Sunday 9 December 2012

Tea for me!

I'm not a huge "weight loss" advocate.  I'm a "be healthy" advocate.   It isn't about pounds (or kilograms) it's about feeling good, and being able to do things you want to do.

I started University in September, and as exams are coming to a close, I'm looking back on the past few months.    A friend of mine and I were recently talking about "Freshman 15" and I commented that I've done the reverse- I've LOST weight my first semester in University.  I am overweight, so this is a good thing because it contributes to being healthy.  Now it may be easier for me because it's not my first time on my own, I live off campus so I'm not stuck with cafeteria food, and I'm in my late 20s.

Looking back on the semester I've noted a few things that have helped me in becoming healthier.   My school has some amazing aquafitness classes and I love anything that's in the water.   I've been going to Aquazumba at least twice a week (three times when I can) and I've recently discovered I really like another Aquafit class they do (deep pool) so I plan on going 5 times a week to an aquafit class of some sort.

Another huge thing that has helped, I'm sure, is my tea addiction that has come full force with University (and the opening of a Davids Tea near where I live).    I like water, I drink a lot of water, but I don't always like bland tasting things, or if my stomach is a bit upset, I can't deal with the taste of water.   I've started consuming a lot of tea though.  Out of the 15 kinds of tea I own, only one has sugar in it, and I rarely add any kind of sugar to the teas... occasionally a dash of agave, but that's pretty rare.   Not only am I drinking more water,  I can't remember the last time I had juice in my refrigerator (which is my go-to for flavoured beverages,  even though I'd only buy 100% juice, it's still a lot of calories and a lot of sugar).   I've inadvertently increased my water intake and decreased my sugar intake.   Awesome!

There's lots of different teas, from lots of different places.  I like the exotic kind of teas you can get in North America from places like David's Tea, Teavana or Steeped Tea.  I'm sure there's countless local tea places across the country as well, you should definitely look into it.   Not all tea I drink is caffeinated (tea only counts as water providing you're taking in less than 500mg of caffeine per day), there are tons of great herbal teas as well, I'm currently drinking a delicious one that I've iced called Pink Flamingo which is a grapefruit, tangerine flavour.

Plus, tea lattés are fantastic.  Instead of buying ones with tons of calories and sugar from coffee shops, I make my own thanks to a $16 milk frother I bought at Stokes (You can get them from $2 at Ikea up to super expensive ones).   Occasionally I'll use Goat Milk, but I've been using soy or almond milk a lot lately- and now, tis the season,   Almond "egg" nog.


You don't need to become a tea addict like me to be healthier, the point of this post are that sometimes it's the little things you do that make a huge change in the long run-  so maybe exercise an extra day a week, or swap out pop or juice for water sometimes.

I'm off to Germany and Austria for Christmas,  I am sure I will report back in January with all the fun, delicious (and probably decadent and fattening) things I've consumed over the holidays.... and will be back with New Years Resolutions :)

Have a great holiday season everyone, and Stay Healthy!

Wednesday 3 October 2012

Fatty McFatterson

This post I'm going to talk about myself, and some personal experiences.   It was inspired by the following two things:

The Fat Nutritionist blog

and


She makes a good point- that the person doesn't know her.  Doesn't know anything about her.  I think there's a this idea, this stereotype that all skinny people are healthy, and all overweight people are unhealthy. Science has blasted through this myth but the average person doesn't seem to look to science for answers. Obesity does play some part in certain illnesses, but above all else- a person who eats well and is active is healthier and less at risk for diseases than someone who does not.

I'm fat.  I know I'm fat.  This isn't a shock.  I'm working to lose weight, but I love me regardless.  For years I felt guilty for opting to have dessert when I ate out, or for having having a fast food veggieburger.  For the most part, I eat healthy, but I don't deprive myself of everything that's not healthy.

The past 8 years have been a struggle weight wise.  In high school I was a bit overweight, when I was 17 I was in a car accident that destroyed the cartilage in my right knee.  I couldn't walk without it hurting for about 3 years well it rebuilt (I did 3 years of physio).  That put a damper in my physical activity level.   A few years after that I found out I had a neurological problem, and while everyone was telling me it was just in my head because I was a stressed student I was pretty much bedridden for about a year and a half.  Finally I got competent doctors and they figured it out.  All that lack of activity slowly added up pound upon pound though.  

