Sparkly Factoid: Fruit Feeds Your Brain!

The reason for fruit's brain-boosting effect? It's all about the flavonoids, those amazing antioxidants that fight disease and might be one of your best defenses against cognitive decline. In a study, people who had the highest flavonoid intake performed best throughout a 10-year period on tests of verbal fluency, logical reasoning, and visual memory.

--from "Your Brain on Fruit" by RealAge.com

Easter Challenge: Small Progress Continues

Well, I did have a bit of a splurge at my Saturday birthday party. Some healthful stuff--chicken fajitas, organic fresh salsa, organic fresh guacamole, whole grain tortillas (low carb), fresh fruit salad, avocado slices, fresh pineapple juice, red wine Sangria.

But I also had fried corn chips and two birthday cupcakes--one orange, one lemon--that my niece and great-niece made for me. The apple pie I baked up was finished before I could get a slice, so a small mercy for my waistline. :)

Today, Mr. Tanita says:

269.4

It's been really nice seeing the 260's on the scale. Very nice. I can officially say I did lose, and am not just doing maintenance fluctuations.

I have really been enjoying my food. More than ever. I think because I've focused on eating WELL, and really have not obsessed about calories, I am doomed to small losses, but I am blessed by really just having oral Paradise. I'm buying top-notch fruits and just sighing over the juiciness. I'm buying top-notch vegetables, and finding better dressings to bring out the flavors. Yesterday, I munched four organic mini-peppers--raw--and they were so sweet and crunchy, it was a special treat.

My hairdresser (who hadn't seen me in almost three months) noticed my hair was looking better, my eyebrows looked great (no more bald spots, beautifully filled out), and my energy was improved. My hubby is enjoying the rediscovery of my waist, and having three home-prepared meals a day (you have no idea how revolutionary that is in our household, where we used to eat everything take-out or at restaurants, practically, including breakfasts.)

I hope some of my other chronic issues can be alleviated by just eating wholesome foods.

But it's nice to have the pleasure. I think all those pre-packaged, preservative-doused, frankenfoods are convenient and, in some cases, easy to count pointswise, but they shouldn't be the mainstay of a diet. I shudder at some of those WW items (I rarely bought them even when I did WW formally) with a gazillion weird items in the ingredients list that are just not food. FOOD.

Today, I"m craving an arugula salad. I have none, and my car is at the mechanic's (since Thursday, she may be on her last legs), so I'll make do with some nice watercress. But man, I really WANT arugula.

The fact that I'm craving that and not cookies or pie or a pizza is pretty amazing.

Oh, and I was craving pizza Sunday. So, I got an organic whole wheat crust (with flax seed oil and olive oil) and made my own with part-skim mozzarella. I couldn't eat as much as if I'd ordered some large one, but I got that lovely pizza taste.

Yesterday I ate vegetarian: egg white omelette with a sliced organic tomato with olive oil for breakfast (fresh-squeezed juice and a pear on the side). And rice and beans (organic) with steamed vegetable dumplings for lunch (with a whole egg on top for protein). I had a red plum (organic) and organic vegan chocolate-covered raisins and almonds for dessert. I also made a vanilla egg cream with club soda, organic milk, and Starbuck's sugar free vanilla syrup. (Yeah, it's a fake crap food, but it's part of the "treat" factor.) That was one yummy "egg cream."

Tonight we're having cajun pork tenderloins (organic pork, organic spices) for supper. Maybe organic potatoes (mashed with organic oil and milk or baked with organic low-fat sour cream) and green beans and carrots (organic all). I've got gorgeous organic Ambrosia apples and organic Bosc pears that we can munch on for dessert.

And I"m gonna feast and enjoy it like nobody's business.

Onward and DOWNWARD...with joy and the pleasure of real food at all times!

Yeah, Baby! And a bit of a PSA...

Those raw lunches must be helping. Today, the scale said: 268.4

My lowest yet. I won't officially call my mini-goal of 269 met (and surpassed) unless I can stay in the 260's. I'm too familiar with ups and downs due to dehydration, hormonal changes, etc.

I better enjoy it before those salty food fluctuations sneak in. ; ) Especially since it's my birthday week coming up with dining out and feasting in the works. (My party is tomorrow, to facilitate family attendance, but it's not until next week. Still bummed I couldn't get a chocolate banana tiramisu raw cake.)

