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healthy eating
Review: Clean Slate, A Cookbook and Guide from the Editors of Martha Stewart Living
Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide: Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body, and Feel Your Best
Almost everyone is TALKING these days about “clean eating,” cutting out empty calories, cutting back on red meat, and forgetting that fried food even exists. Yet hardly anyone is actually FOLLOWING through.
Why? It’s a whole lot easier to say you’re going to changer your way of eating than to actually do it.
The talk? Easy. The follow thorough? Not so much.
Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide: Reset Your Health, Detox Your Body, and Feel Your Best
As the back cover states, Clean Slate is more than just a cookbook:
More than just a cookbook, CLEAN SLATE, from the editors of Martha Stewart Living, provides you with the nutritionally sound information you need to shop for and prepare food that nourishes body and mind. You’ll find guidelines for restocking your pantry with whole grains, beans and legumes, lean proteins, and healthy fats; glossaries of the best sources of detoxifiers, antioxidants, and other health-boosting nutrients; and menus for a simple 3-day cleanse and a 21-day whole-body detox, with easy to follow tips and strategies for staying on track.
If you’re at all familiar with computers, you now that sometimes your desktop computer needs to be “reset.” Hitting reset gives your computer a chance to gather itself and clear its thoughts!
I had an old Gateway once that would (every so often) get “hung up.” It’d freeze, usually when I was right in the middle of something. It just really knew how to pick its moments. I’d hit “reset” and it’d come back as good as new. Oddly enough, it’d actually perform 10 times better after I afforded it the opportunity to start fresh.
Clean Slate offers readers a chance to do just that – to reset their approach to food and get a whole new fresh start on the health of their body by being smarter about what they put into their mouth.
This beautiful book emphasizes eating clean, whole, unprocessed foods as part of a primarily plant-based diet. There are more than 160 great looking, “doable” recipes to help you along the way. Juices, smoothies, main dishes, snacks, and even desserts!
One of the things I love most about Clean Slate is the fact that each recipe clearly and plainly states whether it is vegan, dairy free, nut-free, and/or gluten free.
While I lvoe the recipes like any self-respecting foodie would, my favorite part of the book is the KNOW YOUR NUTRIENTS section. Within these pages are listed the superheroes of the food world – along with colorful photographs:
- Super Detoxifiers: Foods that support the liver, the “Main Guy” in charge of detoxification. Avocado, citrus fruits, flaxseed….
- Antioxidant Powerhouses: The vitamins in these foods help neutralize free radicals that contribute to the onset of aging and disease. Carrots, dark beans, cloves, plums….
- Inflammation Fighters: The foods with Omega-3s, Vitamin E and other compounds that help prevent inflammations. This, in turn, reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease while soothing the aches and pains from arthritis. Walnuts, herbs, papaya….
- Digestive Aids: Foods that are particularly loaded with beneficial bacteria and fiber. They keep the digestive system running smoothly. Honey, mint, turmeric, coconut, ginger…
While there were some foods listed within each of the above groups I expected, there were far more I didn’t expect. It makes smart meal planning easier when you know what each ingredient brings to the Clean Slate Party.
Other subjects covered in Clean Slate:
- Golden Rules for Eating Clean
- Restocking Your Pantry
- Action Plans for Detoxing Your Mind and Body
- MANY recipes along with gorgeous photographs.
Clean Slate is a beautiful guide/cookbook that’ll help you sort through the maze of healthy eating. You’ll come away from this book armed with all the information you need to begin a fresh new approach to food…. An approach that’ll lead you and your family down the path to better health.
Click through any of the links to take a closer look at Clean Slate on Amazon.
~ Joi
Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.
The Truth About Smoothies
It can be a challenge to create healthy, easy meals, especially when we are on the go. The smoothie is one of the more popular health foods to emerge in recent years. And these days, you can find them anywhere, from your neighborhood new age restaurant to famous fast food joints. There’s a reason that the smoothie is so ubiquitous; they are a fast, easy and convenient way to get a lot of nutrition into your body in a short amount of time. But although smoothies have many benefits to our health, they can also cause health challenges, depending on how they are made.
