I just returned from the grocery store and I always have to pull out my little cheat sheet on when to buy organic and when it doesn't matter so much. So I thought I'd pass this on to everyone so you can make your own cheat sheet.
The things you should always buy organic because conventionally grown these are typically sprayed with pesticides or chemical fertilizers:
Peaches
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Pears
Grapes
Spinach
Lettuce
Potatoes
These are typically ok to purchase conventionally grown:
Onions
Avacado
Sweet Corn (frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Papaya
Milk, eggs, chicken and other animal products should be raised without hormones or antibiotics. Packaged and canned products are typically processed with all kinds of yucky stuff like high fructose corn syrup, so I usually opt for the organic versions or skip them altogether. Canned beans are where I'll make an exception (but rinse them before using). Read the labels!
There are differing schools of thought regarding whether or not frozen is as good as fresh. My thinking is that frozen veggies that are really fresh frozen and haven't thawed out are probably just about as good nutritionally as fresh, and are certainly better than canned or no veggies at all. The biggest unknown is whether or not they've been allowed to thaw along the way to the grocery store. But certainly if you are freezing your own veggies, are using really fresh veggies, and aren't leaving them in the freezer for a really long time, you should get just about as much nutrition value from them as if you had eaten them straight from the garden. But not everything freezes well, so I typically stick with things like corn, peas, butter peas, and okra. And I like frozen spinach too. No way are you going to have a frozen tomato that tastes as good as one right out of the garden! That said, you can freeze tomatoes for using in soups and stews. And it's really nice to be able to pull something like butter beans and corn out of the freezer in the winter to remind you that spring planting season is right around the corner!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Need a little energy boost this morning? Try these Yoga poses.
I woke up at 4:00 a.m. this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. I really hate it when that happens! Rather than toss and turn all morning until my alarm clock went off, I decided to pick up the book I've been reading in hopes that it would make me sleepy. But it didn't. Of course now I'm feeling sluggish and not fully rested, but I want to get a yoga class in today. So I was trying to think of something that would give me some energy, but wouldn't wreck my blood sugar or jack me up on so much caffeine that I won't be able to sleep later. I happened to go to the Body & Soul Magazine website to look for something I saw in my latest issue, and found these 3 yoga poses that are supposed to "stretch and strengthen the spine, increase vitality, reduce tension, release impurities, and improve focus -- everything you need to face what lies ahead." And it's called "Morning Wake-Up". Sounded perfect!
As it turns out, these are 3 poses are a variation of poses that we commonly do to start yoga classes at the studio where I've been going. And I like them so much that I commonly do them to start my yoga practice at home. They are great to loosen the hips and as I found from reading this article awaken vital energy. According to Kundalini yoga tradition, "a built-in supply of energy lies dormant at the root of the spine, like a bulb that rests underground, waiting for a cue to bloom. " These poses help provide that "cue" and gets that energy flowing.
Give them a try next time you feel tired and sluggish. I feel better already!
As it turns out, these are 3 poses are a variation of poses that we commonly do to start yoga classes at the studio where I've been going. And I like them so much that I commonly do them to start my yoga practice at home. They are great to loosen the hips and as I found from reading this article awaken vital energy. According to Kundalini yoga tradition, "a built-in supply of energy lies dormant at the root of the spine, like a bulb that rests underground, waiting for a cue to bloom. " These poses help provide that "cue" and gets that energy flowing.
Give them a try next time you feel tired and sluggish. I feel better already!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Yoga Connection
As I mentioned before, I was re-introduced to yoga by my good friends Mike & Beverly last summer. I've practiced yoga for several years, but like my other exercise routines, I had gotten out of practice. When Mike & Beverly told me they were going to Thailand to do yoga with their nephew, I asked if I could camp out on their floor. I initially had no intentions of doing yoga, but REALLY wanted to go to Thailand. But the more I investigated, the more I wanted to try to do a week of yoga. It has been a great gift!
Within weeks after I returned from Thailand, I found out that my Dad was ill. Fortunately, I had just taken a retirement package from Delta, and was able to go to take care of him. As you might imagine, my life changed greatly. I left my home near Atlanta and went to South Georgia where I grew up and where my father still lives. I've felt anxious, frustrated, sad, out of control, and worried among other emotions (thankfully not all at the same time) and yoga has not only helped me calm myself and focus, but has also been a great form of exercise.
As I retired, I really wanted to "do something different", and I found many of my friends saying the same thing. I decided while I was not working to pursue looking for something different and teaching yoga seemed to make sense for me. I was encouraged by others as well. When I stumbled upon Integrative Yoga Therapy, I was really interested. When I found that there would be a two week intensive training in Acapulco in February, I was ready to sign up. I called Beverly and she was ready to sign up too, so we did! We will be going to Bambuddha Retreat Center on the beach in Acapulco for 2 and a half weeks! I am so looking forward to it!
