I’m excited to announce the launch of Hazel’s Beans
A charity dedicated to empowering women through health awareness
At Art and Antiques on Lake
60 N. Lake
Pasadena, CA
Hazel’s Beans Launch
Banana Power
When I was a kid we had a pet monkey named Bono (as in Sonny–not like the rock star in U-2). She was great at parties–balloons and cake are gratuitous when there’s a monkey around. I knew two things about Bono–she loved bananas and she was really smart. The more I learn about bananas, the more I realize just how smart she was.
Just two bananas can provide enough energy for a hard-core 90-minute workout. Athletes love them for the quick release of sustained energy that comes from the three natural sugars—fructose, sucrose, and glucose. The vitamin B6 and tryptophan they contain make them helpful for PMS, depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder as they regulate blood glucose levels. This calms the nervous system and makes you feel more relaxed and content. Maybe bananas were the reason Bono was always happy.
At about 105 calories, they are high in fiber (about 3 grams) and have a natural antacid effect on the body making them easily digested and good for heartburn, digestion and ulcers. They’re a good source of magnesium (32 mg), potassium (422 mg) and vitamin B6 (0.4mg). The combination of low sodium, high potassium and magnesium make them helpful in managing blood pressure. So, adding them to an overall healthy diet may reduce the risk of stroke and high blood pressure.
In Twickenham (Middlesex) School in England, a study was conducted on 200 students. They were instructed to eat bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch to see if this would boost their brainpower. This little yellow bundle of potassium proved to help the students remain more alert and test better. Then, here in the U.S. a study concluded that eating 5 bananas a day was 50% as effective as taking prescription hypertension medication. The high potassium and low sodium levels in bananas make them great for blood pressure. The Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make an official claim for the fruit’s ability to lower the risk of stroke and high blood pressure.
We’re not done – believe it or not bananas can also get rid of warts. Simply tape the skin of a banana–yellow side out, to the wart and the wart will slowly disappear. Also, to avoid those annoying little strings that separate from the peel, try peeling them the way Bono and all the other apes do – from the bottom up.
Well, Bono taught me a lot. I picked up a few skills swinging “monkey style” right along side her on our old clothesline. Not sure where that will come in handy but the lesson about bananas has really been helpful.
I’ll see you in two weeks.
Love & health,
Loa
Heart Disease – Juan
A couple of weeks ago, my faithful gardener Juan, took his last breath in my front yard. I am required to have CPR training because I teach fitness. After years of practice pressing on a “dummy’s” chest, this time it was real. My neighbor rushed over. We kept compressions going until the paramedics arrived. They were efficient, truly a well oiled machine in action, but it was Juan’s last day. A man with only a touch of grey hair, a man I thought not more than 60 years-old – gone in what seemed an instant.
Surprised? Confused? Shocked? Yes! I don’t have a lot of experience with death.
In my conversation with a paramedic bearing the name tag “Gibbons,” I learned Juan’s cardiac arrest was not related to any other condition. Gibbons paused, looked me in the eye and said, “It’s a fragile thing, you know.”
I’ve written many columns about heart disease. But since my experience with Juan, my perspective has been forever changed. I write today from a more personal place. MSNBC.com reports more than 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease every day. That’s about one death every 39 seconds. So, as two thousand two hundred people take their last breath, they’re leaving behind a lot of folks as shocked, surprised and confused as I was.
You’re a health minded person. I know that because you read my column. You care about your body and probably already know the dangers of smoking, high cholesterol, being over-weight, over-worked and stressed out. We all do the best we can, but after having seen the life suddenly pass from the human form of my gentle gardener, I want to say I agree with Gibbons. It’s a fragile thing. Life is fragile and worth protecting. We have the information: books, magazines, radio and television. We’re surrounded by it, but knowing doesn’t take the strain off your heart. Sometimes we have to do hard things: saying “no” to desert when it looks really good, pulling on your walking shoes and heading out the door when you want to stay in bed, dedicating yourself to losing the ten pounds you gained a few years ago, eating vegetables that you don’t really like – all are hard things. But, when gathered in to the style of life you lead, all a gift to your heart. As your heart pumps blood to about 60,000 miles of blood vessels every day all day, it will do so with less strain.
