Cake is a carb...right?

We have all heard the rumor...remove carbs and lose weight! We probably believed it as well. The truth is, most people don't know what carbohydrates are, what they are used for, and why we need them. Most people will think of bread, fruit, veggies, and cake as carbs...though fruit and veggies are NOT even slightly similar to cake. French fries are carbs...and so are steamed  potatoes...but they are not the same at all. We are very confused here...are carbs making us fat, or is FAT< PROCESSED FOOD< AND SALT making us fat?

Let's take a look at French fries verses steamed potatoes:

Do you see the real problem here...the potato or the FAT?

The average French fries (3oz) has about 267 calories, 123 calories from FAT 13.7grams of FAT, 1.8grams of saturated fat, 247mg of sodium, and only 32.7grams of carbs. So is the carb an issue here? Or is it the insane amount of FAT and salt?

Steamed potatoes have about 80 calories for 3.8oz, and NO FAT< NO SALT!

Freshly steamed potatoes!! Add fresh herbs and enjoy!

So even though both steamed potatoes and French fries are carbohydrates, the potato itself is actually a great food choice! The French fries are ONLY bad because they are soaked in oil and drenched in salt! The fact that potatoes are carbohydrates is not an issue. They will not make you fat. Many cultures around the world eat potatoes as their staple, NONE of these cultures have a weight problem. I eat potatoes a few times a week. I do not have a weight problem.
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Another carb we are so confused about is cake/cookies etc. Yes, these things are placed in the carb category because they are made out of flour. BUT, cake is really more of a fat, salt, & refined sugar than it is a carb.

The average piece of cake has about 506 calories, 204 from FAT, 22.6grams of fat, 6.6grams of saturated fat, and 461mg of sodium! That is A LOT of fat! Now is it fair to even call this 'food' a carb? I think it is a fat...don't you?

This is pure FAT

Cookies and cakes are full of fat, refined sugar, additives, preservatives, and not a food. They should not be placed in a category with real food like rice, potatoes, fruit, corn, wheat, etc.

Natures sweet goodness! Skip the cake!

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Carbohydrates when cooked or eaten raw are the best source of energy for humans. They are also low in fat (or have zero fat), provide numerous vitamins and minerals, keep sugar cravings away, keep our mood stable, and make us feel good. Real carbs are not making us fat...fat, salt, junk food, meat & dairy are making us fat!

Take a look at a plate of chicken Parmesan. People are convinced, if you remove the pasta, and eat the chicken slathered in cheese and sauce that it is the healthier option. But is it?

This is a HIGH FAT meal, skip it!

The chicken is probably seasoned heavily with salt, most likely cooked in oil, maybe even fried, coated with breadcrumbs which have more salt, and then loaded with cheese which is high fat & salt! Now the pasta, well that is a simple food, usually just flour (sometimes whole wheat or corn) and water! Pasta is not the problem here...the high fat & salt chicken and cheese are the problem. Pasta, especially when it is gluten free, is a great high energy food!

Another food with a bad reputation is rice. Now, brown rice or even white rice has been a staple for many Asian cultures (Spanish as well) for centuries. These cultures are also some of the slimmest people out there, with long life spans. Steaming a bowl of rice and adding some veggies is a wonderful meal, it definitely won't make you fat! NOW...when Americans think of rice, they imagine fried rice, loaded with greasy sauces, chicken, beef or shrimp. This is also loaded with salt! Again, it is not the rice or 'carb' which is making you fat, it is the grease, the meat, and the salt!

Perfectly healthy brown rice and steamed veggies!

 I am 100% confidant anyone eating a LOW fat, high carb diet will stay slim and lean, as long as they understand what is a carb and what fat & salt are! Bread is not a problem, bread loaded with processed meat, high fat cheese, mayo, or oil is the problem!

For about a year, I have been testing this theory! I have been eating loads and loads of fruit, rice, potatoes, and pasta for dinner every night, and actually lost weight! I even eat vegan pizza weekly, without a single pound gained! I have energy, I am leaner than ever, I have seen improvement in the workouts, I have a steady mood, I feel amazing! No more stomach aches after a meal, no more feeling tired after a meal, and no more counting calories!

