Start your day with breakfast.

Today we are back with day 8 to my Better Health Series.

DAY 8: EAT BREAKFAST

 

 

Good morning!!!

Today I wanted to share the importance of eating breakfast with you.

So many people are confused about whether you should eat breakfast or not.

Trust me, you need to “break the fast”. 

Eating breakfast will give you more energy if you eat a healthy meal.   We can all use more energy, right?

Can eating breakfast help you lose weight?

YES!!!

“Breaking the fast” can actually get your metabolism going and that’s a good thing.  Plus, you can help to curb your hunger and prevent binge eating later in the day.  According to the U.S. National Weight Control Registry, 4 out of 5 people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off eat breakfast every day.

Also, the Harvard Medical School found that obesity and rates of insulin resistance were up to 50 percent lower with the people that ate breakfast daily. They also found breakfast eaters were also less likely to develop heart disease.

Another reason to eat breakfast is to make sure you are getting all your daily nutrients.  You might skip out on essential vitamins that your body needs.

What if you are not hungry?

Don’t eat before you go to bed or eat a lighter dinner.  (Dinner should be your lightest meal anyway.)  Also, try eating before you drink your morning coffee.

What if you don’t have the time?

You can wake up a little earlier.  Prepare your meal ahead of time.  Stock up on healthy food.  Make boiled eggs.  Make a quick protein shake. Find a healthy on-the-go meal bar.

Why should kids eat breakfast?

Breakfast is especially important for children and adolescents. According to the American Dietetic Association, children who eat a healthy breakfast are more likely to:

Meet daily nutrient requirements

Concentrate better

Have better problem-solving skills

Have better hand-eye coordination

Be more alert

Be more creative

Miss fewer days of school

Be more physically active

What is a good breakfast?

I good breakfast includes a low fat protein, carbs from fruit or whole grains and a little healthy fat.

Some examples would be…

whole grain bagel with cream cheese and strawberries

eggs, toasts and blueberries

oatmeal, yogurt and nuts

protein shake and strawberries

whole wheat pancakes, cottage cheese and raspberries

 

I found this on Mercola.com

According to Cereal FACTS (Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score), which was developed based on the best available science, in consultation with a steering committee of experts in nutrition, marketing, and public health, the 10 worst breakfast cereals based on nutrition score are:

1. Kellogg - Corn Pops (or Pops) - Chocolate Peanut Butter
2. Quaker - Cap'n Crunch - w/ Crunchberries
3. Kellogg - Special K - Chocolatey Delight
4. Kellogg - Special K - Blueberry
5. General Mills - Reese's Puffs
6. General Mills - Fiber One - Caramel Delight
7. Kellogg - Cocoa Krispies - Choconilla
8. General Mills - Golden Grahams
9. General Mills - Cinnamon Toast Crunch
10. Kellogg - Corn Pops

 

Do you eat daily breakfast?

Do your kids?

What is your favorite breakfast?

What did you eat this morning?

What did you feed your kids this morning?

I would love to hear about it!!!

Have a great day! :)

Benefits of Buying Locally

DAY 7: BUY LOCALLY

There are a lot of benefits to buying produce locally!  We are lucky enough to have several farmers and marker’s markets in my town and surrounding towns.  The kids love visiting the farmers and getting fresh fruits and veggies!  We also have a organic co-op locally that delivers which is great.  I have used them several times.  You just need to get used to washing your own produce really well because everything is covered in dirt.

Benefits:

Support the Local Economy

It is really nice to help a local neighbor for all their hard work.  I love helping family owned businesses too! This is a great way to help your local community.

Better Taste

Buying locally usually tastes better! It is usually fresher and not picked to early for shipment.  If you know the farmer, you can ask what chemical or pesticides they use so you know exactly what you are getting.

Better Nutrition

Local produce usually has better nutrition value for the same reasons they taste better.  Everything is fully ripen so it didn’t lose any nutrition value.  Again, you will also know what chemicals are used.

Save Money

By buying locally, you can get what is in season and that means you can usually buy it for a great price plus you don’t have to pay for shipping and retail costs.  When you find a good deal, you can freeze or can so you can have local produce all year round.

Smaller Carbon Footprint

When you buy locally or grown your own food, you will help save carbon emissions from all the transporting.

To find a farmer near you, go to www.localharvest.org.

