NUTRITION IS THE KEY TO HEALTH

It's Time To Take Back Your Life

Tag: health

2024 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 Lists

April 7, 2024 /

Let’s face it, groceries are expensive.  They are even more expensive when you purchase organic produce.  But, there is a hack that will give you the most bang for your buck.

The Environmental Working Group or EWG.org released its 2024 Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 List.  Should you use these as a guide when making your produce choices?  I say yes!  I use this list all the time, when making the decision to buy organic over conventional produce.

The Environmental Working Group or EWG, tests all produce every year for the amount of pesticides load in each fruit and vegetable found.  They release the results each year in the form of lists.  These lists are called The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.  

If you have never heard of these lists, get ready to add a great tool to your arsenal toolkit for a healthier lifestyle.  The Dirty Dozen List is the most helpful list for picking clean fruits and vegetables that come with a lower pesticide load.

So, if you are considering starting a diet or changing your habits, these lists will go a long way in helping you save money.  The Dirty Dozen are the 12 top fruits and vegetables that contain the highest pesticide load.  These are pesticides like round-up and others, which we know cause cancer.  You will want to purchase these in their organic form.

The Dirty Dozen is as follows:

  1. Strawberries
  2. Spinach
  3. Kale, Collard, and Mustard Greens
  4. Grapes
  5. Peaches
  6. Pears
  7. Nectarines
  8. Apples
  9. Bell and Hot Peppers
  10. Cherries
  11. Blueberries
  12. Green Beans

The Clean 15

Now, the Clean 15 is the list that has the lowest amounts of pesticides and you can save money by purchasing conventional products instead of organic. This provides a great cost savings when you are at the store shopping.

These are:

32. Carrots

33. Sweet Potatoes

34. Mangoes

35. Mushrooms

36. Watermelon

37. Cabbage

38. Kiwi

39. Honeydew Melon

40. Asparagus

41. Sweet peas (frozen)

42. Papaya

43. Onions

44. Pineapple

45. Sweet Corn

46. Avocados

You can find the lists on EWG.org, and I urge each of you to use these when shopping.  Snap a picture and save it to your home screen on your phone.  That way, you will have it with you every time you shop.  

Alicia

Check Out My Podcast

March 30, 2024 /

Welcome and thank you stopping by. I have just recently started a podcast to correspond with this blog, so you can consume the information in the way that is best for you.

You can find my Podcast on the following services:

Apple Podcast, Spotify Podcast, Google Podcast and RSS Feed.

You can go to those services and search for:

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

I would love it if you would join me, and my journey to take my life by through my successes and struggles. I hope to see you on the Inside.

Alicia

Sixty days into my new plant-based diet

February 5, 2024 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

For those who are just landing on this post and don’t know my backstory, for the new year, I started a new plant-based diet. I was sick and tired of added medications and new diagnoses. I decided to undertake a Whole Food Plant-Based (Vegan) lifestyle change, to see if I could turn this train around. On this website, you will see “plant-based” and “vegan”, used interchangeably, even though there are differences.

Where I began

I am one of those people, that when I make up my mind to do something, it is at that moment, that I go all in. I don’t need to wait for a Monday to roll around, or the first of the month to start a diet. I figure, why prolong your efforts? Just do it! I have started many diet changes on Friday nights.

During my journey, just when I was getting into a grove of my new plant-based lifestyle, I walked into the kitchen one morning to a puddle of water on the floor. My refrigerator had completely gone out, rendering everything in it and the freezer, not fit to eat. I had to toss everything, including all my fruits and veggies.

I began my hunt for a new refrigerator, which was no easy feat. I made the purchase but had to wait a week for delivery. Then, there were another two days to get it up and running and cooled to the proper temp for food. This was a huge setback for my already achieved gains. 

I reverted to eating the SAD diet again of meat, dairy, processed junk foods, and diet cokes. Drive-throughs saw me every day. I had no way to store fresh vegetables or other healthy items until the new unit arrived. This proved to be costly in so many ways, both to the progress I had gained and my pocketbook. My weight quickly returned to its top figure, and my blood work values increased back to dangerous levels.

I am using my lab results from late November and comparing them to my early February 2024 results. 

The following were milestones and are very encouraging for roughly 8 weeks of a 90/10 percent WFPB ratio diet (and the 9 days of being forced back into the SAD diet). Keep in mind that I still had cheat items such as cheese and half and half creamer I was attempting to overcome.

My results after just 60 days

  • I lost 30 pounds (without exercise) at the time of this posting.
  • Cholesterol – decreased by 66 points.
  • Triglycerides – decreased by 20 points.
  • LDL – decreased by 4 points.
  • LDL Calc Chol – decreased by 27 points.
  • Vitamin B-12 increased by 241 points.
  • Vitamin D – increased by 2 points.
  • Iron – no change
  • My blood pressure decreased from an average of 155/90 to 145/85.
  • My inflammation markers decreased significantly.

