Day 115- Nutrition Bite

VideoJug: Will a heart-healthy wedding cake still taste good?

The video discusses that healthy wedding cakes can taste good. A suggestions were substituing applesauce for oil.. Click on video for more details. 

Sugar Preacher's Experience

My sister was married last week. She had a beautiful cake but very unhealthy. I will post pics of her cake tomorrow with more wedding details. Wedding cakes can be healthy and taste good!! Find a cater who specializes in organic and healthy cooking!!

Su

Day 114- Nutrition Bite

Kaiser Permanente recruited 1700 participants and tracked their progress as they embarked on a weight loss journey. This moderate weight loss plan involved both exercise and a healthy diet. It turns out that the dieters who kept a daily food journal of every single thing they ate lost TWICE as much weight as those who did not.The fact that the food journalers lost more weight does not surprise me in the least. But losing twice the weight as the other dieters is amazing. Recording your food consumption keeps you accountable for your intake. The majority of Americans vastly underestimate the amount of food they actually consume. The proof is in the waistline. When you journal your food intake, you have a record in black and white. Hidden habits are uncovered, and nutritional missteps come to light.

Sugar Preacher's Experience
Writing about sugar on a daily basis has sure helped me! Yesterday, I was debating whether to buy Zone bars or Clif bars for my bike rides. The Clif bars were more expensive but healthier. At check out, I returned the Zone Bars to keep my integrity. If I had purchased the sports bars with sugar and high fructose syrup, I would have been obligated to blog about my lack of willpower. Food journaling or blogging is great! Give it a try!!

Day 113- Nutrition Bite

In 1958, Time magazine reported that a Harvard biochemist and his assistants had worked with myriads of mice for more than ten years to research how sugar causes dental cavities and how to prevent cavities. This research was supported by the Sugar Research Foundation, Inc., and the study did not discover a way to prevent sugar-causing dental decay. When the researchers reported the findings in the Dental Association Journal, the research funding ended. The Sugar Research Foundation withdrew its support. The more that the scientists disappointed the Foundation, the more the sugar pushers had to rely on advertisement and not research.

Sugar Preacher's Experience

I recently visited the dentist to have a few cavities filled. The dentist reported the decay was too insignificant and would not require any repair. I believe that you can actually reverse tooth decay when you reduce your sugar intake. One motivating factor for the sugar shun was my constant tooth decay. I haven't had any new decay since April. I guess something is working!!!

Summer Quinoa Salad

1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 ears corn
1 quart cherry tomatoes
2 small zucchini
15 fresh basil leaves
1 can cannellini beans
extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice
salt
pepper

Rinse quinoa in several changes of water, and then add to a small pot. Add 3 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the husks from the corn. Using a sharp knife, carefully slice the kernels off the cobs. Put them into a bowl.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Add them to the bowl. Slice the zucchini into thin half moons. Add them to the bowl.
Julienne the basil leaves. Add them to the bowl. Open the can of beans, rinse them, and add them to the bowl. Douse everything with olive oil. Add some salt, and let sit.

When the quinoa is done, pour it onto a cookie sheet into an even layer so it will cool quickly. When it is lukewarm, add it to the vegetables. Season with lemon juice, more salt and pepper.

Toasted pine nuts make a nice addition.

Day 112- Nutrition Bite

"The fastest way to restore wellness is to stop putting into the body the things that have caused the physical problem to develop in the first place, and then give the body the nutrients it needs to repair and rebuild itself. The body is self-healing when the infraction is stopped and proper nutrients provided."

Rev. George Malkmus

Day 111- Nutrition Bite

A nutritional rule of thumb on a long ride is about 250 calories per hour, which breaks down to one Cliff  Bar per hour. On an 80-mile ride (assuming 17 mph average) pack 4 to 5 bars. Cliff bars are the most natural of all energy bars using organic ingredients. Also, homemade granola can be a very cheap alternative fuel source. Cliff Bars are GREAT, but not cheap. Homemade granola can also be tweaked with certain fruit/seed combinations/variations to provide proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Make sure you eat enough calories to prevent bonking. http://www.bikeforums.net/

Sugar Preacher's Experience
Today, I bonked on a 123-mile ride. To prevent further exhaustion, I drank Sobe which tasted like cotton candy. Bonking is a miserable feeling. You run out of stored carbohydrates causing your speed to slow down considerably, and you feel like vomitting. On my next ride, I plan to buy electrolyte tablets and create a natural fruit juice such as watermelon juice. I need to be more creative because the sports drinks are loaded with refined sugar.

Day 110- Nutrition Bite

If you eat fast food here are some helpful tips to cut down on calories:

1. Don't be tempted to go large. Even though you may not pay extra money to go large or super size your meal, you'll have the same effect on your waistline. If necessary, just take in the exact correct change for the regular meal.

2. Cut out the soda. Not just the full sugar soda, but the diet soda as well (this has other issues a well as your waistline). Choose water or tea or coffee instead.

3. Leave some food on your plate. You don't have to finish the whole meal. Leave some food uneaten. It's fine not to eat the whole burger bun or to leave the crust of your pizza uneaten.

4. Go easy on the mayo or cut it out completely. The calories in mayonnaise can be surprisingly high.

5. Check the label. Most fast food restaurants have a nutrition guide available. Read it. Salad isn't always the healthiest choice on the menu, especially once you've poured the dressing on it. Consider removing the skin and the tasty coating off the chicken portions.

6. Skip dessert or replace with fruit instead. If you've have a craving for something sweet, consider frozen yogurt for a change.

7. Don't always think fried equals fast. Salad bars or sandwich bars are fine (but maybe not the foot long sub!). Experiment, and you'll find something tasty and fast that doesn't have a hefty waistline penalty.

Sugar Preacher's Experience

I try to avoid fast food at all times. Whole food diets are the best! However, if I am on the run, these guidelines are helpful.