Here is a guest post from my sister-in-law, Ann Marie from White House, Black Shutters, where she compares local eggs vs. store bought eggs.

 

 

Driving home from the store the other day, I happened to see a hand-painted sign advertising “Fresh Farm Eggs” with a big arrow and was soooo excited! I would describe our area as rural, we do back up to a cornfield, but I am 10-15 minutes from a few large cities and all the shopping I could want or need. We’re only 45 minutes from Chicago, we’re not in the middle of nowhere necessarily, but we’re bordering on it!

When I walked up to the farm, it was a family who thought that raising chickens would be healthier and could be fun. The chickens were roaming their grassy yard with no fence, not kept in confinement, some even were walking up to me! These chickens were as free range as they could be!  At $3 a dozen, it was only double what I’m paying now, and half of what I’d pay for the comparable eggs from Trader Joe’s or any other health foods store. I think that’s doable, especially considering the health benefits!

I still had some store eggs when I stopped at the farm, so I thought it would -be fun to compare the two. The store eggs are the cheapest ones from Trader Joe’s ($1.39) and the only thing I know is that they were raised without growth hormones. The farm eggs are from free-range chickens, raised on grass and bugs (what chickens should be eating!) and some organic corn feed, with no chemicals, antibiotics, or growth hormones.

Look at the eggs above on the left and then on the right, the darker the yolk the more nutrient rich. The eggs on the left are those from the farm, DARK orange and full of good nutrients and because of the way they are fed, omega-3 long chain fatty acids (some of the good stuff found in mothers’ milk). The ones on the right are those from the store, a darker yellow than some I’ve seen, but you can tell they’re not even the same shade as the farm eggs.

The whites of the eggs on the left aren’t separate, there’s not a thick part and a runnier part, it’s all thick. The eggs on the right I actually put into the pan first, waited a good 30 seconds, and then added the farm eggs. The whites are still separated and took another 30 seconds to cook after I had already taken out the farm eggs.

After they were done, you can see the store eggs on the left and the farm eggs on the right. The store egg white was a bit cloudy while the yolk was a paler yellow. The farm egg white is more clear and a pure white while the yolk is a dark, almost fluorescent, orange.

But most importantly, they taste SOOOOO MUCH BETTER!

Let me just say, I don’t mean to sound like a snob comparing the eggs, I was just curious! We eat store eggs and still will if we can’t make it to the farm. Eggs are great for you no matter what kind you’re eating, but if you have the opportunity to get farm eggs, I highly encourage you to support your local farmers! If you can afford to pay a bit more for a better quality egg, there is a difference!

 

Thanks Ann Marie for the great post!

Do you buy locally?

What do you like about ?

Have a healthy day!!

Limit Your Sugar Intake

Welcome back to my series!  I think this 31 days to better health series will have to stretch…sorry…but I will finish it!

DAY 6: LIMIT YOUR SUGAR

Most of you have probably heard by now that too much sugar is not good for you.  We all know that sugar spikes the bloodstream and makes us fat.

But did you know this…

The single largest source of calories for Americans comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup. Just take a look at the sugar consumption trends of the past 300 years:

• In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
• In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
• In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
• In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY—translating to a whopping 180 pounds of sugar per year! 

That is just sick!  The sad thing is that sugar is almost everywhere!!  It is hidden in almost all processed food.  That is another good reason to read your food labels, huh? 

We rarely add sugar to things!  I actually only buy like one or two bags a year.  If I need to sweeten something, I use honey or stevia!  I love them!!

Here are some more facts about sugar from Dr. Mercola.

76 Additional Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

In addition to throwing off your body's homeostasis and wreaking havoc on your metabolic processes, excess sugar has a number of other significant consequences.

Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of the book Lick the Sugar Habit[5], contributed an extensive list of the many ways sugar can ruin your health from a vast number of medical journals and other scientific publications.

