"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity. The soul must see through these eyes alone, and if they are dim, the whole world is clouded." -J. Wolfgang van Goethe
Everyone at some time or another has had a snack attack. Views on snacking differ. Some feel snacking is bad and that eating between meals leads to weight gain. Others believe that eating many small meals and snacks throughout the day is healthy for maintaining energy levels and optimal weight. If there were one way of snacking that was right for everyone, we all would be doing it!
To alleviate snack attack guilt, try to understand why you are snacking and what snacks work best for your body. Are you snacking because your daily diet is missing nutrition, or because you are eating too little at meals and you get hungry again? Or are you snacking to soothe jangled nerves or to entertain yourself when you are bored?
Although snacks are no substitute for loving your life, they can be great energy boosters and a healthy way to keep your body fully nourished?as long as you use a little common sense. Many convenient snack foods are highly processed and full of chemicals, additives, damaging fats and refined sugars. Try foods that are filling and satisfying, but also nutritious. Snack on things that don?t come in a plastic wrapper or a box, like fresh fruit, leftover vegetables or rice cakes with almond butter and fruit spread. Make your own signature trail mix, or munch on blue corn chips with hummus.
You can also try ?upgrading.? If you are craving something crunchy, upgrade from potato chips to raw carrots, apples, baked kale or yam chips; if you are craving a candy bar, upgrade to a handful of nuts and dried fruit; instead of a cup of coffee upgrade to green tea; instead of ice cream, upgrade to applesauce with cinnamon. Upgraded snacks are high in nutrition and give you a greater sense of satiety and satisfaction; you won?t feel physically or psychologically deprived, and you?ll have plenty of energy to sustain your activities for many hours.
Food Focus: Fruit
By using fruit to satisfy our taste for sweetness, we can leave behind the use of chemical and refined sweeteners. Fruits are easy to digest, cleansing and cooling and are great for those who are over-stressed and over-heated. Fruits are filled with fiber and liver stimulants, which act as natural, gentle laxatives. Whenever possible, buy fresh, locally grown fruit, this keeps you eating in season. According to this theory, our body functions best when it is closely aligned with the seasons and climates of wherever we are. A great way to see what is "local" and in season is to go to a farmers market. (www.localharvest.org is a website that can help you do that in your area.)
Eating fruit raw in summer months is highly cooling, while baking it in the winter months neutralizes this cooling effect. Fruit in the form of juice is a great choice for cleansing the body, but be aware that juice rapidly raises blood sugar levels, leading to an energy crash soon after. Frozen or juiced fruit can make great summertime cool-down treats. Try frozen grapes, banana-coconut smoothie popsicles or lime juice and fresh mint ice-cubes in iced tea!
Here are a few summer fruits and their health benefits:
Apricots: Great for lung conditions and asthma; used to help treat anemia due to their high copper and cobalt content.
Bananas: Help to lubricate the intestines, treat ulcers, detoxify the body, and manage sugar cravings; rich in potassium, which helps hypertension.
Cherries: Slightly warming in nature; increase overall body energy, remedy arthritis and rheumatism, and are rich in iron, which improves the blood.
Grapefruits: Treat poor digestion, increase appetite during pregnancy, alleviate intestinal gas and reduce mucus conditions of the lungs.
Papayas: Tone the stomach, act as digestive aid, moisten the lungs and alleviate coughing; contain carpaine, an anti-tumor compound. Raspberries: Benefit the liver and kidneys, cleanse blood of toxins, regulate menstrual cycles, treat anemia and can promote labor at childbirth.
Recipe of the Month Fruit Nut Smoothie
Prep time: 5 minutes Serves: 2
Ingredients: 1 banana 1 cup soy or rice milk 1 cup berries 1 cup diced melon 1/2 cup almonds 2-4 ice cubes
Directions:
1. Mix in blender for 1-2 minutes and serve.
Optional: You can add other ingredients for added nutrition such as a spoon full of bee pollen, coconut oil, flax seed oil, spirulina powder or a scoop of protein powder.
More on Going out on a Limb
Stop for just a minute. If I were to ask you: What is the meaning of life? What would you say?
Interesting question to ponder, huh. One of my mentors asked me that not too long ago and quite honestly, I was amazed at my response. A few years ago this would not have been my answer. I said, the meaning of life is to LIVE IT! Sounds trite, doesn't it. Well, it had more meaning to me than that. I had an epiphany. It occurred to me I was indeed living my life, and in the present moment, for once. It was all-inclusive of every emotion from happy to sad, and a series of minutes and hours of being, doing, learning, and failing as best I knew how or until it passed. That was really living, and suddenly I felt free.
The meaning of life was no longer defined by my past and all my stories, rights and wrongs, haves and have-nots. It was right here and right now and so was I. Wow, what a concept. I also realized it wasn't something I tried hard to do, it was just the opposite. I fully allowed myself to experience each space I was in and it came be, and in that moment it revealed it self to me. I'll never forget it - it's now one of the top ten defining moments in my life. Maybe you can relate - has this ever happened to you ? What has been the defining moments in your life that have since shifted you into a new way of being?
Most of us walk around and live our lives with this knapsack on our back called our past. It comes in all shapes and sizes and some have more or less, but the fact of the matter is we ALL have some. And it shapes us, no doubt. But if we don't stop to put it down, look inside and investigate, it can take on a life of its own. Kind of like "the boogieman" when you were younger. Do you remember him? How could you forget, you might be saying! We all knew and were scared of the "boogieman". Most of us couldn't even relax or go to sleep until we felt reassured by our parents that we were safe and nothing was going to happen to us. We made them investigate it. We wanted proof. And once that happened we felt calmer, more safe and ready to move on. Right?
It's the same with our "stuff". If we don't investigate it and look inside, it becomes larger than it really is and stops us from moving forward, living our life, and becoming our true self. Yeah, it's scary to look inside, but what's more scary is what happens if we don't.
It's time to stop cheating the world and yourself out of the real, loving, and gifted YOU. There is no substitute for you. The world, your spouse, family and friends need you and all of you. If there is something you have wanted to do, be, or say, go ahead and get started today. It might not be easy but have you noticed that nothing worthwhile is - it involves risk which is scary. There are no guarantees, it conjures up doubt, fear of failure and puts us way out of our comfort zone, a place we'd rather not be. It happens to us ALL and is essentially the child in each of us who is afraid of the "boogieman". So give yourself some reassurance and find the people in your lives who make you feel good, support, encourage and cheer you on to become your best self!
The irony is, it is only through change that we really grow and start living. So, go ahead. Go out on that limb because that's where the fruit is! And how swwweeet it is!
The above article may be re-printed as long as you include the paragraph below and the url to my website. Amy Coughlin is a Certified Health Counselor whose practice is designed to educate and empower individuals to take significant and preventative steps in their long-term health and wellness. Ultimately, her education, coupeld with her expertise in corporate training and recruitment, has inspired her to coach individuals and corporate groups in wellness education programs. Amy's company Interior Gardens improves both physical and mental health! If you are interested in a complimentary health consultation, call or email me today. Together we can discuss how to create a healthier balance between your eating habits and lifestyle so they reflect the real you and the life you want to be living! For further information, you may view my website at http://www.amysinteriorgardens.com or email me at interiorgardens@hotmail.com | |
