What if there wasn't anymore?

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore".  What she had grown to rely upon, expect, and depend upon was gone, never to return.  No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute."

Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say “good-bye”, say "I love you."  Many times we get so busy with our every day lives that we forget about the importance of those we love - we don't mean to push them aside for these many little things - we don't mean to put money and things above them - we EXPECT that they will be there tomorrow and that TOMORROW we will enjoy that time together.  What happens when tomorrow never comes?

We need to make time for TODAY and those we love. So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick. This is true for marriage.....And old cars... And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents.

What if you woke up tomorrow and all that you held dear was gone?  Your world changed forever - would you hold regrets for not saying "I love you" enough?  Life is important, like people we know who are special.. And so, we keep them close!

I had one of those moments in 2001.  Well, actually mine started in 1998.  My marriage was falling apart and life was changing faster than I was able to keep up.  In 2001 my ex-husband was killed on active duty.  We had been divorced for less than 18 months and while we had not parted on good terms, after living and loving for 13 years - I was DEEPLY affected.  We had both been looking to the future - not paying any attention to TODAY.  It changed me forever.

Today I live for what is here and now.  I tell my girls I love them every chance I get.  I celebrate life.  I don't live in the past or the future - that doesn't mean I don't have hopes, dreams, and goals - just that I pay more attention to what is happening today than what COULD BE.  I pray that you will live today because tomorrow is not promised.  Enjoy the beauty of time spent with those you love.  When was the last time you sat down with a cup of tea with your grandmother?  Helped your child with a science project?  Took a day to just LIVE! 

Go from Guilty Pleasures to Healthy Pleasures - part 2

Yesterday was all about understanding body weight and calories... today we are going to take some of those guilty pleasures and turn them into healthy pleasures.  Before we start - you did check to see where your healthy weight is and how many calories you should be intaking each day right?  If not... go do that and come back... you will need that info during this portion of our discussion.

Fast food - Have you ever looked at the calorie counters for fast food??  O...M...G!  Here are a couple:
McDonalds Big Mac - Calorie Count: 576  Daily Fat %:  50  Daily Salt %: 31
McDonalds Large Fries - Calorie Count: 500  Daily Fat %: 38  Daily Salt %: 15
Burger King Double Cheese Burger - Calorie Count: 500  Daily Fat %: 45  Daily Salt %: 43
Wendy's Frosty - Calorie Count: 328  Daily Fat %: 13  Daily Salt %: 6
Arby's Beef and Cheddar Sandwich - Calorie Count: 445  Daily Fat %: 32  Daily Salt %: 53
Starbucks Grande Caramel Macchiato - Calorie Count: 304  Daily Fat %: 18  Daily Salt %: 7
Starbucks Blueberry Muffin: Calorie Count: 380  Daily Fat %: 29  Daily Salt %: 16

So, no fast food... well not necessarily.  There are options out there that are better for you than others.  Subway - better, grilled chicken - better, salads - better.. but the best thing for you would be to bring something to work that you know the calorie count.  Restaurants tend to use lots of butter, oil, and salt.  None of which is great for trying to control your caloric intake.  Don't nibble through the day - those calories tend to add up VERY fast and before you know it you have blown all your calories in "snacks" that give you empty calories.  I tend to have one MEAL a day and two light meals.  Breakfast - light.  This gets the metabolism going for the day.  Mid-day meal I push back until about 2pm and this tends to be my largest meal of the day - giving my body time to burn those calories.  Evening tends to be fruit or a salad or maybe even some yogurt. 

So lets talk transformation... always start your meals with at least a full glass of water.  This will reduce the number of calories you ingest.  Don't drink anything during the meal.  Typically we eat too fast and over stuff ourselves.  Drinking a full glass of water before will give you a partially full feeling, and you should eat closer to the proper amount during your meals - which is just less than "FULL."  Don't eat in front of the television - always sit at a table.  You are there to eat - don't read, do crossword puzzles, work, etc...  Try to consciously eat slower - eating faster makes you eat more calories as it takes a bit of time for your stomach to transmit to your brain that you are actually full. So, slow down and enjoy the flavor of your meal.

