Freebees!

My favorite mornings are those that start with oats and laptop time (blogging) time. Oh, and cappuccino. Absolutely cannot forget the cappuccino.

And not any oats, bloggies...the best oats. Oats a la pumpkin butter! With Splenda brown sugar, turbinado, and pecans. Mmmmm! To DIE for!!!

What's your favorite way to start your morning?

Sadly, Lily's toe is hurt. She was playing with her sissy yesterday, though we're not sure what actually happened. Sweetie pie has been limping around looking all pathetic since it happened. She's going in to see the doggie doc this afternoon. Poor punkin...

Literally, she's looked like this since yesterday. Doesn't she just look...sad? And pathetic?

Count her chins..that always makes me smile.

 Lunch today was Tuna Edamame Salad, light string cheese, a Nutridel cookie, and a can of Zevia. It was a really satisfying lunch -- one of the most satisfying I've had in a long time! High-five, self, for planning ahead and making that tuna salad last night!!

 

The wonderful people at The Healthy Baking Company sent me suncakes and Heart Thrive Meals-to-go. Not only are they adorable, but check this out...

One 2-ounce Heart Thrive contains...

~150-165 calories

~2 grams of fat

~32 grams of carbohydrate

~6 grams of fiber

~15 mg sodium

~6-7 grams of protein

~260 mg calcium

Ingredients in the Apricot Heart Thrive: Oats, unsulfured apricots, brown rice syrup, brown rice flour, soy protein concentrate, soy flour, inulin (chicory root extract), rice bran, natural fruit juice, dried plums, dried apples, dried pears, orange peel, calcium citrate, almond extract.

Facts: Vegan, wheat-free, dairy free, no preservatives, no GMO, low glycemic index

Taste: A

Nutrition: A-

These Heart Thrives are GOOD! My only regret is that they're not lower in calories. Hence the minus. Would I recommend this product? ABSOLUTELY! The Heart Thrive was extremely filling, but I would need something more to call it a meal. Though, I do have the appetite of a heifer.

Thank you, Mark over at The Healthy Baking Company for the tasty samples! If you're interested in trying Suncakes or Heart Thrives, go here. 

BEST PART!! If you place an order, you get SIX FREE Heart Thrives/Suncakes...and I do, too! Did you hear that?! Drop my name or blog name saying that you heard about The Healthy Baking Company through me and you get 6 FREE items with your order! 

You may also be a lucky recipient of a suncake or Heart Thrive if you participate in this...

I received a slew of recipes yesterday for the cookbook but none yet today. :( Don't forget to send your recipe(s) to Mrs.RD44@gmail.com! You will be the lucky recipient of tried and true favorite recipes and also enter to win a fabulous giveaway (which will be edible!). Up to 12 entries per person! Go here for more details!

In nutrition and health news...

Will the Food Guide Pyramid eventually include weekend and holiday guidelines? Studies show that weekend eating habits are as terrible as at the holidays. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that the quantity and quality of foods eaten during a meal over the course of the day differs considerably on weekends and and holidays [1]. If you're anything like me, that's not an understatement in the least.

Question: Do you think it's sensible to add holiday and weekend guidelines to the Food Guide Pyramid?

Have a good evening, all...and to all a goodnight! Just kidding...I'll be poking around reading blogs later!

[1]. Leff Ritchie, Amanda. Should Guidelines For Weekend and Holiday Eating Be Incorporated Into Food Pyramid? University of Pittsburgh. December 11, 2009.

We have a donut problem.

I'll admit to a guilty pleasure: donuts. Though, donuts are [typically] an indulgence on a very rare occassion. ....Until about 3 weeks ago.

Three weeks ago, husband came home from Saturday morning errands with about 3 donuts. Between the 2 of us, they were consumed as breakfast. Eaten, enjoyed, and done with. Until the following Saturday when he did the same thing! We stopped for gas and as I was pumping gas, he went in to the gas station and emerged laden with 4 donuts. Ugh. Those lasted Saturday AND Sunday morning. TWO days of poor breakfast choices! Two WEEKENDS of poor breakfast choices. Shame!

Then today I was out running morning errands and I went into the gas station as my gas was pumping and bought 3 donuts. I walk in the door and husband had stopped by the donut shop and picked up 5 donuts, one of which he'd already consumed. And in the midst of blogging, another one hits the dust (him, not me). I'm yet to indulge and I'm thinking I'll hold off in hopes that husband goes to town on the darn things! (Husband is one of those people who can eat what they want, all that they want, and as often as they want without any adverse effects such as.......WEIGHT GAIN. Terd.).

Bad, bad, BAD!!!!!

Husband and I just pow-wowed and decided this habit has GOT to go. While donuts are not the worst of all evils they are a COMPLETE waste of calories and fat...and contain NO nutritional value whatsoever. At all! They fall far into the "20%" of my 80-20 guidelines! I vow to you, blog world, to cut the donut habit we have formed. Back to the good'ole days of the very occasional guilty pleasure.

ANYWAYS... ::eye roll at self::

A patient brought me some fresh home-grown turnips yesterday and I haven't a CLUE what to do with them. For the record, I am not a fan of anything "pickled" (okra, beets, etc.).

Any ideas on how to deliciously indulge in my new vegetable?

I tried Kay's Naturals gluten-free Apple Cinnamon cereal this morning and it was very good! It held it's crunch really well in milk, to my pleasant surprise. However, I was hungry 2 hours after I had breakfast. I was surprised at this because of the high protein content. I'll give it another shot for breakfast and see it it wasn't a fluke. Hopefully, because it was really good!!!

And on a completely unrelated topic...a debate, if you will.
Question: If someone is a "vegetarian" and they consume meat occasionally, are they still a vegetarian or are they a Flexitarian?