Who wouldn’t kill for these types of reductions? In less than 60 days, and without any pills, I saw this much benefit, and all because I stopped the meat, dairy, and processed foods. I know people that have been on several drugs, that haven’t seen this kind of progress. They also have far more potentially dangerous side effects from the drugs, than the benefits they are receiving. I didn’t want that to be me.

Concerns when starting a plant-based diet

Let’s sum up all the concerns that I, like most others, have when contemplating going on a vegan or plant-based diet.  You have to know that I was not your average bear.  I was facing some extremely difficult confirmed vitamin deficiencies that only got worse due to the chemo.  So to say I was reluctant was an understatement.  Here are just a few of my concerns:

  • I will not get enough protein  I have issues with muscle wasting due to an autoimmune diagnosis.  This was huge for me.  My creatinine did decrease slightly so I am going to implement protein powders, tofu, and other things to increase protein intake.
  • I will not get enough Vitamin B-12 (I have been on shots every week for most of my adult life.  Eating a plant-based diet increased my B-12 by 241 points. During this time, I lowered my supplement intake of B-12 by 30,000 mg a week.  Mind-blowing.
  • I will not get enough Vitamin D  I lowered my supplement intake by 30,000 UI a week and it still had a small gain. Another known diagnosed deficiency I was concerned about.
  • I will not get enough iron This was critical to me.  I have iron deficiency anemia and since the chemo, I developed CIA (Chemo Induced Anemia) where I had to undergo IV Iron Therapy.  My iron and RBC values remained the same and slightly improved on the plant-based diet.  Also mind-blowing.

There are a few things that I learned from my results. I will have to pivot in the upcoming months in the area of increasing my protein. I knew my rapid weight loss was most likely a loss of muscle mass because I was not exercising. I haven’t tried tofu yet, so my protein has been mainly beans, lentils, potatoes, and soy milk. I have to begin supplementing with vegan protein powder, tofu, and other products. 

I also must start building my recipes in Cronometer for an accurate calculation of all the macro and micronutrients. Tracking my eating up to dinner is a breeze.  However, I, make a lot of soups.  This just simply takes time and effort on my part. I do not cook by a recipe but by a canvas.  For those that know, you know.  No two soups are the same.  What I am craving, time constraints, and using up the veggies in the frig that are nearing expiration, all play a role in what goes in.  So, calculations on this can be difficult, but I will try and figure this out. 

How did I do it?

The changes that I made were common sense changes and some very specific changes to correct my microbiome. 

  • No meat.
  • No dairy.
  • No fish.
  • No alcohol
  • No soda
  • No granulated sugar. I subbed Allulose in coffee, and dates, and maple syrup in recipes.
  • Plant-based milks of soy and almond were subbed for dairy.
  • The goal was to eat one salad a day. (sometimes I didn’t make this).
  • I stopped using all the cashews and nuts that the YouTube recipes suggested and subbed cannelloni beans instead. It sounds bad but it works wonderfully, especially in dressings and sauces.  This was a tip I picked up from Nutmegnotebook.com  Thank you, Tami!
  • I tried to zone each meal/snack and consume protein 
  • Ate as much as I wanted on the salads and soups.
  • Ate organic sprouted oats 5 times a week for breakfast, loaded with berries, bananas, and flax, along with nutritional yeast.
  • Began eating starch with each meal in the forms of pasta, potatoes, and rice.
  • Cut out nut butter for now.
  • Stopped flossing, and got a personal WaterPik.
  • Only use distilled water to brush my teeth, and to rinse my mouth.
  • Stopped using fluoride toothpaste and began using  Boka Nano-Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste.
  • Diligent about the water that when into my mouth and stomach. The goal was to reduce/eliminate fluoride.
  • Began tongue scrapping morning and night.
  • Oil pulling one to two times per week with organic cold-pressed coconut oil.

Final thoughts

I am remaining on a plant-based diet. These gains (along with similar past gains) have convinced me a plant-based diet is more beneficial to my health, and that eating meat and dairy is detrimental. 

Each time I ate plant-based, I attempted to disprove this theory.  I didn’t want to believe I could get complete nutritional values from plants.  However, each time, my bloodwork proved me wrong and showed me that I gained more iron, and RBC values on a plant-based diet, along with reductions in cholesterol and triglycerides. My inflammation markers decreased and I had more energy. I am now a true believer. The lab numbers just don’t lie every time.