As this new year begins, one of my resolutions will be to find more courage to do some hard things and hope they get a little easier as the year goes on.
Because life is a fragile thing.
Wonderful Time of Year
What we like to think if as “the most wonderful time of the year” for some, is anything but wonderful. Blood sugar levels can spike from consuming goodies and treats that seem to be everywhere. The ensuing insulin spike often includes irritability, lethargy and foggy headedness. Shopping, rushing and standing in line can be stressful. Rising frustration, feeling stuck in line, can foster a low-grade anxiety that can bring on cravings. Warding off the holiday blues takes a little food planning but a little planning goes a long way.
Sure we all know what we shouldn’t eat but when sweets are all around us, finding a healthy snack feels like swimming upstream. Beth Reardon, director of nutrition at Duke University’s Duke Integrative Medicine says, “We reach for what we think will make us feel better, but we too often wind up making ourselves feel worse in the long run.”
Struggling with food choices can be an ongoing battle that lasts from Halloween to New Years. So rather than focus on what we can’t have—that list is a mile long—let’s gear up and be prepared with lots of yummy things you can have. Being prepared is the key.
If you have a bag of almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or cashews in your pocket and snack on those mid morning, you’ll be less hungry and in a better position to decide what you’ll eat for lunch. When meeting friends at your favorite spot, a cup of green tea, iced or hot is available at most any counter and a much wiser choice than the high calorie, high fat, over-priced coffee beverage. Green tea has the amino acid L-theanine which is easily absorbed and has been shown by EEG tests to stimulate alpha brain waves. This can have a calming effect while improving focus, even though it has caffeine. I love that it’s an accessible, healthy option, easily found in the midst of the holiday craziness.
Eat plenty of wild salmon, tuna and trout (cold water fish) to improve your mood. These contain the omega-3 fatty acid DHA which has been shown to improve nerve function in the brain especially in the amygdala and hypocampus—these areas of the brain are associated with mood. Since it’s a lean protein, fish stabilizes blood sugar–which also helps to keep your mood stabilized so when you’re waiting in those long lines, you’ll feel a little calmer. Make sure you’re choosing complex carbs such as quinoa, spelt, barley and millet—these take longer to digest and are more likely to be unprocessed. And by starting the day with fresh fruit, your digestion will be better all day. Pomegranates, grapefruit, pears, oh the goodness of seasonal fresh produce. The holidays can also be filled with fresh foods that heal the body.
Lots of choices–and that’s the beauty of eating well. We just have to remember we do have options and rather than feeling restricted, like we’re missing out on something, we can be prepared, bring along fresh snacks and keep choosing well. I hope you eat well, enjoy good food and feel strong in this wonderful time of year.
I’ll see you in two weeks. Love & health,
Loa
Holiday Calorie Counting
What’s on your holiday menu? It seems Holiday cooking just keeps getting richer. But, there is a way to cook delicious food that will delight your friends and family without the worry of added pounds that make the Holidays even more stressful. So let’s remind ourselves of what we are dealing with. Calorie counting helps us quantify food. Calories don’t specifically tell us what’s in the food, but they give us an idea of what it might take to burn off said food item.
For example, If one cup of turkey stuffing has 360 calories and it’s alongside a six ounce serving of turkey at 340 calories, we’re already up to 700 calories. Add 300 calories for mashed potatoes and gravy, 150 calories for ½ cup candied sweet potatoes, 225 for green bean casserole and that brings us up to 1375. If you are inclined to add a dinner roll at 110 calories and slice of apple pie at 410, we have a new total–drum roll please—1,895 calories! For many of us that’s enough calories for a whole day! And when all those foods hit the belly at the same time, it’s a digestive nightmare that sends you to couch groaning. Keep in mind those calories will need to be used or burned and if brisk walking burns 100 calories per mile, I’ll let you do the math. All this in the name of tradition.
But tradition is memorable—it adds to the fun of the holiday menu. And it’s tough to explain to Uncle Larry that his favorite candied yams have been cut from the roster. Or, to tell Aunt Lucille she’s not getting her favorite apple pie. So maybe we can’t (without a mutiny) omit the family favorites, but we certainly can lighten them up a bit.