Just to clarify, btw, because of my previous couple posts: I'm not on a raw foods diet. I simply add raw foods now more consciously to my diet. I've always liked having something raw at every meal, just cause, but now I am doing it mindfully, in order to maximize eating "clean."

I still eat meat, eggs, and dairy. In fact, I am a bona fide cheese junkie. Me loves the stuff. I just eat organic cheese, eggs, and meats now. Although, I really don't like the grass-fed beef, so, I may try to find a "wellness" category beef (ie, humanely raised, no antibiotics or hormones, etc.) I do very much like the organic chicken and pork. Lovely. And I'd been buying (and paying more) for cage free, vegetarian diet, omega eggs for years. I simply now focus on ORGANIC fed ones, too.

I will say that the low-heat pasteurized, grass-fed, organic milk is very nice. It spoils faster (a week in the fridge, pretty much), but it has a very nice flavor, and, hey, happier cows. I'm a latte fiend, so I've been using this organic milk for those coffee treats.

I do notice my appetite is calmer (post period), which is the norm. Crazy hunger pre-period, nice and calm with no chocolate cravings after. I walk right by those truffles and organic choco-covered almonds without so much as a sigh. Give it two weeks and I'll be insane for 'em.

I hope y'all had a satisfying and healthful Valentine's Day. Impress on your loved ones to buy you non-food treats, when possible, on such occasions. Or, if chocolate is in the cards or stars, to buy fair-trade treats and flowers, and organic when possible. Better for communities globally and better for your body, er, locally. :)

I've long supported aid to third world communities via donations, but I figure it's time I buy more consciously, too. I shouldn't support slavery or abusive pricing just cause I want something to eat. I shouldn't support poor farming techniques that ruin the land just cause I want roses in my vases.

Just like I watch my water usage in and out of the house. (I pretty stopped watering my lawn when we got into a drought. I maybe add water once every 8 weeks if the grass is very yellow.) And just like I try to remember to switch off lights, etc. Every little bit helps overall.

It costs more to buy fair trade and organic, but it's easier on the conscience...and the world. And if your budget only allows partial "conscience" buying, then that's better than nothing. (If you eat berries, pears, an any other fruit or veggie where you consume the skin/husk/outer, focus on those. If you have kids, don't give them meats and milk with hormones. It's just really bad for growing bodies. It's not evolution that girls are getting their periods years and years sooner than their grandmas. It's hormones in food.)

PSA over. Let the lunch munching begin...healthfully!

~

MANGO MADNESS: Amazing Raw Fruit Pie!!!

I had bragged in a previous post about the Glaser Organic Farms raw fruit mamey pie.

Well, yesterday I had a delivery of their fresh, raw products (shipped next day in a cooler), and the mango raw fruit pie is UNBELIEVABLE!!! I wish I had ordered a whole bunch to have one EVERY DAY~~~!!!

Mango is my fave fruit. Unfortunately, it's not good every day and the crops seem to be iffy in the past years. Also--expensive. But it was a delight to have it made up in a raw pie. Gosh.

I had wanted to order a raw cake for my birthday party (this Saturday, though my b.d. is during next week), the chocolate banana tiramisu, but it wasn't possible to have it shipped. I'd have to get it at their farmer's market event. Oh, well. Maybe some other Saturday.

I also have tried their chocolate pudding (no dairy, raw, vegan, fabulous, but pricey) and their Spinach Pesto (soooooooo yummy). I wish their farm or farmer's market was close by. I'd be dropping by weekly for stuff. They sell out fast at Whole Foods.

If you're ever in a place with Glaser Organic Farms mango fruit pie (or mamey, or pineapple), try it. Especially if, like me, you go nuts for mango.

Mmmmm.

Big Bummer ....and HALLELUJAH!

Bad news: When I went to weigh-in today, there was a pool of water where my scale is. Leaking from heavy rains yesterday and last night. We've had a small leak since Hurricane Madness a couple years ago, but, apparently, it's worse. We had roofing guys come and check it out back when, and they kept saying it wasn't the roof. No building contractors were free (after the multiple hurricane whammies of two-year's running, it really was nuts here finding people to fix stuff). Now, money is tighter, and it's stressful thinking of going through that hassle. (I will not stress eat, I will not stress eat, I wil not...)