What’s In a Smoothie?
Blended fruit is the most basic ingredient in a smoothie. Unlike in a juice, a smoothie can contain the entire fruit including the skin and seeds. Fruit is simply cut up and blended until it’s a liquid, instead of having its liquid extracted, as is the case with juice.
But the smoothie has much more potential than just the addition of fruit. Beyond that basic element, smoothies can include just about anything. A large number of smoothies have some sort of fat component, often a protein-rich food like yogurt or nut butter. They also tend to include a variety of fruit. Some people add supplements like protein powder, digestive supports like fresh ginger and powdered cinnamon to their smoothie. Super foods like spirulina, maca, or raw cacao can also be added.
The green smoothie is a definite favorite. This includes green leafy vegetables such kale, spinach, parsley, cilantro, arugula, and lettuce. These leafy veggies can be blended with sweet fruit like bananas, or a raw vegan fat like avocado or soaked almonds can be used.
Beware the Unhealthy Smoothie
The level of a smoothie’s healthfulness depends on what has been put into it. But it’s important to understand that in a smoothie; relatively large amounts of food have been broken into tiny bits. This means that far more calories can be consumed than we realize. Making a smoothie that has over 800 calories is very easy to do. And because smoothies are liquid, we can ingest a high volume without necessarily feeling full, and then feel hungry again shortly after.
Fruit contains a lot of calories as well as naturally occurring sugar. If a smoothie is largely fruit-based, and a sweetener like agave nectar or honey is added, the sugar calories skyrocket which can spike our blood sugar levels.
Weight gain is triggered by eating too much sugar. Many think that increased fat consumption causes weight gain, but in a smoothie, healthy fats like avocados and nuts are usually added. Eating a lot of sugar places a lot of stress on the bloodstream. Whatever the body doesn’t immediately use for energy is converted into fat. And this is what makes smoothies potentially fattening; the potentially large amount of sugar that’s ingested in a relatively short period of time.
Healthy Smoothie Versions
Of course, there are incredibly healthy versions of the smoothie. One example is the vegan smoothie which contains primarily leafy green vegetables with some healthy fats, plant-based proteins, and a small amount of fruit. The vegan smoothie is a great way to boost your health. You can enjoy a large serving of nutritious greens and camouflage their taste in the fruits you add. This is a great idea for those who find salads challenging to enjoy. You can even make a sugar-free smoothie with greens, lemon, avocado, and assorted seeds.
The secret to a smoothie that supports weight loss and overall health is the careful choice of ingredients. Include only those ingredients that you would feel good about eating in a single meal. For example, if you would not eat 4 ounces of nut butter or 3 bananas in one meal, you may wish to reconsider adding them to your smoothie, because you will be consuming a high amount of calories at once.
It’s always a good idea to include a bit of fat in your smoothie to make the vitamins in the vegetables more accessible by your body. Doing this will also increase the level of satiation so that you feel full for longer, but it won’t be so much fat that your smoothie becomes a dessert. Adding just enough fruit to make the greens palatable is preferable to turning your smoothie into a fruit salad. Avoid the addition of sugar and calorie-laden ingredients like fruit juice. Do not add sweeteners unless it is stevia, which provides the sugary flavor without blood sugar spike. Ensure your smoothies are high in fiber, as this will help to slow the absorption rate of any sugar that may be present.
It also makes sense to think of your smoothie as a meal instead of a drink. Use smoothies as a main meal replacement. Enjoy your smoothie as you would any other meal, by sitting at your dining table. Drink slowly, and chew it a bit. This will help to further break down the greens and help your body to absorb it more slowly and thoroughly. If you intend to lose weight or maintain your current weight, the calories in your smoothie can be counted as a part of your daily total.
Smoothies remain one of the most versatile, healthy and convenient meal options available today. With the push of a button, we can create elaborate and delicious concoctions of fruity and green goodness. But just as with anything else, smoothies are only as healthy as their individual ingredients, amounts, and serving sizes. Choose to include mostly green veggies in your creation, along with a little healthy fat, plant-based protein, and minimal fruit, and your body will reap the many benefits.
