make up 5 feedings for that day.  The thing is if a person is only eating 2 times a day they are INTENTIONALLY LOWERING their METABOLISM through habit.  The idea is to take our daily calories and spread them out then put them into the body during massive feeding times.  A good strategy for a person eating 2 times a day is to not eat more, but spread out all that food over more feeding times.  
Every time food is put into the body, the metabolism increase, so more frequent “feedings” will consistently train your body metabolism to work in a more cyclic pattern.  In order to lose weight a person MUST EAT many small feedings throughout the day and this action in itself will increase a person’s metabolism.

Now, if you are not eating several feedings throughout the day or always skip breakfast the idea is to make a small change.  If not hungry in the AM, then start with eating just a bit of something healthy and slowly increase that desire to be hungry over time.  It takes many months for the body to change habits depending how long we have been doing the opposite.  So by adding one cheerio a day from week to week with adding a couple more each time, soon enough you will be ready to have a bowl of cereal in the AM. 

Up coming blog TOPICS!!!

Blog Outline for February 2013 by Wellness HERO.....life enhancing by PROPER Health Education.

1.  Water - How much should a person drink?
2.  Metabolism - How to control and increase your Calories burned.
3.  Sleep - The role it plays and how it is healthy.
4.  Veggies & Fruit - Just Do it!
5.  Food Labels & GMO - Look out and READ what?!
6.  Whole Grains - Its the COMPLEX CARBS that are healthy!


Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions that might arise during your day, the idea is to practice wellness daily.  Your health and wellness is your choice, so choose wisely and of course, SMILE :~>!!!!!!

How can a father & son have an amazing day?

Single Parenting 101, have a plan, practice supporting local organizations, smile, modify & adjust your plan all the time :)

Just a day in the weekend adventure of a father & son enjoying the moments...


10.1.12

Reflecting on the last weekend of Sept and it being a lil man weekend too, the foundation for what I find to be pure happiness was put into motion.  I plan the day around food.  The idea is it should grow that way, the food itself is the ingredient.

    Almonds, peanuts, pistachios are all big favorites as power snacks, he doesn’t even know we are having an “organized snack,” most of the time because we are out and about on the go.  The natural source of protein is great, fiber, and fat (the good kind), just have it in a baggy and was perfect to take on the trail with our water bottles.  Simple veggies make a great take along too.  Of course it takes time to develop a child's pallet to want the natural stuff (you too ADULTS!!), but food has been my medicine for many years now, so I listen to my MOM and eat more vegetables now then ever before.

We ended up at some nature trails (with a rich history as the signs & markers were fun to read along the way) and discovered a new water fall on our hike, we ended up exploring, collecting leaves, listening to the natural sounds, and also making fun on the North American Grey Squirrel along the way!  One almost dropped a black walnut on my head, so we turned that moment into a comical report for the remainder of the 3 mile hike. 

We ate breakfast, took some snacks, headed out on a local trail, only to be outside on a crisp fall afternoon.  The quality of time and uniqueness of the conversations are endless, especially engaging in the new season that the autumnal equinox has brought us.

Bowling with Papa followed and that great three generations of boys enjoying more physical activity with family time continue the flow of another amazing day.  It also yielded a much needed HEALTHY nap by a 4.5 & 35 year young boys :)

A healthy how to guide to lose weight. Start HERE!

Physical Activity of LIFE!                                         9.14.12

Taking care of your inside parts is what counts the most, health is an internal thing and when we exercise we truly are impacting our guts more then you may think. 
 No matter where your starting point is with your life and condition of the body, these are the first steps to identify healthy habits to build a foundation for a healthy lifestyle. 

1.  How much sleep do you get each night out of seven days?  To maintain an ideal body weight an adult should accomplish at least 7 hours each night.....SLEEP is a vital variable to maintaining & achieving an ideal body weight.