As I move forward, I am going to pivot with a few key changes. That is what you do. You get benchmark values, follow a lifestyle change, and then check those values again to see if you are moving in the right direction. If not, assess and pivot.

I am still in the baby phase of learning this way of eating, but I know it is far healthier than any animal, fish, or the products they produce.

What’s your new journey? No time let the present.

Alicia

*As an Affiliate Partner, I could earn a small commission at no cost to you, if you purchase any qualifying purchases.

This blog is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  The information contained within this blog is not intended to diagnose or cure any medical condition.  I am not a physician, licensed dietician, or physical therapist.  This blog is the result of my personal experiences and what I chose to do for a healthier lifestyle.  As always, before you begin a diet, exercise program or add supplements, please consult your healthcare professional.

Which diet is right for you?

January 1, 2024 /

In case you haven’t looked lately, there are so many diets out there, it makes your head spin. When trying to get healthy and start a diet, confusion abounds. It’s like being at an intersection where all the lights are flashing red, and eight other roads feed in. You don’t know which way to go, or who was there first. Total chaos can can paralyze the process of forward movement.

This is how the average person feels about trying to choose a diet these days. Which way do you go? After all, we have so many choices. Here are just a few of them:

  • Vegatarian
  • Vegan
  • Carnivore
  • Paleo
  • Whole 30
  • Whole Food Plant-Based
  • Flexatarian
  • Keto
  • The Mediterranean Diet
  • Intermittent Fasting (not so much a diet, but an additional culture to assist in weightless and your health journey).

In my opinion, the vegetarian diet is one of the most dangerous diets out there. I am not talking danger, in the sense that it is going to kill you. I am talking about being in that gray area, where you think it is ok to consume packaged foods because they have the word “vegan” on them. When in actuality, they are just the same processed forms of junk, you have been eating.

When you read the ingredients list, you will find things like sugar, salt, palm or canola oils and MSG. These are ingredients that you don’t want. So, you become a fat overweight junk food vegan. This is not any healthier than your current state. You are still stuck in the “grab and go” of convenience, instead of getting fresh fruits and veggies.

So, in my opinion, you should avoid this trap altogether. You can opt for a whole food plant-based diet, but that the convenience out of it. Opt for real potatoes, instead of the boxed ones.

You can keep a “Whole 30” concept of if it doesn’t come from the ground, the sea, a tree or a vine, it doesn’t go in your mouth. Packaged protein bars, and pre-packaged juices and smoothies shouldn’t be on your list. They sound so healthy but realize that it is nothing more than “creative marketing from all the giant food companies.” Highly caffeinated beverages, like the canned power drinks that are loaded with caffeine, and we all know which ones those are, should even make it into your cart!

Types of diets

I will touch on a few of these different diets, but won’t go into great detail here. Feel free to do your own research.

There is the Carnivore Diet, where all you consume is meat, cheese, milk, animal fats and eggs. No fruits, veggies or grains, and no carbs. So, you miss out on all those antioxidants and anti-inflammatory foods. This is healthy, Really?

How healthy do you really think a carnivore diet is, and that includes Keto. After all, we know that meat and diary does not provide all our essential vitamins and minerals, we need for healthy bodies. When our bodies don’t get those vital nutrients, disease ensues.

The Keto Diet, is a cousin to the Carnivore Diet, but it will allow up to 5-20% carbs to be added. This diet plan was created in the 1920’s, and used to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children.

In this clinical setting, there was great progress with the children and the number of seizures they experienced while on this meal plan. So, it served a medical purpose in those days, and has become insanely popular in the last five years. You cannot go into the store and walk the aisles, without seeing some “keto approved” packaged food each step you take. Marketing at it’s finest!

I tried the Keto Diet for about 3 months and had a good deal of weight loss success. However, I was concerned with the affects it had on my cardiovascular system. When I got my bloodwork back, my cholesterol, and triglycerides were off the charts, so I stopped.

The Paleo Diet, falls into the Carnivore category as well. The argument is, “this is how our ancestors ate”; therefore, we should all eat this way. They were hunters/gatherers after all, and this is how our bodies were created.

They killed and dragged their dinner back to the cave. First, our bodies have evolved over time, adjusting to what we have put in it. Second, I did read an article some years back, that said the hunter/gatherers, also ate berries and some grasses, if animals were scarce. So, there is that.

The Mediterranean Diet, is a regional diet from the area of Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain and other countries in that region. They are said to have the highest life expectancy of all populations.

They eat lower quantities of red meat, because it is an island-like terrain, and red meat is not as available, and is expensive. So, they tend to eat more fish, veggies, fruits, olive oil, butter, cheese and wine. You will not see a mother giving her child a glass of milk, past a certain age in his/her life. Actually, I don’t know if any population around the world, that continues drinking milk into their adult years, but the United States. This is courtesy of the millions of dollars that the diary industry has infused into our government agencies. Again, marketing at its finest.