Stuffing made by cutting the butter in half is almost undetectable when you add that same amount of chicken broth back in. Pumpkin pie made by reducing the sugar ¼ cup and adding ¼ cup agave nectar is delicious, your family won’t know you made the adjustment. Be sure to reduce the cream or milk by one tablespoon so the pie will set nicely. Rather than add butter and cream to the mashed potatoes, use chicken broth, a little rosemary (1/4 tsp. per about 8 potatoes) or a hint of onion powder to bring out the flavor of the potato. Do we really need to add sour cream and butter to something that is going to have gravy poured over the top anyway? With a few minor adjustments such as these, you can save hundreds of calories! I guess you could say it’s “health by stealth.”
Those delicious traditional holiday meals you are looking forward to will be just as delicious—and with a little careful planning–a whole lot lower in calorie. And maybe when you make it to the couch–post-meal, you’ll be smiling instead of groaning.
I’ll see you in two weeks.
Love & health,
Loa
Food Addiction
We are all creatures of habit. Let’s take inventory. What do you eat or drink habitually? We each lead very different lives and food and drink are faithful medicines that help ease the runaway train of emotions we feel on a daily basis. There’s caffeine for when we feel sluggish, cigarettes and comfort food for when we are nervous, a cola to keep us company while driving in the car, ice-cream for late at night when we’re bored. Name the emotion and there just might be a food or beverage that routinely piggybacks right along with it.
Looking back on your history, what you were fed as a child and whether or not you learned how to sooth yourself and manage your emotions, predisposed you to the eating habits you have now. Simply put–we like what we like because of how we were raised.
In a culture of busy, fragmented parenting, sometimes it’s easier to hand a child a sucker, burger, or soda than spend the time and energy to get to the real need. Sedating children with “treats” is easier than engaging and attending to them. I’ve been there myself. Sand sadly our children grow up reaching for that treat. No one with a food compulsion (that I’ve ever met) eats too much spinach. We need that “treat” to sooth us– that sucker or burger or fill in the blank. And that’s exactly why we jones for certain types of foods—breads, colas, chocolate, sweets, chips, crackers, coffee, alcohol…whatever. As the meals and the years go by, we continue to reach for the substance that we think will make us feel better “right now”. It didn’t happen over night, it probably took years, even decades to develop a full blown food addiction. And only you can honestly look inside and decide whether it’s a propensity, a food you’re drawn to, or if it really has you—you have to have it and can’t refuse it—as in–an addiction. At the end of the day, whether it’s Twinkies or Jack Daniels, we want to be soothed.
So, it seems the bad news is; taste is acquired. But really–the good is; taste is acquired. Tastes change. Every day we chose bite by bite and sip by sip what goes into our mouths. When we step out of our comfort zone and try a food that’s not on our favorites list, but has benefit to the body—we’re reconditioning our sense of taste. It pays in long-term dividends. Not only do we get the nutritional value at the moment but we’re setting ourselves up to make better choices in the future or, acquiring a new taste. We’re practicing eating well.
All addiction and compulsion is an attempt to sooth ourselves. But if a food, beverage or substance “has you” meaning you have it daily and cannot refuse it, it’s depleting your personal power. Practicing refusal fortifies and perfects us so we can be the master of our own lives. Refusal is among the most elegant and powerful of gestures. And self mastery makes possible the truest expression of who we are.
I’ll see you in two weeks,
Love & health,
Loa
Starting a diet or food plan
Whether trying to loose weight, cleanse the body, improve body markers like cholesterol, or whatever you goal is–when it comes to your health, it is a test of endurance and not a sprint. The difficulty comes in “staying” on program. It’s largely a game of your will, your metal is challenged daily. And each day, there are temptations and distractions that take your focus and even your will in another direction. But there is a great silver lining for all those who say “I tried every diet there is.” The trying or, starting another program, beginning again–is practice. Practice makes perfect no matter what we’re talking about, so if you have tried and tried again, you have gained much more than you realize even if you didn’t quite get to where you wanted to be. You have practiced gathering yourself up and starting down the path, and this is how lifestyle is created. So good for you for trying, no matter what the outcome was or where you are at now. You know how to try and that means you have a measure of control over your weight, your body, your goals. Life goes on and we all keep trying. Go you.
