Did you know that McDonald’s new 16 oz. Wild Berry Fruit Smoothie is laden with over 50 g of SUGAR (a 16 oz. soda has 60 g of sugar!) and less than 3 g of protein??!!
We are COMMITTED to revealing the truth to you about the contents of the food available to us. Especially those that we believe may be healthy but in reality, are no better for us than reaching for a can of soda. If you are searching for a homemade smoothie recipe that is quick, healthy, nutritious and DELICIOUS… look for further! Cindy’s Triple Berry Smoothie packs in over 24 g. of protein and only 5 g. of sugar (naturally occuring from fruit). Try the recipe below:
2 scoops vanilla E’lance shake (available for purchase at Total Balance)
8 oz. very cold water or 4-6 oz. of water and 3-4 ice cubes
1/2 c. Triple Berry Blend frozen fruit (available in frozen food section at most grocery stores)
1 heaping T. of cottage cheese or plain yogurt
*Stevia to taste (optional)
Place all into a blender or magic bullet and blend until smooth. Enjoy a healthful AND delicious smoothie from your own kitchen!
We all know of how some things that were once taken as absolute truth are revealed as silly nonsense. This includes beliefs like the earth is flat, or that toads cause warts, Friday the 13th is fraught with peril, or that masturbation causes blindness. And the list goes on.
In the category of food products, let’s add another outdated belief that is actually quite the opposite of what is really true. In this example, it is the notion that coconut oil is bad for you.
For some time now, the misinformation about coconut oil has included outright lies that it is an artery clogging killer, like a poison, to be avoided at all costs.
Coconut oil got a bad rap some time ago. Let’s just say that the soy/vegetable oil proponents did not speak well of it. There is much more detail to this, but the bottom line is an economic one, meant to benefit soy oil at the expense of the healthier option that coconut oil provides. At best, the attacks on coconut oil were downright misinformed. At worst, they were…well, they were woefully inaccurate. Unfortunately, many people bought into it and the myth that coconut oil wasn’t a healthy choice for cooking or consumption took hold.
Let’s set the record straight. Coconut oil is a medium-chain saturated fatty acid that is a great cooking oil. Why? It tolerates heat well, unlike polyunsaturated fats that become damaged in the heating process and then turn into transfats. Those polyunsaturated fats include corn oil, vegetable oils and soybean oils. Damaged fats like those harm us. They cause cholesterol problems and other related health issues.
Coconut oil also has medicinal properties. It is an anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, anti-microbial and anti-viral agent that supports your health!
Coconut oil is lower in calories than other fats. It actually raises HDL (high density lipoprotein), the good cholesterol component. As a plant based fat, not animal, it is a metabolic stimulant that actually helps people lose weight.
South Pacific populations that had up to 60% of their caloric intake primarily from coconut oil (before western culture infiltrated) had virtually no degenerative heart disease, despite this high fat intake.
So the next time you see someone recoil at the site or sound of coconut oil ingredients, do your part to set the record straight. Share the information that coconut oil is far from bad- it is in fact something you should seek to include if you wish to have a healthier diet.
We all have possessions we treasure. Many of us have come into contact with a person who keeps a classic automobile in mint condition. Maybe you have known some gentleman down the street that still has his first car. He always keeps it in the garage, it’s still as shiny and sharp as the day he bought it and it runs like a top. It’s a classic now, but boy is he proud of it.
My hero Jack LaLanne, the legendary health advocate who has been called the “Godfather of Fitness,” is the human example of taking optimal care of his first and only “human vehicle.” Now at age 96-ish he still swims miles each day, lifts weights regularly and consumes real/whole foods. As a result he looks decades younger than his real age.
Jack takes care of himself. Despite his “high mileage,” the cumulative effects of a lifetime of good choices has paid a wondrous bounty of healthy dividends for him.
How Responsible Are You With Your Personal Body Vehicle?
Unlike an automobile which we own for a few years, our bodies we have for life. While we take very seriously the responsibility that goes with automobile ownership, many of us take very casually the responsibility of owning a body.
With our cars we diligently keep fuel in the gas tank, change the oil (the right amount, the right kind, at the right time), properly inflate our tires, maintain radiator fluid of the right kind, and so on.
Which of us … because we are low on cash, short on time or it wasn’t convenient would choose diesel to put in a gas engine?
How many of us would overfill the tank until it spilled on the ground? Or would we skip putting fuel in until the 11th hour …..when we are way past empty?
We grab anything, even the wrong things, because we don’t see or feel immediate ramifications that occur with our poor nutrition choices. The consequences come later, after many poor habits have accumulated and become a pattern of shoddy maintenance.
What follows is a typical day as shared by one of my clients. Does this sound familiar to you? Could this be your story?
