Let's Go Nuts!

As I learn more and more about health and nutrition, it's impossible to ignore the health benefits of nuts!  Almonds especially are a healthy nut and have become one of my favorite snacks.  The numerous nutritional benefits of almonds are too long to list here but I found a great article on almonds which you can read by clicking here.  After reading this article, I know I'm going to probably make them a daily snack!   I'm also going to post a recipe I created earlier this week!  (I'm getting so creative in the kitchen these days, aren't I?)  The recipe is for Almond Oatmeal and it turned out delicious!!!!  

Almond Oatmeal

1 serving cooked oatmeal (Old Fashioned or steel-cut is best)

1 tblsp. natural almond butter

1/8 cup milk or almond milk

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1 drop almond extract or emulcifier

Stir ingredients together and enjoy!

"Time To Get Extreme, Baby!"

Yeah, I'm hearing that pretty much daily!  Chalene Johnson likes to make her workouts motivating and exciting, that's for sure.  And it's keeping me motivated and excited!  I've finished 2 weeks of ChaLean Extreme now and LOVING it!  Totally different style than Tony Horton, Debbie Siebers, or Shaun-T (some of my other favorite Beachbody trainers!) but she gets you moving right away and pushes you to go past limits you didn't know you were capable of.  Considering the progress I've made in just two weeks, I can't wait to see where I'll be at the end of the three month program!!!  Want more info on ChaLean or other Beachbody workouts?  Contact me and I'll help you pick out the best one for you!

Thoughts On a Quiet Morning

I had an "aha" moment this morning.  (Don't you just love those?)  I have been reading two books lately (yes, I usually have several going at once), "Having a Mary Spirit" by Joanna Weaver and "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson.  I recently bought several books, these two included, and later after taking some time to read the summaries on the backs of the books and briefly skimming through the contents, I realized, "Hey, these books are all basically about attitude!"  You think God's trying to tell me something?  Anyway, these two books have already impacted me greatly and have attributed much to the "aha" moment of the morning.  I realized that my biggest struggle at this stage of my life is simply DOING!  I KNOW where it is I want to be in my life (spiritually, physically, mentally, financially, etc.); I know HOW to get there; I have all the tools and resources to get there; I have the motivation and the desire to get there; I recognize my strengths and my weaknesses that can help me or hinder me from getting there.  So why am I NOT there????  It's simply a matter of DOING!  Ok, so yeah, Nike has it right with their slogan, "Just Do It".  Regardless of feelings or emotions, motivations or desire, I need to JUST DO IT.  Not talk about it, think about it, plan it (yes, I am a planner!!!), but JUST DO IT.  Maybe you're thinking, "THIS is your 'aha' moment?!  That's it!? I've had that one figured out for years!!!  Duh!"  So you have it all together - congratulations.  But I'll be the first one to admit that I don't.  For me it's gonna be quite a journey!  And it's a journey that will most likely take my lifetime.  Just wanted to share my random and chaotic thoughts as I turn things over to God and continue on this journey, the one that He has mapped out for me.   I can't wait to see what adventures lie ahead for me next!

Tuna Recipe!

Lunch time rolled around today and I had a can of tuna (Chicken of the Sea, which my 4 year old is completely convinced that it is actually canned mermaid meat and therefore refuses to eat it!).  I was SO not in the mood for tuna salad...again!  So I decided to CREATE!  It turned out delicious!  I needed a creative name for my creation cuz Round, Flat Yummy Tuna Thingy just wasn't going to get the fame it deserved so I searched around online for photos and ideas and found that my idea wasn't really all that original.  Oh well, fame isn't all it's cracked up to be anyway, I'm sure.  Meanwhile, here's MY version of apparently what is called a Tuna Burger.  I served mine over salad greens and topped it with some feta cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette but you could also put it on a bun to make it an actual burger if you prefer.

2 5 oz. cans of tuna in water, well drained

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

Pinch of salt

1/8 tsp. dill

1 beaten egg

(Just sayin', I don't measure things so these are approximates).  Mix all ingredients together and grill or fry in olive oil cooking spray.  Enjoy!

DAY 1!!!

Yep, it's that time.  I started a new program today - I was due for a fresh beginning.  I had great results with P90X, took a shot at Insanity, did some combination stuff for awhile, and now time to get down to business with ChaLean Extreme!  I started today with Burn Circuit 1.  It was a good first day, in spite of the many interruptions during my workout from my 17 month old, but I got it done!  Also, it was virtually a perfect day of eating.  I have to say, I love Chalene Johnson and her way of motivating you throughout the workout.  Every Beachbody trainer has their own style and I definitely have my favorites.  I'm looking forward to what the next 3 months will bring with Chalene!  I will be adding in running a few times a week as well as switching some of the cardio up with Insanity for variety.  I also ordered the ChaLean Deluxe upgrade and can't wait to get that in the mail!  If you want to join me in this journey, let me know - just email me or click here for FREE membership which will also give you ME as your own personal coach.  Join me now and let's get started!!!

Say Goodbye to the Food Pyramid!

Beachbody's latest newsletter had an interesting article concerning the new USDA recommendations.  Enjoy!  And if you would like to have access to all of Beachbody's great articles, click HERE to become a FREE member and receive the weekly newsletters!

Say Goodbye to the Food Pyramid!

By Denis Faye

In their continued quest to be a relevant source of information regarding the American diet, the USDA retired their food pyramid earlier this month, replacing it with MyPlate, the new, improved—not to mention circular—representation of how they think the general public should eat. The recommendations really didn't change from the 2010 food pyramid revamp, but it's progress nonetheless, I suppose. It may have taken them 19 years, but the government has finally figured out that average Americans tend to eat on round plates, as opposed to triangular ones.

