Good morning!
I have been getting a lot of questions lately about cravings. How to stop them, what to do if you just can't stop eating sugar, etc...
First of all, let's keep in mind that there are SO many reasons your body would be craving sugar (or anything else.) Dehydration, unbalanced diet, lack of vegetables, too many artificial sweeteners, too many white carbs, boredom and loneliness, just to name a few. Every person has to look into their own diets and lifestyles and see what is out of balance. The fact that we are having cravings is an important signal from the body that something isn't right, and it shouldn't be ignored! So putting yourself on a no sugar diet, without looking into the real cause of the craving, will lead to disaster. It will never help to just have will power and ignore your cravings if you don't know why you are having them and what you need to do to fix the problem.
Secondly, before you delve into yourself and try to figure out what's amiss, the first step is always "crowding out". This means that whatever the cause of your cravings is, you should be crowding out the junk food with lots of vegetables, fruit and water. So for example, before you decide to stop eating a donut everyday for breakfast, just try it on Monday. And in the place of a donut eat some very sweet fruit with a big cup of water instead. You can slowly work your way to two, three and four days a week until you have successfully crowded out your craving for donuts. And then the introspection can start, and you think about why you might be having them in the first place. This is a rule that anyone and everyone can easily follow to start the process of deconstructing cravings! (You can do this at any time you might be craving something sweet. Grab some green grapes and a big cup of water and wait 15, then see if you're still aching for the chocolate bar!)
I thought this step of "crowding out" would sound a lot more do-able and a lot less scary then "stop eating sugar"!
Let me know how it goes,
Mishi
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Trust your body
Hi everyone,
Just thought I would share a late night tid bit. After a shabbos full of guests, mess, clean up, kids indoors because of random October snow storm, I have had some quiet time to reflect.
My father is in town for shabbos and with his visits always comes trips to the bakery with my kids and lots of sprinkle cookies and muffins around the house. A very big treat for the kids. I was tempted by one of the muffins and I let my self indulge a little by having most of it, along with a few bites of a sprinkle cookie. My body and brain are not used to the heavily saturated, margarined, sugared, white floured foods. Within a short time, I felt myslef losing patience with my kids and the ability to concentrate and think things through clearly. My brain was in a fog! I knew it was the pastries and I was frustrated that I had consumed enough of them to make me feel the way I was feeling. I knew I needed to eat or drink something asap to clear out my system. Something in my stomach was asking for some hot lemon water, and I added green tea to it for some extra cleansing power. It really calmed me down, enabled me to concentrate and speak and think clearly. The effects of white flour, preservatives and sugar effect everyone negatively, some more than others as you can see from my story. Not everyone has such noticeable, quick side effects. But everyone is effected. You can try and experiment. Go off white flour and sugar for a week, and then see how you feel after trying it again.Once you do this, you will be able to clearly see how foods effect your mind and body. Maybe you're always in a brain fog and never know why. Maybe you have little patience and would like take one small step in changing that.
Also, our bodies know what they need to counteract the unhealthy foods we put into them. They send us lots of signals like cravings to let us know when things are amiss. So take some time to listen to your body, it really might be telling you something!
Just thought I would share a late night tid bit. After a shabbos full of guests, mess, clean up, kids indoors because of random October snow storm, I have had some quiet time to reflect.
My father is in town for shabbos and with his visits always comes trips to the bakery with my kids and lots of sprinkle cookies and muffins around the house. A very big treat for the kids. I was tempted by one of the muffins and I let my self indulge a little by having most of it, along with a few bites of a sprinkle cookie. My body and brain are not used to the heavily saturated, margarined, sugared, white floured foods. Within a short time, I felt myslef losing patience with my kids and the ability to concentrate and think things through clearly. My brain was in a fog! I knew it was the pastries and I was frustrated that I had consumed enough of them to make me feel the way I was feeling. I knew I needed to eat or drink something asap to clear out my system. Something in my stomach was asking for some hot lemon water, and I added green tea to it for some extra cleansing power. It really calmed me down, enabled me to concentrate and speak and think clearly. The effects of white flour, preservatives and sugar effect everyone negatively, some more than others as you can see from my story. Not everyone has such noticeable, quick side effects. But everyone is effected. You can try and experiment. Go off white flour and sugar for a week, and then see how you feel after trying it again.Once you do this, you will be able to clearly see how foods effect your mind and body. Maybe you're always in a brain fog and never know why. Maybe you have little patience and would like take one small step in changing that.
