Baby it's cold outside

Well I don't know about everyone else, but I am COLD! For those who know me well you are probably not surprised, I am always cold, I was meant to live in a warmer climate. But don't fear I have to turned up my heat, dusted off my slippers and pulled out my christmas pj's. The one good thing about the cold weather is that I am in the mood to drink warm teas again. I love this time of year, all of the new holiday teas come out. Below are a couple that I have picked up. 

New Teas

Maple green tea is probably my favourite right now! Although I like plain green tea the maple leaves a sweeter aftertaste than your regular green tea. 

Yummy Tea

In addition I have been loving this recipe for ginger tea. Ginger is a good cleanser. It helps to clear phlegm, it is an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. Cumin is thought to help with digestive issues. Lastly, Coriander also has anti-inflammatory properties. Don't be quick to judge based on the ingredients. Try it first. If you need it to be a little bit sweeter just add some honey. 



Ginger Tea
Ingredients:1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1/4 tsp roasted coriander seeds
1/4 tsp grated dried ginger
2 cup boiling water
Directions:
Steep for 5 minutes, strain, and serve.
When cooled, add a touch of honey 





Hope everyone is staying warm, eating well, and staying active! 

Sunday Start Day

Ready, set, go! Today marks the start of the Festive Fitness Challenge. As I mentioned in my earlier post Andrew and I will be giving up junk food. More specifically we are giving up candy, chips and chocolate, as well as desserts. In addition Andrew has given up alcohol. So family and friends what did you give up?

In addition to what we have given up I will be taking on an additional challenge. Drum roll... I will be using my juicer everyday! After a month of talking Andrew's ear off about the benefits of juicing we finally got one. We bought it in the summer and I use it A LOT!!! The only draw back is cleaning it. Since getting the juicer I have been more careful about buying organic produce. I do however, still buy a lot of things that aren't organic for two reasons: first cost and second we live in Hickville ON, ie: not everything is available to us here. 

Earlier this year I came across a list of what is called the "dirty dozen". These foods contain the highest amount of pesticides, I always get them organic. 

Dirty Dozen: 

Apples

Celery

Strawberries

Peaches

Spinach

Nectarines

Grapes

Bell Peppers

Potatoes

Blueberries

Lettuce

Kale

If you can't find organic try to buy local produce. Local foods tend to have less chemicals as they don't need to have the shelf life of foods coming from places as far away as Mexico and China. 

As for my juice today this is what it looked like before I juiced it.

This is what my juice looked like after I made it. This post was sponsored by Starbucks. Ok not really I had to pay for the plastic cup and I love it!

Remember stay strong, day 1-3 are always the hardest and then you get into the groove. Good luck everyone!

PS. Sebastien is tired from all his exercise on day 1 of the Festive Fitness Challenge. 

Festive Fitness Challenge 2011

Here we go AGAIN!!! The snow is falling and Christmas decorations are starting to go up, well mine at least. 

Well this means time for winter tires, mittens and... it is time for the 5th annual Family Fitness Challenge which is now the 2nd annual Festive Fitness Challenge!!!!  Lets start by giving a rundown of the rules. The challenge will run Nov 20-Dec 23rd. 

Rules: 

1.) If you are not currently active you must engage in a physical activity 3 x per week for 30min.

2.) If you are already active you must engage in a physical activity 5x per week for 30min

.

3.) All participants must give up one bad food/ bad eating habit. 

Why do we do this? Five years ago it dawned on me that everyone has something they want to change about their health: be it their lifestyle, their fitness or their eating habits. This got me thinking, what stops them? I think the number one answer is motivation! We live in a society of distractions. We may recognize we need a change, however, we too often don’t make it until our bodies break down on us. Well lets not wait! A great deal of the risk factors for disease are preventable or modifiable. In addition, if you are already living with a disease, changes in lifestyle can improve your symptoms or even slow the progression of disease. So, out of all of this the “Family Fitness Challenge” was born. As a family we made individual eating and exercise goals. We promised to keep them for a month and had a little prize at the end. Over the years numerous people have asked if they could join. Everyone needs motivation to make and maintain lifestyle changes. So I say lets do it. Come one come all to the second annual Festive Fitness Challenge. 