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.[6] [7]
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.[8] [9] [10] [11]
3. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.[12] [13]
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.[14][15] [16] [17]
5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.[18]
6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.[19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
7. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.[26] [27]
8. Sugar can weaken eyesight.[28] 1
9. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.[29] [30] [31] [32] [33]
10. Sugar can cause premature aging.[34] In fact, the single most important factor that accelerates aging is insulin, which is triggered by sugar. 1
11. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.[35]
12. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.[36] [37] [38]
13. Sugar contributes to obesity. [39] 1
14. Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis.[40] [41] [42]
15. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections) [43]
16. Sugar can cause gallstones.[44]
17. Sugar can cause appendicitis.[45]
18. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.[46]
19. Sugar can cause varicose veins.[47]
20. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.[48]
21. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.[49]
22. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.[50] [51] [52]
23. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.[53]
24. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.[54]
25. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.[55]
26. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs),which are sugar molecules that attach to and damage proteins in your body. AGEs speed up the aging of cells, which may contribute to a variety of chronic and fatal diseases. [56] 1
27. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.[57]
28. Sugar causes food allergies.[58]
29. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.[59]
30. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.[60]
31. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.[61] [62]
32. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.[63]
33. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.[64] [65]
34. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.[66]
35. Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.[67] [68]
36. Sugar can cause emphysema.[69]
37. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.[70]
38. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.[71]
39. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease.[72]
40. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide, and it can increase the amount of fat in your liver, leading to fatty liver disease.[73] [74]
41. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.[75] [76]Fructose is helping to drive up rates of kidney disease. 1
42. Sugar can damage your pancreas.[77]
43. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.[78]
44. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.[79]
45. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.[80]
46. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.[81]
47. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.[82]
48. Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect your children's grades and cause learning disorders.[83] [84]
49. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves, which can alter your ability to think clearly.[85]
50. Sugar can cause depression.[86]
51. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.[87]
52. Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease.[88] MRI studies show that adults 60 and older who have high uric acid are four to five times more likely to have vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's.1
53. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS, and decreasing growth hormone.[89] [90] [91] [92]
54. Sugar can lead to dizziness.[93]
55. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.[94]
56. A high sucrose diet of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.[95]
57. High sugar consumption by pregnant adolescents can lead to a substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold-increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.[96] [97]
58. Sugar is an addictive substance.[98]
59. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.[99]
60. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.[100]
61. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.[101]
62. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.[102]
63. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.[103]
64. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).[104]
65. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.[105]
66. Sugar can impair the function of your adrenal glands.[106]
67. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in normal, healthy individuals, thereby promoting chronic degenerative diseases.[107]
68. Intravenous feedings (IVs) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.[108]
69. Sugar increases your risk of polio.[109]
70. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.[110]
71. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.[111]
72. In intensive care units, limiting sugar saves lives.[112]
73. Sugar may induce cell death.[113]
74. In juvenile rehabilitation centers, when children were put on low sugar diets, there was a 44 percent drop in antisocial behavior.[114]
75. Sugar dehydrates newborns.[115]
76. Sugar can cause gum disease.[116]

It should now be crystal clear just how damaging sugar is. You simply cannot achieve your highest degree of health and vitality if you are consuming a significant amount of it.

Fortunately, your body has an amazing ability to heal itself when given the basic nutrition it needs, and your liver has an incredible ability to regenerate. If you start making changes today, your health WILL begin to improve, returning you to the state of vitality that nature intended.

So what do you say?  Let’s cut the sugar today!!!

Have a healthy day!

Want a Healthy Family? Get your Kids Involved!

Welcome to day 6 of my 31 Days to Better Health series! 

How are you liking it so far?

I am having a blast!

Today, I took some pictures/videos of us making lunch.  I feel that one of the best and easiest ways to get your family eating healthy is by getting your kids involved!  They love eating what they make.  I take my kids shopping with me and I also have them help me in the kitchen all the time!

DAY 6: LET YOUR KIDS HELP IN THE KITCHEN

Today we made tuna sandwiches with a twist!

We made tuna mix with tuna, relish and organic mayo and organic wheat bread.

We added organic lettuce.

And here’s the twist… we used cookie cutters for fun! Doesn’t everything taste better when it is shaped like a star?

I had Grace help me today!

She loves stars!!

She has so much fun helping me!

What a big girl.

Perfect!

How fun!!

Then she added the lettuce.

She is very proud of her work!

While she was busy at work, I made the extra bread into bread crumbs.

I didn’t want to waste anything.

Now, I can freeze it for later.

Yum… Lookin’ good!

I made a short video of her today.

We all loved the sandwiches! Thanks Gracie

Do your kids love to help you too? 

What do you like to make together?

Have a healthy day!

Do you Know What you are Eating?

Ok, I have been totally MIA and I apologize for that,  I might have to shorten my 31 days or take a little longer…oops!

 

 

Anyway, I am super excited about today’s post!