This post is contributed by Ron McDiarmid, who is the founder of My Healthy Living Coach. Having had health challenges along the way Ron was keen to share the research and learning he gathered. Through MHLC this continued into a current presentation of healthy lifestyle choices and how to implement them. Check out his website at www.myhealthylivingcoach.com.
Why The VB6 Cookbook by Mark Bittman Should be the Next Book You Buy (Review)
“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.” – Ann Wigmore
If you’re looking for fun, simple ways to eat healthier, here’s a book that’ll prove to be a dream come true for you. The VB6 Cookbook: More than 350 Recipes for Healthy Vegan Meals All Day and Delicious Flexitarian Dinners at Night
Okay. Before you accuse me of getting my Self Help Blog mixed up with my Food Blog (Get Cooking) let me assure you I’m posting a cookbook review on Self Help Daily for an excellent reason. You see, this isn’t just a cookbook. This book is actually part of a life improving program, The VB6 plan by Mark Bittman. Anything that can improve someone’s health and life is a perfect fit for a self help and self improvement blog.
Have you ever heard the term “flexitarian?” Flexitarian refers to a relationship with food that isn’t 100 percent strictly vegan. It’s a way of eating that is flexible, meaning more people will actually STICK with it. Mark Bittman’s VB6 program is simplistically beautiful: You simply eat vegan before 6:00 pm. The program has helped a great number of people improve their health, lose weight, and feel better than they’d felt in years.
See? I told you this book was a perfect fit for a Self Improvement blog!
Below are the Top 10 Reasons you shouldn’t wait another day before you buy The VB6 Cookbook:
- Gorgeous Book. Whenever I review a book on Self Help Daily or Get Cooking, I always pay close attention to my first impression of the book. Is it well-made (meaning it’ll stand up to years of use and enjoyment)? Is it attractive? Does it look like the publishers were serious about impressing the readers or was their heart only halfway into it? The VB6 Cookbook is a real looker. The beautiful, hardback, 250+ page book is everything, visually, I’d want a book to be.
- Mark Bittman. Period. To say I cook a lot is a ridiculous understatement. I’m in my kitchen more often than a Priest is in church. I’m seldom happier than I am when I’m cooking meals for my family and I LOVE trying out new recipes as much as I LOVE using and re-using favorite recipes. Mark Bittman is the author of many of my favorite recipes. When I want to try out a new recipe for something in particular, I’ll turn to Mark Bittman’s recipes before I turn to a lot of household name celebrity chefs. His recipes never fail, it’s as simple as that.
- Healthy Eating = Healthy Living. Not long ago, I spent a few days in the waiting room of a cardiology surgical center. I was with a family member who was WAY too young to find themselves in a hospital gown in such a place. Sad thing was, as I looked around, I saw A LOT of people who were WAY too young to be where they were. Heart disease isn’t just frightening, it’s striking more and more people and it’s striking them at younger ages. Plain and simple, it’s the American diet and something has got to be done about it. We’re creating our own plague of Biblical proportions and if people don’t wake up and start eating healthier, they’ll find themselves in hospitals, cardiology departments, and worse.
- KISS. No, not the rock group. KISS as in Keep It Simple, Stupid. This book – or more to the point, this program – makes it painless and incredibly simple to start eating healthier. If you don’t know why that’s important, you must have skipped number 3.
- Delicious Food! Even if, somehow, you didn’t associate these recipes with healthier eating, you’d still love the delicious flavors.
- Fun Food. Whether you’re one of those people who live to cook (like me) or you’d rather do just about anything BUT cook, you’ll love The VB6 Cookbook. The recipes are fun, creative, and mix things up a bit in the kitchen. You’ll find recipes you’ll be so excited about you’ll want to try them the very day you get the book. I actually made my first recipe (Chipotle “Mayo”) from The VB6 Cookbook within 2 hours of getting the book in the mail. That’s a new record, even for me.