One must take into account that in the Mediterranean region, they also walk or ride a bike everywhere. So, it gives way to that saying of, “calories in, minus calories out.” They have a high fat intake, and drink alcohol, but they are constantly burning calories each day. This comes (not because they go to a gym and work out) out of necessity to get where they are going. This is a big difference from that of the United States. We sit at computers, drive everywhere we go and play video games, watch tv or scroll through social media for hours. There is an opposing correlation, when we compare the two lifestyles.

Just a side note on fish. I often wonder how safe the fish population has become with all the nuclear wastes, ships, planes and chemicals, that are dumped in our oceans daily. It is estimated that 14M tons of plastic bottles end up in our oceans each year. Just image how many plastic bottles you would have to have for one ton of weight, Now, multiple that times 14 every single year. Mind-blowing. This is a good time to encourage you to please recycle if you use bottled drinking water.

Let’s talk about those hormonal disruptors when you consume fish or seafood. Environment affects humans and we develop things such as cancer, and autoimmune diseases when we are exposed to toxins. Creatures of the oceans are the same. When they live in highly toxic waters with poisons and endocrine disruptors, they develop disease as well, and then we consume them.

This is where we get so many cases of increased mercury poisoning. Someone will eat a large amount of fish, as their primary protein. Their bodies and tissues become toxic. Mercury is a dangerous metal when ingested. Just food for thought.

The Vegan Diet, is a whole food plant-based diet on steroids. It is extreme and generally centers around abuse of animals in the processing industries and their treatment.

Buyer beware, it is not just the diet, but about the culture that surrounds it. If you call yourself a vegan, it will involve all aspects of your life. So, you cannot call yourself a vegan, if you follow the diet plan, but then go sit down on your leather sofa, to watch a movie. How about hopping in your car that has leather seats? You are not a vegan. Maybe your favorite running shoes have a bit of leather? Then, you are not a vegan.

If you are calling yourself a vegan, then you are a whole food plant-based eater, that is taking a stand on the abuse and mistreatment of all the animals and how they are processed and killed for our consumption. You cannot use or have anything associated with an animal in any way. Piano keys made of ivory? Then, you cannot call yourself a vegan. Those Italian leather shoes, leather jacket or briefcase/backpack? Well, I think you get the point. So, just start by saying that you are following a WFPB diet. If you choose to take a stand for the mistreatment of animals, then you can move in that direction and call yourself a vegan.

In this blog, I will use vegan, vegetarian and plant-based. You will see me swap vegan and plant-based interchangeably. There are cultural differences, but for the purpose of this blog, they will be used to depict the style of eating and they will be one in the same.

The Flexitarian Diet, is really the best of both worlds, for someone that cannot fully give up meat and diary. If you want to make a real impact, then you can do this and follow the Mediterranean way of eating, but I would decrease the meat and fish, and increase the organic tofu, organic soy and beans.

You can choose to eat WFPB for say four days of the week, and on the weekends, or times you might have dinner out, or be traveling, you can opt to flex out, and eat a very clean lean meat.

This doesn’t mean that you get to order that 12 oz Ribeye, but maybe opt for a leaner cut, like a top sirloin, with steamed veggies or a baked potato on the side, and a salad with a balsamic dressing. Forgo the huge side of ranch or blue cheese dressing. Also, be careful with all the white bread, like breadsticks or rolls, that are made with highly processed bleached flour, alcohol and sodas.

When someone goes to a WFPB diet, he/she might find themselves in difficult situations, where you have to go out for work/party. Instead of trying to explain to everyone your dietetic needs, it is easier to have the option to flex out. The trick is, after the “flex event” is over, get back on your plant-based horse! Don’t let this can, be kicked down the road for weeks at a time.

With any diet, I would urge you to keep a food journal for the first month or two. It will assist you in learning foods that you might be sensitive too. If you don’t like writing and you are more of an app person, Cronometer and MyPlate are good apps to go to.

What is a healthy diet anyway?

If you look close enough at the published research, you just get an additional layer of confusion, added to your already scrambled brain. You have experts (doctors, and research scientist) that are in the top of their fields, publishing findings in major respected medical journals, that can prove or disprove, any conclusion/hypothesis they are seeking.

What you don’t know is that they are affiliated with and taking lots of money from the lobbyists from the meat, dairy, egg and grain industries. So, who can you trust? After all, it’s all about the money. The science, the marketing, the buying of research. It all gets muddy.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer, but I did find an investigative nutritional journalist, that seems to dig in and ferret out all the individuals not being so forthcoming about their affiliations with big Pharma and big industries. I have seen her on PCRM.org . It is eye-opening. I have lost her name in the hundreds of videos I have saved and I will try and update this, when I find it.

