Living It With Lisa

Most of you know I have a  H  U G E aversion, might I even say disgust for sodas.  I am on the other hand a H U G E advocate of drinking more water.  And for good reason.

This summer I bought a new water bottle for Tommy (grandson) and me because he was not drinking enough water.  To make it fun and so that he would realize how much water he was drinking we each got a Camelbak BPA-free water bottle.  I got the liter size and he got the 1/2 liter.  That way when he would race me to drink more water … he always won with finishing his bottle first!  We carried it everywhere we went.  He knew that there was nothing else to drink until one bottle was gone.  Then he might get lemonaide or juice.  Then we would start on the next bottle.  You would be surprised at how many days all he drank was water.  With no ice mind you.

Here is the back story on me.  I grew up in a household where the only soda in the house was Root Beer and that was for Daddy’s Root Beer Floats!  P E R I O D.  And yes he did share with his girls!

When I left home I did drink sodas for a while but realized early on that if you are thirsty and you reach for a soda you are NOT quenching your thirst at all.  Water quenches your thirst.  By the time a person feels thirsty, your body is telling you it needs water and you are becoming dehydrated.

Think about this.  Why is breakfast the most important meal of the day?  You just slept for 6-8 hours with nothing to fuel your body.  Well you also haven’t had a drink of water either.  When you wake up each morning you should drink a glass … yes 8 ounces of water.

I will say that was the hardest thing for me to do when I was training for my first triathlon.  So I kept water by my bed and I would sit on the edge of the bed and make myself drink the water before I went to the bathroom.   I was shocked at what a difference it made in my day.  It set the pace for staying hydrated during the day and an unexpected benefit came along with it.  My dry skin became nonexistent.

Well that makes perfect sense since up to 70 percent of the human body weight is composed of water. Muscle is made up of nearly 75 percent water.  Fat is made up of about 50 percent water. Bones are also composed of about 50 percent water.

However, fat tissue does not have as much water as lean tissue.  So, if you are overweight it does not mean that you are carrying more water weight. Sorry!  If you are overweight it means you are carrying more fat.  Plain and simple.

Every system in your body needs water. Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.  Your body requires water to function properly.

I try to drink two liters each day.  I have found that if I have a water bottle I KNOW what I have drank each day as opposed to trying to count the glasses of water during the day.

Here are some additional reasons to drink your water:

- One glass of water can alleviate late night hunger

- Drinking at least 5 glasses of water each day can reduce the incidence of colon cancer, bladder cancer and breast cancer.

- Drinking the recommended 8 to 10 glasses of water a can can ease joint pain AND help you maintain your weight levels.

- Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.

Water Trivia:  20 Interesting and Useful Water Facts

You’re rushing down the aisle at the grocery store, checking things off your shopping list, when you spot an attractive bag of frozen strawberries that would be perfect for the next morning’s breakfast smoothie. The label says “Canada A.” You toss the bag into the cart, thinking that you’ve just scored yourself some yummy local berries frozen at the peak of freshness.

Take a closer look, and it turns out the strawberries are far from being close to home ….

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Blueberries are considered a superfood and featured on Healthcastle this month. Good for EVERYONE in their diet. Including Diabetics and those looking for low glycemic foods.  Read on…. Highlighting this month’s food of the month was pretty easy work. Blueberries, our choice for August, are truly nutritional superstars.  They are also tasty and easily found in markets and stores across North America, with multiple varieties to choose from.  The fruit can range in size from tiny pea-sized balls to those as big as marbles and can be any color from blue to maroon to dark purple.  Blueberries can be tart and a little crunchy when unripe; as the berries ripen the flesh softens and the fruit sweetens.

Click here to read more

We know that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you.  Are you scanning your labels to make sure it is not in the food you are buying?  Now, if you aren’t buying processed foods you won’t have a label to read!  Ok, not even I am that dedicate but every little step we take towards conscious choice with more wholesome and natural ingredients helps us feed our body so it is not fighting and protecting us from potential toxins in processed foods.   

So what’s the deal with this sweetener?  The following article by Toby Amidor gives us some insight. 

What is it?
 High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) started making its name in the 1980s as a cheap alternative to sugar. Sugar is made from two sub-units: glucose and fructose.  HFCS is made from those same two subunits — just with some extra help from the lab.  Basically put, HFCS starts out as cornstarch, which is made of glucose, and then some of that glucose is converted via chemical processes to fructose.  So, you see, there’s some manipulation that goes into making it.