Double Cheese Burger - If you MUST have twice the meat AND the cheese - make sure you are eating good quality beef, remove the bun, and get good quality cheese.  Each of the condiments will increase the calories - stick with the vegetables lose the mayonnaise or any creamy sauces.
French Fries - completely wasted calories.  If you are craving them, you need to figure out if it is the salt or the potatoes that you are craving - and fix that problem.  Instead of french fries try oven cooked fries - steak fries - sweet potato oven fries - baked potato (no sour cream / no bacon).  Get rid of the oil that they are cooked in and add some seasonings - Mrs. Dash is a good combination if you have a hard time mixing your own. 
Shake - more wasted calories.  If you are craving something cold during the hot summer months - try making some smoothies at home with fresh and frozen fruit, almond milk, and ice.  Still lots of calories - but they are useful calories.  Stay away from the icecream.  Adding lemon or lime will help you burn the calories faster.  There are also frozen fruit pops out there that are better for you than icecream or sorbet - less sugar and real fruit.  If you MUST have icecream - get the good stuff and only take a couple small spoonfuls each day.  See how long you can make a SMALL container last.  Sitting down and eating a whole container of Ben and Jerrys is equivalent to your entire day's caloric intake - OR MORE.
Chocolate - depending on what kind of chocolate you are eating, will depend on its benefits.  Stay away from the milk chocolate and try some dark chocolate.  If you want the sweetness - try the dark chocolate with mint or some fruit.  Dark chocolate actually helps you lose weight.  Just remember one or two squares a day is enough.
Coffee - limit your intake to 1 - 2 cups black coffee each day.  If you need the flavor and sweetness, drink juice.  Seriously.  The stuff added to your coffee punches it up into the 500 - 600 calorie intake per cup.  Pay attention to it.  Create your own frozen drinks with almond milk and ice... remember though, with the frozen drinks they really punch up the caffeine - one frozen drink is equal to 2 cups of regular coffee.  Try mixing 1/2 decaffeinated with 1/2 regular at home. 
Steak - I know I am going to hear lots of grumblings with this one - you REALLY only need a couple of servings of red meat a MONTH.  If you have conditioned your body to need it more often, you really should move towards more nuts and fish to compensate.  Good steak is better for you than ground beef (usually fresher - with less fat).  Try cutting it and using it mixed with other foods. Thai Beef Salad is a great example.  You get your grilled steak - mixed with fresh greens, herbs, etc... This way you are getting less STEAK and more of the greens you need.
Cakes / Cookies / Brownies / Cheesecake - no, no, no!!  Danger Will Robinson!  We have been conditioned to eat dessert with our meals - desserts should be for special occasions, not daily consumption.  Besides the amount of sugar, they usually are made with flour that has been stripped of its benefits and made with lots of butter.  Start moving away from these unhealthy desserts to ones based on fruit - Strawberry Shortcake made with biscuits rather than poundcake or try making it with angelfood cake (another empty set of calories - but much less than the poundcake).  Or how about some fresh fruit with a couple squares of dark chocolate.  Once you move further away from the sugar laden desserts, you will find that they are just too sweet for you. 
Eggrolls - if you are like my family and love Asian foods.  Eggrolls are usually one of the first favorites.  Lumpia, Gyoza, and Summer Rolls come after... Summer Rolls or Fresh Rolls are a family favorite in my house and a wonderful healthy pleasure!!

Guilty pleasures that you should never worry about - strawberries dipped in dark chocolate.  Frozen grapes dipped in raw sugar.  Honey Sticks. 

My Non-Guilty Healthy Pleasures:
Thai Beef Salad - http://www.food.com/recipe/my-o-my-best-thai-beef-salad-ever-51081
Summer Rolls - http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/SpringRolls.htm
Green Papaya Salad (Som Tam) - http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/PapayaSalad.htm

Enjoy your Healthy Pleasures today... Blessings.  E

Go from Guilty Pleasures to Healthy Pleasures - part 1

It is summer in North America and most all of us want to shave a few pounds to fit into that teenie weenie bikini (or look svelte in those trunks), right?  But most don't want to give up all the foods they love to get there.  In just a couple steps - and with some better understanding of calories - we can get you there...