Keep it simple

My advice to you would be, sit down and list any medical issues you currently have or have a family history, before you make your choice on diet. Ask yourself, are you diabetic or pre-diabetic? Do you have high blood pressure and are on medication? Do you have a strong history of stroke or heart disease in the family? Is heart disease or cancer a concern? What did you last lab results say? Do you have high cholesterol, triglycerides or a diagnosed autoimmune disease like arthritis? Are you overweight? List all your concerns.

Then, list any known food allergies you might have. Maybe you need to avoid gluten. We are all different. So, whatever diet you choose, you will have to alter it a bit to fit your specific needs. No diet is a one-size fits all approach. However, you will have a macro view of where you need to start.

Next, list your goals and the trick is to make them attainable. Do not make a goal of losing 100 pounds in a year. Some might be able to do this, but you want to keep it healthy. Think about the things you want to do, like exercise, yoga, meditation and gardening. Whatever it might be. List those as well. Now, you have plan. People that embark on a journey without a plan, fail. You want to succeed, so have a plan!

Knowledge is power

If you are like me, you are not a doctor, registered dietician or research nutritional scientist. I have to read and get my information from the internet, books and publications. I would suggest that you need to learn some basics about nutrition before you start. If you are new to the world of nutrition, it can all be so confusing. In this confusion, you might start chasing your tail with supplements to cover what you suspect might be a deficiency. Don’t fill bad, we have all done it!

I would caution you against taking a lot of supplements. Unless you have been diagnosed in the past with deficiencies, the goal of this diet, is that you “eat the rainbow” of fruits and veggies and vary what you eat and nature will give you all you need.

If you choose to do a plant based diet, a small supplementation once or twice a week or so, might be adequate. Vitamin B12 is a concern, but not as big as you fear. According to Dr. Neal Barnard, M.D., and adult only needs 2.4 mcg a day. When we take supplements, most or 5000 mcgs and we take them like candy. This can eventually cause its own problems. I supplement with B-12 due to a deficiency, but since going plant-based, I need far less these days. Mind blowing.

Vitamin D is another vitamin I take due to a confirmed deficiency. You will need to have your physician run these specific tests before supplementing. Vitamin D is necessary for over 300+ cellular processes in the body, but our culture has become deficient. You get Vitamin D by the synthesis of sunlight on your skin. Vitamin D, although classified as a vitamin, acts like a hormone in our bodies, and taking too much can also be dangerous.

So, dig in and research. Learn about your newly chosen diet, and all the ins and outs. Start with baby steps and make small changes, or go all in. There is no “one way”. The goal is to increase the amount of good nutrients you give your body, and decrease the fat, sodium, and processed chemicals.

Learn about macronutrients which are called (protein, carbs and fats). Just think of this as a “high-level” view. Then, you have the micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Think of this, as you looking under a microscope and drilling down and individual “cells” of nutrition. I would subscribe to a few YouTube channels of your choosing that offer good advice.

Remember, you can lose weight on any diet, and just because there are over a million “influencers” out on the web, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube, telling you they have the short-cut to weight loss, doesn’t mean you have to take the bait. This is a tortoise and the hare scenario, so be the tortoise. Slow and steady wins every time.

Remember, not all diets are healthy. The one that comes to mine is Atkins. You will find pros and cons for all diets out there, just be diligent. Get informed! Do your homework. This isn’t going to be handed to you. The trick is to determine which diet will provide you with the best outcome, and move your body to a healthier state, and you closer to your goals.

Good luck in your new journey, and may the force be with you!

Alicia

Disclaimer

The following article might contains affiliate partner links.  I could earn a small commission, at no cost to you, for any qualifying purchases.  

This blog is for entertainment and informational purposes only.  The information contained within this blog is not intended to diagnose or cure any medical condition.  I am not a physician, licensed dietician or physical therapist.  This blog is the result of my personal experiences and what I chose to do for a healthier lifestyle.  As always, before you begin a diet, exercise program or add supplements, please consult your healthcare professional.

A day in the life of you

December 18, 2023 /

What is your why? Let’s take a look. Grab a journal and let’s get started. I am going to ask you to take a serious inventory of what you eat on a daily/weekly basis. Write everything down. Don’t worry, this is only an initial exercise for the first week. You will not have to log your intake past this point unless you want to. The one thing is you will need to be is totally honest with yourself or this will not work. I want every stick of gum logged.

I am going to write a scenario and I want you to see if you recognize any of these hamster wheel behaviors.

