Veggin Out

Time to update!

Well.. I hate to say it buttttttt I failed. Haha, after all that determination in my last post & here I am again. I made it a full week after my last update with no meat. All together I took meat off the table for two weeks. I felt like that was enough for me. I was craving meat, but the temptation wasn't too much to bear. What I was unhappy with was that I felt like I wound up eating a lot of carbs to replace the usual meat at meals. I was getting protein from other sources like cottage cheese, peanut butter, milk, nuts, eggs, beans, etc. but it simply didn't FEEL the same to me. I went into this little experiment expecting to feel much healthier, but the opposite was true really. It made me preoccupied with food, always thinking about it, being slightly annoyed that I couldn't eat meat. I felt like I was eating too many carbs, and was even craving sweets more than usual! That, coupled with the fact that I did not plan on continuing to exclude meat from my diet after the 30 days was up, made me stop early. It simply wasn't working out for me in the way I hoped and I was unhappy with it so why prolong it? I already eat a very healthy/balanced diet usually.


I am a little disappointed that I didn't go the full month, but it simply wasn't for me. I tried. I did get some great recipes though, which I'll post below. (Thanks Liz!!)


1 cup garbanzo beans (about 1/4 cup dry will make this 1 cup after you soak it over night) - if they are dry before use..cook them until soft.

2 cups spinach
1/4 purple onion
1 red pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
1 clove garlic
red pepper flakes
balsalmic vinegar

cook chick peas, set aside. roast red pepper. peel. cut into strips.
saute onion and garlic together in olive oil. (doesnt count in the 1/4 cup listed..thats for later). when almost done sautee-ing throw in chick peas and red pepper strips, stir around until its all hot, pour mixture over cold spinach. this melts the spinach kind of..makes it delicious.
pour the 1/4 c. olive oil and a VERY SMALL DASH of balsalmic, add red pepper flakes. eat. enjoy. be full and still be healthy.



fun snack- take cooked chick peas, roll in olive oil, roll in chili powder, put on baking pan and cook until crunchy.

Watermelon Salad

With cook out after cook out all summer long, the usual potato & macaroni salad get to be rather old (not to mention unhealthy) by mid July. Why not spice things up and bring a new dish that I bet many of the guests have never tried? Summer can be a great time to try new recipes since so many fresh fruits & veggies are in season.  A friend of mine took her boyfriend to a cooking class as a gift (what an original gift!), they had a great time & learned a few new recipes, which she passed on to me with high recomendations! :)

Watermelon Salad

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon harissa or other hot sauce

Salt & freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 pounds seedless watermelon, rind removed, fruit sliced 1/4 inch thick

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

1/4 cup pitted black olives coarsely chopped

2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil with the lemon juice and harissa and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the watermelon slices on a plate and sprinkle with the onion, parsley, olives, and feta. Drizzle dressing on top and serve! :)

Serves 4

Progress? Eh....

So almost a week ago now, I declared myself a vegetarian for a month. I didn't think it would be easy, but I wasn't too worried that it would be really hard for me. Substituting meat for something else isn't hard and I like that it really makes me even more aware of what I'm eating.
Welllllll. The first day went really well, minus some potato salad that had bacon in it that I wasn't aware of! Haha
Next day was fine. No meat! :)
Friday I'm at my twin sister's apartment, getting ready to go out for the evening. I had gone for a run before so I hopped in the shower while she went & grabbed dinner. I was in going-out mode, & we were hanging out with our best friend from high school who I hadn't seen in a while, so I was excited & happily chatting away & getting ready.  Half way through my usual from Buffalo Wild Wings (Honey BBQ grilled chicken salad) I slammed down my fork & said "OSHUN!!!! YOU LET ME EAT MEAT!!!!!!" hahahaha she looked perplexed then remembered too. I had just completely forgotten that I wasn't eating meat!
Then on Saturday my boyfriend and I were at a family cookout. This one in particular hosted plenty of down home favorites. In fact, there was hardly a dish that didn't have meat. So I gave in. I shouldn't have, butttt I did.
Today has gone much better.

Yogurt with grapes & watermelon
Whole wheat toast with natural pb
1/2 cup cottage cheese
Cauliflower, green peppers, asparagus, carrot & tomato medley with light italian
terakyi noodles with fresh veggies
Corn on the cob
Some chips & pretzels
more watermelon & grapes
anddddd a S'more :) (what's a cookout w/o a s'more?!)

Plus 3 20 oz bottles of water, I'll probably finish off another before bed.

