Remember how I said I was done with Swiss chard for the summer? Well, I made a very rushed visit to the farmer's market and those big bunches of (organic) chard were just sitting there looking so wholesome and reasonably priced that I decided to grab them and worry about whether or not I actually wanted to eat them later. I said to myself, I hope this stuff is very nutritious.
In order to find out, I checked in with a few websites (vegonline.org, drweil.com, nutrition-and-you.com, whfoods.com) and found that Swiss chard is probably the healthiest thing a human could possibly eat. Among it's many virtues are:
Great source of Vitamin C, A and K
-716% of RDA of vitamin K making it a great for bone health (Weber 2001)
Great source of Calcium (5% of RDA), Iron, Potassium and Folates.
Great source of all kinds of antioxidants (in addition to vitamins A and C)
Like most vegetables, it may help to prevent cancers.
It's got flavonoids that help regulate blood sugar levels.
So, O.K. The Swiss chard is a great thing to include in my diet. When eaten raw it has a slightly bitter, earthy taste. I decided to try to combat that by adding walnuts and raisins. For dressing I used olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Well, it turns out that that is a great way to eat Swiss chard. I had a giant mixing bowl full of it last night and again tonight (I finished it all!). So, Swish chard is an all around win.
What did I do to avoid diabetes today?
-I ran 3.2 miles (in my neighborhood, uphill both ways)
-I ate a ludicrous amount of Swiss chard.
-I ate an apple, a banana and blue berries.
-I ate 2-3 servings of walnuts (next time I'll find out of walnuts fight for the cause).
References
Weber, P. (2001). Vitamin K and bone health. Nutrition, 7(10),880-887.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Weekend Report
Well, on Friday night I did NOT eat the chocolate covered pretzels. Yay me.
Over the weekend, I maintained my low glycemic index approach for the most part. I did have ice-cream on Saturday night (but, hey, you gotta live a little!). Besides, I had the ice-cream right after running six miles so I felt that it all balanced out (don't ask me for the logic!).
This week, I coughed up about $4.50 to get Ezekiel bread. It is made of sprouted grain and has no flour. It's a complete protein and low on the glycemic index. I actually like it too. That is kind of a problem. Since it's a legitimate food in my new way of eating, I could live on bread and peanutbutter alone and sort of forget fruits and vegetables. I'm, therefore, trying to limit my bread intake - just to let all the other foods else have a chance.
My family and I went blueberry picking today so we are swimming in blueberries and their associated health benefits (see Dr. Weil). Usually when I buy berries, I don't eat any myself but give them all to my son (because the packages are so little and expensive) but now I can have as many as I want. You may recall in my last entry I was debating about the nutritional value of the fruit cups. I've decided that I'm going to try to always send him to school with fresh fruit. This week he'll definitely be getting blueberries!
I made Dr. Weil's vegetarian chile for dinner tonight. Instead of using canned beans, I cooked a pound of kidney beans (yesterday) to put in the chile. And so I created a low sodium chile. It came out great (even my carnivorous husband liked it).
It's only been a couple days but I'm feeling pretty good. I haven't been worrying about how much I eat (except for bread) but, rather, about what I eat. It's easier on my sensibilities.
What did I do today to avoid diabetes?
-I ate the following fruits: watermelon, orange, banana, apple and tons of blueberries.
-I ate 2-3 servings of kidney beans (in the chile).
Over the weekend, I maintained my low glycemic index approach for the most part. I did have ice-cream on Saturday night (but, hey, you gotta live a little!). Besides, I had the ice-cream right after running six miles so I felt that it all balanced out (don't ask me for the logic!).
This week, I coughed up about $4.50 to get Ezekiel bread. It is made of sprouted grain and has no flour. It's a complete protein and low on the glycemic index. I actually like it too. That is kind of a problem. Since it's a legitimate food in my new way of eating, I could live on bread and peanutbutter alone and sort of forget fruits and vegetables. I'm, therefore, trying to limit my bread intake - just to let all the other foods else have a chance.
My family and I went blueberry picking today so we are swimming in blueberries and their associated health benefits (see Dr. Weil). Usually when I buy berries, I don't eat any myself but give them all to my son (because the packages are so little and expensive) but now I can have as many as I want. You may recall in my last entry I was debating about the nutritional value of the fruit cups. I've decided that I'm going to try to always send him to school with fresh fruit. This week he'll definitely be getting blueberries!
I made Dr. Weil's vegetarian chile for dinner tonight. Instead of using canned beans, I cooked a pound of kidney beans (yesterday) to put in the chile. And so I created a low sodium chile. It came out great (even my carnivorous husband liked it).