The routine

You wake after a not so good night’s sleep. You’re already tired. You put on the coffee while you take a shower. You have a cup of coffee while getting ready for work. You head out the door and swing into either you neighborhood Starbucks or fast-food drive-thru. You grab a Frappuccino and a morning combo meal. As you are sitting in traffic you consume both.

When you get to the office you have another coffee/soda before you head to a meeting. Everything is gone off the rails at work, and now you and your team are in crisis mode. Your stress level just increased even more. You head to the vending machine for a RedBull/Soda. You are hungry, so you grab a candy bar or chips too.

At lunch, you drive thru another fast-food line and get another combo meal with a soda or head to a restaurant. You down that and get on with your day.

Around 3:00 pm, you feel like your tank is running on empty, so you grab another soda/coffee/RedBull, and some more goodies from the vending machine.

You’re heading home from work and traffic is terrible. While you are sitting in traffic, you think to yourself, “There has to be more to life than this.” Once you get home, you are so tired, you just want to order DoorDash or a Pizza and call it a night.

You get in bed on your cell phones or tablets. You can’t sleep well for thinking about life’s little problems, like living paycheck to paycheck (or hand to mouth). You are worried about how you are going to pay for those mounting student loans, medical debt or credit cards. Each of those are big green monsters living under your bed. You get up sometime during the night and grab whatever you can find and begin stress eating. Maybe it’s cookies and milk, chips or something else. By the time you stop, half the bag is gone.

You go back to bed and finally fall asleep around 2 or 3 am. When your alarm goes off, you wake so tired and unrested, you head for the coffee pot, get in the shower and rinse and repeat the day. This is your life. This is a hamster wheel that I cannot seem to get off. This is a freight train that is about to hit a wall going 80 mph. How do I stop the madness? Does any of this resonate with you?

The outcome

Now, let’s say you logged your food and beverage intake for the entire week. Looking back on what you logged, what nutrients do you think you actually ingested? Nutrients that fuel your body so it can repair itself, and provide you with the daily requirements to make sure everything is working properly? Most likely, not many. In fact, wouldn’t you say that you did more harm than good with the high-fat, highly processed, sugary and sodium bombs you consumed that were layer is caffeine? Ask yourself, how is your body supposed to recover from that, day after day, year after year. At some point, it just cannot.

You body screams for help and breaks down. This is when diseased starts to occur. Things like high blood-pressure, diabetes, depression, GI issues, sleep apnea, heart, vascular, cancer and autoimmune. They mount one after one and you cannot see to get off the disease freight train.

You have now added more medication, procedures and diagnosis’ to your life. This means more missed work time, and expensive dangerous medications the doctor tells you that you will take for the rest of your life.

Remember those CDC stats I mentioned? Almost 75% of Americans are obese or overweight. As well as 50% of Americans have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and are on medication. There are now twelve year old children are being diagnosed and put on medication for high blood pressure. What do you think their future holds? After all, we most likely began our journey in our thirty’s or forty’s and they are starting at pre-teen ages! If case you missed the stats, here is a link..

CDC Stats Link Home

Welcome to your WHY! Why, you should want to change these habits and create a better plan for what you give your body. Our body is like a temple, and this is how we treat it. We only get one, and it’s not too late to change your course. I don’t care how old you are. Change starts with you and only you. Let’s turn this train around!

Commit to the change and let’s get started.

Alicia

Meal planning for quick and easy meals

July 6, 2023 /

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Meal planning for quick and easy meals is without a doubt one of the most time consuming parts of eating healthier. The only thing worse that this is, the actual meal prep itself. Let’s face it, planning, shopping and then prepping can take an entire day. Who has a whole day to dedicate to this? There is an easier way.

When you plan, you will want quick ideas. For this, you will need to re-think your way of cooking. For me, cooking was more of an art than a necessity. I would spend hours in the kitchen for one dinner, but that was when I cooked the good old southern way. Those days are now gone. I am focused on nutrition now.

What is your why?

You have to ask yourself “what is my why”? This gets you clear as to why, now what is your goal? You have to set an achievable goal. Ask yourself these questions:

  • What is my goal?
  • How can I get the most bang for my buck in the way of nutrients?
  • How can I cook or prepare quick easy and budget friendly meals?

My Goal

First of all, my goal was simple. I needed a diet plan that would support my nutritional goals of eating healthier and losing weight. Some things I needed to forgo were wine, cheese, ice cream and really most dairy altogether.

I was always heavy on the meat and startches, so I needed to add more fruits and vegetables in my mix, and cut the additional salt. Okay, I had my first base covered. I had a specific goal and kept it simple. I have my why and goal covered.

