eating Archives - Joy E. Held

Friday Feast: Pass me the veggies, peas.

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Joy Held

We get our energy from food. Not from exercise. Not from supplements. Not from sleep. We get energy to burn and live from the foods we eat. We are what we eat. Literally.

There are seven personal habits of a healthy person:

*sleeping 7/8 hours daily

*eating breakfast almost daily

*consuming planned snacks

*being at or near prescribed weight

*never smoking cigarettes

*moderate or no use of alcohol

*regular physical activity

(Practical Stress Management, John A. Romas and Manoj Sharma, 2010)

I want to add: *no abuse of controlled substances such as prescription or illegal drugs.

Healthy eating enhances our ability to cope with stress and stressful events. If we are sustained through healthful eating, we are more capable of dealing with daily stress because we are not stressed by being overweight or under nourished. The whole idea to eating healthy can be summed up with one word: balance. The key lies in maintaining a balance of quantity and quality of food and regularity in eating. There are dietary guidelines leading to balanced eating for Americans as described by the government. I encourage you to review all the recommendations presented at MyPyramid and visit the website if you’re interested, but I also stress to you that just like the way we deal with stress is a habit learned many times from our relatives, eating habits are also learned early in life. If you are concerned about your eating habits, take a long and serious look at what you eat, how you eat it, and why you eat as soon as possible. It will be too late to seriously address your eating habits when you are faced with diabetes, obesity, and heart disease due to high cholesterol caused by a high fat diet.

The first step to balanced nutrition is awareness. Just like the principle of awareness of stress being the first step to learning how to cope with stress, awareness of eating habits is the first step to deciding how to maintain healthy eating practices. Because we take eating for granted, it is important to stop from time to time and look seriously at our eating patterns, write them down, and decide what changes if any we wish to make.

Ask yourself questions like:

+Do I eat breakfast regularly?

+Do I eat between meals?

+How much caffeine do I take in on a daily basis?

+Do I abuse any unhealthy substances such tobacco, drugs, or alcohol?

+Do I prepare most of my own food or does someone else make it and I heat’n’eat?

+Is my sugar consumption reasonable or is it too high? What about my salt intake?

After understanding that balance is the key to healthy eating habits and awareness of personal eating habits is the key to determining good balance, the next step is moderation. This is understanding that there are food choices available and that no one food should be consumed in excess. The key to healthy eating is know that there are food groups necessary to the body’s ability to function and that moderate choices will help you eat in a balanced way.

The body needs carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water in balanced moderation to achieve balance.

Lastly, there are things to avoid consuming in excess. These are alcohol, smoking, and drugs. While it’s common knowledge that many, many people turn to these substances for solutions to their stress, never are they successful. Never. The point is to learn coping methods and healthy alternatives to the use of alcohol, smoking, and drugs. All these substances do is post pone dealing with the stress. They do not alleviate stress in any way shape of form. They only delay the inevitable. And they pack on the pounds. Alcohol is full of sugars and useless calories. Smoking depletes the immunes system’s ability to function and ward off disease and causes disease. Drugs are a temporary fix. That is not coping. Drugs lead to dependence and decreased coping capabilities because they distort the nervous system’s ability to react and function.

Eat healthy and prosper!

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

Be well, write well.

Joy E. Held

Friday Feast: Don’t Be A Fat-Head!

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Joy Held

It’s definitely a derogatory slur to call someone a fathead. Let me clarify. I’m not calling you a fathead. I’m simply bringing a scientific fact to your attention: excess abdominal fat does more damage than forcing you to let out your belt another notch. Besides being dead weight it releases toxic chemicals and inflammatory molecules that can literally seep into your brain and contribute to sluggishness when you’re trying to think. And excess body weight in middle age adults has been found by a Kaiser Permanente study to increase your chances of developing dementia as you age. Yikes. Plenty of reason to reduce body fat by choosing healthier, brain-friendly food options before the goo gets trapped in your gray matter.

In a nutshell, the study discovered patients in their seventies who did not have a weight problem in their forties were less likely to have developed dementia.

“People who were obese in mid-life were 74 percent more likely to have dementia, while overweight people were 35 percent more likely to have dementia, compared to those with normal weight, said lead investigator Rachel A. Whitmer, PhD, a research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.”

http://www.dor.kaiser.org/external/news/press_releases/Obesity_in_Middle_Age_Increase_Risk_of_Dementia_Later_in_Life/

Don’t think of healthy food options as cutting out your favorite foods. Think of it as replacing something high in fat that will more than likely come back to bite you later on in life only you won’t remember eating the fat or anything else if the menu continues to include high fat foods over low fat. Here are some suggestions.