2.  Start a food journal with writing down EVERYTHING you eat over 7 days  A specific focus on food consumption (diet is anything a person eats) with looking into how many calories each day, while identifying Protein, Carbs, Fats in grams for each category.   Not a bad idea to eliminate both Alcohol & Sugar from the diet.  Drink WATER, you cannot consume to much of this!!!!!

3.   Physical activity is a MUST for everyone.  The idea is to balance your movements into something you enjoy participating in, basically the rule is 60 min. a day on most days of the week.  Look into measure your heart rate during exercise/physical activity, as this is the best tool for driven results.  Find your target heart rate & put your heart in it!!!!

4. Set a goal that is both reasonable and specific (results can be measured).  Actually write it down and check daily what have you done to accomplish it. 
Get educated on moving smarter, not harder.  The idea is to be effective, safe, and results driven.  Seek out knowledge on you own through several different mediums.  Ask questions to a dietitian, personal trainer, wellness coach, or other fitness professional.  Be aggressive with your health and being in the know is a great way to be effective. 

5. A base assessment of body fat should be conducted in the beginning, this measurement (NO SCALE for WEIGHT, bad reference point) should give a fat to everything else ratio & that number will decrease over the course of becoming more physically active.  This is also the reference point for results for the future.  For body weight their is no quick fixes, truly the solution is a lifestyle that supports as much movement as possible.  Making daily choices that have positive outcomes will continue the habits necessary to live well.  

Update: WATER, is it relative?

How much does H2O matter, imagine this?                                         9.2.12

The main reason I am writing this blog is to put out quality info on various topics that relate to a human's health, basically covering the four parts (Physical, mental, emotional, and social).  The focus today is to touch on the physical side, which is the part that most people easily associate with health. 

When is the last time you checked your Hydration?  Do you know the easy way to see if you are adequately hydrated?  Well it is simple, simply  look at your pee.  Clear or lemonade color is great, while yellowish or apple juice means dehydration is taking place. 

 WATER is the basis for every bodily function, from respiration to digestion; a person’s energy levels through metabolism are regulated to your bodies ability to store water in its muscles, organs, & blood.  No matter what your fitness goal could be, everything rests on the simple condition of drinking more water and/or being mindful of the other habits in our lives that remove water from our system. 
Being adequately hydrated is an amazing first step to practicing daily healthy habits to build a foundation for a healthy lifestyle!!  The important fact to know is a majority of the water in our bodies is stored in the muscles (blood & organs too).  So if a person does not practice muscular endurance or strength training exercises, then their ability to store water is limited.  It is important to balance physical activity through your 5 components of health related fitness.  Think H20!!!

Do you know to eat your veggies?

Believe in YOU...                        8.25.12

This summer I a developed my first ever veggie garden.  It started with my 4 year young (lil man) & I turning up the grass in a 18’ X 18’ plot in the back yard.  This led to a new habit of just eating raw vegetables for breakfast.   The point of this story is about trying new habits all have a beginning and hopefully it is a good habit that is starting, because at first it isn’t a habit at all, its just an experience. 

Veggies have a ton of water & amazing connective tissues (fiber), plus have a plethora of health properties we label as anti-oxidants.  Veggies should be eaten, NOT drinking, but juicing them from time to time can yield some new special treats or even making some healthy Popsicles!

Food is my medicine, & the concept of 1/2 a person’s plate should be made up of fruit & veggies at each meal has been heavily promoted. Don’t you know you should eat your vegetables?  In order to make them accessible to munch on over the course of a few days it takes planning & organization before they are gobbled up to aid in my health and wellness. 

So a great new habit was formed from a few small practices.  When you have a positive new habit in your life it is truly wonderful.  Adding more raw veggies (easy to do during summer & fall farmers market season) to my diet regularly, started with being outside and connecting with Earth, then followed up by how amazingly delicious they are, which led to a functional gift, which now gets filled often with a super healthy snack that has a tremendous positive impact on my life.

Its the small things that start habits in our day to day and week to week lives, what will be your next new one?......