Something off the Path

I did something 6 years ago that I thought I would never do. I was influenced by a colleague, Jack, he was into healthy living, natural living, and alternative remedies. He convinced me after many talks into cleansing my colon. I know, sounds gross, and in reality it is. He told me that I would feel better, sleep better, have more energy, digest food better and more thoroughly, as well as many other benefits. I was skeptical and was frankly afraid to try something like that.

He turned me onto a product by a company called Nature's Secret, Super Cleanse. It was amazing. After a week of using Super Cleanse, which is essentially a large dose of natural fiber, I felt like a totally new person. I was alert, not tired, energetic, had less gas, heartburn....truly amazing. And I lost 7 lbs in that week from shedding the excess plaque that was lining my digestive tract.

I would definitely consult a physician before doing this just to make sure. And always follow the directions or call Nature's Secret if you have any questions. Also, you must drink a lot of water is you take this. Also, stay close to "home base" if you know what I mean. The waste wants to come out quickly and the need to evacuate comes even quicker.

An Interesting View on Foods

This is from an e-mail I received today..................enjoy.

A friend sent this to me. It's been said that God first separated the
salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, and made animals and
fish..
all before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before
we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...

God left us great clues as to what foods
help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy!
Amazing!
A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the
human eye... and YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow
to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of
the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell
and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.
Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help
develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human
kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength.
Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they
look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this?
It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.
Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from
all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Italian Garlic Turkey Burgers

Do you want to wow your friends with a spiced up healthy burger? This is it.
Prep time 10 minutes, cooking time 10-20 minutes.

Ingredients: Makes 4 burgers

1lb ground turkey
1/8 cup minced garlic
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1/8 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
4 slices of your favorite low or no fat cheese
4 whole wheat hamburger rolls

Mix the turkey, garlic, onion, oregano until fully mixed together. Make 4 hamburger patties.

Place in pan lightly coated with olive oil to prevent sticking. Lightly sprinkle Old Bay on top of burger and also when you turn it over. Cook like any burger until grilled to taste.

Top with a slice of cheese and yellow, dijon or spicy mustard. (Avoid ketchup or creamy mustards, way too much fat and/or sugar)

Serve with a salad or your favorite veggie, I prefer green beans.
Enjoy, that one is one of the best recipes.

Quick Chicken Roll-ups

This is a real quick and easy recipe, especially if you use Perdue pre-cooked chicken tenderloins (bought at Costco).

Ingredients: (for two roll-ups)
2 Perdue Chicken Tenderloins
Old Bay Seasoning
1/4 large onion
leaf lettuce or spinach
2 tbsp. fat free mayonnaise
2 Spinach lawash flatbread

Either bake the chicken tenderloins or microwave then if they are pre-cooked like the Perdue tenderloins I use. Cut into 1/4" strips and sprinkle the Old Bay very lightly over the pieces.

Into a spinach flatbread, fill it like a burrito, first, spread the mayo evenly, layer the lettuce or spinach over the mayo, place a portion of the chicken and diced onion on top. Roll up like a burrito.

This recipe will takes me less than 10 minutes to build, and it is real good for you.

If you want even better flavor, saute the onions in olive oil until softened or add sauted green, red, orange or yellow onions. Another twist is to sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese in the filler. If you want spice, add some sliced jalapenos with the onions.

This recipe is great and is making me hungry....enjoy!!

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

This is a great recipe for an in between meal snack. I will eat it instead of popcorn when watching TV. It is one of my favorites. This has a wonderful aroma as well.

Preheat oven to 375deg.

In a gallon size plastic bag (or a real large bowl) put even quantities of a combo of cut fresh broccoli and cauliflower in the bag or bowl.

Pour 1/2 cup of olive oil over the pieces.

Add about a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Old Bay seasoning to the bag or bowl.

Shake bag or mix all ingredients in bowl until all pieces are coated with the olive oil and the Old Bay.

Place the mix onto a cookie sheet evenly.

Cook on center rack for 30-45 minutes until the pieces are softened.

Warning: Let the veggies cool until cool enough to eat (they will be "lava hot" right out of the oven)

Enjoy.

Low Carb Scramble

This is a great, rich tasting, fast scrambled egg recipe that is low in fat, low in carbs. A great way to start your day.

Take 1/2 a container of Egg Beater type product and pour into a bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of softened fat free cream cheese.
Mix all together.

Pour into a pan with 2 tablespoons of heated olive oil.

Add 1/2 cup of your favorite peppers, red, orange, yellow, jalapeno.

Cook until eggs are cooked thoroughly.

A great way to eat scrambled eggs is topped with salsa.

Enjoy.

Eating = Choices

How many people do you know that complain about not being able to lose weight, get rid of excess fat, of yo-yo up and down with fad diets. That is because we, especially Americans, look at food from the wrong perspective. We look at food as enjoyment, as comfort, instead of as fuel for the body to operate. Foods with fats, oils, carbs, processed foodstuffs tend to make our palettes happy and satisfied. We like that feeling and many of us are driven to seek that feeling at every meal or snack. For some folks it is almost a psychological issue somewhat like an addiction.

Let's step back for a minute and look at human beings as a functioning processing unit.....
Humans are similar to machines. Machines need fuels and materials and maintenance to continue to function properly. We also need the right inputs to function properly. We need to come to an understanding about food (as well as many other things we ingest, smoke, drink, etc.)........food needs to be viewed as fuel for the body to function. This is not easy to do, trust me on this, I struggled with this for a long time.