I still have some neurological issues, one of which is Trigeminal Neuralgia which flares up every once in awhile (not in the past 2 years thankfully!).  TN is a horribly painful condition that I don't ever wish upon anyone.  It causes constant, intense pain in half of your face.  You can't sleep, you can't eat properly, painkillers do absolutely nothing and it makes sane people go crazy.  It has some of the highest rates of suicidal tendances of a medical condition, and I understand why.

I remember being in Cuba a few years ago, on the medication that they finally discovered works for me, I have to stay on it for about a month at a time.  It makes the pain stop, it makes me able to sleep, eat, and function normally. Honestly, it makes me not want to die in order to stop the pain.  Those thoughts terrified me at the time.  However it also causes rapid weight gain.  I was in Cuba about half way through my 2 week stay when 2 female tourists from Canada decided they would "talk to me about my weight".   I started by saying that I was aware I was overweight, that I was working out and eating well and trying to be healthy, but that currently I was on medication that also caused weight gain (The first time around I gained over 30lbs in a month).  One of them told me that I shouldn't be taking it then because I couldn't afford to gain more weight.

The audacity of that blew me away.  They didn't know me, they didn't know what I've gone through.  To suggest I stop taking a medication because THEY felt the side effects weren't worth it... was just deplorable in my mind.   To me, weight gain was an easy trade to get rid of the pain induced psychosis that TN caused me.  I got to feel like my normal self again.  I can't imagine anyone suggesting someone live a life of insane pain in order to not be fat.  A few years ago I talked to a girl who was also on the same medication (she had slightly less weight gain, but was on it long term so it was a constant struggle for her to balance it out.)  She said to me "It's worth it to constantly struggle with my weight, because the alternative if this drug didn't exist, is that I don't think I'd be alive to struggle with it".  There are many medications that you can try for TN, most of them anti-epileptic... many of them with some scary side effects like a high risk of Drug Induced Lupus, Stevens–Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) feel free to google those to see how scary they are. 

The Fat Nutritionist talks a lot about different experiences and stereotypes.  I find it a really interesting blog.

For now I'm going to concentrate on school, workout (ps if you've never tried Aquazumba, do it.  It's amazing, I'm addicted) whenever I'm able to, and eat healthy, but eat happy too. 

Don't judge people by their appearances.  I know skinny girls who can't run up stairs, fat girls who can, fat girls who can't and skinny girls who can.   The world isn't about being fat or skinny.  It's about being you, trying to be healthy and being happy. 

A side note,  my boyfriend is supportive of me living a healthy lifestyle, but less enthusiastic about me losing weight. A direct quote: "If you lose weight... what about your boobs?"
Oh boob men.

Stay Healthy, Stay Happy!

Friday 21 September 2012

Summer's over... Time to start again!

So it's been quite awhile since I've updated!

A lot has changed. I moved in April and I'm now living in the beautiful province of Prince Edward Island, and pursuing my BSc with a major in Life Sciences Biology and a minor in Food and Nutrition.

It's a lot easier to get access to locally produced food in PEI.   I spent the summer working at a gourmet hot dog place that used fresh, organic meat.  I spent the summer shopping at farmers markets, this amazing farm called Balderston's that's about a 15 minute drive away from me that lets you pick your own herbs from their extensive gardens, as well as carries a huge variety of fresh produce.

It's been a great year here so far.  I've decided to restart up my blog and fill it with fun information about food and nutrition.   Ottawa gave me a lot to rant about... I don't really have a lot to rant about here (but time will tell!)

I'll market this post as a picture of food post.

University has been a change in food I eat.  There are days where I'm on campus for 10-12hrs, and this usually results in me eating at the dining hall.   On the plus side, there's always a vegetarian option (on the downside they've already made me sick by telling me something was vegetarian, and then I found meat in it).  The food is meh.  Lunch is worth the $9 (all you can eat).  Supper is not worth the $13+, in my opinion.  I ate there once for supper... will likely never do it again.

They also call things weird things.  I indulged in dessert once because they were advertising "Strawberry Shortcake" and apparently I have never had proper shortcake (it comes on a biscuit... not on angelfood or poundcake like you always seem to get in Ontario).

First of all.. those are blueberries, not strawberries.  It's the end of blueberry season, so if they had been fresh it should have been delicious.  They had been frozen though... there were chunks of something that may have been strawberries at one time in it.  The biscuit itself was decent, the "cream" may or may not have been a milk product.  It was quiet gross... thick and heavy. 


So food is hit or miss at the dining hall.   In my Nutrition Lab, food is delicious though :)  We made homemade chicken noodle soup, which I will likely make a vegetarian version of at home.  It was so simple and easy to make, and from what I hear, DELICIOUS.