I hope to be certified to teach in March and I want to find someplace to teach ASAP. I've already started talking with the teachers at the yoga center where I attend now, and have gotten good information and encouragement from them all.
I'm not exactly sure how things will work out, but I hope to be able to teach yoga and maybe do some nutrition and wellness consulting part time while taking care of my Dad. We'll just see what the next few months bring....
Within weeks after I returned from Thailand, I found out that my Dad was ill. Fortunately, I had just taken a retirement package from Delta, and was able to go to take care of him. As you might imagine, my life changed greatly. I left my home near Atlanta and went to South Georgia where I grew up and where my father still lives. I've felt anxious, frustrated, sad, out of control, and worried among other emotions (thankfully not all at the same time) and yoga has not only helped me calm myself and focus, but has also been a great form of exercise.
As I retired, I really wanted to "do something different", and I found many of my friends saying the same thing. I decided while I was not working to pursue looking for something different and teaching yoga seemed to make sense for me. I was encouraged by others as well. When I stumbled upon Integrative Yoga Therapy, I was really interested. When I found that there would be a two week intensive training in Acapulco in February, I was ready to sign up. I called Beverly and she was ready to sign up too, so we did! We will be going to Bambuddha Retreat Center on the beach in Acapulco for 2 and a half weeks! I am so looking forward to it!
I hope to be certified to teach in March and I want to find someplace to teach ASAP. I've already started talking with the teachers at the yoga center where I attend now, and have gotten good information and encouragement from them all.
I'm not exactly sure how things will work out, but I hope to be able to teach yoga and maybe do some nutrition and wellness consulting part time while taking care of my Dad. We'll just see what the next few months bring....
10 Foods to Fight Inflammation
I ran across this article called "10 Foods to Fight Inflammation" in Better Nutrition magazine I thought would help explain further some foods that are inflammatory and what to eat to fight inflammation. There are also some good recipes here for Spinach Salad with Blueberries and Walnuts, and Spicy Sweet Potato and Spinach Soup.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Rawls Whittlesey - Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant
I've always been into nutrition it seems, and for most of my adult life, I've really had to watch my weight. And over the years I've watched it go up and become harder and harder to get rid of! In high school and college I played sports, and never really had to worry about it, then in my late 20's after gaining about 25 lbs, I got myself into the gym and by my 30's was in the best shape of my life (at least I thought). Then came the back problems, and I ended up having back surgery which really limited my ability to do any major aerobic exercise. I continued exercising, but the drop in my workouts and no change to my diet didn't keep me in the same shape. Go figure! When work became more intense (stressful, long hours!!!!!) my workouts became less frequent. Then I just got to where I dreaded going to the gym and felt guilty when I didn't. I was feeling so out of balance, and nothing worked to help me lose weight, I had no energy, I was sure I was hormonal, and I didn't know what to do. I was fortunate enough to find an Integrative Medicine doctor, Dr. John Kim, and he helped me weed out fact from fiction when it comes to nutrition, inflammation and healthy living. He also introduced me to Dr. Andrew Weil (more about him later). Fast forward to 2008, and I was re-introduced to yoga by some really good friends when we went to a yoga retreat in Thailand (see my travel blog ). That was in June, and I've hardly started a day without yoga since then and I've lost 10+ lbs. Then my Dad got sick and his diet became extremely important; important to me because I dropped everything to take care of him and had to figure out how to keep him nourished properly.
As I began to research nutrition for my Dad's condition, I started realizing that I really liked this topic, I've known much of this information for a while, and it's all coming together for me now as more of a nutrition plan for life long health as opposed to a way to lose unwanted weight. That coupled with the yoga, and I'm making some important changes to live better! Since I've not been working (I "retired" from Delta Air Lines in June), and have been taking care of my Dad for the last six months, I decided that I needed to make the most of the free time I have, and started looking for a way to get certified as a nutrition consultant. That's when I found out about the American Fitness Professionals Association, and their Nutrition and Wellness Consultant certification. I found the course material and text books to be well done and up-to-date. I confirmed a lot of the information I already knew, and learned a lot more in the process. I learned the why's and why nots of some of the things I've learned over the years, and learned more about how to counsel individuals who need nutrition and wellness advice.
It's important for me to say here that I am not a Physician nor Registered Dietician and therefore, I strongly recommend you talk to your doctor before implementing any of the information, recommendations, and suggestions that you find in my blog. Each person has a unique make up and I am mostly speaking in generalities here. Wellness may look different for each individual so you should speak with someone familiar with your health history to develop your own plan.
I'm starting this blog to share my learnings and to help people understand how to take the tons and tons of nutrition information and make some sense of it. I hope to post some recipes and meal plans too.
So, the first bit of advice I'm going to give is to listen to the CD from Dr. Andrew Weil called "Taking Care of Yourself". It is excellent and is a good start towards helping understand what is really important when it comes to nutrition, supplements, exercise, and wellness. In case you aren't familiar with Dr. Weil, "Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Weil is an internationally-recognized expert for his views on leading a healthy lifestyle, his philosophy of healthy aging, and the future of medicine and health care." I copied that from his website, http://www.drweil.com/. He's written a number of books and produced many CDs on these topics as well. His advice makes sense and I can tell you it's made a huge difference in my life.