Looking at "food as fuel" is a mindset. It is an attitude. It is looking the logic of just what is necessary to maintain a well functioning being. I guarantee that me just preaching will not change your mindset about food. So, recommended reading from experts is what I prescribe.

I will leave you with a reading list to elaborate on the details towards developing a different attitude towards food as well as give you an education on good nutrition is as follows:

The South Beach Diet by Dr. Arthur Agatston - A must read
The Zone by Dr. Barry Sears - Also a must read
The Abs Diet - David Zinczenko, editor of Men's Health magazine

If you are serious about your health and want to understand how to best control your weight, read the books, and then eat to live, not live to eat.

Enjoy.

Sugars and Weight Loss

Human beings, whether we like to admit it or not, are not that far removed from early mankind, that is, we are not that far evolved from the first evolved humans. Humans were generally gatherers. The early humans ate what was available to them, when able to find edible foods. What was available to humans was very natural, totally unprocessed food stuffs, complex carbohydrates, proteins, natural sugars....these were available to the early humans. The human body then and now is very good at breaking down and using any kind of carbohydrate.

In the past 100 years or so, much of our food is highly processed for many reasons. Cost, mass production, maintaining freshness, packaging, enhanced taste are many of the goals of processing. The processing of the food means that our barely evolved digestive system that is used to processing complex foods are now seeing and processing less complex foods, especially carbohydrates.

One thing that needs to be known is that sugars are carbohydrates that the human body will break down during digestion and store them in the body. This leads to quick weight gain. That being said, sugars in fruits are more complex and are not as easily processed and some do not trigger glycemic processing in the human body. Again, the less processed, the less bad it is for you in the case of sugars.

Bottom line: To maintain weight avoid sugars if possible. The simpler sugars should be avoided at all costs, no alcohol, no simple sugars.

Happy eating.

Helpful Hints for Better Eating

People ask, "What can I do to make better choices in my eating habits?" My typical thought is that we all have control what we put into our bodies. What we ingest, drink, smoke, rub on our skin, all affects our bodies. The human body is a resourceful machine that reacts to inputs. So, we can change the inputs and somewhat control what reactions our bodies have.

Moving on, here's some hints, actually mindsets, that can help each of us eat better. And eating better can make you feel better.

• Eat slower, this will allow your body to recognize when it is full.

There is a time delay from our stomachs being full and our brains recognizing that we have consumed enough food.

• Eat only until full, don't eat until you are uncomfortable.

This is related to the first item, overeating only causes weight gain, it serves no other purpose. Humans not long ago were hunters and gatherers. We did not know when the next meal would be and we would go long periods without food, until the next meal was obtained, therefore, our bodies are programmed to store the energy consumed beyond what is used at that moment. This is a big issue with many people, I have been there.

• Eat unprocessed foods

The human body is made to process less processed foods. More processed foods tend to be simpler to digest, and in turn, quicker to be stored in the body.

• Stay away from simple sugars

Simple sugars such as are found in processed sugars and alcohols are processed and stored almost immediately. There is little that I enjoy more than a good beer or a chocolate bar, but I know that these are very bad for me and that they can make me gain a lot of weight.

• Change the way you look at food

Food needs to be viewed as fuel for the body instead of as comfort. Wow, this is a tough one for many people. Do you or people you know have foods that they have to have. Soda, chips, chocolate, burgers.....seems that "good food" becomes synonymous with tasting good. Yes you want to eat what your body likes but that does not mean that there are not substitutes for foods that you might enjoy as well. For me, I use a few garbanzo beans as a satisfier instead of sugar or carb laden foods. Find your own substitutes.

You can control what goes into your body. Take control of your health.

Easy Sauted Veggie Omelet

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/8 cup of mozzarella cheese
Dash of Soy Milk

Filling:
Saute in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil the diced onion, sliced mushrooms, and minced garlic.

When fully cooked, which is when the onion is transparent, transfer to a bowl.

Omelet:
With three eggs put in a dash of soy milk and beat for about 30 seconds until fully mixed.

In the same pan, put in a little more olive oil, just enough to make the egg not stick to the pan.
On medium heat, cook the eggs until they start to solidify, then place evenly the saute mix on one side of the egg, sprinkle a little part skim mozzarella on top. When the egg has sufficiently solidify fold over like any typical omelet.

Slide off onto plate. I like to top with a little salsa or hot sauce to spice it up.

Enjoy. Should take about 20 minutes to complete.

JC's Awesome Salad Recipe

This is a quick and easy salad dish that is terrific and good for you.

Handful of mixed greens, the greener the better
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup baby peas
1 small chopped yellow pepper
1 small chopped red pepper
(Add any other fresh veggies to taste)
2 tsp. of parmesian cheese

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon mixed Italian seasonings (parsley, oregano, add cilantro if desired)

The key: mixing the dressing so that all the veggies are equally covered and the parmesian cheese is distributed throughout the salad.
Enjoy.

Basics for Eating Better

Some simple tips to eating better.

1. Small portions
2. Eat often - 6 times a day
3. Read labels of foods you buy
4. No "partially hydrogenated" anything
5. Low fat
   
6. Low carbs
7. Drink 8 glasses of water a day
8. Plan your meals ahead of time
9. Don't overeat
10. "The less processed, the better it is for you"

If you follow these simple rules, you will feel better, have more energy, and possibly lose some unwanted pounds, likely unwanted fat.