Where is it found?
 Everywhere. Yes, everywhere!  Bread, cookies, soda, cold cereals, candy, ketchup, lunch meats, yogurts, soups, jams, chocolate syrup — you name it and it probably contains HFCS.  On a recent supermarket trip, I spent 15 minutes in the bread aisle trying to find a loaf without this sweetener.  It’s become so mainstream in our food supply that it’s sometimes difficult to completely eliminate it from your diet. 

What has sparked the controversy?
  As the use of HFCS increased, so did American’s waistlines. Once that news surfaced, the public went crazy and the HFCS backlash began.  According to The American Medical Association, HFCS does not contribute more to obesity than sugar or other caloric sweeteners.

According to nutritionist, author, professor  Marion Nestle, “Biochemically, high fructose corn syrup is about the same as table sugar (both have about the same amount of fructose and calories), but it is in everything and Americans eat a lot of it — nearly 60 pounds per capita in 2006, just a bit less than pounds of table sugar.”

The Latest Issues
 A study released in January revealed that almost half of the commercial food products tested that contained HFCS also contained mercury.  Understandably, the media went wild because mercury is toxic and has been linked to neurological damage in humans.  Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Association released a statement claiming that the study was flawed and failed to properly conduct their study.

The Bottom Line
 HFCS is found in many packaged foods and hard to avoid.  If possible, opt for products without the sweetener or ones that list HFCS lower down on the ingredients (the closer it is to the end of the list, the less it contains).  Sticking to a whole diet with fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, grains and legumes can help minimize your consumption.  And, as we always say, moderation is key.

The other day I got an email that FLOORED me.  There has been lots of banter about obesity, and sometimes I admit that I will be very aware of how many people whose paths cross mine are decidedly overweight.  What I didn’t realized was that there was a study on just that.  So here it is…

The Trust for America’s Health released a new ranking of the U.S.’s fattest states.  Curious on where your state ranked?   Mississippi tops the list for the fifth year in a row — 32.5% of its adult residents are considered obese.  Colorado, meanwhile, continues to be the leanest with only 18.9% of adults falling into the obese category.  The saddest thing on their chart is that you can find the stats on obese kids in each state, too.

People it is time to wake up and do something!

Okay I am not a food stylist.  I really know that after watching The Food Magicians on the Food Network.  Hopefully you will enjoy my first attempt a sugar free, gluten free cake for Carters 21st birthday.

That is how my party planning started.  I knew that I wanted to serve an entire meal that was diabetic friendly and that the attendees wouldn’t even realize it…and that included the cake too.  The menu was the easy part, it was the cake that took 3 tries to get it right.  Victoria and I were sick of Chocolate cake by party time since we had been sampling for days.  Vic on the other had was sad to see

it stop.  I determined that he was not a good cake taste tester.  He liked them all.  Even the one that tasted like an unsweetened bar of Bakers Chocolate!

So here is the menu:

Gazpacho Soup, Shrimp Cocktail with Cocktail Sauce, Fruit Platter, MamaLisa’s Cauliflower, Zucchini & Squash Slaw, Roasted Artichoke Salad, with Smoked Brisket with BBQ sauce, and Chocolate Cake with Whipped Cream, Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce.

Uncle Jerry brought his yummy Salsa with chips  and Tori had a special request so I also made Roasted Garlic with Toasted Baguettes.  Carter’s Mom Roseanne brought her family favorite Vidalia Onion Casserole.  So those items were the only no-no on the menu.

Yes, all the sauces were diabetic.  The BB!Q sauce I made my original BBQ sauce and then updated the recipe to make it diabetic and I am telling you …there was hardly a difference.   My girlfriend Stacy had

also turned me on to a line of products from Walden Farms that were sugar free.  I took their cocktail sauce which is surprisingly good and added some horseradish.  YummE!

The gazpacho and its yummy topping was a hit.  I served it in espresso cups that I bought for our wedding reception, so no spoons needed!  It is the perfect way to serve soup to a crowd.

MamaLisa’s Cauliflower is always a hit and very little is ever left over.  Very simple,  Steam the cauliflower, top with a mustard mayo mix, top that with shredded colby cheese so it will melt.

The Zucchini & Squash Slaw (gotta figure out a better name for that) is a recipe that I modeled after Cucumber Salad.  Except that I cut the veggies with a mandolin to resemble spaghetti pasta.  The vinegar ‘cooks’ it and it gets al-dente.  There were actually a couple of guests that thought it was pasta when they looked at it.  Then I spice it up a little bit with some Sambal hot sauce and some cilantro.  Carter and Vic LOVE it … Carter requested it to be on the menu.

Vic make the brisket and it was perfect.  He has mastered brisket in his smoker.  Rubbed some Salt Lick Rub on it the night before and smoked for 12 hours.  Put in the warming drawer till ready to serve and it was tender and moist.