I got up late so I skipped breakfast (probably the most important meal of the day). I didn’t give my eating much thought so I didn’t plan to bring any food with. By 10 am I was starving so I went to the food vending machine and got a pre-packaged pastry (that would have still looked the same 5 years from now because of all of the preservatives in it). Lunch was a business meeting where bag lunches were brought in that included white bread, deli turkey sandwich with iceberg lettuce, a bag of potato chips and a sugar cookie. (Talk about putting diesel in your gas tank!)
By 3 pm I am doggy from all the carbohydrates at lunch and hungry again so now a can of highly acidic soda pop filled with ingredients I can’t even pronounce is my easiest choice- I make the purchase in the machine around the corner from my desk.
My dinner was on the run because Johnny had soccer. I had a slice of Pizza Corner pizza at the game along with something to wash it down- another soda because I forgot to bring water.
What did I eat today that had anything to do with nourishment and raw materials for building or repairing? Not much I guess….
Choosing quality over convenience has often become the “road less travelled” in our hurry-up culture. But a guaranteed consequence of driving your “human vehicle” down the well-worn path of convenience and poor choices is this: “Pay me now or Pay for it later”.
Be responsible with your human vehicle. Learn what is best for it. When you do, it will serve you happily for decades to come.
“Let food be your medicine and let medicine be food.”
Hippocrates
The quote above is credited to the individual recognized as the father of western medicine. Hippocrates advanced the idea that disease was not a punishment of the gods, but rather a condition caused by environmental factors, diet, and living habits.
What was true 500 years BC is true today. Our healthy bodies are a product of what we eat. Food is nourishment- the raw material for rebuilding and replenishing. But equally important is that consistent healthy eating is our first line of defense against disease. Good nutrition provides the cornerstone of what becomes our healthy physical foundation. And I also believe this foundation contributes to our healthy emotional and spiritual experiences as well.
This simple concept about diet is a profoundly positive message. It puts YOU back in the driver’s seat for shaping your health and life. (Not to mention body size, body shape and fitness level)
Woody Allen once said that 80% of success in life was simply “showing up.” Are you showing up when it comes time to eat responsibly? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you aware of what you are putting into your body?
The three elements below are what constitute the essential ingredients for success. They comprise the 80% of ‘showing up’ plus the remaining 20% of what it takes to be successful and responsible in taking control of your life. If you reflect on these three elements and make a decision to follow them, you will be taking the steps you need to take control for your healthy life.
This blog will attempt to be a source for #2- getting the right information. We’ll provide tips, information, stories and anecdotes, and perhaps a few recipes. We hope to make the information useful each and every time so that you have “tools” for moving ahead with a plan for a better diet.
Spring is here and we know your mind-set is starting to shift and that you’re thinking about how rejuvenating it will be to get outdoors for your exercise/activity. However… did you know that statistics show that more people are prone to gain weight over the SUMMER months than the winter months??? Why would that be?? Click here to find out!
We all have the best intentions of bumping up our activity levels outdoors in the spring and summer and most likely, we are. However, have you noticed how we tend to bump up our ‘consumption’ levels as well? Its party time, darn it! We are waking up from our winter of hibernation and have just made it through another flood season, none the less. Let’s celebrate by going for a walk… to Hornbacher’s to get ice cream! Or why not toast the change of seasons with a cold beverage with neighbors (at 9pm at night, that is). Heck, let’s add the chips and dip, crackers, lemonade, soda, alcohol… all the things that signify a celebration. Our fitness staff has to be honest and say that we haven’t worked with very many people over the years who have ‘fallen off track’ by partying with too many chicken breasts, salads, and apples!
Our point is… GET OUTSIDE and soak up each and every beautiful day that comes as a gift to us but DON”T let your exercise routine go to the way-side by giving the ‘structure’ of it up all together. Commit to at least 2 classes or strength training sessions per week IN ADDITION to all of the walking, gardening, golfing, and playing that you will be participating in. Trust us… we see it happen fall after fall… all of those ‘good intentions’ of getting ALL of our exercise in outdoors does not balance out the over-consumption that many of us are doing with our eating and drinking habits. When we consistently keep our strength training routine in the picture – at least 2 – 30 minute total body sessions per week – we will maintain and build lean tissue which keeps our metabolism nice and healthy. If you are strength training and exercising regularly, you will notice that you might be able to get away with those little ‘extras’ a bit easier because of that wonderful effect it has on your metabolism.
So… are you going to Sink Or Swim this summer??!! Let our fitness team at Total Balance SAVE you and keep your exercise habits going strong all spring and summer long!!!
The Total Balance Team
Spring is coming and so will be regular blog posts from Total Balance! We will be sharing all the latest information on healthy eating, healthy living, weight control tips, fitness information and much more.
Also, you will be able to “subscribe” via our handy-dandy RSS feed (that’s just a fancy word for an automated email) that will forward this information to you.
We are looking forward to this! Please share any and all useful information you find here on the TB Blog.
Yours in good health,
Cindy and Barb
