Freebie Download: Wallpaper #1

As we're all winding down from the weekend, (and maybe trying to re-focus after some weekend treats) I thought it might be pertinent to share a wallpaper I made and I use to re-fuel my motivation to kick some booty.  This is actually from my personal desktop, so it's personalized for me with some of my favorite weight loss monsters like BNPB, Bravo TV 'Workout' trainer Jackie Warner (wow her new workout DVD kicks my ass), livestrong, and the ultimate goal - cute 2 piece bathing suits.  Seeing this background from time to time as I'm working on my computer can be enough to inspire me, so maybe it would help you as well, despite my personal touches.

I love messing around with graphics; I used to have a graphics website but it got kind of lame as I went to college and didn't update as much.  But maybe I can refresh my skills and make some desktop backgrounds for you fine people from time to time.  For now, if you'd like to borrow my inspiration, have at it!  It's a brand new week and month - let's eat some healthy stuff in balanced days, track our food, and do this thang. 

Clickie to download.

Step away from the salt shaker

...and snip up some herbs.

70% of Americans salt their food without tasting it first.  In France, (and I'd imagine most upscale restaurants and maybe in some homes for that matter), this is considered a major foodie faux pas - have you ever seen that episode of I Love Lucy where she orders ketchup (which is highly salty) with her escargot and the chef comes storming out, cursing at her in French?  It suggests that the chef did not properly season the food, and you are being so bold as to correct the error or mask the flavor.  Most of us don't mean it as an insult - we are just addicted to the stuff.  It's just a staple of our day-to-day dietary intake, usually without us consciously thinking about it.

Salt is mixed into processed food for many reasons and is the biggest source of sodium in the American diet (around 77% overall).  But we also add it during cooking, baking, and at the table, and salt occurs naturally in a lot of foods.  We are salt-a-holics, and we need to re-think what we're doing to our food, because there are tastier alternatives out there - herbs and spices, and different ways of preparing food - that won't negatively affect our bodies.  In fact, adding herbs and spices instead of salt can mean you're sprinkling in antioxidants and minerals, instead of a substance that raises your blood pressure and cause bloat.  Let's examine, you and I, some sneaky sodium sources, and how to branch out into the herby & spicy world - for the betterment of both your body systems and your taste buds.

My Beloved Better N' Peanut Butter

It's a snow day here in Philadelphia.. again!  I don't work on Thursdays, my classes were canceled, and I can't seem to sleep, so I figured it's a lovely time for my official post on my peanut-butter-y addiction, all-natural Better n' Peanut Butter. 

Such is my love of nut butters that I am sitting here, sipping my Starbucks (of course I had to stop for a Grande - even in a blizzard), having just returned from my 6:45 am trip to the grocery store, through the swirling sky of snowy white, in an attempt to find a nice almond butter to try the Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe from the March issue of Clean Eating magazine.  I'm going to be stuck in my apartment all day, and Ed had to unfortunately trudge his way to the office despite the snow, so I thought I'd try some new baking.  I didn't find the Almond butter I was looking for (the only brand they had was $8.99 - I ain't cheap but I ain't exactly dying for these cookies today), but I did grab another jar of my daily staple - Low-Sodium BNPB, as I (and fellow enthusiasts) call it for the sake of brevity. 

I'd love to get some peanut butter-loving people on the BNPB bandwagon with me, so here's the low-down on this crazy spread.

Do you know Gnu?

I cannot believe I forgot to mention my favorite fiber-filled goodie, and so I must quickly update this blog o' mine so that I can spread the good word on:  Gnu Foods Flavor & Fiber Bars.  This awesome all-natural bar has 12 monster grams of fiber - that is nearly 50% of a woman's daily fiber count.  Their high fiber blend is a blend of their own, packed with: whole rolled oats, whole wheat flour, wheat bran, organic kamut (an ancient grain), psyllium, flax, and millet.  Then on top of that they pack in chicory root inulin, which is what most manufacturers use to add fiber to their granola bars or cereals.  Get in the habit of peeking at ingredient lists, not just nutrition labels.

Gnu bars are super fresh-tasting, with 6 whole grains, sweetened entirely with fruit juice.  My favorite flavor, hands-down, is Orange Cranberry - the aroma of the citrus volatiles (the delightfully-fragrant gases that enter the air when you open the package, or cut an orange peel, for that matter) hit your nose immediately and then the sweet, chewy, crunchy bar is lovely and quite decently-sized for a mere 130 calories.  There are 6 other tasty flavors available.  To my preference, my favorites from best to very good, after Orange Cranberry, are: Banana Walnut, Cinnamon Raisin, Chocolate Brownie, Peanut Butter, Espresso Chip, and Lemon Ginger.  I get my supply at Whole Foods, but on their website you can sign up for a monthly shipment of bars, by enrolling in the Joy of Fiber Club.  (cute.)  Enjoy this new find!  Which I just now see - as I am typing this - is mentioned in this month's issue of Oxygen magazine!  I am psychic.