As usual Andrew and I will be giving up junk food. Other ideas from past years: not eating after dinner, giving up pop, popcorn, red meat etc. If you want to post below in the comments what you are committing to giving up, I would love to hear everyones sacrifices. In addition, I will try to post about healthy eating/living for the next month here on the blog. If there is anything you would like me to post about please just let me know. Good luck everyone! Remember the key to success is finding someone to keep you accountable and planning ahead. Ask your friends to join!

Lastly, remember to give yourself a reward at the end, something to work towards! 

Tasty Granola Bars

Alrighty here is a quick and easy recipe for healthy granola bars. I found it at the link below and made a couple of adjustments. Honestly, these bars have it all: protein, low glycemic index, omega-3's and tons of fibre. I make them, freeze them and them take them out one at a time. If you cut the recipe into about 20 bars they will be 150 calories each. This is a perfect amount of calories for a snack. Enjoy!

(Original Recipe)

1 cup dried date pieces or 10 dates, diced
1 cup water, more or less
3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup walnuts chopped

1/2 cup of peptia seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 cup old fashioned oats 

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped (I used craisins)

1/4 cup flaxmeal (ground flaxseed)

1 Tbs of cocoa powder (full of antioxidants!)

In a saucepan over low heat, heat all the ingredients until they are thoroughly mixed. If it is too watery add more oats or almond butter, if it is too thick add applesauce or more water. 
Lay parchment paper in baking sheet and spread mixture over the paper. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 20-25 minutes and then put in the refrigerator for an hour. Then Enjoy... oh yeah and don't forget portion control. Although these have tons of nutrients they can be calorie dense if you overdo it. My advice cut them up and put them in the freezer. Happy Friday!

Red Wine and Health

Festive Fitness Challenge Day 6. I think our bodies are done going through sugar withdrawal after Halloween! Sticking to whole grains has not been hard. I have made a couple of throw together chicken and quinoa salads; the recipes are not worth posting at this point. In addition, I have made buckwheat and steal cut oats for breakfast. Yum.

Totally switching gears, a couple of weeks ago someone asked me about the benefits of red wine. The question was, "are these benefits just confined to red wine or can other types of alcohol be beneficial to your health?". So here is what I have found.

(3)

Up to this point researchers have claimed that red wine has the following health benefits: 

1.) Antioxidant
2.) Anti-inflammatory
4.) Tumor Supression and decrease in Colon cancer

The Latest:
1.) Antioxidant Properties: 
Ethanol: The main compent in all alchols, wine or other, actually increases oxidation in our bodies. Oxidation leads to an increase in free radicals which can damage our blood vessels and increase our risk of cardiovascular disease.

Why is wine different? Red wine in particular, contains polyphenols which have antioxidant properties.
Because alcohol increases the amount of oxidative stress the question becomes, does red wine have anti-oxidant properties above and beyond those that will reverse the oxidation they cause themselves?
The answer to this is not certain. Studies suggest that there are too many confounding variables to be certain. For example, people who drink red wine tend to have healthier diets and exercise more.

2.) Anti-inflammatory:
Ethanol increases the amount of HDL, good cholesterol. If too much alcohol is consumed in one sitting there is a decrease in HDL. In addition, ethanol will decrease oxidation of LDL; however, this will occur more for some ethnic groups more than others.  Ethanol has also been found to reduce other markers of inflammation and decrease clot formation.

3.) Tumor suppression and decrease in colon cancer:
This benefit is from red wine only. The polyphenols, in particular, resveratrol have been studied in the role of cancer suppression and prevention. Red wine has been shown to block carcinogens and inhibit the growth of tumours. This role however, cannot be contributed to the alcohol, but to the grape skins themselves.


So now that we are thoroughly confused about the health benefits vs health decrements of alcohol, lets summarize. Ethanol, independent of red wine, does have some anti-inflammatory properties that decrease risk of cardiovascular disease. Red wine on the other hand, may also have antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties.