- Your Family. While this one may somewhat tie in with number 3, it’s important enough to get it’s very own number. The more healthy meals you’re able to feed your family, the better their health will be. Not only are you giving them wholesome, healthy food at one particular meal, you’re introducing them to a whole new relationship with food. They’ll soon realize that healthier eating is actually more flavorful than unhealthy eating. When you get right down to it, most unhealthy food tastes pretty much the same. Fried. Fatty. Salty. The VB6 way of eating will introduce your loved ones to a world of wonderful flavors that’ll make them fall in love with healthier eating. Here’s a little secret about eating healthy – you can keep this between you and me, the kids and spouses don’t have to know: Healthy eating becomes addictive. When you get rid of the bad stuff, you’ll find yourself craving the good stuff. Where you once said, “I need a big fat cheeseburger with a farmer’s wealth of bacon,” you’ll find yourself thinking, “I have to have a Cherry Vanilla Smoothie and Vegetable Pot Pie or maybe Schezuan Beef and Celery..” (3 of the recipes in the book). I don’t know why – but it’s my experience that the healthier you eat, the healthier you want to eat. Sadly the same is true about unhealthy eating.
- Motivation and Inspiration. The first pages of the book include Mark Bittman’s “My Story.” The motivational intro makes you even more committed to eating right. Basically, you jump right in the boat with the author and agree to go on a healthier journey with him. He’s one of those authors who write in a manner that makes you feel like he’s talking to you, personally. Reading his books (and even his recipes) feels like you’re having a nice little visit with him. This type of writing cannot be taught, it’s a gift and when he was gifted, he was gifted generously.
- Information and Advice Beyond the Recipes. After the wonderful Introduction, pages 12 through 45 lay out the VB6 plan beautifully. There are charts, information, meal plans, ideas, suggestions, and more. There are also personalized tips and ideas with each recipe in the book – including “variations” and “more ideas.”
- You’re the Boss of You. While The VB6 program is best (as in you’ll see the most results) if you follow it as designed, when all’s said and done, You’re the boss of you! If you want to approach the program strictly and eat Vegan before 6:00 on most, if not all, days – go for it! If you want to simply add MORE vegetarian meals to your diet, then approach the cookbook in that way. If you’re simply looking for fresh new healthy recipes to serve your family… the cookbook is still a must have.
Some of the recipes you’ll love:
- Chipotle “Mayo” (the first recipe I made from the book – delicious! This “mayo” is a great dip for vegetables and is excellent as a condiment for burgers or protein patties)
- Scrambled Sweet and Hot Peppers
- Pico De Gallo
- Nut Butters
- Everyday Salad Bowl
- Blueberry Spoon Bread
- Schezuan Beef and Celery
- Cherry Vanilla Smoothie
- Avocado Banana Smoothie
- Morning Milkshake
- Pork Chop Pan Roast
- Raspberry Sorbet on a Stick
- Green Toast
- Fruit Candy
- Frozen Tropical Truffles
- Red Paella with Scallops
- Beans, Shrimp, and Fennel
- Southwestern Bean Dip with Peppers (black beans, cloves,cilantro…)
- Red Soup
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Big Batch Cooked Beans
- Rice Pudding with Slow-Roasted Fruit
- MANY MANY MANY more.
From the Back Cover:
Mark Bittman’s breakthrough diet plan, first introduced in the #1 New York Times bestselling VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good
I hope you’ll click through and take a closer look at The VB6 Cookbook: More than 350 Recipes for Healthy Vegan Meals All Day and Delicious Flexitarian Dinners at Night
I know you’ll love The VB6 Cookbook just as much as I do.
~ Joi
Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions are entirely my own.
6 Reasons to Consider Veganism
I know you’ll put aside all preconceived opinions about veganism and read the article with an open mind. It’s only when we have ALL the facts that we can make the healthiest decisions in life. ~ Joi
Unveiling the Vegan Lifestyle: 6 Points to Ponder
by Koya Webb
Dietary veganism—the practice of abstaining from eating animal products—is a lifestyle rife with mystery, myths and misconceptions, and is often erroneously regarded as a dietary regime for extremists. In fact, amid copious health and wellness benefits, the vegan diet is far more mainstream today. This is exemplified by the number of vegan restaurants, and vegan dishes at traditional restaurants, increasing exponentially as well as the high profile personalities that have adopted a vegan diet.