It's only been a couple days but I'm feeling pretty good. I haven't been worrying about how much I eat (except for bread) but, rather, about what I eat. It's easier on my sensibilities.
What did I do today to avoid diabetes?
-I ate the following fruits: watermelon, orange, banana, apple and tons of blueberries.
-I ate 2-3 servings of kidney beans (in the chile).
Friday, June 24, 2011
Today was a test
Today was a test in many ways. First, my son was sick so I stayed home from work and, so, my routine was disrupted. I have trouble keeping my eye on the prize when my routine is disrupted. That coupled with the fact that I hadn't slept very well because my son woke up a lot during the night was a recipe for disaster. Nevertheless, perhaps because this whole quest is new and exciting, I did O.K. I at more than usual but I made good choices for the most part. The hard part is now. My son is asleep and my husband who I apparently forgot to tell about my new regiment bought me diet soda and chocolate covered pretzels (two things I have historically liked a lot). The soda is easy to reject because I've become really concerned about the chemicals. The pretzels, well, I'm just going to have to find the fortitude to not open the box.
One question I've been pondering lately relates to canned fruit. I send my son to school with fruit cups in his lunch box almost everyday. I buy the ones that are in 100% juice but they are still very sugary. I'm wondering if the fruit juice sugar is as bad as the syrup sugar. I think the canned fruits in heavy or light syrup have more total sugar than those in juice but still, am I doing my son any favors by giving him this stuff? I wasn't able to find the info I wanted online. I'll keep trying and post anything that comes up. I also send him with applesauce (without sugar). I buy the little cups but now I'm thinking I'll buy some nifty little Tupperware cups and just spoon applesauce in from the big jar in the fridge. I could do the same for the canned fruits if I decide to continue with them. That would ultimately reduce my plastic consumption (all those little cups!) which is a good thing. And it would be cheaper, yee haw!
What did I do today to avoid diabetes?
-I had a bowl of cereal (something like shredded wheat but with more sugar) but I put blueberries on it because they help lower blood sugar (Science Daily, realage.com)
-I ate a ridiculous amount of organic Swiss chard (raw, in a salad. I'm done with Swiss chard for the summer).
-I made a rice-a-roni rice mix but I only used half of the (sodium laden) flavor mix and I added in equal parts of plain brown rice. I also added chopped carrots, onions and celery (I'm not so keen on celery but I had bought the expensive organic celery so I don't want it to go to waste). I also added canned chickpeas which I rinsed well in hopes of removing some of the sodium.
-I, so far, have not had any chocolate covered pretzels.
One question I've been pondering lately relates to canned fruit. I send my son to school with fruit cups in his lunch box almost everyday. I buy the ones that are in 100% juice but they are still very sugary. I'm wondering if the fruit juice sugar is as bad as the syrup sugar. I think the canned fruits in heavy or light syrup have more total sugar than those in juice but still, am I doing my son any favors by giving him this stuff? I wasn't able to find the info I wanted online. I'll keep trying and post anything that comes up. I also send him with applesauce (without sugar). I buy the little cups but now I'm thinking I'll buy some nifty little Tupperware cups and just spoon applesauce in from the big jar in the fridge. I could do the same for the canned fruits if I decide to continue with them. That would ultimately reduce my plastic consumption (all those little cups!) which is a good thing. And it would be cheaper, yee haw!
What did I do today to avoid diabetes?
-I had a bowl of cereal (something like shredded wheat but with more sugar) but I put blueberries on it because they help lower blood sugar (Science Daily, realage.com)
-I ate a ridiculous amount of organic Swiss chard (raw, in a salad. I'm done with Swiss chard for the summer).
-I made a rice-a-roni rice mix but I only used half of the (sodium laden) flavor mix and I added in equal parts of plain brown rice. I also added chopped carrots, onions and celery (I'm not so keen on celery but I had bought the expensive organic celery so I don't want it to go to waste). I also added canned chickpeas which I rinsed well in hopes of removing some of the sodium.
-I, so far, have not had any chocolate covered pretzels.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The purpose
I spend an awful lot of time thinking about food. For most of my life these thoughts have centered around weight loss and maintaining weight loss (dieting, counting calories, how many grams of fat, etc.). Now, though I am still pretty obsessed with my weight (I'm ashamed to admit - it's just always going to be a part of me), I'm really realizing that I need to shift the focus. I have one child and during the pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I'm not sure how much I believe in gestational diabetes as a condition (there is some debate between mainstream and alternative medicine) but apparently those of us diagnosed with it are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. I really don't want Type 2 diabetes. I'm also, of course, concerned about cancer and other diseases. All of this has gotten me thinking very seriously about what I'm eating. And then I have a 3 year old son and I'm very concerned about what I'm feeding him and how that will affect his future health. So, I'm thinking seriously about what I'm eating and I'm trying to make some changes. It's a journey, as they say. I'm starting this blog as a means of organizing my thoughts and hearing yours.
