Ok...that title was the influence of my little devil. She knew it would be something to grab your attention. I honestly did win something, but not like the lottery or a car.
Another thing my wonderful company does to help promote healthy well being, is they have little wellness challenges throughout the year. Some are to lose weight, some are to drink water, and some are to walk enough steps to make it from Chicago to Las Vegas. This latest one is to promote health habits to eat 2 or more fruit servings in a day for the 3 weeks.
Its based on the honor system. But its no fun winning if you cheat. Plus you miss out the importance and benefits for your body if you don't do it. So I don't cheat.
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| Image of the book I won. 2012 Copyright Dr Ann Kulze & Wellness Council of America |
Each week, those who have an over all average of eating 2 fruits a day get entered into a drawing for a prize.
This past week I was one of the lucky weekly winners. We all received this book, Dr. Ann's Eat Right for Life On The Go.
Normally I'm not excited about the prizes unless they're a gift certification to some place, but winning this just as I got back on track was prefect timing.
There are over 100 pages of tips and recipes - and the best part - the way its written and presented. Its like reading a great magazine. Fast and easy to read format relaying the information in a way that most anyone can follow.
Not only does it cover all the basic things that have been preached to me over the years, but much much more helpful information. My little angel and I decided if I'm excited about this information, there are probably more of you out there who would be excited about it too. So I thought I'd include some scattered posts here and there so I can share the information.
Just my standard disclosure - please note this is just information to share because its been proven helpful for me. Before you try anything new, PLEASE, check with your own doctor or medical professional first. I hope for all of us to live long happy healthy lives. My little angel, little devil and I would all would hate if something that is healthy for me, ends up being harmful to someone else, especially if they could have found out from their doctor that they should have avoided it altogether before it did any harm.
Ok - On to the first tid-bit of information.
SEAFOOD, MEAT & OMEGA-3
We're a few weeks in to lent, but still a few left. Plus, if you love seafood like me, this information will always be great to have.
When making up your shopping list for seafood, the book recommends your "oily" varieties because they provide an abundance of Omega 3 fats. Some of these include salmon, herring, trout, tuna and halibut!
Both my little angel and little devil LOVE smoked salmon and halibut. And even enjoy tuna! A friend even talked me into trying a seared tuna steak once, and it was wonderful!
The book also says its good to include any shellfish, so my shrimp, lobster, crab and scallops can stay on my shopping list. Although its not mentioned in the book, my own medical professional has advised me to limit my shellfish to no more than once a month, if I use melted butter. Otherwise not more than once a week. Shellfish tend to be a little high in natural choelsterol content, so adding melted butter or other high fatty ingredients or cooking methods to shellfish, or any seafood is not good for me on a regular basis.
Most doctors are fans of foods that provide the omega-3s EPA and DHA, since they can boost heart health and lower triglycerides. Plus research studies have shown they could also help folks who have rheumatoid arthritis, depression, and some other conditions.
But some of you might be still need to know how, why and what sources are the best. To be safe, you should ask you doctor what’s best for you. But here’s some basic info that might make asking your doctor questions a little bit easier.
WHY WE NEED TO EAT THEM:
Omega-3 fatty acids are needed to help our bodies function normally. But unfortunately, our body doesn’t make them, so we need to add them to our diet.
WHAT THEY DO FOR OUR BODIES:
Along with boosting heart health and lowering triglycerides, they can also aid in reducing inflammation in the blood vessels, the joints, and elsewhere.
WHERE DO WE GET THEM:
Although you there are several types and sources, doctors and nutritionists prefer we focus on 2 main forms. EPA and DHA (found in certain fish & DHA is found in Algae Oil, ) and ALA (found in plants like flax or walnuts or flaxseed oil, canola oil, olive oil, and soybean oil). Although there are omega-3 supplements (EPA/DHA), check with your doctor first, as for some people, the supplements could cause the blood to thin and excess bleeding, particularly if you’re already taking anticoagulant drugs. But even if you get your doctors ok for the supplements, my doctor and health coach feel we absorb and benefit more from getting Omego-3’s from natural resources in lieu of supplements. Of course, they go on to say, if food allergies or other factors prevent you from buying the natural sources, taking the supplements are way better than not taking any at all.