Also, our bodies know what they need to counteract the unhealthy foods we put into them. They send us lots of signals like cravings to let us know when things are amiss. So take some time to listen to your body, it really might be telling you something!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Ever heard of Okinawa?
So today I thought I would write a little about different cultures and their diets and compare them to our standard American diet and let you see for yourselves the amazing differences in overall health and longevity...
Take your typical American family and imagine them going food shopping at the local supermarket. Thousands and thousands of prepackaged foods to choose from, loaded with sugar, preservatives, chemicals and food dyes stand neatly on shelves. Fruits and vegetables that have been shipped from as far away as New Zea land gather in massive bins in the produce section. Dairy and meat products from animals that have been treated with numerous growth hormones and antibiotics and that were fed foods unsuitable for consumption, sit in shiny plastic wrappings and colorful containers screaming for your attention.
Finding real, whole foods in America is hard to come by. Even our organic foods are depleted of vitamins and minerals due to environmental contaminants.
How about the overall health of our country? Diabetes, heart disease, obesity, childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, insomnia, infertility, digestive issues, autism are just a few of the many problems our people face today.
Now lets take a look at the people of Okinawa, Japan, who are known (through much research) to be the healthiest and longest living population in the world!
Their diets? Lots of fresh, wild, unpolluted fish. They eat a lot of sea vegetables like seaweed and kelp which are loaded with minerals that we Americans don't really have in our food supply anymore. They have natural, fermented soy beans, not the kind that comes in boxes and packages. They eat a lot of whole grains, nuts and seeds and only pure foods, grown locally. They consume very, very small amounts of meat and dairy. All of these foods provide the people of Okinawa an amazingly nutrient rich diet, full of everything they need to stay healthy and live long! They also spend a lot of time outdoors in their fields, doing manual labor that a lot of us here have no need to do anymore. This helps keep their bodies young and strong as well.
The people of Crete, a small island off Greece, consume a Mediterranean diet. This consists of olive oil, wines, chemical free dairy from GOATS (more easily digestible than sheep), a lot of fermented foods and very small amounts of red meat. They also eat a lot of berries and whole grains. They are the longest living and healthiest Mediterranean population. Although in general the Mediterranean diet is healthy, it is being very much influenced by the American diet, and the people of Crete are eating the purest form of the Mediterranean diet now a days. Heart disease is 17x more likely in America than on these two islands!
So, what do you say? Can we all take the time this week to get out and exerice and to buy at least one food that's unprocessed, organic or whole? Even if its just one item for yourself or your family, it will make a big difference!
Have a great day everyone!
Mishi
Take your typical American family and imagine them going food shopping at the local supermarket. Thousands and thousands of prepackaged foods to choose from, loaded with sugar, preservatives, chemicals and food dyes stand neatly on shelves. Fruits and vegetables that have been shipped from as far away as New Zea land gather in massive bins in the produce section. Dairy and meat products from animals that have been treated with numerous growth hormones and antibiotics and that were fed foods unsuitable for consumption, sit in shiny plastic wrappings and colorful containers screaming for your attention.
Finding real, whole foods in America is hard to come by. Even our organic foods are depleted of vitamins and minerals due to environmental contaminants.
How about the overall health of our country? Diabetes, heart disease, obesity, childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, depression, insomnia, infertility, digestive issues, autism are just a few of the many problems our people face today.
Now lets take a look at the people of Okinawa, Japan, who are known (through much research) to be the healthiest and longest living population in the world!
Their diets? Lots of fresh, wild, unpolluted fish. They eat a lot of sea vegetables like seaweed and kelp which are loaded with minerals that we Americans don't really have in our food supply anymore. They have natural, fermented soy beans, not the kind that comes in boxes and packages. They eat a lot of whole grains, nuts and seeds and only pure foods, grown locally. They consume very, very small amounts of meat and dairy. All of these foods provide the people of Okinawa an amazingly nutrient rich diet, full of everything they need to stay healthy and live long! They also spend a lot of time outdoors in their fields, doing manual labor that a lot of us here have no need to do anymore. This helps keep their bodies young and strong as well.