Proper weight - depends on a variety of factors - how tall you are, male/female, and how big your frame is are the two primary factors, but other things also play a part - including where you live, how old you are, and your physical health.  So, most of the charts you will find online are for people in good health between the ages of 25 - 30.  Here is the best one I could find:

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm

Where you live plays a part for the extremes - near the equator vs near the poles - I think you can deduce the difference.  Your age also plays a part - as you age, your body slows down, that includes your metabolism UNLESS you remain very active.  In addition, your weight typically will go up after menopause (both men and women) between 5 - 10 pounds due to the drop in hormones.  Physical health also plays a part - if your body is not healthy / weak / diseased - your weight will be different than others with the same physical characteristics.  I stress that you should be healthy when starting a course of weight loss - as the fat is broken down toxins typically are released into the body which will weaken your immune system until they have been flushed from the body.  You need to ensure you are adding additional water to your daily regimen to compensate.

Calories and Fat.  The same basic rules apply to calories as to your weight.  There are many different factors that all play a part.  Most all of us have found that it is MUCH easier to gain a pound than to lose it.  Why?  So, for my ideal weight I should maintain a diet of about 1550 calories a day (in my current state of inactivity).  To LOSE one pound I have to remove 3500 calories from somewhere.  OUCH!  Obviously the best way to do that is to increase your activity - find 30 minutes 3 - 5 days a week and burn those excessive calories. 

Here is a good calculator - make sure to put in your ideal weight and your current level of activity (or inactivity) to see what your should be maintaining for calories.  http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Come back tomorrow for the tasty stuff... changing those guilty pleasures into healthy pleasures... Blessings.  E

"Psych Drug Doctors Pushing to Add Lithium to Drinking Water"

My cousin posted this link last week and I just got around to reading it.. WOW!  We all need to really start standing up and saying no more often...

http://www.naturalnews.com/032576_lithium_drinking_water.html#ixzz1O3IwBdpH

I am not always in agreement with naturalnews.com but every once in a while they produce a gem for us - and this one is one we all need to read.  I agree whole heartedly with this article.  Not only are the things that are added to our water supply DEADLY and CARCINOGENIC (cancer causing agents), they also change the chemical makeup of our brains - and our genetic makeup. 

Lithium - So, let's toss out all the hooey with regards to Lithium.   Yes, it is a natural substance - like lead, like plutonium - but I wouldn't ingest either of my own free will.  Lithium is a metallic salt that has been pushed heavily by the psychiatry community since the late 60s - early 70s.  It was used prior to that time - but not as aggressively.  Psychiatrists say that there are no side effects and that it is "harmless" when the truth of the matter is that Lithium is TOXIC.  They also state that it corrects issues like bipolar disease - when in truth it slows down your brain function - slowing the responses. 

There are several warnings about Lithium - kidney disease, heart disease, seizures, hyperthyroidism, digestive diseases among others.

Recommended reading: http://bipolar-disorder.emedtv.com/lithium/lithium-warnings-and-precautions.html
More recommended reading: http://bipolar-disorder.emedtv.com/lithium/lithium-warnings-and-precautions.html

Thanks Tracie for the post!  Blessings... E

Inflammation... deadly?

I read the following article about inflammation and thought you all might be interested in their findings...

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/pain-management/arthritis/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100268278&gt1=31004

The title of the article is "The Hidden Time Bomb Within You" and it talks about the five life-changing facts to know about inflammation.

1. Inflammation is both your body's best friend -- and its worst enemy.
I don't know that I agree with this statement.  Your body knows best how to deal with problems internally and externally.  We are a society of instant gratification - we want everything NOW.  Take a pill - all better now.  Take a pill - lose all that weight now.  Our bodies need time to heal properly.  Inflammation is part of the natural healing process.  If we have chronic inflammation, there is a deeper problem that needs to be addressed.

2. Chronic inflammation contributes to almost every major disease.
I think it is more along the lines of chronic inflammation is the warning sign of every major disease. 

3. It's not the look of your body fat but what's inside it that really hurts you.
Agreed.  One thing that is not addressed along with this comment (because it doesn't relate back to inflammation) is that fat cells tend to hold on to toxins.  As you begin losing that necessary weight, you may find yourself getting sick more often - this is the result of the toxins being released.  Make sure you are drinking lots of water to flush them out. 

4. You can't control everything that trips inflammation -- but you might want to conquer that fear of public speaking.
So, it isn't public speaking but it is long term stress that can trigger inflammation. 