So lets go over the good & bad:
Fruit...fruit is king! Loaded with vitamins, water, and PURE energy!
Cookies...are fat & refined garbage
Cake...fat
French Fries...fat
Potatoes (steamed, baked, roasted)...awesome & healthy
Fried Rice...loaded with fat, salt and unhealthy
Rice (steamed, boiled)...yummy and healthy
Pasta...great option, especially if you pick gluten free and add some steamed veggies
Mac & Cheese...FAT, the cheese is the issue here, not the pasta
Bread...good, but pick a sprouted one, whole grain, fresh, and vegan! Low sodium is key!
Veggies...awesome!!! eat them up, skip the salt and butter!

Don't let society confuse you! Don't be fooled by fad diets trying to sell you a high fat meat diet, that will have you craving sugar all day! Carbs are not only healthy, but they will help you keep the pounds off and look leaner than ever! JUST make sure you understand what is a real carb, and what is being disguised as one!

Eat up!

Does 'Fit' Represent Health?

We are bombarded with images of 'fit' women and we have been conditioned to believe this image represents health...but does it? Have you ever met a girl that is really fit? Have you talked to her? Or have you met the guy who looks like an athlete from Sports Illustrated? Chances are you have! You also envied them for their beautiful body and probably thought 'wow, they are so healthy'. This is where the line is very blurred.

The guy who resembles an athlete is not necessarily healthy, just like a body builder is generally NOT healthy. Being around 'fit' people a lot, I can tell you what it takes for this athlete to look this way. Let's start with his horrible diet of meat & protein shakes! I once asked a 'fit' guy at the gym what his diet was like, and he said I eat a ton of meat and drink protein shakes a few times a day. He said 'I try to stay away from carbs, even fruit, then I allow myself a cheat day and I binge out on pizza and junk food'. Sounds healthy, right? No way. We know a high protein diet is acid forming and contributes to numerous health issues, cancer being one of them! Depriving yourself fresh fruit is extremely harmful. Fruit is nutrient rich, unlike meat. A diet without fruit is a nutrient poor diet and that is not healthy.

Cheat days. Why do so many 'fit' people have them, or quickly fall off their high protein diets? Cheat days happen due to lack of nutrition. The body will crave high energy food, looking for carbohydrates (that the 'fit' person denies himself) so when the craving is out of control one cannot make a healthy food choice. Turning to junk food, high in fat, salt, and sugar. Meanwhile a healthy person on a high fruit diet has no cheat days...we don't binge eat, we don't feel deprived. We don't need to cheat.

After these disgusting cheat days, he said he would hit the gym harder than ever out of fear all his hard work would go down the drain! WHAT???? He already works out for hours a day, some days twice a day. After a cheat day, his workout routine would be 1 and 1/2 hrs cardio, followed by an insanity style hour long workout. Why would you torture your body for the bad decision YOU made. Your body is your home, it is not your bodies fault YOU binged all day. It shouldn't be punished.

What does that do to your mental state? Does it feel good to binge? To deprive yourself of carbohydrates? To train for hours and hours? To feel like crap after the binge? To feel like crap after torturing yourself at the gym? NO, this is why this 'fit' person is not healthy. I once asked him why do this? His only answer...to look 'like this'. To jeopordize your health for looks is sad!

This is very common in the fitness industry, both 'fit' men and women follow this kind of lifestyle. Some women are even worse, over training on a regular basis, spending 2 to 3 hours at the gym, usually out of guilt from what they ate, or trying to lose weight quickly to fit into a dress or be ready for swim suit season.

Is it healthy to train 3+ hours a day if you only do it 3 times a week? Depends who you ask. If you ask a 'fit' person they would say sure it's fine. 'No Pain, No Gain' right? If you ask a healthy person, the answer would be it's NOT healthy. Over training for long hours puts unnecessary stress on the body, creating an acidic environment! If your diet is right, workouts can be short and efficient, keeping you lean & fit without the added stress! There are no binges when diet is right! There is no guilt when diet is right!