 

DAY 5: READ THE LABELS

This is nothing new!  You probably already knew you should do this, BUT, do you?   Do you really KNOW what you are eating?  Do you look at your ingredients? 

So, how do you read the label and what are you supposed to look for?

Well, these ingredients are what should NOT be on your label…

Anything you cannot pronounce!  Duh, I hope you know this.  If you cannot say it, don’t buy it…It’s that simple!  Most likely it’s a chemical and that’s very bad!!

Monosodium Glutamate  (MSG) This is dangerous and deadly, increases your appetite, makes you FAT and causes other health problems.  This stuff is also found in a lot of fast food…yuck!  For more info on this, read Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills.

Aspartame This is also a excitotoxin that makes you FAT and hungry, depressed, have more PMS, migraines and more.  For more info on this, read Aspartame: Is it Safe?

Artificial Color These are chemical poisons…stay away!

Splenda Ok, a lot of you could be mad that I just wrote that but I hate splenda!  It is unnatural, artificial, man-made that increases your appetite, can make you depressed, FAT, give headaches, cause allergies, increases PMS and fibromyalgia.  For more info go to The Truth About Splenda.

Enriched Bleached Wheat/White Flour Basically, these have been bleached and depleted of mostly all nutrition and usually have little to no fiber.  It is way too refined! Instead, look for organic wheats, ryes, millets, etc.

Soy Protein (unless it is non-GMO) There are a lot of benefits to a quality non genetically modified soy protein.  I actually drink a non GMO soy protein shake almost daily but that is because I found the purest organic soy on the market (which is extremely rear to find).  Most soybeans are genetically modified and chemically washed. 

Ok, so I just told you some things to stay away from.  I also recommend everyone buying organic but let’s work in baby steps here.  (Plus, that is an upcoming post.)

As most of you already know,  I love Trader Joe’s and do majority of my shopping there.  I love knowing that they carry good products with a great ingredient list!

I know that not all of you have one by you and I wanted to compare labels from TJ’s to name brand but I figured I would go with something a little more realistic for most people.

So…

The last time I was in Target,  I secretly bustled out my phone and started taking pictures of ingredient labels.  I was not sure if I was allowed to do that so I had to hurry up.  Plus, I had Matthew with me and he was not very quiet that day, lol.

I just wanted to show you some name brand ingredient labels compared to the more natural/organic labels…just so we can see if difference!

I didn’t have a list of what to take pictures of,  I just went down the aisle taking photos very quickly.

 

This first photo is from Anut Jemima Syrup.  Eww!!  Read the label!  Really?  And people actually eat this stuff and even worse, give it to their kids.

Now, here is a 100% Pure All Natural Maple Syrup.  That is the ONLY ingredient!  Plus, this tastes way better!

Here is the ingredient list of Sara Lee Bread.  That is a long list.  I couldn’t find my natural bread picture but I know the you can find bread that only lists a few ingredients or you can make your own. 

Next up, is VEGGIE Pasta Macaroni and Cheese.  I even made sure to get the healthier veggie filled one.

Here are the ingredients…

Then I found a more natural kind.

Compare the list.  What do you think?

Next is Skippy peanut butter.

Ok, this has hydrogenated vegetable oils, soybean oil and sugar.

Here is Smucker’s Natural peanut butter.

What do you know…only peanuts and a pinch of salt.

Let’s see what is in the jelly now.  This is Welch’s Grape Jelly.

This is Organic Smucker’s Grape Jelly.  Much better, right?

 

Ok, Heinz Ketchup is next.  Sorry it is blurry.

Here is the label from Heinz Organic Ketchup.  I just can’t believe that this is from the same company too!  So they make a bad ketchup and a good one?  This makes no sense to me.  Can’t they just make a good one.  We don’t need the high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup one , do we?

Alright,  here is the applesauce!  Applesauce is healthy right?

Then why do they need to add all the syrups?

Here is a Natural Unsweeted Applesauce.

Much better!

So, those were just a few example of comparing and reading the labels.  I tried to pick foods that everyone (including kids) eats!

I encourage you to read your food labels and switch to the more natural item and organic would be the best.

You can make a huge improvement to your family’s health by just being aware of what you are buying. 

I hope this helps you!

Have you ever looked at a label before?

What do you look for in a label?

Do you buy organic food?  What items?

Have a healthy day,