Perhaps the vegan diet officially “arrived” when Oprah Winfrey went on a vegan diet for 21 days in 2008, and in 2011 asked her 378 production staff to do the same for one week, as well reported*. Reports also note that Former U.S. president Bill Clinton adopted a vegan diet in 2010 after cardiac surgery, while his daughter Chelsea was already a vegan. In November 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek stated that a growing number of American CEOs were becoming vegan, such as Steve Wynn, Mortimer Zuckerman, and Russell Simmons. A list of other notable vegans can be found on Wikipedia.
Here are 6 “vegan revelations” to provide fundamental key facts and clarify misconceptions about the vegan diet and lifestyle*:
- Vegan food is flavorful! Most people think a vegan diet means tasteless food and poorly-disguised fake meat. While in the past this may have been true, vegan recipes have evolved and today there is a wealth of vegan fare bursting with flavor, from barbecue classics and chili to lasagna and other Italian favorites that are prepared with a heightened health factor since fresh vegetables, fruits nuts and seeds are often key ingredients. Spices, herbs, sauces, fresh ingredients and inspired culinary vision have made the modern vegan diet quite tasty!
- It’s a fruit feast. Those trying to reduce dietary sugar are reluctant to eat a lot of fruit, but the vegan diet allows for as much fruit as you desire. If you minimize or eliminate the consumption of complex carbohydrates like bread, rice and pasta, which all break down to sugar, you can add more fruit to your diet—also beneficial since fruit also contains fiber and enzymes that help you maintain and regular functioning system, while the starchy carb counterparts can clog you up and slow your metabolism.
- Meaty matters. It’s been shown that releasing meat from your diet—as vegans do—can protect you from many degenerative diseases. Meat quality remains an issue in the marketplace, while issues of toxicity, contamination and excessive hormones and chemicals abound. Even if you happen to eat the best quality meat products when dining at home, fast food and other restaurants are generally not as discriminating.
- Eco-friendly epicure. The vegan lifestyle causes less environmental damage and consumes fewer resources. Organizations such as PETA point out that animal agriculture is linked to climate change, water pollution, land degradation, a decline in biodiversity, and that a commercially available animal-based diet uses more land, water, and energy than a strictly vegetarian one, as cited on Wikipedia. With this in mind, a striking report out of the University of Chicago found that switching from the standard American diet to a plant-based one reduces more greenhouse emissions per person per year over switching from standard sedan like a Toyota Camry to a hybrid Toyota Prius, proving that what you choose to eat could do more to offset greenhouse gas emissions than what you choose to drive. So, if you want to reduce your carbon footprint go vegan…even for just 10 days.
- Go ahead and indulge! The vegan lifestyle is not about deprivation.You can still enjoy favorite treats like ice cream, cheesecake, and many other desserts. Of course, as with any wellness regime, those with a sweet tooth must still heed the calorie and fat consumption.
- Body benefits abound. The vegan diet tends to be higher in dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and phytochemicals, and lower in calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Eating vegan has proven to control allergies, PMS, and depression. This is helped, in part, by avoiding the hormones, antibiotics, and antidepressants among other chemicals found in meat products. The vegan lifestyle also promotes healthier hair, skin and nails since mineral absorption is optimized with an animal-free diet. And, it’s been well-reported that eating more fresh fruits and veggies reduces the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart disease and other deadly conditions.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegans
http://satyamag.com/feb07/eshel.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQDNTGYiSPg
Koya Webb is an internationally recognized holistic health and wellness expert, author, motivational speaker, and consultant who is helping revolutionize the vegan cuisine and holistic living landscape. Her book “Koya’s Kuisine: “Foods You Love That Love You Back!” helps individuals make positive lifestyle changes that maximize their ability to lose weight, increase energy, reverse life-threatening conditions, and experience optimal health and vitality through a fit, active lifestyle. Reach Koya online at www.koyawebb.com.
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