Health Fact: How many yellow's are you eating?

 



Did you yellow foods are high in antioxidants like vitamin C. Vitamin C keeps our teeth and gums healthy, helps to heal cuts, improves the mucus membranes (like when we have colds), helps to absorb iron, prevents inflammation, improves circulation, and therefore prevents heart disease. Some of the darker ones also cross over with the health benefits of orange foods.  Now you know... go eat more yellow!

My Sunday Story: Two great stories about real people

Today I came across two great stories that made me stop, listen, and think.  I woke up today feeling unmotivated (typical Sunday, eh), determined not to waste my morning laying around the apartment (like some slob), I decided go downtown and hit up the retail district (cuz you know, buying something nice for yourself or someone always brings temporary gratification to one's life.  Sad, but true lol).

Half way there I stopped off at a near by coffee shop to meet a friend for some conversations.  It was there that I came across the first story in the Sunday Province, a story about Andrew McLane and his remarkable life transformation - from being categorized as super obese to a now slim 200 lbs.  Instead of going into more details about Mr. McLane, I will share a link to this his story

Parksville realtor's spectacular weight loss the product of regular exercise, healthy eating and hard work

After leaving the coffee shop I started to feel more like myself so I thought to myself "shopping - F. that!"  Soon after I found myself swimming laps at the near by Ymca on Burrard.  It is here that I come across story number two.

After exhausting myself in the lap pool, I went to a place that is highly regarded in my top 10 best man made things - the hot tub lol!  While relaxing for about 5 min, I grew bored (for those that don't know me, I can get very ADD) so I started up a conversation with the person beside me.  After telling them about my morning and how it lead me here they told me about theirs and how it involved this amazing youtube video.  You may have heard about it - it's titled The Amazing Transformation of a Guy Who Didn't Give Up.  Two words is all I need to sum this video up - Simply Amazing!
 
I feel very blessed that these two stories have found me today - As life will have it some times, I have been feeling a bit uninspired the last couple of weeks and was in deed needing a good "slap" back into form.  Even with all the great things that have happened during that period, I couldn't help but feel a bit lost in my emotions.  I guess it is true what they say, put it out to the universe and it will reply back (you just need not ignore them when they come).  As I type the last few sentences to this story, its safe to say that I am more focused than ever to take on the challenges in front of me and accomplish each and everyone of them LIKE A BOSS (then moving on to new and even more amazing things - maybe a triathlon soon???).  

That's my Sunday story folks... hope you enjoy it!   Now to get off the computer and swing some kettlebells around and watch Walking Dead & Dexter (in that order lol) before it gets too late.  Will be posting a great recipe for a quick healthy breakfast smoothie soon... stay tuned.  Till next time :)

PS I got a protein smoothie at the coffee shop.
 

Recipes when I feel like it: Homemade Protein Bars

So because my curiosity got the better of me this week (and my annoyance of waiting in costco lineups just to buy cliff builder bars) I've decided to experiment with my own protein bar. After some careful research I've created a list of ingredients.


Too make things easier, I'm going to separate the ingredients to a dry bowl and wet bowl - I promise you the names will make sense in the end lol. In case you haven't guessed yet, you'll also need two giant bowls as well (one of which is safe for the microwave if you choose that route).

Dry Bowl Ingredients:
2 cups Oats (you can spice things up by adding any dry grains or seeds to make a mix)
1 cup Protein Powder (natural, vanilla, or chocolate are best for taste)
1/4 cup Peanuts or Almonds (or any nut you prefer)
1/4 cup Cranberries or Raisons (or any dried fruit)
1/4 cup Coconut Shreds (unsweetened or sweetened, your call - just remember, sweetened will increase your sugar content)
1/2 tbsp Cinnamon


Assemble everything into one bowl. After mixing it up, place your dry bowl a side to make room for the next bowl.

