Healthy Dinner Meal

Healthy Dinner Meal is a post about getting nutrition from vegetables. Eating healthy salads with many different varieties of vegetables is an excellent way to give your body the phytonutrients that will help keep your body nourished.

Try to eat a variety of vegetables so your body recognizes and receives the different nutrients that these plants have. Some vegetables are seasonal so I enjoy the summer squash and zucchini when they are in season. Eggplant is another favorite. For the most part, I leave the skins on the vegetables unless I am making a specific recipe that calls for just the mashed potatoes out of a sweet potato. One week I will have my Vegan Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie which calls for me to peel the sweet potato skin and then the next week I will buy a large sweet potato and leave the skin on and just steam a couple of slices of that sweet potato.

There are many powerful nutrients located in the skins of the plants. The whole principle of eating for nutrition is to get as much of the healthful properties out of the food as you can. Ever notice how you are never hungry between meals when you eat the foods I have been sharing with you? I never have snacks. If I do, it would be because I bought a bag of grapes and I need to move the grapes into a container and one or two fell off the vine.

Eating raw vegetables in your salads is an excellent way to get the most enzymes, minerals, nutrients and vitamins from your food. If you need to soften the vegetables, you can lightly steam them. Many stores have the metal steamer baskets that you can place in a pot on your stove top. Add a small amount of water to the bottom and then put your metal steamer basket in to the pot. Turn your burner on a little less than medium and lightly steam. It is best to not get the temperature too hot because the nutrients will be reduced.

There is such a wide variety of vegetables to choose from every day. Grow your own garden if you can. For many years, I had the advantage of walking out into my back yard and picking fresh beans, broccoli, carrots, corn, peas, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes for about 2 months of the year. Fresh from the garden is delicious and you can tell the difference compared to what you buy at your local store.

Check your local area and find out if there is a local farmers market. There are several each week where I live right now. The produce that the organic farmers have for sale also tastes better than the commercial grown produce found in your store.

I have a blog that has many healthy recipes using beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and vegetables. You can go bookmark my site below as I am updating with new recipes each week.

Healthy Recipes

You really can eat very well and have plenty of variety in your dinner meals by trying some of the above suggestions. Your body will never miss the fat and cholesterol from the animal products.

Water

Hydrating the body first thing in the morning is very important. I start the day by drinking a quart of pure water. I have my last large glass of water of the day in the late afternoon about 4:30 pm. Just before bed I drink about 6 ounces of water when I take a Peak Systemic Enzyme

Water is so vital to our overall health. Many people are dehydrated. Our body needs 1/2 of our ideal body weight in fluid ounces of pure water each day. Coffee, tea and sodas do not count. If the weather is hot, your body will need more than the recommendation above. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink at least 75 ounces of pure water each day.

One other tip about water is drink about 12 ounces of water at least 30 minutes before your meals. Do not drink anything while you are eating and wait another hour before you drink anything else. The reason behind this hydration principle is that drinking fluids while eating will hinder the digestion process. We want the gastric juices to break down our food and this is best done by drinking the water 30 minutes before eating.

If you need to reach me, visit my Contact Page and I will be happy to help in any way I can!

As the mornings start to get chillier, swap your summertime smoothie for a warm, comforting bowl of fiber-filled oats!

Hearty, old-fashioned rolled oats in the morning will keep you satisfied until lunchtime. Raisins add a bit of natural sweetness with no added sugar.

Makes two 1-cup servings

Ingredients

4 cups water 

2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 

1/2 cup raisins 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

fortified vanilla soy or rice milk (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except nondairy milk, in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. Serve plain or with vanilla soy- or rice milk, if desired.

Variations:

• For Cinnamon-Apricot Oatmeal, replace raisins with 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots. Cook as directed.

• For Cinnamon-Apple Oatmeal, reduce water to 3 1/4 cups and replace raisins with 1 apple, peeled and coarsely chopped. Cook as directed.

• Omit raisins, cook as directed, and top each serving with a dollop (about 1 teaspoon) of fruit-sweetened jam or jelly

Per serving: 210 calories; 2.6 g fat; 0.5 g saturated fat; 11.3% calories from fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 7 g protein; 41.7 g carbohydrates; 11.1 g sugar; 4.8 g fiber; 155 mg sodium; 38 mg calcium; 2.2 mg iron; 0.5 mg vitamin C; 0 mcg Beta Carotene; 0.3 mg vitamin E

Source: Breaking the Food Seduction by Neal Barnard, M.D.; recipe by Jo Stepaniak; © Jo Stepaniak 2005, published by permission.

