Today I am making kombucha. Besides being delicious, it is a good-for-you fermented tea beverage that is supposed to have all kinds of health benefits.
I think it is the tastiest beverage ever, which is why I am making it.
So I am taking the week off from writing in my blog because I feel like making something.
This is the recipe I am using today. Feel free to make your own batch. Unless you are on my gift list because you are probably getting a bottle of my kombucha.
http://www.getkombucha.com/reforkotea.html
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
I'm thankful for my Thanksgiving strategy
Since it is next to impossible to avoid family gatherings and all the terrible food choices at those gatherings, I've compiled a list of ideas to help make Thanksgiving a little healthier for everyone involved.
Most people have little to no understanding of nutrition or nutrient timing. This lack of understanding often shows up in the form of a huge holiday-themed gasronomic orgy of saturated fats, refined sugars, quick carbs and excess of all kinds.
When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday, because I had a bottomless appetite. On that wonderful, magical day I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted.
All day I would starve myself to make sure I had enough room in my belly for the big feast. Food issues, anyone?
As dinnertime came around I grew giddy with anticipation and salivation. Turkey. Homemade cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes covered in crusty, gooey marshmallows. Regular potatoes with rich, dark gravy. Stuffing with little pieces of chopped celery and an amazing savory aroma rich with sage and thyme.
then there are the fifty thousand pies my mom makes. Apple, Strawberry rhubarb, and Pumpkin are my faves, but she will always make a random pecan or mincemeat pie to go along with them. There are always multiples of each variety. And freshly whipped cream to go on them.
My mom makes the best pies. Ever.
You can see how easy it is to pig out, right?
I bet you might feel the same way around your family and the food they make.
According to a 2006 article by the American Council on Exercise, the typical thanksgiving dinner has roughly 3,500 calories in it. Plus 229 grams of fat. Combine that with the snacking and all the tasty beverages you can drink (beer has as much as 250 calories per bottle), that adds up to an estimated 4,500 by the end of the day.
Here are some strategies to make it through the holiday without devastating what you have worked for:
If you do happen to pig out at the dinner table here are some things you can do:
That's all I've got.
We are taught to think of others around the holidays. Do that. But also think of yourself.
Most people have little to no understanding of nutrition or nutrient timing. This lack of understanding often shows up in the form of a huge holiday-themed gasronomic orgy of saturated fats, refined sugars, quick carbs and excess of all kinds.
When I was growing up, Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday, because I had a bottomless appetite. On that wonderful, magical day I was allowed to eat as much as I wanted.
All day I would starve myself to make sure I had enough room in my belly for the big feast. Food issues, anyone?
As dinnertime came around I grew giddy with anticipation and salivation. Turkey. Homemade cranberry sauce. Sweet potatoes covered in crusty, gooey marshmallows. Regular potatoes with rich, dark gravy. Stuffing with little pieces of chopped celery and an amazing savory aroma rich with sage and thyme.
then there are the fifty thousand pies my mom makes. Apple, Strawberry rhubarb, and Pumpkin are my faves, but she will always make a random pecan or mincemeat pie to go along with them. There are always multiples of each variety. And freshly whipped cream to go on them.
My mom makes the best pies. Ever.
You can see how easy it is to pig out, right?
I bet you might feel the same way around your family and the food they make.
According to a 2006 article by the American Council on Exercise, the typical thanksgiving dinner has roughly 3,500 calories in it. Plus 229 grams of fat. Combine that with the snacking and all the tasty beverages you can drink (beer has as much as 250 calories per bottle), that adds up to an estimated 4,500 by the end of the day.
Here are some strategies to make it through the holiday without devastating what you have worked for:
- Eat well in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. It you "save up" calories you send your metabolism into a famine mode, which will slow your calorie burn to a crawl. Choose high-protein foods and eat lots of veggies. and eat within your normal calorie range.
- Eat breakfast and lunch. Resist the urge to make room in your stomach. In fact, you want to take up as much space with healthy Items as you can, so you will choose smaller portions of rich, sugar-fatty-fat foods.