The cake turned out fabulously.  Some of the comments were that it tasted like a brownie.  If any of you have had a flour-less chocolate cake you will know that it is a dense cake.  So was this one.  It took me a few tries to get the ratio of chocolate right and the ratio of the two sweeteners right.

Serve it with a dollop of whipped Cream sweetened with Stevia,  a strawberry and a drizzle of Walden Farms Chocolate Sauce.

Carter took some home with him and called me the next day.  He had taken some to work and the coworkers said they would buy this and they weren’t diabetic.  It is nice to know my perseverance paid off.  My goal was to have a dessert that anyone would eat because it really tasted good and it wouldn’t matter that it was Sugar Free and Gluten Free.  It really was remarkably good if I say so myself!

So overall the Birthday Celebration was a success.  One of  best complement of the day was from one of Carter’s college buddies as he was leaving.  ”Who knew that diabetic food could be so good!”

Do you know anyone who is afflicted?   It is becoming a much smaller world as the majority of our population is obese which can be linked to diabetes.   Diabetes in many cases can be reversed with diet and exercise  but why wait until you are diagnosed.   Think about your food choices and improve them now so you have a better quatlity of life … the rest of your life.

I recently read that a study by Joslin Diabetes Center researchers showed that obese adults who lost just 7% of their weight and did moderate intensity exercise for six months improved their major blood vessel function by approximately 80%,  regardless of whether or not they had type 2 diabetes.

Why wait till you are overweight and on your way to obese.  Start today and make some changes.

Now that is something to think about…for the health of it!

With the recent episode through which Senator Ted Kennedy went, many people speculated that he perhaps had had a stroke. Further tests have confirmed that instead he is suffering from a brain tumor. However, it reinforces the fact that early detection of a stroke is critically important. Obviously those around Sen. Kennedy acted quickly for that very reason.

According to several neurologists, they say that if they can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours the effects of a stroke can be totally reversed … totally. The key is getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

STROKE: Remember the 1st Three Letters….S.T.R.

 And now there is a Fourth Indicator, the Tongue!

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall – she assured veryone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics).  She said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food.  While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital – (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.)  She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ.  Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.  Some don’t die.  they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.  Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.  The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S  -  Ask the individual to SMILE.

T  -  Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)  (i.e. It is sunny out today.)

R –  Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number (911) immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your Tongue

A new fourth indicator  has been isolated.  Ask the person to ‘stick’ out his tongue.  If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.  Although this does not fit easily into the STR method, remember S(mile), T(alk), R(aise), TONGUE. 

The ability to immediately determine a POSSIBLE stroke can be beneficial to reversing the condition when presented to a neurologist within 3 hours.

Now here is some insight we all need in coping with stress.  Did you know that researchers found that twenty seconds of belly laughter is equivalent to three minutes of working out on a rowing machine?   Now who is heading to the comedy club tonight! Stress vs. laughter?  Who knew that laughter is the ultimate stress buster.

Many of you know that I love cookbooks. I have WAY too many. One time I actually counted and there were over 125. So I put myself on a cookbook diet! I wouldn’t let myself buy another one until I made a recipe out of EACH one!

That diet did last for a very long time. But alas I started adding more. When Christopher Guerierro got me hooked on the idea of eating as many raw vegetables as possible in order to utilize all the nutrients that started me on another ‘division’ of my cookbook library. Yes, it is now a library because I love to read cookbooks!

What are some of my FAVs?

The absolutely latest cookbook (purchased on Friday at Michael’s) is THE FOOD YOU CRAVE, Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger. Ok, I bought it at a crafts store! I don’t even have to be in a book store! I am an addict! I have picked out several recipes to try.  If you are looking for fresh ingredients put together in innovative ways with little or no fuss, this cookbook is for you.

SUNDAY SOUP, A Year’s Worth of Mouthwatering, Easy-to-Make Recipes by Betty Rossbottom is a MUST HAVE in your collection.  I made 4 soups the first week and one twice to rave reviews from Vic and Victoria.  The first element I loved is that the cookbook is set up according to seasons so you automatically know what to use at the peak of freshness…so go to your farmers market.  The second element is that there were multiple recipes that you just wanted to try right away … with pictures of course.

Cooking Light’s 5-INGREDIENT 15-MINUTE Cookbook is an all time favorite. I bought this years ago. Beats frozen food any day.  So working moms, college kids, single guys, those who don’t want to fuss and muss to long in the kitchen … must try it.

PS.  and no … I didn’t make a recipe from each cookbook before I broke down and bought another one … almost … does that count?

PS.  and no … I am not going to count my cookbooks … Ignorance is Bliss!