Healthy Breakfast for Weight Loss

 

Welcome to my Healthy Breakfast for Weight Loss post where I teach how you can lose weight by eating nutrient dense foods. Before you skip another breakfast because you just don’t have time in the morning, I strongly encourage you to go to my previous post titled: “Why Most People Never Lose Weight”. Breakfast means we are ‘breaking our fast’. Many nutritional experts agree that eating breakfast like a King, dinner like a Queen and supper like a Pauper is the healthiest dietary habits you can have.

I did not grow up eating the healthy diet that I now have. For many years I ate meats like bacon, ham and sausage with eggs and biscuits. When I learned that animal products are high in fat and cholesterol, I gradually started eliminating animal products from my diet. Ever since I got serious about what I put in my body in 2001, I have not struggled with a weight problem. Here are the foods that I have enjoyed for breakfast since 2001.

Water

Hydrating the body first thing in the morning is very important. I start the day by drinking a quart of pure water. I have my last large glass of water of the day in the late afternoon about 4:30 pm. Just before bed I drink about 6 ounces of water when I take a Peak Systemic Enzyme

Water is so vital to our overall health. Many people are dehydrated. Our body needs 1/2 of our ideal body weight in fluid ounces of pure water each day. Coffee, tea and sodas do not count. If the weather is hot, your body will need more than the recommendation above. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink at least 75 ounces of pure water each day.

One other tip about water is drink about 12 ounces of water at least 30 minutes before your meals. Do not drink anything while you are eating and wait another hour before you drink anything else. The reason behind this hydration principle is that drinking fluids while eating will hinder the digestion process. We want the gastric juices to break down our food and this is best done by drinking the water 30 minutes before eating.

Fruit

Fruit is loaded with nutrients and enzymes that give the body energy. I prefer to eat the bulk of my fruit in the morning so I can get all of the nutrients and energy to help me through the day. I like to rotate the fruit that I eat. My favorites are:

Apples

Blueberries

Canteloupe

Grapefruit

Grapes

Kiwi

Melons

Oranges

Peaches

Pears

Pineapple

Raspberries

Strawberries

Whole Grains

Whole grains are cereal grains that contain cereal germ, endosperm, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm.

Organic Oatmeal is usually in my diet every single day. Oatmeal is a great source of soluble fiber. The fiber helps reduce the bad cholesterol in the body. I also like other whole grains like:

Barley – Hulled and Dehulled (not Pearl), Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Kamut, Millet, Oat, Quinoa, Rye, Sprouted Grains, Teff, Triticale, and Whole Wheat.

I like to add a little honey to my Oatmeal and also top with a quarter cup or so of frozen blueberries.

Caldera Greens Smoothie

Ever since I learned about some powerful Organic Alfalfa, Barley, Oat and Wheat grass greens back in 2010, I have made a frozen smoothie every single morning. The greens are grown in volcanic soil in Utah, USA and give the body incredible energy and nutrients. You can watch a video I made specific about the Greens on the webpage below:

Caldera Greens

The link to my blog with many different recipes including healthy french toast, healthy oatmeal waffles and maple walnut granola is below:

Healthy Recipes

You really can eat very well and have plenty of variety in your breakfast meals by trying some of the above suggestions. Your body will never miss the fat and cholesterol from the animal products. I am amazed that even though I woke up at 05:30 this morning, I am still alert and typing this latest blog post so I would not leave my readers stranded after bringing up the problem with Obesity in the last blog post. The next post will cover a healthy dinner meal.

If you need to reach me, visit my Contact Page and I will be happy to help in any way I can!

Why Most People Never Lose Weight

Welcome to my Why Most People Never Lose Weight blog post. Did you know that the Standard American Diet ( SAD ) and lack of exercise is the main reason tens of millions of people have lifestyle diseases? Lifestyle choices are the leading cause of weight gain.

Why is the $35 to $50 billion per year Weight Loss Industry still growing rapidly?

If you are overweight like almost half of the people in North America, ( Canada and United States ) your risk of Diabetes drastically increases.

Many people have been misinformed into thinking that an overweight person can take a magic weight loss pill and still continue the same old habits of eating fast foods, junk foods and processed foods and be a couch potato. These weight loss product companies have savvy advertising that lure people into  ‘this is not your fault’  kind of thinking. They hire celebrity spokespersons and proclaim that if you buy their low carbohydrate burgers, pizzas and desserts, you can just continue with your current lifestyle.