Wet Bowl Ingredients:
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (prefer natural but if all you got is skippy or Kraft - go with it!)
1/4 cup Honey
1/4 cup Milk (or soy, almond, coconut, rice... and etc - doesn't matter. But if you often find yourself without a fridge, you may want to choose one of the latter)
1/4 cup Apple Sauce (unsweetened or sweetened, your call - refer to coconut shreds)
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate (or milk chocolate if that's all you got)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract





Again, assemble everything into one bowl. For the next step you can either place the bowl in the microwave or use the old school method of pots and pans to melt the ingredients - your call...

 Next, pour your melted wet bowl ingredients into your dry bowl ingredients.

You've guessed it, now for the fun part - get your dirty hands in there and mix everything up. Just kidding - wash your hands if you already haven't ;)



Once everything is mixed, transfer it to a baking tray to be put into the fridge for an hour or two (or in the freezer if your ADD like me or in a hurry). I found long tupperware containers works well as well (so save those pastic chinese take out containers). Keep tray in the fridge until ingredients have solidified.

Voila!!! The protein bars are done!!! I'll leave you with the freedom to decide how to cut into smaller bars.

Enjoy!!!  Don't be shy - If you have an input on how to make this better (or different, in a good way) send your thoughts my way :)  

How to Find Your Mid-Foot - For Runners!

For the last few years, more and more runners and training professionals have been touting the benefits of running with a mid-foot landing, rather than the more common heel-strike. Many agree that a mid-foot landing is more natural. Have you tried running in place with no shoes on? You’ll never land on your heel.

The human foot is an amazing structure, built with 26 bones, 33 joints and over one hundred muscles, ligaments and tendons. The arch is a beautifully designed spring mechanism that feeds energy to our calves, quads and hips and lets us run gracefully and painlessly, if we just let it do its job.

The running shoe we see most often today has been around since about the mid 80s, when more of the general masses started to take up running. The athletic shoe industry figured that the average jogger might want more comfort than the serious athlete, who had up until then influenced the market toward a more lightweight racing shoe.

Major shoe companies decided to add cushioning and a raised heel to the running shoe, leading to the heel-strike form. Essentially they made running feel like walking. It must have seemed like a good idea at the time.

Since then we have seen an explosion of runners, but we have also seen an explosion of knee problems, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, and the list goes on. Many believe that the super-cushioned, gel-filled, motion-control features of the modern running shoe have dimmed the natural movement of our feet and disrupted our skeletal balance, causing unnecessary injuries.

Because of this, some runners are setting their feet free. Some go completely barefoot while others are choosing to lighten up on their footwear, wearing shoes closer to what runners wore in the old days, with little to no cushioning and no pronation control. No bells and whistles.

Runners today are taking back their mid-foot and reaping the benefits with less injuries and more enjoyable runs. If you're up for the challenge of finding your mid-foot and improving your running form, here are some tips to follow:

1. Lose the shoes.

Bare feet are your best teacher. If you aren't comfortable going totally bare, try some lightweight footwear. You can choose anything from running sandals, to water shoes, to a high-tech pair of minimalist running kicks.

The things to look for in a minimalist shoe are:

• no significant lift from the toe to heel (4mm or less) or none at all (often marketed as "zero-drop")
• very little to no cushioning
• an extra flexible sole
• plenty of room for your toes to spread and move

If you absolutely cannot part with your cushioned trainers, that's okay. You can still improve your running form with these next tips.

2. Stop landing on your heel.

The key to good form is contacting the ground with the front half of your foot first. This is more difficult to do in heavy trainers, and next to impossible to avoid when barefoot. The exact contact spot varies from person to person. Some land on the ball of their foot (forefoot landing), but most land somewhere in the middle (mid-foot landing).

Your heel should still touch the ground briefly. However, it should not carry a large weight load. Most of your weight should be directly above your mid-foot. As soon as your heel makes contact, your arch and lower leg muscles can gather the spring they need to move your body forward. This way you can land much more lightly and bounce out of each stride rather than pound the ground.

3. Stand up straight and shorten your stride.

Remember what your mother told you: don’t slouch. A slumped-over runner wastes energy and allows for over-striding, which means extending the leg so far ahead that the foot lands in front of the body's center of gravity.

Over-striding can lead to a host of problems, joint pain and knee injuries in particular. So keep your back straight, lead with your chest and bend forward only slightly at the ankles.