So does the 'fit' person always represent health? Absolutely not!

The Horrible, No Good, Food Day :/

It all began like any normal Monday, get up, get ready and go to spin class! I threw my bananas in my bag and headed to teach class. I usually push myself pretty hard, I love a good challenge, but today I decided to really crank the tension up and focus on hills!! The hour flew by, I was drenched in sweat, legs shaking, and I was starving!!! I began to eat my bananas...and did so in between training my clients. I was down to the last banana, number 7. I knew that 7 bananas wasn't enough.

As hungry as I was, I decided to make a "quick" stop at Walmart to grab some crafts I needed for my vow renewal projects...and then it happened! After walking through the craft section for about a half hour, I was ready to eat my own arm :( What was I doing...I needed to get home and eat! But...instead I got a bag of raw almonds to eat on the ride home! So...first mistake fruit & nuts...never go well together. Second...when hungry, fat (almonds are a high fat food) will not work. I was in need of fruit, water, carbs!!!

Despite knowing better, my hunger took over and I ate almonds. Each bite was actually worse than the other....not satisfying at all! Bland, boring, dry...now I was thirsty :( Finally home, I grab a huge bowl of cherries!! Not only was I still hungry, but I had a bloated belly and a little tummy ache...but hungry enough to ignore it.

The cherries were amazing I ate about a pound and then they were gone...still hungry! I reached for mangoes!!! I peel the first one and it was too ripe, pretty much gone bad :( Now...there is nothing worse than the taste of bad fruit, omg, gross! Peel the second one...and I could not get the awful taste out of my mouth! Time to move on...leave the mangoes alone!

At this point, fruit was not going to happen, I was still hungry and needed energy. I was already bloated and uncomfortable from the banana-almond-cherry combo, now here goes the next worst thing I could have done: EAT CRACKERS, lol! I needed something, quick while I prepared dinner! Nom, nom, nom, went the crackers! As I waited for dinner, my stomach ache turned into gas and even more bloating (gross I know) and I looked about 5 months pregnant! Not to mention I was in terrible pain and tired :( My energy was plummeting, I was under carbed, I under ate, and then filled my belly with poorly combined foods...that were now slowing me down. My body went into over-drive to digest this terrible combination! So I made a cup of coffee, lol!!! Now I was asking for it! And then I ate my cooked meal horribly bloated,strangly hungry and uncomfortable.

One would think, but all these foods are semi healthy and vegan, so what happened?

1st. Waiting till you are starving to eat is a really bad (terrible) idea. You tend to eat too fast, make bad choices, and  this will cause you to bloat and usually over eat.

2nd. Practicing food combining is important when you eat a clean, natural diet (any diet really, but it is hard to food combine on the S.A.D). Stomach aches become a thing of the past...and when something like this happens, it is very painful. Your body lets you know quickly that it is not happy with you! Unlike people on a S.A.D, where gas, bloating, heart burn and indigestion is a normal occurrence...this is not normal for me. I have become a clean, really efficient machine!

3rd. Mixing fresh fruit & cooked food (crackers) and coffee is not ever a good idea. It causes very poor digestion as well as fermentation...hence the gas, sour stomach, belching, etc. This is one rule I try very hard to not break! It is not optimal to allow fermentation to occur in the body!

What could I have done different. EVERYTHING!! I should have prepared a smoothie in the morning, drank it on the way to spin...and packed dates as well as bananas. I should have gone straight home as the hunger increased...starving myself to do some shopping was a bad decision!

We all have those days, we are human...tomorrow is a new day :)

My Birthday Blog~Let Go.

Today I turn 34. I think I have enjoyed my thirties more than the average woman, I LOVE being 30-something. I do not feel old, or 'mom-ish', I don't see myself as an 'older' woman, I feel young, full of energy, full of life and better than ever! So I thought I would share some thoughts with you on living simple and feeling great, it is all about letting go.