Good news: After hubby and I wiped up the wet mess and I moved my scale to a dry spot:

269.2

Dang. That's a relief. Clearly, sleeping 12 hours has its benefits. I was sure I was gonna be up after all that soy sauce in my macrobiotic-vegan supper yesterday. Well, okay, I added extra. (If you ever get to try one of the Macro-Vegetarian ready-to-eat bento boxes, I recommend the one with dumplings and brown rice with adzuki beans. Faboo.)Note: Each Bento Box has two servings, and I ate both. So, double the nutritional/calorie info at that link. Double the sodium, too. Yikes. But, hey, 12 grams of fiber!


There ya go: Good news, bad news.

If anyone's had a leak that wasn't the roof but some structural thing, drop me a comment on how you went about getting a contractor and what they did. Thanks. I'm all about gathering info now.

I need coffee. Lots of coffee to go with my organic fresh-squeezed OJ, organic splelt English muffins, eggs, and papaya.
~

Easter Challenge: Well, um...hm.

270.2

My lowest. Still "maintaining" though. Just a pound difference, which, really, is not significant other than it not being a gain. :) No breakthrough.

Eating too many calories to lose, but eating really fresh, really good food, mostly. Let's say 95% is high quality, organic, fresh, home-cooked, non-processed, nutritious food. The rest tends to be, er, chocolate or a piece of some desserty thing. Or coffee syrup, sugarless. I'm hooked on sugar-free coffee syrups now--caramel, cinnamon dolce.

So, well, nothing great to report, but nothing horrible to report, and the stasis pretty much continues.

It's allergy time here for me (and my hairdresser, sister, etc). Something in the air has me (and others) all sneezy and scratchy. Thank God for Zyrtec, even if it's not a diet-friendly drug (appetite increaser). I take one every day and have for years, and when I miss a dose, I know, because the itching becomes unbearable. Combined with Singulair and my steroid inhalers and Serevent , the drugs let me BREATHE and function. I remember the years of NOT functioning, cause my immune system is wonky. But, maybe part of the price is weight-related. It was when my immune system went totally whack and I had to quit working that I gained 130 lbs. Prior to that, I was reasonably active and worked, studied, walked, swam, etc.

So, yeah: 270.2

Goal: to break into the 260's by next weigh-in. Please, Lord. :)

What Four Habits Extend "Youth" and Life?

When healthy, middle-aged men and women in a study scored high on all four of these important health behaviors, the combined effect was a four-fold reduction in mortality risk -- an outcome equal to being 14 years younger!

The answer is HERE.

One of those Freaky Things

Yesterday, I had insane hunger and appetite issues. I think it's cause I'm trying to reverse from nite owl to day bird again cause of stuff coming up for which I need to be up in the sunlit hours! The weird strain of switching over, as I call it, does things to my appetite.

So, I woke up at 8:30 pm Sunday, and then didn't go to be at all Monday. IN fact, went to bed this morning at 7:00 am. So, I was up for a day and a half. And I was hungry.

Then I wake up this afternoon and got on the scale, figuring I'd have a bit of setback from the switch-over binge-ies.

No: 270.8

Now, whether it's a delayed reaction thing, or a "awake burns more calories than asleep" thing (although I'm so sedentary I might as well be sleeping), I dunno. Or a dehydrated thing. Or just one of the freaky things of the human body.

C'est la dieting vie.

I'm hoping my appetite is not crazed today/tonight.

~

Easter Challenge: Pretty Much Holding

Last week was 272.0.

Today was 271.2.

Essentially, I'm still in the holding pattern. Yeah, that's .8 lb down, but that's still in fluctuation/maintaining range.

But, better that than up, I say.

So, along with some other bloggers who have stuck around the same numbers for weeks, I'm struggling to recapture momentum.

But I'm not gaining. And that's a plus in my book. Any week of a little down or the same is a minor victory.

This is my birthday month, so I'd really like to get some fire in my belly over weight loss again. I'll be praying on it.

I've been doing a lot more cooking, which is good. It was one of my goals to learn to make stuff both that I liked and hubby would eat. (I'm a pretty crappy cook.) Hubby was very happy with the boneless blackened pork chops I made last night. It was a nearly 100% organic meal--the meat, the potatoes, the apple, the carrots, and the onions and cajun spices were all organic. The extra-virgin olive oil was not. (Although I have purchased an organic one, the one I've used for years is Goya, a Spanish EVOO that has great flavor and terrific low price, not the high-priced gourmet sorts.) My iced tea was from "fair trade" tea. So, hey, a pretty virtuous meal in various ways. I had papaya and blueberries for dessert, with a homemade "specialty" coffee. (I love that sugar-free caramel syrup from Starbucks. I add some quality cocoa powder with the caramel syrup in the coffee, and some milk, and it's just yummy.)