Shortening the length of your stride and increasing your cadence can make it easier to straighten up and resist over-striding. The average heel-striking runner tends to use longer strides and a cadence of 90 to 120 beats per minute (BPM), but the recommended cadence for optimal mid-foot running is about 180 BPM. That's three beats per second.

Get this cadence down and it may help achieve and maintain your correct form. Help yourself out by downloading a playlist of songs at 180 BPM for your iPod or carrying a small metronome with you.

4. Relax.

Finding your mid-foot can make you a more graceful and energy-efficient runner. But there's nothing graceful about running with stiff, robot-like limbs. Loosen up.

Relax your shoulders, neck, hands, toes, and even your legs. Extra tension in your muscles wastes energy and can cause a lack in flexibility and extra soreness. Bend your knees, shake out all the stiffness and let your body choose which muscles carry you forward.

5. Listen to your body.

Switching from a heel-strike to a mid-foot strike is serious business. In the long run, good mid-foot form is easier on your joints and spine and strengthens your ankles, feet and lower legs. But it is a big change for your underused lower leg and foot muscles.

It is important to start slow—even slower than you think. Build mileage gradually and always listen to your body when it says stop. Most knowledgeable barefoot runners recommend starting with no more than 1/8 to 1/4 mile at first, and increasing distance by 10 percent each week.

For longer distance runners, this may seem ludicrous. However, learning a new running form is the equivalent to being a new runner. With that said, every runner is different. The smartest thing you can do is be patient, pay attention to how your body feels and avoid injuries by taking it easy during your transition period.

6. Learn from the Masters.

Finding your mid-foot takes a little more finesse than just throwing off your trainers and heading out the door. Fortunately, there is a wealth of advice out there on running with good form. I myself pick the brain of Timothy Smith, of Natural Runners Vancouver.  Check him out - http://www.facebook.com/thenaturalrunner.  Don't hesitate to send any questions you may have to him.  He's helped me out big time with my running - I feel like I can go longer with my power, balance, and agility than before :)

Dairy Free Chai Tea Latte!

Ingredients:

• 1 rooibos chai tea bag (redbush or rooibos chai is naturally caffeine free)
• 1 Tbs raw almond butter
• water
•   ¼ tsp vanilla
•   ¼ tsp cinnamon
• pinch cardamom and/or nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

Steep tea in boiling water for about 5 minutes and remove bag. Add tea to blender with almond butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Blend into a creamy latte and enjoy!

35 Fast Tips To Make This Your Best Year Yet!

1. Remember that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.
2. Keep the promises you make to others - and to yourself. 
3. The project that most scares you is the project you need to do first. 
4. Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results. 
5. Stop being busy being busy. This New Year, clean out the distractions from your work+life and devote to a monomaniacal focus on the few things that matter.
6. Read “The War of Art”. 
7. Watch “The Fighter”. 
8. In a world where technology is causing some of us to forget how to act human, become the politest person you know. 
9. Remember that all great ideas were first ridiculed. 
10. Remember that critics are dreamers gone scared. 
11. Be “Apple-Like” in your obsession with getting the details right. 
12. Take 60 minutes every weekend to craft a blueprint for the coming seven days. As Saul Bellow once said: “A plan relieves you of the torment of choice.”
13. Release your need to be liked this New Year. You can’t be a visionary if you long to be liked. 
14. Disrupt or be disrupted. 
15. Hire a personal trainer to get you into the best shape of your life. Superstars focus on the value they receive versus the cost of the service.
16. Give your teammates, customers and family one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of your attention (and presence).
17. Every morning ask yourself: “How may I best serve the most people?” 
18. Every night ask yourself: “What 5 good things happened to me this day?” 
19. Don’t waste your most valuable hours (the morning) doing low value work. 
20. Leave every project you touch at work better than you found it. 
21. Your job is not just to work. Your job is to leave a trail of leaders behind you. 
22. A job is not “just a job”. Every job is a gorgeous vehicle to express your gifts and talents - and to model exceptionalism for all around you.
23. Fears unfaced become your limits. 
24. Get up at 60 minutes earlier to prepare your mind, body, emotions and spirit to be remarkable during the hours that follow. Being a superstar is not the domain of the gifted but the prepared.
25. Tell your family you love them often. 
26. Smile at strangers. 
27. Drink more water. 
28. Keep a journal. Your life’s story is worth recording. 
29. Do more than you’re paid to do and do work that leaves your teammates breathless. 
30. Leave your ego at the door every morning. 
31. Set 5 daily goals every morning. These small wins will lead to nearly 2000 little victories by the end of the year.
32. Say “please” and “thank you”. 
33. Remember the secret to happiness is doing work that matters and being an instrument of service. 
34. Don’t be the richest person in the graveyard. Health is wealth. 
35. Life’s short. The greatest risk is risk-less living. And settling for average.