~~I have not always been this way. There was a brief time in my twenties when I was living in NY and really wanted to be 'fancy' lol. I cared a whole lot about looking a certain way, how expensive things were, and wanted to have more shoes and clothes than I would ever actually need.~~
The best thing that happened to me was discovering the organic food movement, which lead me to health & fitness! This ultimately taught me how little we actually need to be happy. How owning numerous pairs of shoes will NEVER create happiness. So, as I embraced my thirties, I also let go of what wasn't real, what wasn't necessary, and what would NOT lead me to a passionate, fulfilling life! This allowed me to think outside the box, look for ways to be a better person, and be some one I could be proud of!

~Let go of the WANT. This is not easy as we are bombarded by fashion magazines, reality TV, celebrities constantly telling us how to look, what to eat, and what to think! Take a look at how this over consumption of 'crap' affects the planet, how wasteful it is. Not to mention, none of these items will ever make you feel whole, complete, or successful. Society has driven this idea into our head that what we own = how happy we are. But to be honest with you,  the LESS junk you own the better you feel. Surrounding yourself with materialistic things will actually inhibit you from searching for what really makes you feel good.

~Let go of what others view as successful. This is something that in our cookie-cutter society we view as only one thing: one must have a 'real' job, 2 kids, big house with a garage, expensive cars, and lots of friends. To me this does not equal success. The only people, in my eyes, who are truly successful are those who live with passion, stand for something, and are able to live with an open mind. Let go...and find what makes YOU feel amazing!

~Let go of being popular or 'cool'. Be yourself, no matter how unpopular it makes you! Behaving just like everyone else or following the same path as everyone else is NOT living with passion or purpose! True friends and family will support you, will stand by you, and will encourage you to be YOU! Everyone else?...well, who cares!

~ Let go of the old you. The 'old' you was just a small step in finding the real you. Sometimes it takes many 'roles' to get there. You might have spent many years keeping up with friends, maintaining a 'look' or trying to be like everyone else, this was a necessary part of your growth. BUT...you need to be able to let go. Move on, close that chapter of your life and take the next step towards a better YOU! Don't look back, don't fear what's ahead, just LET GO.

~Life is simple. Enjoy the small things, enjoy real things like nature, animals, & people. Don't be afraid to explore new things, as it will help you discover your purpose, or ignite a passion inside, you didn't know existed! Take care of your body, your health, and the ones you love!

So on this 34th year of my life...I continue to explore, continue to learn, and continue to find passion, purpose and success :)

A new beginning...one vegan bite at a time!

I know what most people think when I talk about my lifestyle...it's way to difficult & restrictive, how do I know it works for weight loss, and it sounds boring, lol! The thing is...there is so much joy in this lifestyle :) Many people have such a great experience, and usually stay on it long term! What was that you asked about weight loss?????

Here is my interview with a mainstream foodie gone VEGAN!!!

Meet Liz, mom and wife...check out her amazing transformation and her new vegan GLOW :)

Check out that smile! Glowing and happy!