The people of Crete, a small island off Greece, consume a Mediterranean diet. This consists of olive oil, wines, chemical free dairy from GOATS (more easily digestible than sheep), a lot of fermented foods and very small amounts of red meat. They also eat a lot of berries and whole grains. They are the longest living and healthiest Mediterranean population. Although in general the Mediterranean diet is healthy, it is being very much influenced by the American diet, and the people of Crete are eating the purest form of the Mediterranean diet now a days. Heart disease is 17x more likely in America than on these two islands!
So, what do you say? Can we all take the time this week to get out and exerice and to buy at least one food that's unprocessed, organic or whole? Even if its just one item for yourself or your family, it will make a big difference!
Have a great day everyone!
Mishi
Friday, October 7, 2011
More pre fast ideas
As I was falling asleep last night I kept thinking of more and more great food ideas to eat through out the day that again, will give you REAL energy! Even though its a busy day and we're all running around, try to take time to at least snack on some high fat, high fiber foods...
1. Nuts. Nuts are really high in fat which give us energy, and walnuts in particular are high in omega 3 fatty acids which support good brain function. They're also super easy to eat on the go.
2. Celery or carrots with almond or peanut butter (when I say nut butters I don't mean the full of sugar skippy peanut butter) and raisins. This is obviously a good source of vegetables and the nut butters add good, healthy fats. Organic raisins are loaded with antioxidants and they give this snack a good, sweet flavor.
3.Make eggs for breakfast, with some oats and a pure fruit smoothie on the side. This meal includes fat, protein and a quick, easy source to get some fruit into your system today.
4. Another great recipe for the pre fast meal is one I got from my sister. Its a quinoa salad which includes edemame, red onions, fresh parsley and cranberries (preferably without sugar and preservatives). I like to add nuts to the mix for a fat source. The dressing is a honey mustard, vinegar mix. But you can really season it however you wish. Quinoa takes on any flavor you mix it with! This meal provides a complete protein and whole grains from the quinoa, and has a great taste!
5. Try to skip the morning coffee. Just fill your body up with water as often as you can!
Gotta run now. When more ideas pop into my hear I'll keep you posted.
1. Nuts. Nuts are really high in fat which give us energy, and walnuts in particular are high in omega 3 fatty acids which support good brain function. They're also super easy to eat on the go.
2. Celery or carrots with almond or peanut butter (when I say nut butters I don't mean the full of sugar skippy peanut butter) and raisins. This is obviously a good source of vegetables and the nut butters add good, healthy fats. Organic raisins are loaded with antioxidants and they give this snack a good, sweet flavor.
3.Make eggs for breakfast, with some oats and a pure fruit smoothie on the side. This meal includes fat, protein and a quick, easy source to get some fruit into your system today.
4. Another great recipe for the pre fast meal is one I got from my sister. Its a quinoa salad which includes edemame, red onions, fresh parsley and cranberries (preferably without sugar and preservatives). I like to add nuts to the mix for a fat source. The dressing is a honey mustard, vinegar mix. But you can really season it however you wish. Quinoa takes on any flavor you mix it with! This meal provides a complete protein and whole grains from the quinoa, and has a great taste!
5. Try to skip the morning coffee. Just fill your body up with water as often as you can!
Gotta run now. When more ideas pop into my hear I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Eating the RIGHT foods before a fast!
I'm sure by now everyone is planning their menus for the fast tomorrow night. I just wanted to give some tips on what foods to eat for the fast to keep you full, energetic and clear headed for as long as possible!
Most people would presume that eating a lot of carbohydrates before a fast will be sure to fill you up. As I have mentioned before, filling up from carbs is only a short turn filling up. If you eat too many of the wrong starches, you'll be full quickly, but that energy and sense of feeling full will quickly diminish. So, what to eat?
For starters, think fiber! Anything high in fiber (I don't mean fiber one cereal) will fill you up PROPERLY and also give you energy and brain power.
Next, think healthy fats (salmon, sardines, avocados, coconut oil....) Again, this will be sure to give your body sustained energy and support your brain in thinking clearly.
We'll all be having honey cake of course, so try to use whole grains, healthier oils like coconut or grapeseed, pure unprocessed honey and don't add extra sugar if possible when baking. Stay away from other sugary foods, as well as sugar substitutes. These foods dehydrate your body and leave you with cravings for more sugar. Not exactly what you want to be feeling on yom kippur!