The new graphic features a plate filled with equal portions of veggies and grains, smaller but still substantial portions of fruits and proteins, and a small(ish) serving of dairy. While these portion sizes haven't changed, MyPlate is an improvement on the old recommendations based primarily on the plain, clear language featured front and center on the main page of the Web site, right below the graphic:

Balancing Calories

• Enjoy your food, but eat less.
• Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase

• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Make at least half your grains whole grains.
• Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce

• Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals—and choose the foods with lower numbers.
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

For you Beachbody^® types, this is all no-brainer intel, but if you walk down to your local mega-box store and have a look at all the folks pulling elastic-waisted pants off the plus-size racks, you'll see visual evidence that Americans just don't know how to eat. So good for the USDA for using simple, basic language to point out universal truths.

In defense of the USDA

If you spend much time in the food blogosphere, you know that the USDA's latest educational effort has many detractors. Complaints are probably best summed up by the blog Fooducate:

"With all due respect, the USDA should not be the government body dishing out (pun intended) nutrition advice . . . It's not a good idea to have the same organization that promotes agricultural and food production and sales be the one telling us what's healthy to eat."

While this is a valid point, I think we should save the conspiracy theories for Elvis, JFK, and the UFOs. Big Agra might have played a role in making MyPlate closer to McPlate, but I think a far more oppressive special interest group at play here is the American people in general. For example, let's look at the USDA's continued insistence that we need up to 8 servings of grains a day. In truth, while grains are a perfectly acceptable source of carbs, fiber, and other nutrients for 90 percent of the population, they pale nutritionally when compared to vegetables. However, if the government came out and told consumers they'd be better off with more salads and fewer sandwiches, Americans just wouldn't have it. We love our bread, so my guess is that the USDA keeps the grain numbers up in order to keep us from ignoring the recommendations completely. A telling sign of this is the bright red italic, large-font message plastered all over the MyPlate Web site: "Key Consumer Message: Make at least half your grains whole grains."

Half? Really? I haven't had a refined grain in about 2 weeks. There's no need for refined grain in a healthy diet—and I don't think the USDA put this plea in there to appease Big Agra, which profits from grain sales whether consumers eat the bran and husk or not. This "Key Consumer Message" has the distinct ring of a negotiation you have with a 6-year-old when you're trying to get him to eat his broccoli. It was put in there to appease those Americans who refuse to accept that Pop-Tarts^® aren't a complete nutritional source.

Another complaint a lot of people have is the continued importance placed on dairy in the recommendations. I'm prone to agree, but in defense of the USDA, the site does plainly feature the section, "For those who choose not to consume milk products."

Where they screwed up

Warm fuzzies aside, I do think the USDA could have done a few things differently. As I mentioned earlier, their treatment of grains was a little off. Also, their handling of protein leaves a lot to be desired. It assumes that consumers eat meat. While there is an informative section on the vegetarian diet, I'd rather see a more integrated approach to plant-based nutrition. For people who regularly eat meat and just want a few nonmeat protein options, MyPlate offhandedly recommends beans and nuts, and that's about it. In a way, this is decent advice, because combining these two foods with all the grain you're supposed to eat will give you all the amino acids you need to have complete proteins, but a more effective path would have been to create a whole separate nut-and-bean portion equal to the grain portion. With the guaranteed complete proteins this approach would introduce into the user's diet, he or she could reduce the meat protein portion to a healthier level.

Another notable absence from MyPlate is education on healthy fats vs. unhealthy fats, save a vague message stating, "Oils are NOT a food group, but they provide essential nutrients. Therefore, oils are included in USDA food patterns." Given the vast amount of research that indicates the health benefits of good fats, not to mention the fact that some fatty acids are ESSENTIAL to human health, the USDA might want to think about giving fat its own food group. Under this umbrella, they could stress the importance of foods like olive oil, avocados, and, most of all, super-nutritious nuts and seeds.

Some of you might note that I've just suggested adding two additional food groups to MyPlate, thus further complicating an already complex topic to educate people on. I concede that I understand why the USDA sugar-coats (literally!) their nutritional advice, with a little refined flour here and a little ham there, but that doesn't mean they need to dumb down their message. As long as information is presented clearly to them, humans are capable of understanding remarkably complex issues, be they delivered via circle or triangle.

Case in point? The University of Michigan's Healing Foods Pyramid (http://www.med.umich.edu/umim/food-pyramid/index.htm), which offers the nut/bean and fat portion changes I suggested, plus several others, in a concise, understandable way. It breaks down food choices into weekly and daily needs; stresses the importance of hydration; and even includes space for "accompaniments," a euphemism for "junk food."

The USDA could learn a thing or two from these college kids. They should certainly spend a little time on the Healing Foods Pyramid before coming out with their next round of nutritional suggestions. I applaud the USDA for trying to do the right thing by the American public, but maybe it's time to step up the game a little and assume we can handle a little tough nutritional love. Next time, let's spend a little less time worrying about the shape of the plate and a little more time figuring out what should go on it.

Goodbye, Vacation...

Yep, it's true...all good things must come to an end.  We had a great vacation - in fact, I believe this was probably the best vacation our family has ever had!  I'm so thankful that we were able to take this time away from the norm.

But, now it's back to normal life!!!  It seems like I should be sad that such a fantastic vacation has come to an end but instead, I'm enjoying reflecting on the memories we made as well as looking forward to the future events with renewed motivation and inspiration!  I took some time this morning to write down my goals for the summer and think about what I want to accomplish in the next couple of months.  On the health spectrum of my goals, I will be starting ChaLean Extreme on Monday, July 11th.  If you want to join me on this journey, regardless of the program you'll be doing, feel free to email me.  For extra support, find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/susan.kihleng) and I'll add you to my Accountability group.  Look forward to hearing from you!!!