5. Many of us have infections and allergies we don't know about, which send us into a state of constant high inflammation.
Agreed.  Food allergies, environmental allergies, seasonal allergies - they all affect us differently.  I got the "I don't have allergies" from my daughter the other day - and I reminded her that her body changes every seven years - just because you don't have allergies today ... or yesterday.. doesn't mean that you won't have them tomorrow.  Opening windows in your home every month will help remove toxins and allergens from your home.  Taking honey every day will help you with your seasonal allergies.  And paying attention to what you eat - will help you discover what you are allergic to and make the proper changes. 

Now.. these five are good.. but I think that they really missed the most important one - water.  70 - 80% of all adults are CHRONICALLY dehydrated.  One of the first symptoms of dehydration is inflammation.  Ensure that you are drinking enough water to flush out the toxins in your body.

Blessings..., E

Colored Lenses - Migraines

A new study has been released from Michigan State University regarding different colored lenses helping migraine headaches.  We all have seen the stars wearing blue or yellow lenses, have you ever wondered why?  Colors have a very strong effect on our mood and surprisingly other things...

Blue Lenses - known to decrease your appetite.  Known to help with dyslexia. Aids in reducing migraines. 
Green Lenses - Outside colors remain true.  Known to soothe and calm.  Normalizes hormone levels.
Brown Lenses - Good at filtering light through fog / hazy skies.  Brown improves depth perception.
Yellow Lenses - Improves depth perception but outside colors can be distorted. Helps with autism.  Dark yellow helps with digestive ailments.  Yellow helps with nerves and stress.  It also dulls pain.
Rose Lenses - People state that they are the easiest on the eyes over a long period of time. Helps with autism,
Red Lenses - Helps with autism, is an energizing color that stimulates one, is good for blood related disorders.

Recommended reading: http://www.migravent.com/blog/migraine-prevention-2/migraines-caused-by-eye-strain-tinted-glasses-can-help/
More recommended reading: http://migraine-dyslexia.com/Migraine.htm
More recommended reading: http://irlen.com/index.php?s=faqs

I took the quick text for headaches (irlen site) and came back that I definitely should be wearing colored lenses for bright lights.  There are people out there with ADHD that also would really benefit from colored lenses. 

Blessings... E

Foods You Should be Eating - Turmeric

Turmeric is another Mediterranean spice that has many health benefits.  Here is a very comprehensive list from healthdiaries.com.

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.

2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.

3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.

4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.

5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.

6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.

7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.

8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.

9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.

10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.

11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.

12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.

13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.

14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.

16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.

17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.

18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.

19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.

20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

And speaking of skin - turmeric has some wonderful benefits for skin blemishes / freckles / acne - http://www.bewellbuzz.com/general/benefits-of-turmeric-for-skin-and-more/

Recommended reading: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78

More recommended reading: http://www.nutritional-supplement-educational-centre.com/turmeric-benefits.html

How to store?  Turmeric is very light sensitive - store in a dark glass container away from sunlight.  Spices purchased from the grocery store are usually potent for about 3 - 6 months depending on the spice - as well as the light and heat exposure. 


So... MANY good reasons to be using Turmeric in your cooking. 


Aloo Phujia (Spicy Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Onions): http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Aloo-Phujia/Detail.aspx
Barbequed Thai Style Chicken: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Barbequed-Thai-Style-Chicken/Detail.aspx
Easy Chicken Korma: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Chicken-Korma/Detail.aspx


Enjoy!!  E

Foods You Should be Eating - Fenugreek

Fenugreek is a Mediterranean herb known to relieve menstrual cramps, lower cholesterol levels, reduce the effects of menopause, and help control diabetes... let's take a closer look.

What is Fenugreek?  The word Fenugreek means "Greek hay" and is similar to clover.  Production ranges from Morroco to Nepal to France to China.  The seeds are used in curries, pickles, and other Mediterranean dishes.  The leaves and microgreens are also used but the seeds are the most used part of the plant.  The seeds have been used for a long time in Chinese medicine and are considered a warming herb.  They also are widely used to increase lactation in nursing mothers.

Recommended reading: http://www.homeremediesweb.com/fenugreek_health_benefits.php
More recommended reading: http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-fenugreek.html

Recipes: http://ramkicooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/fenugreek-seed-recipes-10.html
Fenugreek Tea: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fenugreek-tea-recipe.html
Indian Butter Chicken: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1618,129181-251192,00.html
Fenugreek Chicken: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/methi-murgh-fenugreek-chicken/Detail.aspx

It's a short one today.... hope you have a blessed day! E