Good morning.
I thought I would briefly mention vitamin D!
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that most people are deficient in. It is called the sunshine vitamin because the best place to get it from is the sun. Our body creates vitamin D when the sun's rays hit our skin. But this can be really tricky if you live anywhere north of the equator, especially in cold climates. And even if you live in Sunny California, it still might be difficult to get sufficient sunlight at just the right time of day. And it does not penetrate through clothing, sunscreen or windows.
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, and is actually more like a hormone. Unlike a lot of other vitamins and minerals, its not really found in common foods like green leafy vegetables. Rather, it is found in fatty foods like fish, fish oils (cod liver oil,) and egg yolks.
The reason vitamin D is so important:
1. We need it so calcium can be absorbed in our bodies. Without vitamin D, calcium is useless
2. It prevents diabetes, depression, certain hormonal cancers and osteoporosis, among many other illnesses
3. Many people who are sick have vitamin D deficiencies
In short, most of us need supplementation. The best way supplement is by taking vitamin D3, not D2. It's best to speak to your Dr. for daily amounts. Most will say 200 IU is enough, while some Dr.'s will say that 2,000 IU is appropriate. Find out what works for you. Just make sure you get those supplements in.
If you have any more specific questions on vitamin D, feel free to email me at mishiharari@gmail.com!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Are you carbo-phobic!?!
Hi everyone! It has been so long. I have gotten so caught up with my summer and our camp that I had to put this on the side for a while.
I have some really nice, interesting information coming up....
Today I wanted to talk about all of us out there that are carbo-phobic! So many people think that in order to lose weight they need to cut carbs, count calories and really watch themselves. When I hear people saying things like "I don't eat any carbs, it helps me lose weight", I get super frustrated. I feel like saying "oh poor thing, you must be starving yourself!"
A few months back a lady I met at the market asked me how I lost so much weight. She continued on saying its probably because I don't eat ANY carbs, and I watch what I eat really carefully. I just gave her a polite smile, and on the inside I was thinking "NO! That's not how I lost weight!"
Now, lets get clear on what no carbs, low carbs, and which carbs we are really actually talking about.
We all need carbohydrates in our body. They fuel us and give us essential energy.
Carbohydrates are in practically everything we eat. And of course there are good ones and very evil ones. The good carbs that we need come from whole grains found in fruits, vegetables, and other grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole grain sprouted breads, etc...
Evil carbs, which we should all avoid, (except on special occasions) are found in foods like cereal, cookies, cake, sugary drinks, white grains such as bread, white rice, etc...
Again, as always, the key here is to know your foods! For example, a sweet potato might have a high carb content but it is also packed with vitamins, nutrients and is a great energy souce! While, the regular white potato, is basically a starchy carb (sugar) without much nutritional value. And yes, brown rice is high in carbs too, and might also have a high glycemic load (more on that later), but its got fiber, protein and essential oils and fatty acids that we need as part of a healthy diet.
So when we think of losing weight and illuminating all carbs from the diet, lets think again. Think about what a carb really is, how it gives us our energy and how it is essential to us. Make a list of all the carbs you eat in a day, and figure out which ones you should take off that list, and possibly what you can add on instead.
I would like to add a very important point here. Although whole grains are important, portion control is the main key. Like I mentioned earlier, brown rice is good for you, but its still high in carbs. This means that you should have a very small portion, not fill up your plate with it. piling your plate up even with the good carbs will be a sure way to make you gain weight! If you fill up your plate with salad and veggies, then add a small piece of protein (fat) and a small portion of whole grains, you have got yourself a nutritious, filling meal!
You can apply this same concept to fat, which is essential to all of us. Go through the same process and think about the fats you are eating. Are you eating lots of fatty dairy products and heavy, fatty meats? Or are you getting your healthy fats from fish, high quality eggs and avocados, etc?
If we can all get ourselves to think in terms of healthy fats, small amounts of healthy carbs, and shift our mindset away from counting calories and fat free, sugar free, we will all be on our way to healthy, sustainable, maintainable weight loss!
If you would like more details on good grains and carbs, please contact me on facebook or through email at mishiharari@gmail.com
I have some really nice, interesting information coming up....
Today I wanted to talk about all of us out there that are carbo-phobic! So many people think that in order to lose weight they need to cut carbs, count calories and really watch themselves. When I hear people saying things like "I don't eat any carbs, it helps me lose weight", I get super frustrated. I feel like saying "oh poor thing, you must be starving yourself!"
A few months back a lady I met at the market asked me how I lost so much weight. She continued on saying its probably because I don't eat ANY carbs, and I watch what I eat really carefully. I just gave her a polite smile, and on the inside I was thinking "NO! That's not how I lost weight!"
Now, lets get clear on what no carbs, low carbs, and which carbs we are really actually talking about.
We all need carbohydrates in our body. They fuel us and give us essential energy.
Carbohydrates are in practically everything we eat. And of course there are good ones and very evil ones. The good carbs that we need come from whole grains found in fruits, vegetables, and other grains like brown rice, quinoa, whole grain sprouted breads, etc...
Evil carbs, which we should all avoid, (except on special occasions) are found in foods like cereal, cookies, cake, sugary drinks, white grains such as bread, white rice, etc...
Again, as always, the key here is to know your foods! For example, a sweet potato might have a high carb content but it is also packed with vitamins, nutrients and is a great energy souce! While, the regular white potato, is basically a starchy carb (sugar) without much nutritional value. And yes, brown rice is high in carbs too, and might also have a high glycemic load (more on that later), but its got fiber, protein and essential oils and fatty acids that we need as part of a healthy diet.
So when we think of losing weight and illuminating all carbs from the diet, lets think again. Think about what a carb really is, how it gives us our energy and how it is essential to us. Make a list of all the carbs you eat in a day, and figure out which ones you should take off that list, and possibly what you can add on instead.
I would like to add a very important point here. Although whole grains are important, portion control is the main key. Like I mentioned earlier, brown rice is good for you, but its still high in carbs. This means that you should have a very small portion, not fill up your plate with it. piling your plate up even with the good carbs will be a sure way to make you gain weight! If you fill up your plate with salad and veggies, then add a small piece of protein (fat) and a small portion of whole grains, you have got yourself a nutritious, filling meal!
You can apply this same concept to fat, which is essential to all of us. Go through the same process and think about the fats you are eating. Are you eating lots of fatty dairy products and heavy, fatty meats? Or are you getting your healthy fats from fish, high quality eggs and avocados, etc?
If we can all get ourselves to think in terms of healthy fats, small amounts of healthy carbs, and shift our mindset away from counting calories and fat free, sugar free, we will all be on our way to healthy, sustainable, maintainable weight loss!
If you would like more details on good grains and carbs, please contact me on facebook or through email at mishiharari@gmail.com
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