My nutritional needs

I knew that if I incorporated nutritionally dense foods, it would help my body repair itself and provide the nutrients it needed to stay healthy. So, I focused on getting the most bang for my buck. This would provide the much needed nutrition for energy and weight loss. If you need a list of those top nutritional foods, you can find them at the link below:

The top nutritional dense foods

I also needed to save money on my grocery budget, so I followed the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen rule of buying produce. This will save you money, while forgoing those cancer-causing pesticides. Click the link below for that list:

Organic vs Conventional Produce

Quick and easy meals

I knew my cooking style had to change overnight. I needed to let go of my three and four course meals and focus on meal planning for quick and easy meals. This meant incorporating things like smoothies and oatmeal with fresh fruit, during breakfast and lunch, and cooking “one pot meals” or all-in-one meals for dinner. See my post below for one-pot meals:

One-Pot Meals

Success comes down to having a plan and working the plan

I knew planning, shopping and prepping could not be done for me all in one day. I just simply ran out of stem and didn’t prep. I thought, “I will do it tomorrow” and tomorrow never came. Groceries go to waste like this, so a new plan of action had to be born!

I decided I would meal plan my quick meals during the week and would make a full shopping list for each of the two stores. I would also take inventory of my panty, refrigerator and freezer for the foods I needed.

I had my lists for both stores. You might ask, why two stores, why not just one? Well the reason is two-fold. First, our supply chain hasn’t recovered and my stores do not always have the things I need, so I am forced to make a second stop. Second, you always want to look at the ads for cost-savings and add those to your cards so you can take advantage of those extra digital coupon savings.

My Plan

This meant on Thursday, when the ads came out I would research and load everything I need to my digital coupons for money saving ideas. Friday night, I would clean my refrigerator out, and take inventory of anything I might need. I would make my lists for each store. If I had time, I would look to on-line healthy recipes or a book for inspiration. I may not follow the actual recipe but it will give me a guide. I tend to make my meals a bit healthier.

Then, when Saturday/Sunday rolls around, I grab my lists and keys and head out the door. Inventory was already taken from my refrigerator, pantry and freezer and lists are in hand. This keeps me from purchasing unneeded items and spending more money than planned. Let’s face it, groceries have gotten so expensive, we need all the help we can get in this area.

When I get home, I unload, wash and stock things away. Remember, the refrigerator is already clean and ready to go from the night before. I go directly into the prep of washing, cutting and containing, what I need for the days ahead. This would typically give me about 5 days of easy food ready to go for a quick toss. Realistically, I can prep and cook any dinner in 30-45 minutes and this included clean-up.

Now this will take some getting used to. It will take time to perfect your craft, but you can teach an old dog new tricks, so stick with it. You will find quick and easy ways to get healthy and nutritious foods in your body, without spending an entire day cooking.

Being successful at eating healthier is 80% of our getting healthy journey. If you can master this, then you can add walking (or the exercise of your choice), for the last 20%. All of this together is going to equal a healthier and hopefully lighter you.

Alicia

Additional tips for your diet

June 7, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Here are some additional tips when starting your new diet. Just keep in mind that you are on a journey, not in a race. Look at this as you being sick and tired of not helping yourself be the healthiest person you can be, and you are ready to start taking steps in the right direction, to boost your nutritional intake, and hopefully your overall health.

If you haven’t seen my first post on getting ready for your new diet, please check out the below link.

https://nutritionisthekeytohealth.com/getting-ready-for-your-new-diet/

You’re in this for the long-haul

I still think about the tortoise and the hare story. It is true like everything in life, you cannot rush perfection. Your diet will be your “new normal” because it is your new lifestyle change.

Does that mean you aren’t going to find yourself in front of the ice cream bowl one night? Nope, there are no guarantees here. However, only you have the power to get yourself back on track.

You had a moment of a lapse of judgment, so accept it, and get on with it. Note it in your journal and how it made you feel afterwards. Maybe when you are ready to break your diet again, you will go back on read that, and it will give you to power to say, “No way. I am staying the course”.

Water

Please remember to drink plenty of water when starting your new diet. When you go on a healthy diet, your body will start to purge toxins. You will need to assist your body with this by providing it H2O.

If you are still drinking sodas, you are not doing yourself any favors, even if they are diet. Also, energy drinks are a no-no. I allow myself one cup of coffee in the morning. By a cup, I mean 8 oz., not a 26 oz. Yeti to take to work or the gym.

I drink bottled water in non-BPA containers. It is not the best option, but it is a step above my area tap water. It also reduces your barriers to entry, when striving to get your daily water intake.

If you have it cold and ready to go, you are much more likely to grab and go, assisting you in reaching your goal. You can purchase a high-end water like, Fiji. However, they are extremely expensive, but it all depends on your budget. This is your journey.