So I declare a do-over. I grocery shopped today and am prepared. I'll wear a white silly band to remind myself that I'm a vegetarian for the next 30 days, and stick to it.

This is proof that I'm human, just like everyone else. I could have just pretended that this week went perfectly without one little bite of meat. But I want to give you the real deal. So, I'll do better tomorrow :)

I've had a couple recipes given to me that I'll try out & will post later. If you have any that you like email them to me @ HealthyIsHot@gmail.com & I'll post them up! :)

WISH ME LUCK!!!! (&& a better memory, & more self restraint ;) )

30 days & 30 nights.... of being a Vegetarian

Perhaps the result of a zillion cookouts over the lovely fourth of July weekend (which were all delicious), and the piles of hamburgers, hotdogs, brats, & chicken, I've found myself wondering what it would be like to be a vegetarian. Just stop eating meat, cold turkey (haha).
It seems like many vegetarians have solid reason for their lifestyle. Animal rights and/or health lead the pack. Of course I am for animal rights, but I've never been put off eating meat from the cruelties that some animals face (that sounds sort of horrible of me, maybe I'm saying it wrong but I hope you understand what I mean there..) and have never viewed meat as a threat to my health. I've just always been vege-curious. This does NOT mean that I will be attempting to survive the next 30 days on all vegetables. I love my veggies, but a diet consisting of only them? No, thank you.
I'll have to be careful to get protein into my diet throught other sources like eggs, beans, milk, fortified cereals... etc etc. I'm still training for another 5k and am curious to see how taking meat off the table will affect me while trainig.
A coworker (and fellow vegetarian) has kindly offered to lend me some of her vegetarian cookbooks, so hopefully I will have some recipes to share. I'll keep you all posted on how things are going, how I'm feeling, if I break down and eat a whole cow within the week ;)

Check back & leave your feedback! Recipes, tips, any and all are welcome! :)

8 ways to Work out for (almost) Free!

Save some dough & lose those rolls ;)

1. Get outside & play!

A no brainer with the hot summer months! :) Just like when we were kids on summer break from school, just itching to get outside & play. We just weren't as worried as burning calories back then! Recreational sports like softball, volleyball & basketball are great exercise. Grab a group of friends & join your local rec league! (this is also a great way to meet new people & insure yourself a fun summer!)

2. Buy used equipment:

With summer comes yard sales. Hit up your local sales, the goodwill, or check out Craigslist.org. I got my eliptical on Craigslist (the seller was asking $200, but knocked off $50 since I came & picked it up & am a poor college student - haha) same story with my stepper ($35!)  --> this bike I salvaged just the other day from a lday that didn't want it anymore!

3. Check it out:

Borrow fitness DVDs from friends or the library. That way you can keep changing up your weekly workout & keep those muscles guessing!

4. Be a stair master:
Scope out local highschool or college stadiums & ask about public access hours. Step to it!

5. Team up:
If personal training is something you really want to try, but can't front the cost, pair up with a friend and split the cost.

6. Move with the tube:

FitTV offers around the clock workout and health programming. Don't have cable or satellite? Check out fittv.discovery.com to watch fitness vid's online!

7. Cut Coupons:

Gyms offer free passes or intro personal training passes. If you find a location you love, haggle for a good membership rate.

8. Put it on your 'Pod:

Many fitness websites have free podcasts that offer exercises, workout tips, and recipes.

Before you hit the gym, sip this!

Shake of the Month! From Oxygen Magazine... seemed like an easy recipe so I tried it out & love it! :)

Lemon Plum Blast

ready in 5 minutes; makes 1 serving

2 small pitted plums

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

1/4 cup water

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder 

                                                    ice cubes

Place ingredients in a blender & blend thouroughly! :)

Benefits?

Yogurt can help prevent cramping during exercise

Whey protein powder increases your changes of building more calorie-scorching lean muscle because it contains essential amino acids leucine, which is key to muscle recovery, growth & repair.

Plums are in their peak season right now, & they deliver energy boosting carbs and vitamin C to help stop muscle soreness.

For best results drink this shake 45 minutes before an hour-long workout. :)

Enjoy!

Have a recipe you love? Email it to me at HealthyIsHot@gmail.com & it coule be featured on the blog!! :)

HFCS: to blame for the obesity epidemic?

Lately, high-fructose corn syrup has been under high scrutiny for its role in the obesity epidemic.  HFCS has taken so much flack that organizations such as Corn Refiners Association and The Corn Farmers Coalition are running commercials and campaigns to ward off this negative stigma.