One of the biggest things I've learned in the last couple of years is that inflammation is the root of all evil when it comes to maintaining a healthy body & mind. It is the underlying cause of most major illnesses. Here's what Dr. Weil has to say about the Anti-inflammatory diet and why it's important: "The anti-inflammatory diet counteracts the chronic inflammation that is a root cause of many serious diseases that become more frequent after age 60. Normally, inflammation occurs in response to injury and attack by germs. It is marked by local heat, redness, swelling, and pain, and is the body's way of getting more nourishment and more immune activity to an area that needs them. But inflammation isn't always helpful. It also has destructive potential. We see this when the immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissues in such autoimmune diseases as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. And we now know that inflammation also plays a causative role in heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as other age-related disorders, including cancer."
All that to say, you should think seriously about following Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory diet. On his website is the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid along with suggestions for how to follow it. Check it out!!!
I'll refer to the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid frequently, because there are things that some people may find different than your basic USDA food pyramid. I've learned with my Dad's friends who so generously want to bring food over, but need to adhere to his dietary plan, that it's not always so obvious how to cook in a way that is anti-inflammatory. I hope I can help clarify what to cook, how to prepare it, etc., and I'll refer to Dr. Weil and others to do that frequently.
That's it for my first blog post. Check back often!
As I began to research nutrition for my Dad's condition, I started realizing that I really liked this topic, I've known much of this information for a while, and it's all coming together for me now as more of a nutrition plan for life long health as opposed to a way to lose unwanted weight. That coupled with the yoga, and I'm making some important changes to live better! Since I've not been working (I "retired" from Delta Air Lines in June), and have been taking care of my Dad for the last six months, I decided that I needed to make the most of the free time I have, and started looking for a way to get certified as a nutrition consultant. That's when I found out about the American Fitness Professionals Association, and their Nutrition and Wellness Consultant certification. I found the course material and text books to be well done and up-to-date. I confirmed a lot of the information I already knew, and learned a lot more in the process. I learned the why's and why nots of some of the things I've learned over the years, and learned more about how to counsel individuals who need nutrition and wellness advice.
It's important for me to say here that I am not a Physician nor Registered Dietician and therefore, I strongly recommend you talk to your doctor before implementing any of the information, recommendations, and suggestions that you find in my blog. Each person has a unique make up and I am mostly speaking in generalities here. Wellness may look different for each individual so you should speak with someone familiar with your health history to develop your own plan.
I'm starting this blog to share my learnings and to help people understand how to take the tons and tons of nutrition information and make some sense of it. I hope to post some recipes and meal plans too.
So, the first bit of advice I'm going to give is to listen to the CD from Dr. Andrew Weil called "Taking Care of Yourself". It is excellent and is a good start towards helping understand what is really important when it comes to nutrition, supplements, exercise, and wellness. In case you aren't familiar with Dr. Weil, "Andrew Weil, M.D., is a world-renowned leader and pioneer in the field of integrative medicine, a healing oriented approach to health care which encompasses body, mind, and spirit. Dr. Weil is an internationally-recognized expert for his views on leading a healthy lifestyle, his philosophy of healthy aging, and the future of medicine and health care." I copied that from his website, http://www.drweil.com/. He's written a number of books and produced many CDs on these topics as well. His advice makes sense and I can tell you it's made a huge difference in my life.
One of the biggest things I've learned in the last couple of years is that inflammation is the root of all evil when it comes to maintaining a healthy body & mind. It is the underlying cause of most major illnesses. Here's what Dr. Weil has to say about the Anti-inflammatory diet and why it's important: "The anti-inflammatory diet counteracts the chronic inflammation that is a root cause of many serious diseases that become more frequent after age 60. Normally, inflammation occurs in response to injury and attack by germs. It is marked by local heat, redness, swelling, and pain, and is the body's way of getting more nourishment and more immune activity to an area that needs them. But inflammation isn't always helpful. It also has destructive potential. We see this when the immune system mistakenly attacks normal tissues in such autoimmune diseases as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. And we now know that inflammation also plays a causative role in heart disease, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, as well as other age-related disorders, including cancer."
All that to say, you should think seriously about following Dr. Weil's Anti-Inflammatory diet. On his website is the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid along with suggestions for how to follow it. Check it out!!!
I'll refer to the Anti-Inflammatory Food Pyramid frequently, because there are things that some people may find different than your basic USDA food pyramid. I've learned with my Dad's friends who so generously want to bring food over, but need to adhere to his dietary plan, that it's not always so obvious how to cook in a way that is anti-inflammatory. I hope I can help clarify what to cook, how to prepare it, etc., and I'll refer to Dr. Weil and others to do that frequently.
That's it for my first blog post. Check back often!
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