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Archive for February, 2010

Nutrition – From the Ground Up

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

What the heck does Nutrition From the Ground Up, the theme for National Nutrition month 2010, mean really? Thinking cap on, light bulb flickering, aha!

Sustainable, whole, real, clean, green, organic, natural, fresh, simple, local, slow, functional, homemade, carbon footprint – these are a few words popping into my head when I think ‘ground up’ for food. And fun…..eating should be joyful with meals abundant in vital and energetic offerings.

Americans struggle to find balance and health in food. Most don’t meet the dietary guideline recommendations at all! To do so, for starters, we need to eat 80% more fruits and and 37% more vegetables (Agricultural Economics, 2007;37(2-3):249). Let’s get started there for ideas! (more…)

Tags: American Dietetic Association, Green, Organic, Sustainable
Posted in Labels, Nutrition | No Comments »

Vegetarian Tacos

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Right before a trip, I save all the new magazines that arrive at home so I won’t be bored in flight. Besides, I have way too much to do at home before taking off. In Real Simple this month, I fell in love with this photo under the title If You Don’t Like Chopping….Try a No-Knife Recipe. I can dig that!

Vegetarian Tacos with Spinach, Corn, and Goat Cheese

1 T. olive oil
1 14-oz package extra firm tofu, drained, patted cry and crumbled
1 1/2 t. chili powder
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 10-oz package frozen corn (2 c.) thawed
1 5-oz package baby spinach (aobut 6 c. loosely packed)
8 small flower tortillas, warmed
3/4 c. crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 oz)
3/4 c. store-bought refrigerated salsa

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the tofu, chili powder, 1/4 t. each salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the corn and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 2 min. Add spinach 1/4 t. each salt and pepper and toss until wilted.

Fill the tortillas with the tofu mixture, goat cheese, and salsa.

Tags: Corn, Recipe, Tomatoes
Posted in Nutrition, Recipes | 1 Comment »

Footloose with Juice – Can You Afford That?

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Juice Mon? Yea Mon! Juice, the preferred beverage at every meal in Jamaica, is overt in this colorful display at a local market – juice spills onto the floor in gallon-sized jubs. Cherry, quava, pineapple, orange – you name it, they have it.

Fidgeting, I began to turn down their kind offer of liquid refreshment – to me, it was added unpurposeful calories. Evidence shows that sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda, show up at our waistline (as in metabolic syndrome) more readily. Even diet soda contributes to MetS. Juice will too. MetS is being told “you don’t have diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease YET.”

To be diagnosed with MetS, you must present with 3 of 5 symptoms: (more…)

Tags: Carbohydrate, Metabolic syndrome, Waist circumference
Posted in Diabetes, High blood pressure, Nutrition, Weight Loss | No Comments »

Receiving the Teachings

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Waves of homesickness crashed over me the first night in the high cliffs of Jamaica. Surrounded by women gathered to hone their skills of yoga for recovery of disordered eating, I felt out of place. I missed and yearned for the spiritual connection of my Anusara kula.

It was late and lots of cranky pants personalities blended into the warm breeze dusting our skin. An unsettled feeling permeated the air as we had all just made our way through a bustling airport, hour and a half ride along a motion-sickness-inducing road and hungry, we found our way to delicious Jamaican fare before our orientation.

In meditation, we were asked to intend a question. At that moment, all I could think of was how in the world was I going to appreciate and receive the teachings this week? So, I made that my question…….we took our question into meditation. My answers were stiff and structured after the first of 4 meditations: (more…)

Tags: Homesick
Posted in Anusara Yoga, Mindful Eating, Yoga | No Comments »

No Problem – We’re in Jamaica Mon!

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

One Love…..I still hear Bob Marley crooning the island’s theme song and every where I look, I see joy pulsating in Jamaican faces, the vast ocean and palm trees, and especially on the long, narrow, winding road from Montego Bay to Negril Beach. At a reggae concert, the energy of love rippled through the crowds as the ocean crashed into the cliffs just below us, spraying happy bodies with salty water. And, it was raining! Still, smiles and love everywhere.

What would it take to have that attitude in Boston? Or Detroit? Or San Francisco? Or Houston? Or upstate New York? Or Indianapolis? (more…)

Tags: Universal Love
Posted in General Health and Wellbeing, Yoga | No Comments »

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