Have lots of fresh fruit and of course, drink ONLY water at your meal, or pure fresh coconut water if you have access to it. Any other beverage will fill you up with unnecessary sugars and other ingredients that will only contribute to more cravings and hunger.
Here are some of the foods I'll be serving for our pre yom kippur feast:
1. Roasted squash/sweet potato soup- good sources of fiber, minerals and nutrients and potassium which is good to have in your system if you aren't going to be drinking for a while.
2. Lentil/brown rice dish- excellent source of protein, fiber and whole grains. A well rounded meal!
3. Basic chicken with some cooked vegetables
4. Salad with spinach and romaine lettuce with assortment of vegetables, especially avocados- excellent source of healthy fat
5. Lekach (honey cake)
6. Fresh fruit which includes mainly raspberries and other berries- these super fruits are famous for their outstanding fiber content and anti-oxidant power! Remember, fiber fills you up!
Eating properly before a fast can really make a difference in your moods and over all energy.
I hope this helps and wish everyone a gmar chasima tovah and an easy fast!
Please let me know if you have tried any of these ideas and what the outcome was!
Most people would presume that eating a lot of carbohydrates before a fast will be sure to fill you up. As I have mentioned before, filling up from carbs is only a short turn filling up. If you eat too many of the wrong starches, you'll be full quickly, but that energy and sense of feeling full will quickly diminish. So, what to eat?
For starters, think fiber! Anything high in fiber (I don't mean fiber one cereal) will fill you up PROPERLY and also give you energy and brain power.
Next, think healthy fats (salmon, sardines, avocados, coconut oil....) Again, this will be sure to give your body sustained energy and support your brain in thinking clearly.
We'll all be having honey cake of course, so try to use whole grains, healthier oils like coconut or grapeseed, pure unprocessed honey and don't add extra sugar if possible when baking. Stay away from other sugary foods, as well as sugar substitutes. These foods dehydrate your body and leave you with cravings for more sugar. Not exactly what you want to be feeling on yom kippur!
Have lots of fresh fruit and of course, drink ONLY water at your meal, or pure fresh coconut water if you have access to it. Any other beverage will fill you up with unnecessary sugars and other ingredients that will only contribute to more cravings and hunger.
Here are some of the foods I'll be serving for our pre yom kippur feast:
1. Roasted squash/sweet potato soup- good sources of fiber, minerals and nutrients and potassium which is good to have in your system if you aren't going to be drinking for a while.
2. Lentil/brown rice dish- excellent source of protein, fiber and whole grains. A well rounded meal!
3. Basic chicken with some cooked vegetables
4. Salad with spinach and romaine lettuce with assortment of vegetables, especially avocados- excellent source of healthy fat
5. Lekach (honey cake)
6. Fresh fruit which includes mainly raspberries and other berries- these super fruits are famous for their outstanding fiber content and anti-oxidant power! Remember, fiber fills you up!
Eating properly before a fast can really make a difference in your moods and over all energy.
I hope this helps and wish everyone a gmar chasima tovah and an easy fast!
Please let me know if you have tried any of these ideas and what the outcome was!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Eat too much this yom tov?
Its that time of year! For a whole month straight its eat, eat, eat. And on those long three day yom tov days, there isn't always much more to do then sit around and eat!
Even though yomim tovim are joyous days and its a mitzvah to eat, it doesn't mean we have to over eat, or be eating constantly. We are all likely to be eating bigger portions, more often, but still try and make sure to somewhat stick with "portion control". Just like on any other day, fill up your plate with lots of cooked or raw vegetables and stay low on the carbs.The reason I say stay low on carbs is because most of our holiday meals are filled with them! From challah, to crackers in the salad, rice, potatoes, the crust under our pies and quiches, the cookies and cakes for dessert...you can find these unhelpful carbs wherever you look. Especially if they are white, refined carbohydrates like white flour, white rice and potatoes, etc., by filling up on them, you are filling up your body and stomach with food that seems to make you full. In reality, this type of food is running through your blood and body as quickly as it goes in, and soon enough you are left hungry and feeling empty. This usually results in grabbing more carbs! But wait! Before you do, if you find yourself in this situation, don't go for more. Instead, take a big glass of water and some carrots, or an apple, or any other fruit or vegetable you love. It will fill you up properly and take away that empty, yet overly full, bloated feeling in your stomach. So again, if you minimize the carbs, you won't get stuck on that overly full, empty, craving carbohydrates roller coaster. And try to use whole grains. Although having too many carbs from whole grains can also have the same effect on your blood sugar and how you feel, if you use portion control, they will be sure to fill you up properly and keep you satiated the way real food should!