Chicken noodle soup.  The basic recipe is:

250ml water
2.5ml chicken bouillon
15ml finely chopped carrots
5ml finely chopped celery
1/2 chicken breast

125ml/gr of noodles (we used german style egg noodles)

pour water into sauce pan, add checken boullion, stir until dissolved(will need to heat to dissolve)
chop carrots and celery, add to soup
add noodles
chop chicken into small slices
bring to a boil (100*C) for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes.
Enjoy!
This recipe makes about 2 small bowls, so double/triple/quadruple it

I would sub the chicken bouillon for vegetable bouillon and the chicken for tofu slices. 
Use corn noodles instead of egg noodles for a gluten free version!


 Unfortunately Nutrition Lab is only once a week, so not a convenient place to eat ;) There's a lot of fast food places around campus (I'm not a huge fast food fan) but there is a food truck that I'm in love with. I eat there about once every 2 weeks.  I spent the summer addicted to their Tuscan Grilled Cheese, but I went back to the Veggie Burger (Their first vegetarian option) today and realized how much I miss a good, juicy, messy burger.   Vegetarians often lose out when it comes to burgers because there's something so satisfying, so primal about a messy burger... and one that's vegetarian is hard to find.
This delicious eggplant burger is from The Big Orange Lunchbox, located across the street from the University.  It was sloppy and messy and absolutely satisfying.  It's also healthy which gives it even more points!   Eggplant, blackberry balsamic dressing, arugula, goat cheese, tomatoes, caramelized onion apple jam on a fresh bun made by a local baker (Buns and Things).   They have an extensive menu, and are looking for a home for the winter. 


This isn't going to be a "food blog" in the sense that I'm going to spend all my time reviewing local places.  I do plan on posting awesome recipes from Nutrition lab, cool facts from Biology and Nutrition classes - For instance,  a huge Meta analysis was just done and showed that Omega 3 Supplementation has very little effect on heart health.  (so get your Omega's naturally!) 

ANY hopefully I'll still have the occasional healthy rant ;)


Stay Healthy!


Monday 30 January 2012

Heart Healthy Happiness

I hope everyone has been enjoying the new year!

Today we're going to talk about having a healthy heart!   What prompted this post?  January tends to be a stressful time for a lot of people.  Maybe you overspent in December and are freaking out about making it up, if you work in retail, January is a dead month, so finances may not be as great, it's also "End of year" for a lot of retail and various other establishments, and it's also a really sad month.  There isn't another good holiday for awhile (If you're lucky enough to live in Ontario, Alberta or Saskatchewan, you'll probably have Family Day off near the end of February).  

I've been stressing out a lot, working 7 days a week, and not socializing very much.  I'm making more of an attempt to socialize now... I've also been lax about going to the gym, as it's been really busy all of a sudden with New Years Resolutionists, and working 7 days a week for the past month has just made me tired all of the time. 

UNFORTUNATELY this has caused a spike in my blood pressure which is freaking me out a bit.  (It's not overly high, but it's borderline, and I've always prided myself on being normal.... well... my blood pressure being normal at least ;) )

So if you're stressing out, here are some tips to help keep your heart healthy and happy!

#1:  Lower your sodium intake.   This is the first thing any doctor, nurse or nutritionist will likely tell you.  There's a large population of people who are "salt sensitive",  sodium makes their body retain an abnormal amount of water, which causes stress on the heart.  Instead of salt to season things, add herbs and spices, limit or restrict processed foods and salty junk foods (opt for "Low sodium" options if you're a chip junkie- Lays makes them.) When buying anything labelled Low Sodium- watch out for fat content.  A lot of companies will increase fat content to maintain flavour, but it's just as bad for you. 

#2:  Sleep less, exercise more.  Your heart likes sleep... but it also likes exercise.  If you have hypertension or are at risk for it,  you need to make sure you're not oversleeping (lazy heart!) and you need to do cardio!  Don't stress your heart out though, there are studies showing that intense cardio activity can put you at risk for a heart attack (stressed out heart!).  Go for a 30 minute walk, or bike ride, aerobics class, swim, Wii or Playstation Move game, at least 5 times a week (or an hour 3 times a week if 5 times doesn't work with your schedule). 

#3:  Have Fun!! In Chinese Medicine the Heart is linked to Joy.  So spend some time with friends, watch a funny movie, go to a comedy show, whatever makes you happy- set aside some time to do it!