How to Find Real Food at the Supermarket

How to make Paleo work for you: Part One

For the last week I've been reading and hear about the difficulties of staying on the paleo diet - i'm always hungry, i'm craving bread, etc.  Remember in today's world, it is not essential that you follow a diet to the "T", this will only lead to a "yo-yo" effect (lose the weight, put the weight back on).  Instead, make some adjustments to the diet in your favour so that it is more sustainable for your lifestyle, it is okay to include items such as dairy or grain (in small amounts) as long as you feel no negative effects.  By tailoring the diet, you will feel a sense of control again with what you are eating.


Few tips provided by Jordan @ Strength Beyond Strength


1. You can strip the rules down to 'Eliminate Grains'. Having had people plug dairy and legumes back into their diet with no noticeable difference I think that so long as you know you don't have an issue with those two items, you're fine. I know that I do, so they stay out.

2. Observe cultural traditions. Trying to force your clients of Asian or East Indian descent to give up rice most likely will not work. There is a deep rooted cultural epicurean tradition there that will not be denied. Particularly as I haven't seen much negative effect from leaving rice in, no reason to make something already difficult emotionally harder.

3. Watch out for substitutions. This bit a bunch of people in the early days. They would knock down the sugar intake and then start eating a pound of fruit a day, replacing one sugar habit with another. Same with with nuts. Eating a quarter pound of almonds a day will not work out well for most people. Many seem to love throwing out phrases like "The more fat I eat the leaner I get!" Yeah, to a degree. Be reasonable. It's useful to be able to recognize catch phrases for what they are.

4. Don't s**t can something that is working. I've noticed a trend of people coming up with excuses to bag Paleo, not because it is not working, but because their will finally broke and they want some damn bread! This is a big one for me, because starting Paleo actually allowed me to not need to be on 3-5 medications for 'unexplained' allergic reactions that ended up being all wheat, sugar, and dairy based. Now if I slide off it hits me like a hammer.

5. It will hit you harder if you lapse. This is common for people who have GI issues or allergic reactions to grains, dairy, or legumes. After you have cleared our your system via Paleo for a while you will be waaaay less tolerant to those things. I had an incident where I had been pretty strict for a few months and then had two beers one night. This caused an inflammatory reaction in my right foot that basically crippled me for the night. No joke. So if you experience something like this it doesn't mean 'Paleo is bad' (see number 4) it means that you're running a lot cleaner now and have less tolerance for poison. We should all have such a horrible problem.

Everyday Fact of Life:

"To maintain a healthy diet, you MUST DO SOME PREPARATION so you won't make a poor choice in a rush. Your ancestors did not have fast food!"
                                                                       
                                                                      - Steve McMinn

Arnold Schwarzenegger: Life's 6 Rules

Funny enough, these are my rules too (and have been for a very long time).  Difference between Arnold and me - he's got a video outlining them for everyone to hear and enjoy!  Take what you will from it :)

Sh*t Nobody Says

Laugh Out Loud Funny!

Eat Like A Caveman To Lose Weight - True Story!

Everyone seems to asks me - What is your diet like?  My response is "the closes thing to it would be the paleo "caveman" diet."  I often follow it up with a few reasons why and why I add a few extras to it (to accommodate my active lifestyle better).  Though new to the general public, news of this diet have now traveled to most people.  Unfortunately for most, there is not much literature to back this diet up.  So much so, when my new doctor ask me about my diet, after explaining it to her, she requested that I eat more grains and drink more dairy.  NEVER!