So, here is some basic info.
-I'm a semi-vegetarian. That is to say, I don't eat mammals or birds but I do still eat fish and shellfish.
-I try to buy organic fruits and vegetables. I say "try" because they are all very expensive! I've recently started using the "dirty dozen" as a guide. So, I buy the dirty dozen organic and all else standard (unless it's on sale). I also have access to a good farmers market with a few organic farmers so that gives me options.
-I'm trying to eat less sodium. I never really paid attention to sodium before but now that I'm giving food to my son I started looking at labels and I'm shocked at how much sodium is in canned beans, for example. So, I'm mindful of that now.
-I'm trying to avoid foods high on the glycemic index. Basically, I'm avoiding sugar, white flour and, I guess, white rice. That's the latest development. I know that the cheap bread I buy is empty calories (just a vehicle for sugar and probably salt). I'm thinking now I'll fork over the dough for some decent bread. My son eats toast almost every morning and I love bread so it would be worth it (as long as I can exercise self control and make the loaf last a week)
-I've always been big on exercise but sometimes life gets in the way so I'm really making an effort to fit it in.
-Oh, and perhaps the hardest thing, I've decided to once and for all give up diet soda. I didn't get any this week because I didn't feel like spending money on it. Now that I've been clean for a few days I think I can kick the habit. I hear all those artificial flavors and colors are bad for the metabolism.
-So, I had to give up coffee a few months ago because it bugged my stomach lining, I don't drink or smoke, I'm (almost) a vegetarian and now I'm giving up diet soda. What the heck is next? Well, I'm sure there will be relapses.
So, I have made several statements containing information that I heard or read somewhere. As I go forward in the blog, I'm planning to provide cites (and links) to support such things. I'm not bothering now because I'm getting tired.
In each entry, I'll answer the question "What did I do today to avoid diabetes (and other nasty diseases)?
-I rode a bike for 30 minutes at lunch time.
-I ate 2-3 servings of organic greens.
-I ate tuna salad, instead of a tuna salad sandwich in order to avoid the glycemic blast of my cheap bread.
-I stopped myself from stuffing cereal into my mouth after 1-2 hand-fulls.
-I ate a banana with (natural) peanut butter for an evening snack rather than toast or cereal or icecream.
So, here is some basic info.
-I'm a semi-vegetarian. That is to say, I don't eat mammals or birds but I do still eat fish and shellfish.
-I try to buy organic fruits and vegetables. I say "try" because they are all very expensive! I've recently started using the "dirty dozen" as a guide. So, I buy the dirty dozen organic and all else standard (unless it's on sale). I also have access to a good farmers market with a few organic farmers so that gives me options.
-I'm trying to eat less sodium. I never really paid attention to sodium before but now that I'm giving food to my son I started looking at labels and I'm shocked at how much sodium is in canned beans, for example. So, I'm mindful of that now.
-I'm trying to avoid foods high on the glycemic index. Basically, I'm avoiding sugar, white flour and, I guess, white rice. That's the latest development. I know that the cheap bread I buy is empty calories (just a vehicle for sugar and probably salt). I'm thinking now I'll fork over the dough for some decent bread. My son eats toast almost every morning and I love bread so it would be worth it (as long as I can exercise self control and make the loaf last a week)
-I've always been big on exercise but sometimes life gets in the way so I'm really making an effort to fit it in.
-Oh, and perhaps the hardest thing, I've decided to once and for all give up diet soda. I didn't get any this week because I didn't feel like spending money on it. Now that I've been clean for a few days I think I can kick the habit. I hear all those artificial flavors and colors are bad for the metabolism.
-So, I had to give up coffee a few months ago because it bugged my stomach lining, I don't drink or smoke, I'm (almost) a vegetarian and now I'm giving up diet soda. What the heck is next? Well, I'm sure there will be relapses.
So, I have made several statements containing information that I heard or read somewhere. As I go forward in the blog, I'm planning to provide cites (and links) to support such things. I'm not bothering now because I'm getting tired.
In each entry, I'll answer the question "What did I do today to avoid diabetes (and other nasty diseases)?
-I rode a bike for 30 minutes at lunch time.
-I ate 2-3 servings of organic greens.
-I ate tuna salad, instead of a tuna salad sandwich in order to avoid the glycemic blast of my cheap bread.
-I stopped myself from stuffing cereal into my mouth after 1-2 hand-fulls.
-I ate a banana with (natural) peanut butter for an evening snack rather than toast or cereal or icecream.
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