My Discovery of Wegmans Mini Scones

My boyfriend Ed and I have a great Sunday routine.  Though it's not likely perceived as particularly special to anyone outside of our coupledom, we're happy with it and it serves as a re-charge for the rest of the week.  I wouldn't make public note of it except today it happened to include the makings of the very first Scone Update!  (insert dramatic music here)

Extra-Hot Double Half-Calf Soy Latte No Whip

Couldn't you just smack the customer in front of you when they order their coffee?  Plus, you probably haven't had your coffee yet if you are behind this person in the coffee line, so you're kind of set up for extra aggravation at this kind of multi-syllabic order.  Or maybe you are this person with the complicated drink, and you are just picky.  And that is ok, as long as you would definitely notice the difference between your complex multi-layered beverage and if someone accidentally gave you a regular cup of house blend with no frills.  If you wouldn't notice, what the hell are you doing ordering that contraption?  For shame.

I say this because when in college I was a barista for a semester.  I worked with one of my best friends, Amanda, and this combo did not always end up as the best possible situation for the consumers (Skim milk for the annoying girl I hated from my stat class?  I think not.  Whole milk it is!  ..I cringe as I type and admit this indiscretion.  For the record, I would never do that now.  Nutritional profiles are too important and that is unethical and disrespectful.  What if they had diabetes? I hang my head in shame.  But she was obnoxious.) My point here is that I have the perspective not only as a nutrition geek, but as as both a consumer and a barista, seeing the coffee world from both sides of the counter.  Plus I just gave a presentation on coffee in a nutrition course so I'm all pumped up on the topic right now.

My Adventure with Sardines

Settle in and let me regale you with the story of my first experience (to my recollection) with sardines.  I consider myself a pretty open-minded person when it comes to trying odd foods, particularly when said food is allegedly nutrient dense.  Sometimes, this brings me to some interesting meal options.

Consistently, in my thirst for nutritional knowledge, I kept coming across the topic of sardines.  Sardines this, sardines that, sardines and Omega 3's (the importance and name-origins of which I will likely tackle in an upcoming post), sardines and calcium.. yadda yadda yadda. So, hoping as ever to find the next esoteric 'staple' of my healthy daily plate, I decided to emrace my open-mindedness and give them a whirl.

Finding Fiber 101

I have become quite the fiber-sneaker-inner.  It makes you feel full and helps fight heart disease.  Enough fiber in your system (25g for women daily & 40g for men daily), helps your body to create larger bulks of food, because the fiber we're talking about is indigestible.  These bulks trigger greater peristalsis - movement of the muscles of your digestive tract - to keep it moving through your system and shorten the transit time.  Aka, healthy GI tract and no lingering particles to collect and hang out in there.  Dr. Oz likes to say, "Admire your work" when he talks on the benefits of fiber. I won't get into too much detail on that one, but he certainly does - feel free to Google. Suffice to say, he explains the end result pretty well. Just remember: Add fiber gradually to your daily intake, lest ye get a bloaty, gassy belly, as well as frequent, potentially-uncomfortable trips to the restroom. 

I thought I'd share some ways to squeeze some fiber into your days so you can begin or enhance your quest to have a nice healthy system going.  Many fiber options await you..

Become a Food-Log-a-holic

As I'm melding together ideas for future informative and comprehensive posts for you fine people, I realized that I can't continue without mentioning livestrong.com. If you are serious about getting healthy/losing weight/training for an event/taking responsibility for your health or nutrition-related illness, this site is your first step. As you read health magazines or books, or listen to your buddies, or talk to trainers at the gym, this is what you can tangibly go home and use. Now. We like instant gratification. You can track everything you eat, in the portions that you eat it, and get an unbiased, detailed report of many important factors. I've been tracking my food on livestrong's TheDailyPlate for a good 2 years now, and while I'm kind of a nut about it, it has been immensely helpful. As a matter of fact, I don't know how I would have done with weight loss without this crazy tool.

Man, she really likes scones.

Like it says up yonder, this is the personal blog of a hopefully-soon-to-be-Registered-Dietician. Meaning: I am a Master's student in nutrition education and will be sitting the exam for becoming a registered dietician as soon as possible. I have my Bachelor's degree in Family Psychos.. oops.. I mean Family Psych, but 2 years ago my life took a direction that lead me to.. well, the kitchen. And the grocery store, and the gym, and the internet, and the library.

I have a sick obsession with foods - both healthy and non-healthy. I lost 40 pounds a year and a half ago by simple dietary changes, exercising a lot more, educating myself on dietetics (not diets - those are, in a word, dumb!) I ran my first half-marathon last May in 2:11. Now, people - all of my previous 24 years on the earth until that point I was always the chubby kid clutching a bag of doritos. I still love doritos - damn their triangular neon orange loveliness (and scones too - but I'll get to that) But for the most part I try to practice what I preach and truly do enjoy my day-to-day healthy dietary intake. Preventative medicine people! You are what you eat - hate to break it to you. I used to be a neon triangle, except it wasn't so lovely.