- Eat something every 2-3 hours. Something besides pie.
- Bring a vegetable to dinner. If you are going somewhere where you can't control what other people put in the food, the next best thing you can do is bring something that is not going to plug your arteries.
- Pick the one dessert you HAVE to have. Avoid loading up your dessert plate. If anyone asks you why you aren't eating what they made, tell them you are allergic to nasty things. Other people's feelings are not your responsibility. Aunt what's-her-face can go cry into her ambrosia. Don't eat it if you don't dig it.
- Work out that morning. There is something called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC for short. It means that after you exercise, your metabolism is in high gear for hours afterward. Take advantage of that extra burn for the holiday.
- Play outside. Organize a family football game, or take your family on a walk. There are lots of clever ways to spend quality time and sneak in some extra calorie burning without seeming better-than-you-big-fat-slobs.
- Don't drink your calories. Most sodas have about 100 calories per 8 oz. besides that they are pure crap. As I mentioned earlier, beer has up to 250 calorie per bottle. In addition, alcohol lowers inhibitions, which can lead to bad food choices. If you really want to have a drink, have one at the end of the day, after all the food is gone.
If you do happen to pig out at the dinner table here are some things you can do:
- Get in a workout. Use some of those calories as fuel.
- Cut calories for several days afterward. Think of your calorie budget as a weekly allowance. Estimate your total weekly allowance by multiplying your daily calorie target by 7. then subtract the 4,500 calories you ate Thanksgiving day from that number. Divide the remainder by 6. This is your calorie allotment until next Thursday.
That's all I've got.
We are taught to think of others around the holidays. Do that. But also think of yourself.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Does this mean I get to eat twinkies all day?
Mark Haub, a professor of nutrition at Kansas State University, ate a diet of junk food and lost 27 pounds.
For 10 weeks, Haub ate ding dongs and twinkies every three hours, supplementing these sugary staples with a steady flow of Doritos and Cap'n Crunch. He also drank one protein drink a day and he ate vegetables at the dinner table with his family (to set a good example).
How did he lose weight on this crap-fest diet? Calorie counting, that's how.
Before we judge this man for eating like an eighteen year-old marijuana enthusiast, let's take a look at the facts.
Haub reduced his calorie intake from an estimated 2,600 calories per day to under 1,800. He ate every three hours, which prevents you from becoming over-hungry.
Every time Haub ate, he ate only until he was no longer hungry. In other words, he quit before he was full.
By cutting 800-plus calories from his diet, Professor Haub was able to lose almost 3 pounds a week. Eating pure crap.
So does this prove that you should eat Twinkies for breakfast and Dr. Pepper for dinner? That's up to you.
To my knowledge, a long-term study of a diet consisting of processed convenience store foods eaten in moderation has not been conducted.
Rush Limbaugh seems to thinks this study is a godsend and says it proves that exercise is irrelevant. Which proves my theory that he is on drugs again. Or maybe he's just a moron. Who cares.
Here's the takeaway: Creating a calorie deficit is crucial to any weight loss program. Period.
Eat healthy foods in moderate amounts. Keep track of what you are consuming and what you are burning. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. Want to lose a pound in a week? Eliminate 500 calories a day.
You don't have to cut calories to create a calorie deficit. You just have to burn them. That means exercise. Get up early and go to the gym. Go after work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Fidget more. TP a house. Rake your leaves, lazy! Walk the dog. Walk yourself. Walk your mom. Go to a salsa club and dance. Dance at home. Dance the fat right off your ass.
Read the original story
This is a cool follow-up article
For 10 weeks, Haub ate ding dongs and twinkies every three hours, supplementing these sugary staples with a steady flow of Doritos and Cap'n Crunch. He also drank one protein drink a day and he ate vegetables at the dinner table with his family (to set a good example).
How did he lose weight on this crap-fest diet? Calorie counting, that's how.
Before we judge this man for eating like an eighteen year-old marijuana enthusiast, let's take a look at the facts.
Haub reduced his calorie intake from an estimated 2,600 calories per day to under 1,800. He ate every three hours, which prevents you from becoming over-hungry.
Every time Haub ate, he ate only until he was no longer hungry. In other words, he quit before he was full.
By cutting 800-plus calories from his diet, Professor Haub was able to lose almost 3 pounds a week. Eating pure crap.
So does this prove that you should eat Twinkies for breakfast and Dr. Pepper for dinner? That's up to you.
To my knowledge, a long-term study of a diet consisting of processed convenience store foods eaten in moderation has not been conducted.
Rush Limbaugh seems to thinks this study is a godsend and says it proves that exercise is irrelevant. Which proves my theory that he is on drugs again. Or maybe he's just a moron. Who cares.
Here's the takeaway: Creating a calorie deficit is crucial to any weight loss program. Period.
Eat healthy foods in moderate amounts. Keep track of what you are consuming and what you are burning. One pound of fat is 3,500 calories. Want to lose a pound in a week? Eliminate 500 calories a day.
You don't have to cut calories to create a calorie deficit. You just have to burn them. That means exercise. Get up early and go to the gym. Go after work. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Fidget more. TP a house. Rake your leaves, lazy! Walk the dog. Walk yourself. Walk your mom. Go to a salsa club and dance. Dance at home. Dance the fat right off your ass.
Read the original story
This is a cool follow-up article
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Rest
This past week everyone and their older, cooler brother has been sick. Including me. It sucks, obviously. And to top it off, I have had to take time off from my workouts.
In the meantime, I have gone to work carrying stashes of Emergen-C and tea. I feel like a Colombian drug mule.
During times like this it is important to remember a few things.
But don't take too long to get back to your routine. The body adapts quickly, and before long it will have adapted to lying around doing nothing!
Some things you can do to make sure you recover quickly:
In the meantime, I have gone to work carrying stashes of Emergen-C and tea. I feel like a Colombian drug mule.
During times like this it is important to remember a few things.
- Time off can make you come back stronger
- Don't throw up until you have something to throw up in, like a trashcan or someone else's backpack.
But don't take too long to get back to your routine. The body adapts quickly, and before long it will have adapted to lying around doing nothing!
Some things you can do to make sure you recover quickly:
- Eat the right foods
- Sleep
- Stay hydrated
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Holiday Stuff
Today is Halloween, which unless you have been living on another planet, means the beginning of the holiday season.
I was in Target this week (or maybe it was last week) and I saw they had some Chrismas stuff there. It was like one aisle in the seasonal section, waiting in the wings for Halloween to be over so Chrismas could explode all over the place like some kind of tinsel-covered LED-bedazzled pinata.
Every year it becomes more obvious as retailers piggyback one holiday on another one. My favorite is the Valentines candy being put in place of the Christmas schwag as soon as it has been clearanced out the door. Six weeks ahead of what is not even a paid holiday.
Which gets me to thinking about how holidays seem to come one after the other after the other. It seems like every one is more of a cause for celebration than the next, and in the U.S., that means food that is terrible for you. A typical Thanksgiving dinner has over 5,000 calories.
This holiday season I have made up my mind to indulge moderately. What does that mean?
In the past I have told people I am diabetic to avoid having to eat a piece of their birthday cake. Or I might say I don't like sweets. Or have a gluten allergy. Or I'm vegan, so caramel is off limits. Sometimes it is easier than saying, "I think your food is crap."
I have one rule. I don't eat empty calories unless they are delicious. Would I rather have a plate full of some gross Kroger-bakery pecan pie or would I rather wait and eat something I actually want at a later time. Make the choice.
Same thing goes for candy. I like Nerds a lot. I ate some today. They were delicious and it is Halloween.
Eat what you like moderately and don't eat what you don't really want. Ask yourself questions like "Why am I putting this on my plate and how is it going to fuel my body?"
Keep in mind there are plenty of healthy options for the holidays. But above all, don't leave your nutrition up to chance. Know what you are eating - ask questions about it before you eat those fried mashed potato balls with Jack Daniels' glaze.
One thing I like to do is spoil my appetite before I go over to someone else's house for dinner. That way I make sure to get the protien I need just in case I walk into a carb-fest.
Remember it is all about avoiding the wrong kinds of foods. Check out this website:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
I was in Target this week (or maybe it was last week) and I saw they had some Chrismas stuff there. It was like one aisle in the seasonal section, waiting in the wings for Halloween to be over so Chrismas could explode all over the place like some kind of tinsel-covered LED-bedazzled pinata.
Every year it becomes more obvious as retailers piggyback one holiday on another one. My favorite is the Valentines candy being put in place of the Christmas schwag as soon as it has been clearanced out the door. Six weeks ahead of what is not even a paid holiday.
Which gets me to thinking about how holidays seem to come one after the other after the other. It seems like every one is more of a cause for celebration than the next, and in the U.S., that means food that is terrible for you. A typical Thanksgiving dinner has over 5,000 calories.
This holiday season I have made up my mind to indulge moderately. What does that mean?
In the past I have told people I am diabetic to avoid having to eat a piece of their birthday cake. Or I might say I don't like sweets. Or have a gluten allergy. Or I'm vegan, so caramel is off limits. Sometimes it is easier than saying, "I think your food is crap."
I have one rule. I don't eat empty calories unless they are delicious. Would I rather have a plate full of some gross Kroger-bakery pecan pie or would I rather wait and eat something I actually want at a later time. Make the choice.
Same thing goes for candy. I like Nerds a lot. I ate some today. They were delicious and it is Halloween.
Eat what you like moderately and don't eat what you don't really want. Ask yourself questions like "Why am I putting this on my plate and how is it going to fuel my body?"
Keep in mind there are plenty of healthy options for the holidays. But above all, don't leave your nutrition up to chance. Know what you are eating - ask questions about it before you eat those fried mashed potato balls with Jack Daniels' glaze.
One thing I like to do is spoil my appetite before I go over to someone else's house for dinner. That way I make sure to get the protien I need just in case I walk into a carb-fest.
Remember it is all about avoiding the wrong kinds of foods. Check out this website:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Running the pink race
This coming Saturday I will be running the Race for the Cure. Last year I watched my wife and thousands of other people participate in this awesome event, and I promised myself right then I would run when October came around.
So here it is October, and I have registered for the race. From what I saw last year, you are supposed to dedicate your run to someone.
I would like to run in memory of my grandmother Geraldine, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was only 43.
I never knew her, but I know she was probably an awesome lady.
The fact is that breast cancer sucks. Follow this link and donate so that maybe one day it will be a thing of the past.
http://race.raceforthecurememphis.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1100&px=1363762
So here it is October, and I have registered for the race. From what I saw last year, you are supposed to dedicate your run to someone.
I would like to run in memory of my grandmother Geraldine, who lost her battle with breast cancer when she was only 43.
I never knew her, but I know she was probably an awesome lady.
The fact is that breast cancer sucks. Follow this link and donate so that maybe one day it will be a thing of the past.
http://race.raceforthecurememphis.org/site/TR?pg=personal&fr_id=1100&px=1363762
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Treat yourself - don't cheat yourself
It's October, and you know what that means - ice cream.
You may be in another climate right now curling up around a nice warm mug of spiced cider and watching the aspen leaves change color and fall onto the pile of kindling you have just chopped in the crisp autumn air.
Where I live it was 80 degrees today. The leaves still change color, fall off the trees and need to be raked. I live in a place where we take a break from raking the leaves for ice cream, not a hot-as-balls cup of apple juice.
Ice cream sounds pretty delicious until I remember how ice cream makes it hard to look totally ripped. And if there is one thing I love more than ice cream, it is being shredded. Gone are the days of my diet of calzones, beer and ice cream. My skinny-fat-dude beer belly is gone, too, and that is awesome.