So now the real question becomes how much should one drink? There is a J shaped relationship between alcohol consumption and decrements to ones health. This means if you drink more than what is recommended you decrease the health benefits of the alcohol. When one is intoxicated their body is actually in a toxic state. In particular, your liver cannot break down the alcohol as fast as you are ingesting it. In general, men should consume no more than two glasses of alcohol a day and women no more than one glass. In addition, one glass is equivalent to one shot, one beer or one 150mL glass of wine.  If too much alcohol is consumed you get an increase in blood pressure and inflammation in the body. An increase to just three drinks a day is associated with significant increase in adverese health effects: increased blood triglycerides, heart disease, hypertension and stroke. So if you currently don't consume alcohol or red wine should you start? I would say scientific evidence does not go that far. My best advice is to keep a healthy diet, active lifestyle and decrease your stress in a healthy way.

(1), (2), (3)

Festive Fitness Challenge Day -1

Well one more day until my house starts the festive fitness challenge. It is Halloween and our house is overflowing with candy. That means tonight is going to end with a stomach ache and tomorrow will start with a sugar hangover. We took most of the day to hang out; we did lunch, groceries and a movie. Now we are just waiting for the first bunch of kids to show up for the junk.

For our dietary challenge we will be giving up junk, as usual. This means no chocolate, candy or chips. It is funny, we are both very healthy eaters by day, however, when 8pm hits all bets are off. I will also be giving up processed grains. This will be challenge but I hope to explore the world of whole grain options while I do it. I believe whole grains are an essential part of a healthy diet so I hope to find some new recipes.

So far I have picked up the following: steal cut oats, bulgar, millet, barely, long grain rice, kasha (buckwheat), and quinoa.

Whole Grain Facts:
What is the deal with whole grains anyways?
A whole grain consists of three parts: the endosperm, the bran and the germ. Whole grains are beneficial to your health because they are high in fibre, nutrients, antioxidants and phytochemicals. So why give up processed grains? When processing grains part of the endosperm, bran and germ are taken out. In Canada, manufacturers must fortify grains with vitamins and minerals if they refine them. Having said that, the fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals in these products are lost. Fibre is a major player in decreasing our risk of disease; fibre maintains healthy digestion, aids in lowering our cholesterol and helps us feel fuller, longer. When consuming grains one should try to ingest half of their grains from whole grain sources. In order to get the most benefit out of your grains I recommend consuming them in their unprocessed, unrefined form.
So what should I look for?
In Canada and the United States you should look for the word "whole grain" on the label and in the ingredient list. Just because something says it is "whole wheat" or "multi grain" does not mean that it is whole grain. Also keep in mind ingredients are listed from greatest in quantity to least. If you are picking a product that has whole grain as one of the last ingredients you might want to choose again. There are no regulations on using the word "multigrain" so seeing this on the label has no bearing on whole grain content.
Types of whole grains:
Wheat
Corn
Barley
Brown Rice
Oats
Millet
Spelt
Rye
(1), (2)

Alright all, signing off for the night. Good luck in the upcoming days and remember the beginning of a new dietary change is always the hardest. Stay strong!

The Festive Fitness Challenge is here! Come one come all. 

Three years ago it dawned on me that everyone has something they want to change about their health: be it their lifestyle, their fitness or their body. This got me thinking, what stops them? I think the number one answer is motivation! We live in a society of distractions. We may recognize we need a change, however, we often don’t make it until our bodies break down on us. Well lets not wait! A great deal of the risk factors of disease are preventable. In addition if you are already living with a disease, changes in lifestyle can make it more comfortable and can even slow the progression of that disease. So, out of all of this the “Family Fitness Challenge” was born. As a family we made individual eating and exercise goals. We promised to keep them for a month and had a little prize at the end. Over the years numerous people have asked if they could join. Everyone needs motivation to make and maintain lifestyle changes. So I say lets do it. Come one come all to the first annual Festive Fitness Challenge. 

The Guidelines: 

You need to pick the 30 day challenge or the 45 day challenge. Everyone makes one fitness goal and one dietary goal. For fitness you need to workout a MINIMUM of 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Don’t stop there though, push yourself to 4 or 5 times when you are ready.  For the dietary goal you need to cut something from your diet. Goals of the past have been junk food, eating after dinner, coke, popcorn etc. The key is too pick something that will affect your daily eating habits. The dietary goal should be small enough that is attainable but something that is challenging. 

I would love to hear about everyones progress here on the blog. 


For Forms: Email nutritionnutjen@gmail.com, I will email them to you


Lets see how many people you can get to join you. Good luck!