In place of: Eat instead:

corn chips non-wheat crackers

cookies oat granola bar

red meat burger turkey burger

Do a little bit of research. Read food labels and try to cut down on the fat intake and you’ll remember doing it later in life!

Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Friday Feast: Books that changed my life week

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Joy Held

EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR TYPE (1996) by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo with Catherine Whitney not only changed my nutritional habits, it changed the direction of the feasting by my family and those around me. Every chance I get, I testify to the satisfying differences we’ve experienced by choosing foods based on the work of Dr. D’Adamo and his father. Their studies, quirky as it may sound at the onset; definitely make a difference in how someone feels when they eat based on their blood type. Dr. D’Adamo with Catherine Whitney has provided relief for thousands of people including me from the worries of weight gain and disease. Simply following the food lists provided takes the burden off of what to eat, and I no longer worry if what I’m eating is right for me. This food program has supported me and my family for thirteen years and we have no intention of going backwards with our health. Thanks to the “blood type diet”, we all feel better and better every day.

“As the human race moved around and was forced to adapt its diet to changing conditions, the new diet provoked adaptations in the digestive tract and immune system necessary for it to first survive and later thrive in each new habitat. There changes are reflected in the development of the blood types, which appear to have arrived at critical junctures of human development:

1.The ascent of humans to the top of the food chain (evolution of Type O to its fullest expression).

2.The change from hunter-gatherer to a more domesticated agrarian lifestyle (appearance of Type A).

3.The merging and migration of the races from the African homeland to Europe, Asia, and the America (development of Type B).

4.The modern intermingling of disparate groups (the arrival of Type AB).” (EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR TYPE, Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo with Catherine Whitney.)

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Friday Feast: Spelt Breaded Turkey Fingers Are Positively Yummy

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Joy Held

When my youngest child was in the hospital at age nineteen with a serious case of pneumonia, she lost fifteen pounds over the course of the nine day ordeal. It was horribly scary from day one until an infection specialist was called in and figured out the problem. Once he made his changes to her care, she started to turn around in just ten hours! We weren’t out of the woods yet. She still didn’t have any appetite. Her already thin body became rail thin, and my heart pounded with worry each time I would see her frail arms and legs sticking out from under the hospital sheets. I was determined to get her healthy with the good food she was used to eating at home. When her appetite gradually returned, the hospital fare wasn’t cutting the mustard, so to speak. The first thing she asked for were my own twist on the mini-chicken bites so famous in fast food restaurants. My daughter’s blood type food program suggests that she avoid chicken. I started making turkey nuggets at home and that’s the first thing she wanted to eat when she felt hungry. I knew she was going to be alright. Here’s the plan.

Spelt Breaded Turkey Fingers

6 slices of spelt bread (white or whole) crumbs

1 pound of boneless turkey cutlets pounded thin and cut into strips

¾ cup of buttermilk

1 cup white or whole spelt flour sifted

3 eggs

1 packet of Ranch dressing mix

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried or fresh chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon dried or fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a wire cooling rack in a baking sheet and set aside.

The “dipping station”

In a medium bowl, mix the dried bread crumbs, packet of Ranch dressing, and all the remaining spices and herbs. Stir to blend. Let sit on the counter under a towel to dry out a bit.

Pour the buttermilk in a plastic food storage bag, add the turkey strips. Seal and place in a bowl in the refrigerator to marinate for 15 minutes.

Place the flour in a medium bowl. Break the eggs into another bowl and beat with a fork. Add a pinch of salt to the flour and the eggs.

Set the bowls out for the “dipping station”-(dry, wet, dry.) Flour first, eggs second, bread crumbs and spices third. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator and place at the dipping station.

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on medium high. When oil is ready, begin dipping the turkey in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumbs and slowly place in the hot oil. Fry on one side for 2-3 minutes. Turn and fry for another 30 seconds. Place the turkey fingers on the rack on the baking sheet. When all the strips have been fried, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Watch carefully and don’t allow to get too dark.

Don’t underestimate the value of “finishing” off the turkey fingers by baking in the oven. This is the secret to moist meat on the inside and a perfect crust on the outside. This same daughter doesn’t like it when I “cook the crap” out of the meat.

Serves four.