I will also filter my tap water that goes into cooking. I have a countertop pitcher for this. A Zero or Brita works well.

Remember please recycle any bottles you use. Our planet is like our body, it is the only one we have. When it is gone, it is gone. We don’t get another one.

Try to get moving

Even if it is parking further from the doors, when you go to work, school or the store, try to get those extra steps in.

If you live in a hot area like Texas, or have a health condition and you cannot be outside due to the air quality, when you make your trip to the store, take some extra passes down each isle. If you do this everywhere you go, it will assist in getting more steps in.

Walking helps with a great many things. Remember this saying,

“Motion is Lotion”

Moving only small amounts helps with your stiffness, especially if you have auto immune diseases like fibromyalgia or arthritis (especially in your back). It will also assist in getting those intestines moving.

This is your journey, enjoy it!

Alicia

Old habits die hard

June 1, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

When starting a diet or exercise program, old habits can die hard. I can only speak for myself, but I find that my old habits get in the way of my success. They are probably the biggest nemesis for me not reaching my goals.

Whether driving through Starbucks, your favorite fast food, or staying in your routine of eating _______________ (fill in the blank) before bed, old habits die hard. I call it “habit creep“.

Breaking the routine

When we are most vulnerable and needing that sugar, caffeine or processed food fix, they are there to secretly cheer us on. Habits make those cravings unsurmountable. I think the secret is trying to do something new in your schedule. You must break the routine, to break the habit. For me, it is diary, particularly cheese.

For each of us, this trigger or craving is different. We all lead different lives with various responsibilities. However, if you normally push away from your meal, and sit on the couch and watch television, try doing something new.

If this is where you eat ice cream, maybe you can do laundry, spend time with the kids, or go for a walk. The secret is break the cycle that you know and have come entrenched in. That is all it is, a cycle of doing the same thing over and over. We can set our clocks by it.

Things to do as you learn to break the bad habits

When the cravings start, you can do a number of things. I guess it might depend on the habit. If you are trying to stop smoking, I am not too sure sitting down and journaling would stay off the cravings. I think you might have to exercise to get beyond that one. I have been told that chewing gum or straws help.

It could be a hobby that you choose to partake in such as journaling, writing, gardening, woodworking, getting ahead of emails for work, walking, biking, playing cards, light cleaning, or reading a book. Maybe you could go for a run or work out. You get the drift.

You must do anything but allow yourself that indulgent pleasure of extra calories, unwanted fats, processed foods, nicotine or drugs. You just need to take yourself out of the geographical location that makes you want that ice cream, drink, cookies or nicotine. Whatever your vice might be, change your location and mix things up.

If you do nothing else, do this one thing

I will tell you if you don’t do anything else on this journey (eg. lose weight, increase exercise, eat healthier), you need to stop smoking! Smoking is a leading killer and affects so many people’s health. All the top killing diseases are attributed to smoking, eg…heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Also, those of you that chew tobacco or vape, you are not any better off, so don’t think you get a pass. First, we do not know the long-term affects of vaping. Second, for those that chew tobacco products, ask anyone that has throat cancer and is on hospice, if they could do it all over again, would they? I bet the answer would be, “yes”.

Habits die hard, but they are not impossible to beat!

Alicia

Welcome to my blog

May 28, 2023 / / 0 Comments

Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast

Welcome to my blog. My name is Alicia. After successfully losing 35 pounds on a whole food plant based diet, I decided to “flex” out of my diet for my birthday. My sister wanted to cook for me. It is just easier sometimes to flex for a night or weekend, instead of trying to levy a restrictive diet on someone who doesn’t understand. So, I flexed.

Then the unthinkable happened. A little thing called life, reared it ugly head and I lost my job. The stress sent me straight to my comfort foods of diary, processed foods, cheese and wine. The weight has returned and I feel horrible.

I know what caused it, but I could not seem to stop. Why, because it is a habit. Like when you have had a stressful day at work and you come home and have that one drink just to take the edge off. Pretty soon, that one drink has turned into two, and maybe three. It gets so entrenched in your habits, the drink is in hand shortly after you enter the door. Habits, they can be difficult to break.

Maybe you go through your favorite coffee establishment or fast food each morning. A combo meal at lunch, or happy hour with friends. It’s all the same. It could be a huge bowl of ice cream or six energy drinks/coffee in a day. The effects these have to our health is outrageous.

I decided to create this blog, because I do so much better when I hold myself accountable. Putting my story out there, for even the possibility of one person seeing it, gives me that added drive I need to succeed.

This blog is a work-in-progress, and hopefully will be taking shape in the near future with content that can help you reach any goals you might have.

Thank you for stopping by, and please come back for updated content.

Alicia

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