EAT WELL: Discover Beets - A Powerful Antioxidant

Did you know that the pigment that provides the rich red color of beets is also a powerful antioxidant and cancer fighting agent? Beet roots contain a unique class of phytonutrients called betalains. Betacyanin is the red pigment that is concentrated in red beets, and betaxanthin is the yellow-orange pigment found in yellow beets. These health-promoting phytonutrient pigments may be partially responsible for beets’ suggested role as a chemoprotective food. In one study, liver antioxidant enzymes were found to increase in animals fed beet fiber. Since these enzymes protect the liver from free radicals, they are thought to prevent the beginnings of cancerous activity. In a human clinical trial, beet juice was found to be a potent inhibitor of cell mutations that are normally caused by nitrosamines, metabolic byproducts of nitrates, which are chemical preservatives commonly used in processed meats. It turns out that beet roots are not the only part of the plant offering protection against free radical damage—beet greens also have amazing antioxidant potential. In one study that compared them to spinach, broccoli, carrots, onions and celery, beet greens were found to have the highest phenolic phytonutrient content as well as the greatest ability to absorb oxygen radicals (a marker of their antioxidant capacity).
15-Minute Healthy Steamed Beets
The beautiful color of beets also reflects their rich concentration of health-promoting phytonutrient antioxidants, which help protect against the damage to cellular structures and DNA that can be caused by free radicals. They are also rich in folate and one serving of this recipe adds only 57 calories to your Healthiest Way of Eating.

Prep and Cook Time: 5 minute prep; 15 minute cooking

Ingredients:

3 medium beets, about 3″ in diameter
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Optional:
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 TBS chopped dill
1 TBS chopped chives
2 TBS Feta cheese

Directions:
Fill the bottom of a steamer with 2 inches of water.
While the water is coming to a boil, wash beets, leaving 2 inches of tap root and 1 inch of the stem on the beets. Cut beets into quarters. Do not peel.
Steam covered for 15 minutes. Beets are cooked when you can easily insert a fork on the tip of a knife into the beet. Although some of their colorful phytonutrients are lost to the steaming water, there is plenty of color and nutrients left in the beets.
Press or chop garlic and let sit for 5 minutes to bring out their health-promoting properties.
Peel beets using a paper towel.
Transfer beets to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients while they are still hot.
* Serves 2

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The Fitness Underground-Los Angeles c.2010

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It's a journey..

This blog is about my journey into a path of healthier eating which must include a lot of raw foods. I realize it’s a journey and the blogging is for me. If someone else can be helped or offer help, that will be great. But I am doing this for me.

This morning I had yogurt for breakfast. I am lacking motivation lately. Honestly I need a bouquet of flowers or something. lol But tomorrow is another day. But I think I’m going to do another 10-21 day veggie cleanse/fast. Yeah I’ve said a lot of things, but whatever. It is what it is… and I say that with a big smile on my face. lol

[Via http://rawcookbooks.wordpress.com]

Congratulation to our first health class group!

Tonight was the last meeting for our first “Foundations for Health” group. Over the past 8 weeks or so, we’ve covered a range of topics related to what our body must have to function properly, including diet, exercise, sleep, and others.

At the final weigh-in and measurements, I was happy to see that everyone that embraced the program lost between 5 and 15 pounds and 2 inches from their waist and 2 inches from their hips. This was during one of the most difficult times of the year to lose weight. I am confident that if they continue to follow their new lifestyle, they will lose just as much over the next 8 weeks.

More importantly, many of the group members expressed that they have more energy and feel much better than they have previously. It’s amazing how well the body can work when its basic requirements are satisfied!

If you’re reading this and are thinking to yourself, “I could lose a couple of pounds”, or “I know I should feel better than I do”, or maybe you’re suffering from some sort of health ailment or have been diagnosed with a health issue, consider giving our program a try. There’s no gimmicks, to tricks involved, and no pills to buy. It’s just good, honest, well researched concepts that when put into practice, can make a world of difference.

Our program is good for the beginner that has no clue where to start as well as those that feel they have a pretty good grasp of what they should be doing. We’ll cover all of the basics and well as provide a concrete plan for those that need a little structure and motivation.

If all this sounds good to you, call our office at 570-366-2613 and ask to be placed on our list for the “Foundations for Health” program. Once we have more info on times and dates for our next class, we’ll give you a call and let you know what’s up. By calling and getting on our list, there’s no commitment involved.

(Dr. Touchinsky is the chiropractor at Blue Mountain Family Chiropractic and owner of Healthy Habits Natural Market in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County. In addition to traditional chiropractic care for neck and back pain, he also has a passion for helping people through diet and lifestyle coaching and counseling. The “Foundations for Health” program is designed to give people a basic understanding of what our bodies need to function properly. People that follow the principles often report weight loss, increase energy, decreased blood pressure, better sleep, and many other benefits.)

[Via http://drtouchinsky.com]

● The 6-week GREEK GODDESS challenge!

To all the ladies out there – if you want to see improvements in your body shape, health and fitness, take on my 6-week challenge to start getting the strength and toned physique of a Greek goddess!