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Friday Feast: World Vegetarian Day Pizza

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Joy Held

My ‘O’ blood type is noted by Dr. Peter J. D’adamo in his book Eat Right for Your Type as the oldest blood type and the blood of the hunter, the pre-historic meat eater. We have highly acidic stomachs and staunch digestive systems unless we eat too many acidic foods. Then our stomach linings slowly disintegrate and ulcers abound. We need protein and aerobic exercise like running through the forest chasing an elk for today’s menu board. But every once in a while, I prefer vegetables over animal fat. And I love pizza.

The other dietary nemesis for us O-rdinary blood types (we’re the universal donors, but we can only accept ‘O’ blood ourselves,) is wheat. The wheat alternative that helps some of us with our cravings for bread is spelt. Spelt is the ancient ancestor of wheat and is a bit more digestible. Combining the two principles of pizza and spelt, I’ve managed to satisfy my teenage holdovers for pizza with the following recipe. If you don’t have the patience to make your own pizza crust, check out the ready-made product I’ve listed below. And look around. Spelt is popping up everywhere and making alternative baked goods really yummy!

Spelt pizza crust

2 cups white spelt flour

1/2 cup whole spelt flour (I like to sift them together so the crust is smooth but still has some body to it because of the whole flour.)

3/4 cup warm water

1 teaspoon rapid rise yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup of the warm water. Let sit covered in a warm place until the yeast “proofs” or has foamed up some. Using an electric mixer, mix the flours and olive oil together with the water/yeast mixture slowly at first. Add the rest of the warm water and when a moist ball begins to form, add olive oil and increase the mixer speed. The goal is a ball that sticks to the paddle but cleans off the inside of the bowl as it spins. Don’t over mix. That makes a tough crust.

Line a large pizza pan or cookie baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking oil. Spray your clean hands with cooking oil and remove the dough from the bowl. Work it in your hands and spread it on the pan to the edges. Let rest while you prepare the sauce and toppings.

Pizza sauce

1 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Then spread the sauce on the pizza dough.

Toppings

This is where your own tastes come in, but this recipe is in honor of World Vegetarian Day ‘O’ctober 1.

Cheese: 2 cups shredded parmesan, mozzerella, cheddar (If you don’t eat anything that comes from an animal, you probably are well acquainted with rice and almond cheeses. Knock yourself out.)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/3 cup of banana pepper rings chopped

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning mix

olive oil

Cover the sauce with cheese mixture then remaining herbs and vegetables adding whatever other veggies gets your palate popping. Drizzle olive oil around the edges of the crust.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees. Cool briefly, cut and love every bite.

Source for ready made spelt pizza crust

Berlin Natural Bakery

http://www.berlinnaturalbakery.com/

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com Amy Shojai

Check out my new website Joy E. Held

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Friday Feast: A Homeboy For Everyone

Posted on August 19, 2011 by Joy Held

“Eat Right 4 Your Type” is my homeboy. I’m using the term to mean “my closest friend,” and when I don’t pay attention to my food program (I don’t say “diet” because the first three letters spell “die” and I first heard this from exercise slash weight loss guru Richard Simmons,) I pay the price. My homeboy Eat Right explains clearly what my food choices should be. I must avoid a particular list of foods. I can eat from the highly beneficial, beneficial, and neutral lists to my heart’s content. It’s that simple. If I listen to my homeboy food counselor, there are no dietary or health issues to deal with. So why can’t I be faithful to the lists? Because I eat from the avoid list and create cravings and upset the apple cart and my digestive system.

Everywhere I turn there is a homeboy lurking it seems. Country music hunk Eric Church released his song “Homeboy” earlier this year to give fans (ME!) a tantalizing taste of his summer release album “Chief.” While “Homeboy”is a haunting song about finding a lost brother, only Eric Church (and songwriter Casey Beathart) could weave the word through a story/song/poem the way they have. It’s a great tune and the album builds on Church’s revamp style that brings Willie and Waylon to mind while listening to songs such as “Country Music Jesus” which cannot help but make your country gospel forehead drop forward and back over and over to the pounding rhythm. And Church lets out a warble or two or three and sounds exactly like the young, vocally strong Garth Brooks of yester-music. You won’t be disappointed in Church’s style and homage to homeboys and the black hat wearing bandits of country music (including Johnny Cash.)

And just when I think the word “homeboy” is a passing fad, my daughters receive key chains from a good friend engraved with “Arab Thunder is my homeboy.” And I know they are protected and watched over when I can’t be there (which is less and less as they gracefully mature.)