Day one
Wellness camp started today! It’s always a great day when an excited group gathers together with common goals. The circumstance aren’t always perfect, one gals is recovering from foot surgery, one recently sprained her ankle, one mom is carefully juggling kids, different schools and carpooling, one gal drives all the way in from Monrovia about 25 minutes each way–BUT they were all there this morning and ready to start off on an adventure. It’s awesome to be around a group, each with the heart of a lion. It inspires me. Some of us are cleansing and juicing so I kept day one pretty low impact with lots of deep stretching and some breathwork. Here we go. I love it.
Really feels like summer
I’ve been spending a few days in Salt Lake City seeing my new beautiful grand son. It has been such a joy to meander on out to the garden whenever a vegetable is needed. My son and his wife have a gorgeous, bountiful garden that I have had a blast with. I have picked fresh tomatoes and basil for caprese salad. Made garlic stir fry with fresh picked green beans, made a veggie pizza with fresh peppers, onions, sun gold tomatoes, basil and herbs and then slow-roasted some tomatoes just to snack on. Oh, it’s been fun. I wanted to include a recipe here and since everyone seems to have zucchini, here’s a great summer recipe–I’m making this today.
From a column I wrote recently for the Deseret News:
The French call it courgette, the Italians call it zucchino and Archaeologists say it has been around since 7,000 BCE. But whatever it’s story, it is an often overlooked nutritional powerhouse.
Zucchini is loaded with vitamin C, magnesium, beta-carotene, potassium and riboflavin, it is low in calories—about 13 to a half cup of raw—going up to only 18 in the same amount of cooked zucchini. It is high in fiber which helps to lower cholesterol. The vitamin folate found in summer squash are needed by the body to break down a dangerous disease promoting metabolic byproduct called homocysteine. Squashes have anti-cancer properties. Studies on their juices have been shown to prevent cell mutations (cancer-like changes.) Most of their nutrition is in the dark green skin so leave remember not to peal them.
There are so many ways to prepare them; sprinkle grated zucchini on top of your salad or throw a handful of it into your pancake mix at breakfast. It’s a great side dish for any meal when slow cooked in a pan with olive oil and caramelized onions. And when you really want an impressive side dish try this recipe from one of my most treasured possessions, my Mother’s cookbook. This is a win-win recipe, it incorporates several super foods-garlic, spinach and onions and tastes deliciously like summer. There’s more nutrition in this recipe than some folks get in days. I hope you enjoy it.
Baked Stuffed Zucchini
8 small to medium zucchini
2 medium onions
1 clove garlic
12 sprigs fresh parsley
3 T. olive oil
1 c. cooked and drained Swiss chard or spinach (about 10 oz.)
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 ½ tsp. salt
Fresh cracked pepper to taste (1/8 tsp or so)
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 eggs beaten (organic)
2/3 c. dry breadcrumbs
Cook zucchini in boiling water 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out center pulp; discard seeds, reserve meat leaving ¼ “ shell all around.
Finely chop onions, garlic and parsley by hand or in a food processor
Sauté in oil.
Put zucchini pulp and chard (or spinach) through food chopper or in blender; drain off excess liquid. Add to onion mixture and sauté. Add seasonings and cheese; mix well. Add eggs and crumbs and blend.
Sprinkle zucchini shells lightly with salt. Fill with pulp mixture and sprinkle lightly with more breadcrumbs. Bake in slow oven, 325 degrees until golden-about an hour.
Can be made ahead and frozen. Thaw to room temp, cover and bake, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes.
Makes 6-8 servings
I hope your summer is full of super tasty super foods. I’ll see you soon.
Love and health,
Loa
Change…flow it out
Over the last few weeks, I moved, put on the retreat, incorporated my business, had a couple of grand babies, went on a network show and released my Exercise DVD on Amazon. Lots of moving parts have kept me from writing here, but it’s time to get the cob webs out of my blog. I guess the theme for this entry is change. I seem to be learning first hand that change can be a real disruption or a welcome oasis. There are both kinds, I’ve had some of each. So that brings me around to the word “flow.” There were many times I had to let go of something when I didn’t want to. That’s hard and since one of my life goals is be free of bitterness, I knew I had to let go and the sentence came to mind over and over again, “flow it out.” I hope I did let what needed to flow out…go gracefully. I will report on the retreat soon, it was magical.