Folks, if nothing changes, NOTHING CHANGES. What happens over time is you spend hundreds of dollars on their processed foods and never make the changes that will give you the life you so long to have. You will decide that their expensive prepared packaged foods or weight loss pills are too expensive and cancel your order. There is hope so read on!

Here is a typical lifestyle as far as foods eaten by many of the people who are overweight.

Bad Habits

You ate a heavy meal at supper time and might have snacked on junk foods late at night when the metabolism is very slow. All of the calories are turned to fat because your food is not burned up while you are sleeping. Poor digestion causes your body to continue working on the digestion process while you try to sleep.

You stayed up late at night watching depressing news reports of people being killed, raped or murdered. Many people do not get enough sleep as it is. Sleep helps the body repair your immune system which is your defense against illness and disease. Your alarm goes off and you now have to rush out of your home without getting any nutrients into your body.

A favorite donut shop is on your way to work. You stop in and get a large coffee with mega caffeine because you need so called energy. The sugary donuts and caffeine are not the kind of energy your body needs.

Around mid morning, your body is hungry again. Your body is actually starving for water as it is dehydrated. The hunger is actually a signal that the body did not get the nutrients and water it needs to function properly. You grab another coffee and someone has brought in some cookies and pastries and you take a coffee break.

You get to go to lunch for 30 minutes and only have time to run to a greasy burger restaurant and you are really hungry now so you order a super size burger, fries and soda. You have to eat fast and get back to your job so the break is adding more stress to your life.

Mid afternoon you are again hungry and by this time your body is starving for water and nutrients. Our body needs 1/2 of the ideal body weight in fluid ounces each day to maintain health. There is very little nutrition in any of the foods you have eaten so far today. If you get an afternoon break at work, you head straight for a vending machine and grab a bag of potato chips that are loaded with salt and fat. You also need that afternoon sugar soda because you feel drowsy.

When your work day is over, you may be stuck on a freeway in your car or deal with commuting on a crowded bus or train. You were going to go and work out at the gym or go for a brisk 30 minute walk in your neighborhood but you are too tired due to lack of nutrition and proper hydration.

By the time you reach your home, the only thing you want to do is order a pizza. The ball game is on so you may open up an alcoholic beverage or two. Alcoholic beverages have many calories. You may argue that the red wine you drink is for your heart health. You can get better nutrients and antioxidants from organic grapes and leave all the calories from the wine alone.

Your pizza arrives and you can put your feet up and watch a ball game or a situation comedy show. The next thing you know it is time for the late news and once again, you start the cycle over.

Is there a way out of this unhealthy lifestyle? YES !

What is the Answer to Why Most People Never Lose Weight?

My very next post is titled Healthy Breakfast. I show you with a video and in writing the kinds of foods that have helped me maintain permanent weight loss since 2001. I was 70 pounds over weight and came home from Alaska Airlines one day and realized I had to make some changes to my diet. I was eating a very similar diet to the one I just laid out for you above. I have been abstinent from alcohol for decades but I really liked sodas and coffee.

If you need to eliminate the late night news show so you can go to bed earlier, then adjust your schedule by 30 minutes or an hour. You will have plenty of time now in the morning to prepare some healthy foods for your breakfast. I always made my healthy lunch meal for the next day the night before and kept it in the refrigerator so it would be ready the next morning.

Some really good news for you is that the money you have been spending on fast foods and processed foods will easily buy you fresh organic beans, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables and whole grains. It is amazing how many delicious recipes you can make from these food groups. Best of all when you eat foods as grown, there is no nutrition label so your body will be getting the nutrients it needs for good health. Have you ever seen a nutrition label on an apple or kiwi?

By skipping the late night news you will not worry about all the insanity in the world and sleep better. You are on your way to permanent change. Hang on and experience the way life is meant to be! I know many people that began to live their lives again by breaking away from the television set.

Many people are now engaged in hobbies and activities that they are passionate about. Here are just a few:

Bicycle Riding Groups

Board Games

Book Clubs

Chess

Church Activities

Civic Activities

Dancing Clubs

Hiking and Walking Groups

Mexican Train Dominoes

Poetry Clubs

Your body will feel alive again as it has the energy needed to function each day. Permanent weight loss is all about giving the body the following:

1. Body Needs Nutrients

2. Body Needs Pure Water

3. Body Needs to Move ( Exercise )

Here is a link to my Blog with hundreds of healthy recipes in my Healthy Living category. If you want to be alerted of my next blog post, just Subscribe in the top right of the page. I never sell, share or disclose any personal information due to my Privacy Policy and out of professional courtesy. Who knows, you may become a Medical Missionary yourself!

Healthy Living Blog