So a “homeboy” is what we need it to be and there when we need him to be. Kinda like an angel only with tattoos. Oh, well. Appearances are less and less the persona these days, and that forces us to look deeper to the true spirit of the homeboy so we can know what’s really inside.

Who’s your homeboy?

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing. They have a triple play sale going on now that includes Writer Wellness! Check it out before the deal is done.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

http://amyshojai.com/ Amy Shojai

My new website!

http://www.joyeheld.com

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well

Friday Feast: Wrapping Up Dinner

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Joy Held

Centuries of people on-the-go have resorted to holding hot, greasy meat and melting cheese with some sort of “edible napkin.” Sliced bread, bread bowls (known as “trenchers” in the Middle Ages,) and circular flat breads have helped people eat a wide variety of foods tucked inside. The bread holds everything together to make it easier to eat and adds carbohydrates to the meal thereby filling tummies much quicker.

John Montague, 4^th Earl of Sandwich (England), was supposedly a notorious gambler who often refused to leave the gaming table to eat. One late night he ordered his valet to bring him meat between two slices of bread to eat while playing cards. The legend goes that others around the table ordered, “…the same asSandwich!” Even though there is extensive record of people holding meat and cheese between bread before the illustrious Earl, the name sandwich stuck to our stand-by luncheon menu.

Flatbread is an international phenomenon: Mexican tortillas, Chinese wontons, Mediterranean focaccia, Greek pita bread. Americans have the hotdog bun from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair by way of the German sausage in a bun. Flatbread is typically quick to make and handy to eat as well as low in fat. From corn to wheat, most are a decent source of B vitamins and economical on the wallet. For a quick, filling meal, “wraps” are a great way to end a day at the studio. Add soup and yogurt for dessert to make cooking, eating, and clean up a snap (or a wrap!)

The wrap is the quick and easy answer to pangs of hunger and finances. Try these recipes some evening and make up some of your own favorites to carry cold for lunch. If you ever worry about calories from bread, try wraps for an efficient substitute. It’s worth it to buy tortilla shells and flatbread wraps instead of bread. You and your stomach will NOT miss the bloated feeling!

Vegetarian Wrap

Fantastic Feta Fill-up with Grilled Red Onion

4 flour tortilla shells

2 cups of fresh spinach

½ cup red onion, thin sliced

¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup roasted red peppers or 8 teaspoons of roasted red pepper relish*

cooking spray

Spray the bottom of a non-stick frying pan with cooking spray. On medium-high heat, put the onion for one wrap in the pan and cover with one tortilla shell. Spoon 2 tablespoons of feta cheese on top of the shell then the red peppers. When the onions are soft with a little brown on them, fold the tortilla out of the way and spoon the onion into the shell with the cheese and peppers. Add fresh spinach and close the wrap. Turn once or twice to get a light brown color on both sides of the folded wrap. Repeat three more times. Makes four wraps.

*Roasted red peppers and red pepper relish are found on the grocery store shelf with the pickles. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with how low in fat they are!

Protein Wrap

TerrificTurkeyTurn-over

4 flour tortilla shells

2 cups of thin turkey strips cut from pre-cooked turkey breast

1 cup lean, sliced deli ham or turkey ham

¾ cup red onion, sliced

8 slices of Colby cheese

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

Italian dressing

Cooking spray

Spray the bottom of a non-stick frying pan lightly with cooking spray. Saute red onions for 1-2 minutes. Add turkey and ham. While meat and onions are heating, spread two slices of Colby cheese on each tortilla shell. Evenly divide the meat-onion mixture on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with romaine lettuce and Italian dressing. Fold and serve.

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

Be well, write well.

Friday Feast: Independently Sweet

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Joy Held

I love sugar. This isn’t a post about the evils of sugar. I love sugar, but too much of anything refined and white is apparently unwise. Just think obesity and cavities. If sugar didn’t sneak its way into everything we eat and drink, we might stand a fighting chance of monitoring the amount we ingest. Alas, they are making the decisions for us and dumping sugar into our bloodstreams like toxic waste from a chemical plant in the middle of the night.

If we are to be aware of the amount of sugar we take in, the first job is to read food labels. Yes, it’s a silly feeling to be blocking an aisle in the grocery store while reading the criminally miniscule print on the side of spaghetti sauce. Yes, it takes more time to shop when we stop and read the contents of what we’re buying. Yes, it makes a difference. It makes us look important too. Don’t be surprised if while reading labels in the grocery store someone asks you what aisle the tuna is in. The first job is to read labels.