The Corn Farmers Coalition is launched a major media blitz this spring, taking their message directly to capitol hill. “It’s an education-oriented campaign for decision makers in D.C., congressional staffers, folks from environmental groups, think tanks—anybody that’s part of the discussion that’s affecting policy,” Mark Lambert, coaltion director, says. “We’re not discussing any particular policy. We’re just trying to put positive messages out there to reinforce what modern agriculture is like, who is farming, how they’re farming and the improvements in the industry.” The campaign features advertising throughout the Washington Metro rail system, inside Union Station, Capitol Hill media outlet Web sites and even in the Washington Nationals baseball team’s home game programs. The program is estimated to cost $1 million.

As consumers, we want to know the real deal. Cut out all the profit-conscience busniessmen and advertisements. Should we eat it, or not? HFCS is found on the majority of nutrition labels in your kitchen I bet. Why the sudden attention now? 

You decide what you put in your body, here's a little info to help you make those decisions.

What is High-Fructose Corn Syrup?

HFCS comes down to everyone's favorite subject; chemistry. Sugar and HFCS have the same biochemistry. The main difference is that HFCS is manufactured from corn syrup (primarily glucose), which undergoes enzymatic processing to increase the fructose content and is then mixed with glucose. Pure sugar is also composed of glucose and fructose but in marginally different concentrations. Both are calorie dense, about 16 calories per teaspoon, with no nutritional value.

Thanks to corn subsidies, HFCS has become a cheap alternative to sugar and is often added to pop and processed foods - foods that offer little nutritional value and, when consumed too much, as is often the case, contribute to weight gain. But is this due to the HFCS?

The Charges?

Critics have said HFCS plays a direct role in obesity by disrupting the normal functions of metabolism. According to a recently published Princeton study, rats fed a diet rich in HFCS accumulated more belly fat and had higher levels of circulating triglycerides (i.e., fat)  both factors in metabolic syndrome, a precursor to heart disease - than their sugar-fed peers.

The Defense?

A number of nutrition experts dispute these findings, suggesting that the data produced inconsistent results. Previous studies have shown that fructose is metabolized differently than glucose and excessive amounts of fructose interfere with appetite-regulating hormones and lead to increased fat accumulation. But HFCS is not any higher in fructose than the standard table sugar - both are about a 50/50 mix of glucose and fructose. An excess of either is unhealthy.

How HFCS (and table sugar) can hurt your health -

What we do know for sure is that when excessive sugar intake (in any form) increases, so does risk of diabetes and heart disease. We also know that liquids do not register in the body the same way as solid food, and people hardly ever compensate for those extra calories in drinks by eating less throughout the day. As people drink more sugar-sweetened beverages, they gain more weight and, as a result, are at a greater risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. This is, of course, regarding the fact that most soda companies sweeten their drinks with HFCS.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are the main source of added sugar and the leading source of calories in our diet. When added to drinks, all sweeteners, including natural ones like brown sugar, sugar in the raw, agave syrup and honey, contribute empty calories. Since 1980, calorie intake has increased by an average of 150 to 300 calories per day with about half of those calories coming from liquids - sugar-sweetened beverages in particular. At the same time, there has been no increase in physical activity levels. Americans are eating more and exercising the same, and wondering where the pounds are coming from.

The Verdict?

Is a single ingredient soley to blame? If we eliminate HFCS from the ingredients list will the rise in obesity head toward a decline? No, and to suggest so is confusing and not helpful to consumers. People seem to want someone to blame... (McDonalds and the fast food industry in general, vending machines in schools, HFCS...) but really, when you consume foods carelessly and uninformed, the blame really belongs to the consumer. We need to know what we're putting in our bodies and what our body will do with it. Eliminate HFCS? Try eating less sugar and processed foods in general. That will help you drop pounds. I'm not saying that HFCS is a good thing or that all the media attention is unwarranted, I'm just saying we need to be responsible for our bodies. Calories in, calories out. That's what it has always been about.

For example:

One 12-ounce can of Pepsi contains 150 calories and about eight teaspoons of added sugar, or HFCS (The American Heart Association recommends Americans limit their sugar intake to about 100 calories per day for women and 150 calories per day for men (about 5 and 9 tsp). With one can of pop, a woman has gone over and a man has used up almost all his allowance.
At the same time, the same amount of orange juice has 165 calories and more than eight teaspoons of sugar, just in its natural form.
If you're looking to add vitamins and minerals, the OJ is the smarter choice, but if weight maintenance is your goal, you should steer clear of both. When it comes to energy, it's unlikely that your body registers natural sugar any differently than table sugar or HFCS.