WHICH ONES SHOULD WE BUY:
Again, please check with your doctor. Some will tell you that they prefer you get focus more on the sources of DHA and EPA (fish and fish oil) since they have proven health benefits not yet proven by the ALA ALA
If your doctor won’t allow supplements, and you can use the other forms for other health reasons, then you could eat free-range poultry and beef as they will have higher levels of omega-3s than grain-fed meats. But not as high as the fish and plant based sources.
Should grass-fed meats be the option for you, be aware they contain other fats too. Knowing your grades of meat will help. According to the book, “Select” is the leanest, about 7% fat. “Choice” is about 15-35% fat, and “Prime” 35-45% fat. If your meat doesn’t have a grade on it, look for the marbling. That’s the white stuff you see in and through the cut of meat. The more marbling, the higher the fat content.
RED MEATS (Beef, Pork & Lamb):
It’s recommended to limit to 2 or less servings A WEEK! Don’t let your own little devils try to tell you it’s 2 or less serving per day. You can get your Omega-3s from grass-fed chicken or pork too.
You should also avoid processed meats like sausage, bacon, ham and hot dogs. Yes, ham. And even limit or avoid the fatty cuts like ribs, rib eye, brisket, porter house, t-bones and the higher fat content ground beef. If you need ground beef, don’t be afraid to select a leaner piece of beef and ask your butcher to ground it for you. I actually just did that with pork. Or stick with ground sirloin, ground round or extra lean ground beef.
POULTRY (Turkey & Chicken):
This book recommends turkey or chicken breasts. However, the dark meat, especially thighs are more recommended by my doctor and health coach. Breasts tend to be larger than the 3 oz per serving portion. And since fat content actually found in the thighs compared to the breasts, you’re better for going with the thigh as its more propionate to a 3 oz serving.
NOW WHAT?
Well now that you have all this information, what to do? Well, my health coach and little angel will tell you to plan out your meals before going shopping. Make a shopping list, and still to the list. This would be a very difficult feat for my mom and some of my sisters. With families and watching budgets, it very tempting to buy what is on sale or stock up in items not even on your list. My health coach would tell you stick to the list only and never stray from it. But being on a strict budget myself living pay check to pay check mostly, it’s hard to spend more for the seafood on my list at $5 - $10 a pound when I see they have chicken thighs on sale for $0.99 a pound.
Yes, you’re health should always be your top priority. But it’s hard to be healthy if you need to pay the rent/mortgage, or put gas in your car so you can get to work. So in this case, I’d go with my little angel’s plan. Go ahead and get the chicken thighs that are on sale. But look at the rest of your list and revise. If you originally were planning for grilled halibut with cheese and broccoli and rice pilaf – put the cheese and rice pilaf back on the shelf. Seriously! Go put it back and cross it off the list. If you don’t have it at home already, pick up a lemon, some paprika, garlic seasoning blend & liquid smoke. Then pick up some lettuce and tomatoes and what other vegetables you like in your salad. My little angel and I are assuming you were going to bake or grill the chicken thighs. You should remove the skins. A quick easy tip is to just spray each chicken breast with oil olive or artificial butter spray and shake on a little paprika and garlic season on both sides of the chick thighs. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or grill like you normally would. In a skillet, add ½ cup of water and a tbsp of liquid smoke and your chopped broccoli. Then sprinkle the same garlic seasoning over the broccoli and cook on high until the water starts to boil. Then reduce heat and squeeze some lemon juice. Stir around and keep checking. One the broccoli is cooked to the firm or softness you like, it’s done. I recommend not starting to cook the broccoli until you only have about 15 minutes left for your chicken to be done. Serve with your salad and you now have a great healthy meal that you saved a lot of money on.
Hopefully you find this information useful. There are a lot of fun things in this book that I can combine with other knowledge from my doctor and health coach. In the meantime, tomorrow is weigh-in day, so I’m really hoping to have a fun update for everyone after tomorrow.
Thanks again for all your support!
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