Challah is a major stumbling block for most of us. Be it whole wheat, spelt or regular white challah, having too much is not good. Again, try limiting yourself to one or two pieces at each meal.
Desserts...Shall I say more? I mean, how can we not have a piece of the chocolate mousse pie or the home made rugelach?! Well, guess what? You can! It's yom tov, so let yourself enjoy the taste of sweets. Just make sure to use good judgment and not have more than one piece at each meal. And keep in mind a few things:
1. Try very hard to stick with home made baked goods. Avoid store bought products. Even if the home baked desserts aren't made from whole grains and olive oil, they are still better than bakery products.
2. Stay away from candy! No matter if its yom tov or not, candy is just never good for you to have! The sugars, corn starches, food dyes and other un-spellable ingredients in candies are not what we should be eating, and especially feeding our children! (This can also keep down the hyperactivity that effects most children on yom tov. They're wired from all the starches (sugar), desserts and candies that are so easily accessible to them!)
And remember, drink a lot of water throughout the day to keep full, to keep cravings down and to minimize what you eat at each meal.
Wishing everyone a Gmar Chasima Tovah!
If anyone has any ideas for beating the yom tov eating send in a message and we can post it up!
Even though yomim tovim are joyous days and its a mitzvah to eat, it doesn't mean we have to over eat, or be eating constantly. We are all likely to be eating bigger portions, more often, but still try and make sure to somewhat stick with "portion control". Just like on any other day, fill up your plate with lots of cooked or raw vegetables and stay low on the carbs.The reason I say stay low on carbs is because most of our holiday meals are filled with them! From challah, to crackers in the salad, rice, potatoes, the crust under our pies and quiches, the cookies and cakes for dessert...you can find these unhelpful carbs wherever you look. Especially if they are white, refined carbohydrates like white flour, white rice and potatoes, etc., by filling up on them, you are filling up your body and stomach with food that seems to make you full. In reality, this type of food is running through your blood and body as quickly as it goes in, and soon enough you are left hungry and feeling empty. This usually results in grabbing more carbs! But wait! Before you do, if you find yourself in this situation, don't go for more. Instead, take a big glass of water and some carrots, or an apple, or any other fruit or vegetable you love. It will fill you up properly and take away that empty, yet overly full, bloated feeling in your stomach. So again, if you minimize the carbs, you won't get stuck on that overly full, empty, craving carbohydrates roller coaster. And try to use whole grains. Although having too many carbs from whole grains can also have the same effect on your blood sugar and how you feel, if you use portion control, they will be sure to fill you up properly and keep you satiated the way real food should!
Challah is a major stumbling block for most of us. Be it whole wheat, spelt or regular white challah, having too much is not good. Again, try limiting yourself to one or two pieces at each meal.
Desserts...Shall I say more? I mean, how can we not have a piece of the chocolate mousse pie or the home made rugelach?! Well, guess what? You can! It's yom tov, so let yourself enjoy the taste of sweets. Just make sure to use good judgment and not have more than one piece at each meal. And keep in mind a few things:
1. Try very hard to stick with home made baked goods. Avoid store bought products. Even if the home baked desserts aren't made from whole grains and olive oil, they are still better than bakery products.
2. Stay away from candy! No matter if its yom tov or not, candy is just never good for you to have! The sugars, corn starches, food dyes and other un-spellable ingredients in candies are not what we should be eating, and especially feeding our children! (This can also keep down the hyperactivity that effects most children on yom tov. They're wired from all the starches (sugar), desserts and candies that are so easily accessible to them!)
And remember, drink a lot of water throughout the day to keep full, to keep cravings down and to minimize what you eat at each meal.
Wishing everyone a Gmar Chasima Tovah!
If anyone has any ideas for beating the yom tov eating send in a message and we can post it up!
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