I guess I don't "get" labels. I think that there's a lot of benefits of both meat-containing and meat-free diets. Personally, I aim to consume at least 1 if not 2 meat-free meals a day. I eat red meat on a very rare occasion, not only because I don't prefer it, but also because of the high saturated fat content and the assocation between red meat intake and cancer, such as colon and breast cancers. Seafood, however, I could never give up.

I also do think it's somewhat hypocritical to be a vegetarian for reasons such as animal rights and then to consume eggs and milk that are not organic or from free-range animals. It's very true that conditions for chickens, hens, and cows are cruel and inhumane.

Thoughts on this?
I ask because of this post.

AWESOME, AWESOME Giveaways!!!

Michelle of Lucky Taste Buds is giving away a Soda Stream Machine!! She's also giving away 2 jars of Krema peanut butter!

Live, Love, Eat, and Play is giving away Zevia!

Heather of Health, Happiness, and Hope is giving away POM, coupons, and Odwalla bars!

And just for fun...Lily in a tutu

Here she is a few months ago...she's grown so much!!!
She only snores more and eats more now!

We're off to the dog park...have a wonderful Saturday!

Diabetes + Vegan

It was news to me that positive results from vegan diets are being seen among the diabetic populations. For those that aren’t familiar with veganism, it is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Therefore, vegans consume no animals or animal products including eggs and milk.

Traditionally, the cornerstone of type 2 diabetes treatment is diet, as many type 2’s do not require oral hypoglycemic agents or the use of insulin. Diet modifications include the use of portion control through measuring foods and counting carbohydrates which fuel blood glucose so readily, and thus, are of particular interest. A new approach to diabetic diets includes the adopted lifestyle of veganism which evolved from a comparison of world populations. People whose diets consist of plant-derived foods such as rice, noodles, beans, and vegetables were less likely to develop diabetes when compared with a traditional Western diet which is high in meatier, fattier dishes [1]. Likewise, when Easterners (i.e. Japanese) move to and adopt the Western diet, their relative risk of diabetes goes up.

Studies show that the adoption of a low-fat, plant-derived diet improves insulin sensitivity, helps with weight loss, and reduces both blood sugar and blood cholesterol. Specifically, such diets are extremely low (many times void) of saturated fat which is traditionally found in meat, dairy, and tropical oils (coconut, palm, and kernel). In order to effectively remove fat from the diet, one much reduce consumption of animal fats and also reduce the use of vegetable oils [1].

In order to eat in accordance with this recommended regimen one must [1]:

- avoid red meat

- avoid poultry and fish

- avoid dairy

- avoid eggs

- avoid added vegetable oils and other high-fat foods

- avoid fried foods

- avoid avocados, olives, and peanut butter

Next, glycemic index is addressed. The glycemic index is a number identifying foods which increase blood glucose rapidly. High glycemic foods include: sugar, white potatoes, most wheat flour products, and most cold cereals. Good news: pasta is actually a low glycemic index food because of the way it’s processed!

High fiber foods are encouraged and the recommended daily intake for fiber is 40 grams. Recommended sources of fiber include beans, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains (barley, oats, quinoa, millet, whole wheat pasta, etc.). On labels, aim for foods containing at least 3 grams of fiber and for meals containing at least 10 grams of fiber [1].

And this is new to me….VOLUMETRICS. If the grams in a portion are greater than the number of calories in the portion, it is said to be a “heavier” food which is low in calories. Such foods can increase satiety and decrease overall caloric intake. This concept was developed by Barbara Rolls, a researcher at Penn State University. Foods that are volumetric-friendly include: soups, salads, and foods cooked in water (i.e. oatmeal) [1].

Worried about protein?

Plant foods contain protein. According to this research, post-menopausal women require 10% of their calories from protein. Most vegetables contain this amount or more. Beans, lentils, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, and mushrooms are high in protein.

Worried about calcium?

Plant-based diets actually reduce one’s calcium requirements. A vegan diet requires less calcium intake to maintain calcium balance. Good sources of calcium include: broccoli, kale, collards, mustard greens, beans, figs, fortified orange juice, fortified cereal, and fortified, nonfat soy or rice milks.

Worried about B12?

B12, traditionally found in meat, can become depleted in those following vegetarian and vegan diets for longer than 3 years. A B12 supplement of 5 mcg per day is recommended. Most commonly found multi-vitamin supplements will provide this amount.

Show me the RESEARCH!

So, can a vegan diet REVERSE type 2 diabetes? Prior to the below mentioned study, no vegan diet study using a comparison group had been performed. A grant provided to Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine by the Diabetes Action and Research Education Foundation allowed the control-case research to be completed. A high-fiber, low-fat, vegan diet was compared to the standard American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet (think “carb counting”). Non-insulin dependent diabetic (type 2’s) were invited to follow one of the two diets for three months. Caterers prepared take-home lunches and dinners so the food could easily be heated and consumed in the home [2].

The vegan meals contained 10% fat, 60-70 grams of fiber, 80% complex carbohydrates, and no cholesterol. The ADA diet contained 30% fat, 50% carbohydrate, 30 grams of fiber, and 200 milligrams of cholesterol per day [2].

The results showed that the vegan group decreased their fasting sugars by 59% when compared with the ADA group. The vegan group also required less diabetic medication than prior to the start of the study while the ADA group required the same dosing. Likewise, the ADA group lost 8 lbs and the vegan group lost 16 lbs [2].

[1]. The Vegan Diet How-To Guide. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

[2]. Nicholson, Andrew. Diabetes: Can a Vegan Diet Reverse Diabetes? Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. February 15, 2005.