What encouraged you to go Vegan?
I heard quite a bit about Vegan lifestyles and watched a documentary on Netflix called, Vegucated. I was really at my whits end with my weight and felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I gave myself a week to try it... after that I liked it so much, I gave myself another week... and another...until after 1 month I had lost almost 12lbs, and thought, okay, lets try one more month!
Do you exercise?
I do! I started doing P90X but realized it was alot of strain on my knee and back (historically, I have problems in these two areas and knew I needed to lose weight to help with this!), so my husband and I modified the program to work best for us and our schedule.
If so, Whats your favorite workout?
Cardio! I love to dance!
What non-vegan food do you miss the most?
Chicken Wings!
Did you do alot of research prior to making the transition?
The only research I did was talking with Ewa and watching the documentary Vegucated. After I decided to try it out for a week was when I really started doing more research because I was hungry and wanted to make sure I was eating the right foods.
Whats your favorite vegan meal?
Eggplant Roasted with garlic, mushrooms, onion & kale.
How long have you been on this lifestyle and can you see yourself doing it long term?
I started in March 2013, and have enjoyed every minute since. I could never see myself going back to the way I used to eat or feel before. I have no doubt this is long term for me!
What do you like and dislike about it?
Likes: The way it makes me feel. I used to feel so bloated, depressed, anxious about my weight and the food I was consuming had a huge impact on my health and wellbeing. I no longer feel this way. I feel full, energetic, and happy! I also LOVE to cook now. This was a huge bonus for me in changing to this lifestyle, I never cooked prior to going vegan, and now I love to!
Dislikes: The need to seek out vegan options when going out to eat. I think there should be more vegan and/or healthier options. I have a website that I use called "Happycow.net" that gives you a list of restaurants in the area you choose that are vegan, raw and/or  healthier options. So this is helpful! Another dislike is how much people ask me how I get my protein, essential vitamins, etc and how uneducated people are about this lifestyle. It does, however, urge me to do more research to be able to educate and feel confident in my choice!
What advice can you give to those who think this lifestyle doesn't work or is too difficult to follow?
Try it! If it doesnt work, go back to the old way. But the old way isn't working, so why not try something new? We all fall into the idea that fad diets are the way to go... We want instant results and we get frustrated when they don't stick longer than a month. This lifestyle is a change in how we think about ourselves, animals, and the planet. Its truly a compassionate lifestyle, and being good to ourselves is something we all want to do. And this is an example of doing good to your body that I take pride in. I have never been happier with the way I look, the way I feel, the way I have grown in making a choice to life a healthier, happier life. I'm a huge foodie, and I thought I had tried everything under the sun, and had NEVER tried Kale! People think Vegan eating is so closed off; when in actuality, I have eaten more of a variety of foods then I ever did before. Its worth it, and your body will thank you.

 

Food, Friends & Family

"So...are you still vegan"? A question friends like to ask, followed by..."Well, we've been eating meat for centuries so I don't see anything wrong with it" Awesome, thanks for sharing :) I just can't imagine asking anyone..."Are you still eating meat & dairy"? Which I might just start doing...totally random too ;)

Is food the new "politics"? Is it meat-eaters vs vegans? I haven't given this much thought...even though every vegan blog, page, and forum recommends surrounding yourself with 'like-minded' people...hmmm I wonder why?? Should friends part ways and families no longer have dinner together because of our food choices? I would hope not!

In your lifetime you will make many changes, whether it's divorce, diet, exercise, religion, and even politics...because we are human and change is good and sometimes needed. I chose to be vegan not to lose friends and family, but because during THIS part of my life it is needed. I am young, healthy, active and want to stay this way for a long time. As I see more and more young people developing Cancer, Diabetes, very overweight, and taking numerous medications, I really questioned the American lifestyle.

Is NOT eating meat and dairy really that weird? I know numerous people who have dairy allergies, or don't eat meat, or only eat fish, organic only, or are gluten free, etc. So why do friends and family find the vegan diet so crazy. Maybe it makes them question their own diet and health? I think so!

What our friends and family don't understand is how we appreciate any support...which is why many of us join groups, follow other vegans, and forums. We want to feel normal, not made fun of or questioned constantly. Is it a defense mechinism? Do people behave this way because their own insecurities? I think so!

It is upsetting to be questioned all the time, or starred at while I eat, or told I am eating unhealthfully (because fruits & veggies will kill me, lol). I have never experienced so many new 'experts' in nutrition and the human diet since I've gone vegan, lol! EVERYONE is now an expert, even those living on soda, frozen dinners, and poptarts are some how more educated on diet than I am! It is crazy...I just want to eat and be happy :)

So, why not embrace your friends and family member's new lifestyle! Watch how good they feel, see how great they look, see how happy they are...these are all good things! Don't discourage them...support them! Do some research and educate yourself, get familiar with what they are doing! Skip all the jokes at dinner, or don't NOT invite them out because they don't eat the same as you (trust me, we are always prepared), don't question their health when they are HEALTHY!