Obviously, I have not been going hungry!!!

I have some organic spinach soaking for degritting. I'm in the mood for a spinach-strawberry salad for lunch. What protein, not sure. Maybe I'll add some sort of cheese. I have an organic Vegan bento box meal in today's grocery delivery that I can have for my supper.

I may make a pizza for Tuesday, when hubby and I watch American Idol (he's hooked on it, I could take it or leave it.) I have an organic crust, organic mozzarella, and organic tomato sauce and veggies. So, yeah, that's an option.

With the economy being really shaky, and hubby's employer being VERY VERY shaky, I figure I had better start learning to make things we enjoy and that can be easy on the budget. So, more "home economics" sort of thinking will be going on round here.

I suppose eating LESS is economical and would please the scale, too. :)

Happy week and FEBRUARY to all. And for those of you who follow the Christian tradition, enjoy your feasting tomorrow, since Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and the start of Lent. Easter is getting close!

Onward and (one hopes) DOWNward!

Ever Eaten a Raw Fruit Pie? Ever Eaten Mamey Sapote?

If you answered no to one or both of the above questions, you're in for a treat.

If you can get hold of one at a Whole Foods near you, try the Glaser Organics raw fruit pies. I bought one because the colors were so fresh and beautiful--the intense deep pinkish orange of the mamey, the gold of the pineapple, the green of the kiwi. It was just a gorgeous looking pie.

And reading the ingredients was uplifting: all raw, all organic, all fruit and fruit juice and nuts. No white flour. No preservatives. No crap.

The one I bought was a Mamey Raw Fruit Pie. It has mamey, mango, pineapple, kiwi, dates, orange juice, bananas as well as almonds, pecans, walnuts and coconut (making up the really surprisingly delectable crust). Spices, too.

If eating raw tastes like this, sign me up for more raw gourmet food.

I'm gonna try their other flavors. I've already bought their spinach pesto raw sauce for pasta. (I'm so digging the Dreamfields lower-carb impact pasta. Hubby loves it, too.)

I try eating something raw at every meal and, ideally, at every snack. I figure that way I get the nutrients and enzymes undamaged. But I liked cooked food too much to be an all-raw enthusiast. (And I ain't eating raw meats of any kind ever!)

So, that's my food discovery for this week. Visit Glaser Organics site and see what other lovelies they have that you can order if your Whole Foods or organic gourmet shop doesn't carry this brand.

Try making one for yourself. Here's a beautiful array of raw food photos and recipes.

Happy healthful eating!
~~

Going Red For Women...and their Hearts

My hubby wore red to work today. Why? Cause he's married to a woman at high risk for heart disease (ie morbidly obese with Metabolic Syndrome). Today is Go Red For Women Day, and my man went red. And looks hot in it, too.

I haven't showered or dressed yet, but I have red lipstick and a red tee ready to go. And red shoes.

I love wearing red--on lips, on toes, in jewelry. RED ROCKS! And I recently bought the most comfortable loafers..and they come in red. Heh. Red cheers me up. (The image is of a tunic I bought last year that I wore for Christmas. And it's great for a Ren Faire.)

Why is awareness-raising necessary? Behold:

Statistics indicate women's risk of breast cancer is trivial compared to their risk of heart disease. Forty-three percent of deaths in American women are due to cardiovascular disease, leaving women six times more likely to die of a heart attack than breast cancer. And a 2003 study by the American Heart Association found only 13 percent of women felt heart disease was their biggest health threat.

If you plan to go shopping today--hurry, time's running out--wear red and you get 15% off at MACY'S. But before you head out, take the Go Red Heart Check-Up.

Here's some heart-healthy reading:



And for the very young woman-to-be in your family (or for the collector, or just for plain fun):



(She also comes in a blond version.)

And if you want to read an interesting book that is contrarian to the common guidelines, get a copy of this dense tome. I found it really intriguing, and if nothing else, it points to the need for a helluva lot more research on what is ultimately the best, heart-healthiest way of eating: