Food for Thought – easing away from a meat-based diet

January has come to an end and I’m seriously trying not to fall into the 90% category of people who break their resolutions by the end of the first month. Since my main goal this year is to be healthier, part of that includes finding a healthy way of eating that my husband and I are comfortable with. I want a plan that will work for me while cooking for a husband who likes his meat and doesn’t have a history with vegetables and fruits. There are some weeks I work really crazy hours and have a commute of a minimum of an hour each way so following a strict plan that includes a lot of cooking time is impractical. On those days maybe I give in too easily because I find that if it’s too much of a struggle, I will give up. Then it’s even harder to get back to a strict plan.

One of my goals is to reduce the amount of meat that we eat and increase the vegetables and fruit. I’ve just found a new cookbook that has tons of vegetarian or nearly meatless recipes and I can’t wait to try a number of them. While this might not be an earth-shattering change for some, it’s a big step for my husband who thought the Atkins diet was developed just for him. And I grew up on a farm in the US mid-west where my father was the butcher for the whole of the community so we had meat, meat and more meat as the center of every meal. I also have a strong Germanic heritage (meaning strong, sturdy stock), and am built like my mother who was quite a large woman. She believed that a meal wasn’t complete without potatoes, noodles or dumplings plus freshly baked bread. Desserts were a necessity in my family. It was always homemade, either a pie, cake or other sugar-laden treat that was topped with cream or ice cream.

Once I moved away from the farm, I discovered a whole new way of eating and realized that vegetables didn’t have to be cooked to mush or have bacon added to them. When I was younger, sweet potatoes were reserved for holidays and always covered in marshmallows. I found them disgusting. When on my own I found out that if I steamed them or cooked them as other potatoes and with a little bit of butter that they are delicious. Now, they are a new trendy food served anytime, not just at Thanksgiving.

Now that my body is “getting older” and my metabolism is slowing, I need to focus on healthy eating and getting my daily exercise. I know that the body goes through age cycles but does it have to do it so quickly? It means that even though I watch what I eat, work out every day at the gym and do weights, I’ll never be a size 2 again. I can accept that I have my limits and as long as I am able to be healthy and fit, I’m OK. I keep challenging myself with cardio and weights because I know that it’s helping my heart, blood pressure and cholesterol. I just have to accept that my body is never going to be like the airbrushed models in the magazines that I like to read but some days I look in the mirror and I wonder who kidnapped that 30 something woman that I used to see first thing every morning.

I’m continuing my number one goal for 2012 by taking control of my health. I’m paying attention to my body and dealing with my blood pressure and cholesterol. “Go Red” day is coming the end of this week – the 3rd of Feb. and I’ll be considering how I can celebrate and support this day through a healthy diet. Join me in Go Red for Women and let’s have a healthy year in 2012 and many more to come!

Feeling healthy and feeling good about yourself is not a luxury - it's an absolute necessity.

Choice is a gift given to everyone. It is a powerful gift that can change your life

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Not Just Another Resolution!

Happy New Year! It’s that time again when a majority of us have made our resolutions. According to my Internet search, the usual ones include lose weight, spend more time with family, eat healthy, save money, etc. After considerable thought the heading for my list is Goals for 2012. I’ve decided to choose the word “goals” rather than resolutions because resolutions doesn’t leave me with the same feeling of commitment and those who know me know that I’m pretty goal oriented. That little change in the heading of my written goals (yes, I do write them down) seemed appropriate.

Topping my list is to do everything that I can to make certain my heart is healthy and to encourage everyone whom I know to do the same. Both of my parents died from heart related illnesses at a very early age so I probably have a bigger incentive than most of my friends but I do feel that it is important for everyone – women especially.

We are constantly bombarded through TV and magazine ads making us aware of breast cancer. Yet Dr. Oz said on his TV show last year,

“More than one in four women die from heart disease, nearly triple the number of breast and lung cancer combined.”

(If you missed Dr. Oz’s shows on heart health, you can access them on his website.) Breast cancer awareness and research has had very good PR and survivors can talk about how important it is to have routine exams. Since fewer women survive heart attacks, they aren’t around to encourage us to live a healthy lifestyle and get our blood pressure and cholesterol checked regularly. Also, the symptoms for women are often drastically different than for men and women wait longer to call 911 or see their doctor. Frequently it’s not in the forefront of doctor’s minds so it’s up to us to be on top of this issue.

So, how can we take care of the ones we love as well as ourselves? Be informed -- know how to take the steps to prevent and control heart attacks and strokes and tell everyone you can to do the same. There are now so many wonderful web sites that give us the facts that we need. A really great one that I love for describing symptoms and providing a downloadable checklist to take to your doctor is www.womenshealth.gov/heartattacks. If you haven’t already, find out what your family history is and let your doctor know if any of your family members have high blood pressure, heart disease or strokes.

It’s up to you. Decide now to get a healthier lifestyle. This means eating more vegetables and fruit and less meat. It also means getting some exercise every day. Just remember, you won’t see your blood pressure and cholesterol drop overnight but making these changes will mean less risk of future heart problems and you will be feeling better and enjoying the life that you were meant to live.

Another great way to spread the word to your friends and family is to support the Go Red day on February 3rd this year. Provide your support not just for the one day, but the whole month of February. There are several methods for giving support. Check out the American Heart Association website for ways you can give both locally and nationally. For my friends outside of the US, check the Internet for a similar organization for your country. You can get all kinds of Go Red products with all proceeds benefiting the American Heart and American Stroke Associations.

Even though I knew about my family history of heart related illnesses, I’d not kept track of my blood pressure or cholesterol. One fate-filled day while at work, I spent my lunch and break time having both checked out. Thank goodness I did because I found out that both were sky high and I was a potential stroke or heart attack sufferer! Now I want to be sure that I encourage others to have both checked regularly. It only takes a few minutes and you could be saving your life.

I’m the same as everyone else, if I don’t take my goals (resolutions) seriously and stay on track, I’ll backslide. If I can get as many of you as possible to adopt this goal, we can support each other and get the word out to others that a lifestyle change is important for a healthier and longer life.

To keep the body in good health is a duty. . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Buddha
Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.
Jim Rohn