The second job is to know what means sugary goodness besides sugar. Look for high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, sucrose, sorbitol, and beet sugar. Here’s a cool list of 50 other names for sugar

http://www.dietriffic.com/2009/03/26/names-for-sugar/

The third job is to limit the products purchased with sugars in them.

The fourth job is to choose sweeteners and add them to food instead of relying on the whims of manufacturers to decide how much of the sweet stuff is in our food. What are they hiding anyway? Some alternative choices for sweet goodness are stevia, xylotol, and agave nectar. http://allaboutagave.com/ They are all plant based and a little goes a long way. It takes some trial and error to find alternative sweeteners that are not chemicals and that your mouth will tolerate. But it’s worth the effort. Real sugar is okay, but just like anything else it’s okay in moderation.

What do you sweeten your tea with?

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Friday Feast: The Consequences of Loving Food

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Joy Held

Friday Feast: The Consequences of Loving Food

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

I eat too much. It’s because I love everything about food. I especially love eating food. Because I workout several times a week, I get hungry. Sometimes really hungry and when I sit down to a meal, my eyes are bigger than I should be eating. Portion control is a must if I am to maintain the svelteness I so desire. Oh, but how to know when enough is enough? One of the consequences of loving food is not knowing when enough is enough.

I have never measured my portions and I’m not about to start, but I will play tricks on my mind and my stomach to curb overeating. Here are a few of my tricks. Am I really tricking myself because it’s me? Don’t know, but it works most of the time!

Portion control trick #1: Eat out of a bowl. Forget trying to use a smaller plate. I just stack mashed potatoes on a small plate until they look like the leaning tower of Pisa. A soup bowl works for me. The food in a bowl is not too high and not too wide which is exactly how I want my body to be, so the imagery and the amounts have equal messages for my brain.

Portion control trick #2: Eat smaller portions over the course of multiple “meals” during the day. This is also a good metabolism booster because the body is perpetually on task churning away which causes it to burn more calories.

Portion control trick #3: Candied ginger is a great way to curb appetite and not eat so much at meal time. About 30 minutes before eating, eat a small piece of candied ginger and drinks LOTS of water with it. You won’t eat so much later.

Have any portion control tricks up your sleeve? Care to share?

Happy Note: Book signing and hatha yoga demonstration Saturday, June 25 at Borders in Vienna, WV, 2-4 p.m. Will I see you there? Bring your yoga mat!

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.

Friday Feast: Egg Salad and Blog Mash-up

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Joy Held

There are five primary areas of practice to the Writer Wellness plan. Every other week I will post an idea for relaxation (Monday Meditation,) creative play (Tuesday Tickle,) fitness and exercise (Wednesday Workout,) journaling and misc. (Thursday Thought,) and nutrition (Friday Feast.)

I promised this egg salad recipe to a good friend who shared a recipe with me last FF for guacamole.

“Joy’s Egg Salad Delight”

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, mashed

3 Tablespoons light mayonnaise or canola mayonnaise

1 stalk celery finely chopped

¼ red onion finely chopped

2 Tablespoons red pepper relish (found in the pickle aisle at the grocery)

1 Tablespoon fresh dill chopped (1/2 tsp. if using dry)

Salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together, cover in an air tight container and cool immediately. Because of the mayo this can’t be left out for long periods of time. Serve on toast with a piece of crisp romaine lettuce.

Friday Blog Mash-up

Here are the great blogs I’ve visited this past week. Check them out.

http://www.eatmovewrite.com/ Interesting blog about the trials and tribulations of a freelance writer.

http://www.creatingkeepsakesblog.com/index.php?s=art+journaling Nifty site with some good basics about art journaling.

http://www.onewomanswrite.blogspot.com/ Linda Rettstatt’s excellent blog about life as an author.

Do you have a recipe to share with Friday Feast?

Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer’s Path to Health and Creativity at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http://whodareswinspublishing.com.

And check out these great blogs for ideas to keep your writing and publishing healthy and prosperous.

http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/ Bob Mayer

http://jenniholbrooktalty.wordpress.com/ Jenni Holbrook

http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/ Kristen Lamb

http://inspiration4writers.blogspot.com/ Inspiration for Writers, Inc.

http://pentopublish.blogspot.com/ Natalie Markey

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click “subscribe” and leave your email. That’s it and thanks in advance!

Be well, write well.