3x 30 min sessions a week for a six week commitment, fun and motivating small group training (2-3 people). Make up your own group or meet some new people

To have a better read and for pricing, click on the pic below:

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Measures of Success

The scale has been pretty slow to respond lately, so I’ve been looking for other ways to measure my progress. One of the most exciting happened this week when I went shoe shopping. For the past twenty years I have been wearing wide shoes. In fact, for the past ten, I’ve had to get WW. This severely limited my choice of style. Lots of pretty shoes are only made for people with M width feet. Well, I’m happy to report that a few days ago, I bought four pairs of cute, medium-width shoes!

I also fit into size 16s—not all 16s—some pants are still too tight, but I’m probably only about a month away.

And then there’s the airplane seatbelt….

Those of you who have never been severely overweight may not realize that it is possible to be able to fit in an airplane seat but not be able to cinch the seat belt. I made this embarrassing discovery on an Air France flight to Paris several years ago. I was traveling with a friend who convinced me I had to admit my problem to the flight attendant.  I finally did—deciding that a psychological harm I might suffer by asking for help was nothing compared to the physical harm that I might experience in the case of a rough landing. The kind flight attendant seeing my consternation, surreptitiously handed me a seatbelt extender and I buckled myself in. Realizing that it was unlikely that I would be significantly thinner after a week in Paris and so would likely need that device again, I slipped it into my purse and have carried it on every flight since. Sometimes, I’ve needed it. Sometimes I haven’t.

I usually need it on  flights outside the US—I always needed to use it on domestic carriers in Mexico and Nigeria and sometimes on KLM. However, I have never used it on a US flight. I guess that says something about the average waist size  of Americans.

At any rate, the news is that I now easily fit into the seatbelt. In fact, when I pulled it tight,  I had about seven inches left over!

Just goes to show you that you can measure progress in lots of ways.

 - Cheryl

How do you measure your weight loss success?

[Via http://livewellwomen.wordpress.com]

Isagenix, first week summary

Here’s my summary of things after one week on Isagenix.

Weight loss:  I lost 6 pounds in 7 days.  That’s a pretty stellar result, however, I’m not convinced that any other strict diet wouldn’t have done the same.  I wonder how much of that weight is water loss.  I don’t think I’ve lost muscle, since I do work out quite a bit.  I didn’t measure myself again at the 7 day point, so all I know is at the 4 day mark I’d lost 10.5 inches overall.

Energy:  A few people told me that I’d have so much more energy.  I don’t.  I see no difference in my energy level whatsoever.

Sleep:  Another thing Isagenix claims to be good for is improving sleep.  No dice there either.

Taste:  I still hate the shakes.  They taste like playdough smells.  Tonight I tried mixing one scoop of vanilla and one scoop of chocolate.  It didn’t improve things.  Nothing makes these shakes taste any better, so I’ve stopped trying to add anything to them.  I’ve more or less gotten used to the taste of the Ionix Supreme, and to me the Cleanse drink tastes enough like nothing that I have no problem with it.

Hunger:  I have to say that since Thursday, I’ve found my hunger to be controlled pretty well.  I don’t get particularly hungry between meals, and if I do, a small snack is enough to keep me going.  I do still get some pretty strong sugar cravings though.

Overall:  I like the plan.  The 2 shakes, one small meal takes all the thinking out of eating, which for me is a good thing.  I’m on the fence about cleanse day.  However, there are 2 things that will stop me from using the Isagenix products after this month is up:  1.  I hate the shakes.  I’m figuring that I’d need to stick to this program for 3 to 6 months to lose the weight I want to lose.  That’s between 180 and 360 shakes that I absolutely hate.  I won’t subject myself to that.  2.  Even more importantly, it’s foolishly expensive.  The 30 day cleanse cost US$320.  I just can’t justify the cost, when I can get the equivalent amount of Unjury protein powder (which tastes better) for US$80 per month.  Yes, with Isagenix, I do get a few extra products:  Cleanse for Life, Ionix Supreme, Snacks!, IsaFlush, and Natural Accelerator.  I can find quite similar products to each of these (with perhaps the exception of Snacks!, but they’re gross anyway) at GNC.  The equivalent amount of a cleanse product would cost $40.00 for the month, the equivalent of Ionix Supreme, $15.99, and take your pick of fat burning accelerators, for somewhere around $35.00.  Add that all up, and you’re at about half the price of the Isagenix program.  Would it be as effective?  Maybe I’ll try it out next month.

[Via http://darklightwrites.wordpress.com]

118 lbs. later...

Last summer, I decided it was time to get my weight under control for the first time since my early twenties, so on July 15, I went to my family doctor for a consultation. Of course, he told everything I already knew, but needed to hear: fewer calories, healthier food choices, and exercise–essentially, take in less than you’re putting out. We decided on a caloric intake that would be conducive to weight loss and set up a weight-check schedule for me to follow. Then, I went down the hall to the hospital’s fitness center and stepped up my exercise program, which had been hit-or-miss over the past couple of years.

I began by walking two miles a day on a treadmill, using the various weight machines, and cutting my calories to 1500 per day; soon the weight started coming off. I felt energized, and my walking increased to three miles a day and my weightlifting continued. By Labor Day, I was down 40 lbs. and walking at least three miles a day. When my wife and I returned from a fall break trip to visit family in and around Strasbourg, France, I’d lost 50 lbs. and had missed only one day of walking since July 15.

As of today, I’ve officially met my weight-loss goal, and I’m running three or four miles a every day and lifting weights six days a week (concentrating on different areas on alternating days). I’m officially in maintenance-mode, and I’m enjoying my forties more than ever.

[Via http://mou101.wordpress.com]