#4:  Relax!   The first 2 days after I found out my blood pressure was high, I was freaking out - and it got higher.   Realize that blood pressure can change a lot within 5 minutes, so don't worry to much, just make a note of it, and make some changes to keep your heart happy.

#5: Herbs and Vitamins:  If you want to go the supplement route, talk to your doctor.  Omega 3s are proven to lower blood pressure and maintain cardiovascular help (It's better in general to take a 3-6-9 together though, 3&6 regulate each other). Hawthorn Berry has been shown to help with cardiovascular conditions, including blood pressure, but it can take up to 2 months before you see effects. 

#6: Stay Hydrated!   Drink adequate amounts of water- limit (or restrict) pop/soda intake.  Your body tells you it's thirsty after you've been thirsty for a long time, so drink water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated and prevent that "I'm thirsty feeling".  Some people don't like the "taste" of water-  add lemon, lime, ginger or mint if you're not down with the flavour (or lack thereof).

I think part of it is that I feel bad for my heart.  If I could give it a hug, I would.  I went through years of anxiety and heart palpitations, I feel my heart should be pampered after all the crap my brain put it through, not stressed!

Here's hoping your heart stays healthy and happy!

 


Tuesday 3 January 2012

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year everyone!

Holidays are over for most people.  Did you indulge in December?  (Over indulge?).   A lot of people start January with New Years resolutions to be healthier, lose weight, get fit, eat better, etc etc.

The problem a lot of people have is they start with goals that seem hard to obtain (eg. "I will lose 40lbs this year").   You're more likely to have success if you set obtainable, smaller goals.

"I will lose 5lbs this month" is a lot more realistic of a goal, and you'll feel awesome when you meet that goal, and it will motivate you to continue!

So how are you going to meet your goals?

Here are some simple tips for people who tend to be less than active:

Walk.  This may seem hard in winter, but on nice days, go for a walk!  Even little things like parking at the other side of the shopping centre,  grocery store or at work, or taking the stairs at work. Everything adds up.

Game: Do you have a gaming system? (Wii/Xbox/PS3) Look into active games (Wii Fit, Just Dance, Dance Central, EA Sports etc) and have fun while you get fit!

Youtube!  Youtube has tons of things to try- Tae Bo, Zumba, Dance routines, there's fun, free, videos for everyone of every level.  Clear some space in front of your computer, set your laptop up in an open area, setup youtube on your Wii/Xbox etc, and get moving!

Join a class with a friend: Be it swimming, dance, aerobics or whatever.  If you have someone with you, you'll be more likely to go.


Having trouble curbing those eating habits?
Everyone has things that they love- be it pop/soda, candy, chocolate, chips... whatever your food habit is, there's a way to deal with it.

There's a new(ish) trend going around of eating really healthy for 6 days, then binge eating junk food on the 7th day.  This is really bad for your body.  You're spending one day overloading your system with toxins and chemicals or high fats/carbs, when you typically don't eat it.  It will spike your blood glucose levels and overwork your liver, kidneys, pancreas and gallbladder, just to start.

If you can, start by purchasing "healthier" versions of your favourite snacks (baked chips, organic candy, dark chocolate etc)  If you like the fizziness of pop, try sparkling water.

Snack in small amounts.  Don't binge!:  Most people thrive on smaller meals throughout the day.  It's good to keep your metabolism up, instead of roller coastering it.  This is hard at most jobs, so your best bet is to snack.  Figure out healthy snacks you like- mixed nuts, trail mix, crackers, fruit, veggies, and munch munch munch throughout the day.  You can incorporate your guilty pleasures into the mix as well (have a few chips, or a couple of pieces of candy, or throw some dark chocolate into your trail mix).

If you tend to overindulge in junk food- start by cutting down (most smokers will tell you that cutting things out cold turkey, doesn't usually last).  Drink 5 cans of coke per day?  cut down to 4 the first week, 3 the second week etc.  (Don't switch to diet thinking it's healthier. It's not. I will always advocate more natural things versus chemical things, even if the natural things aren't good for you)

Drink More Water: Drinking water can help curb your appetite to some degree, also staying hydrated is important in general, but moreso when you're working out or eating less than fantastic.  Happy Hydrated Organs work better :)

Most of all, enjoy yourself.  If you're working out and not enjoying yourself, you're less likely to keep with it.  So find things you like doing, try new things, and you're more likely to be successful.  Also don't beat yourself up if you miss a day of exercise or have a bad day of eating.  The more you berate yourself, the harder it will be to get back on track.

Stay Healthy!