But that doesn't solve the problem I face when doing my fall yard work in the Memphis heat.
By chance we discovered Arctic Zero. We were looking through the frozen tasty treats section at whole foods looking for a magical low-fat, low-carb fix.
Arctic Zero is kind of amazing stuff. Less than 150 calories in the entire pint! 34 Calories per serving. ZERO grams fat. 10 grams carbohydrates. 5 grams protein.
It is made with water, Whey protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, chicory root, guar and xantham gums, sea salt, and monk fruit concentrate, plus natural flavor. If you are trying to eat clean, you are clear for takeoff.
The first flavor you should try is the vanilla or vanilla maple. Other flavors seem to come out every day. Chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry banana, pumpkin spice, mint chocolate cookie - to name a few. Today I had the cookies and cream flavor, which my wife blended into milkshakes that tasted as decadent as the tears of baby harp seals.
The texture can be a little gelatinous when runny because of the high protein content and absence of fat. Thus the milkshake idea.
Another idea is making floats with Zevia brand soft drinks. They are a naturally sweetened zero-calorie carbonated beverage. Flavors include: Cola, Dr. Zevia, ginger root beer, orange and black cherry. I prefer orange with vanilla Arctic Zero. It tastes like an orange cream-sicle.
Both these sites will tell you where to find them in your area. If you live in Memphis, that would be Whole Foods.
www.myarcticzero.com
www.zevia.com
Try this recipe and then slap your mother right in the face:
You may be in another climate right now curling up around a nice warm mug of spiced cider and watching the aspen leaves change color and fall onto the pile of kindling you have just chopped in the crisp autumn air.
Where I live it was 80 degrees today. The leaves still change color, fall off the trees and need to be raked. I live in a place where we take a break from raking the leaves for ice cream, not a hot-as-balls cup of apple juice.
Ice cream sounds pretty delicious until I remember how ice cream makes it hard to look totally ripped. And if there is one thing I love more than ice cream, it is being shredded. Gone are the days of my diet of calzones, beer and ice cream. My skinny-fat-dude beer belly is gone, too, and that is awesome.
But that doesn't solve the problem I face when doing my fall yard work in the Memphis heat.
By chance we discovered Arctic Zero. We were looking through the frozen tasty treats section at whole foods looking for a magical low-fat, low-carb fix.
Arctic Zero is kind of amazing stuff. Less than 150 calories in the entire pint! 34 Calories per serving. ZERO grams fat. 10 grams carbohydrates. 5 grams protein.
It is made with water, Whey protein concentrate, organic cane sugar, chicory root, guar and xantham gums, sea salt, and monk fruit concentrate, plus natural flavor. If you are trying to eat clean, you are clear for takeoff.
The first flavor you should try is the vanilla or vanilla maple. Other flavors seem to come out every day. Chocolate, chocolate peanut butter, strawberry banana, pumpkin spice, mint chocolate cookie - to name a few. Today I had the cookies and cream flavor, which my wife blended into milkshakes that tasted as decadent as the tears of baby harp seals.
The texture can be a little gelatinous when runny because of the high protein content and absence of fat. Thus the milkshake idea.
Another idea is making floats with Zevia brand soft drinks. They are a naturally sweetened zero-calorie carbonated beverage. Flavors include: Cola, Dr. Zevia, ginger root beer, orange and black cherry. I prefer orange with vanilla Arctic Zero. It tastes like an orange cream-sicle.
Both these sites will tell you where to find them in your area. If you live in Memphis, that would be Whole Foods.
www.myarcticzero.com
www.zevia.com
Try this recipe and then slap your mother right in the face:
- 1 pint Arctic Zero cookies and cream flavor.
- 1 cup non-fat milk
- 1 scoop (28 grams) Muscle Feast chocolate whey protein
- Blend until it is ready
Calories 165 • Fat 0 grams • Carbohydrates 17.5 grams • Protein 21.5 grams
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