Here is a useful article that I found Written by Rupert Shepherd that address the diet (and its benefits) quite well.  Enjoy!  


Researchers from UCSF say that their research has shown people on a diet of high protein and plenty of vegetables show dramatic health improvements, including weight loss without exercising profusely and lower blood pressure. In short it's the diet of our caveman ancestors thousands of years ago who were what is termed "Hunter Gathers".

Dr. Tim White a paleobiologist from University of California Berkley says : 

"Our Biology is still basically the same biology that we had as hunters and gathers 100,000 years ago in Africa."

Dr. White says that the constant physical activity that cavemen had to undertake to hunt and find food, not to mention cutting up animals or pounding grains or root vegetables to make the edible, using only very basic tools, kept them fit, lean, muscular and active. Their diet consisted of large amounts of lean meat, and basic vegetables. Fruits would have been highly seasonable and salt, pure sugar, and large amounts of carbohydrates in their diets pretty much impossible.

The problem today is that we just consume whatever and whenever we want, and generally speaking the food is heavily processed and high in sugar and salt compared to anything natural our ancestors would have eaten.

Dr. White continues :

"We don't have to pound it, we don't have to cut it, we don't have to break into the bones, we just consume it and there is very little energy that goes into that consumption ... and we are paying an enormous health cost for that."

Dr. White didn't want to confirm that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, andcancer are directly caused by poor diet, his area of specialty is not concerned with the present day. However, researchers at University of California San Francisco tested out the diet on volunteers. 

Dr. Linda Frasetto, MD. and her team selected people who were unhealthy in one way or another. They were given a specific diet of lean meat, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables. The diet includes only healthy fats, such as those in nuts and seeds, as a caveman faced with an entire carcass and no refrigerator would have been likely to go only for the best cuts in as much quantity as he could physically eat before the meat went rotten or attracted scavengers or predators.

Frasettoconfirmed the results : 

"Everyone's blood pressure went down. In two weeks everybody's cholesterol and triglycerides got better and the average drop was 30 points ... That's the kind of drop you get by taking Statins for six months. "

Robert Lustig, MD. an endocrinologist at UCSF, said that people on the diet have experienced a regression of their diabetes as a result, to the point they are effectively cured.

Dr. Kim Mulvihill, a reporter from CBS tried the diet herself and doctors recommended she should stay on the diet permanently. Her cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels dropped dramatically over a few weeks. After seven weeks she was no longer pre-diabetic, and by combining the so called paleo diet with a weight loss program she lost thirty pounds.

Robert Lustig, MD. says : 

"The bottom line is we are killing ourselves ... We have 66 million obese adults and 20 million obese kids in this country ... They are not all going to go on the Paleolithic diet."

He says the solution is not to be extreme, rather to get back to basics, effectively run our bodies on the correct fuel they were designed to burn : 

"Low Sugar, High fibre and you've got it nailed. That's something you can do and its called ... Eat ... Real ... Food."

The one thing you can't really do is to be on the paleo diet and vegetarian, because so much of the diet comes from meat and fish.

Lets not lets this happen anymore - only you have the power to change it!

Sitting is Killing you!

As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, there is one thing nearly all modern North Americans have in common: we sit all the time. Though our great shift towards computer-based work has done great things for productivity, it has, unfortunately, done terrible things for our health. From increased risk of heart disease and obesity in the long term, to sharply hampered cholesterol maintenance in the short term, the negative health effects of sitting are starting to weigh heavily against the benefits. Even the medical field – the greatest advocates of reducing sitting time – is plagued by this new health issue. Though doctors and nurses get plenty of walking time, it usually falls to the secretaries, billers, and coders to do all the sitting. And, as we can see, something has to change NOW.
Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Fast food may damage your brain: study

I was reading through canada.com when I came across this article written by Sharon Kirkey @ Postmedia News.  Old news with a new twist - Another reason to avoid trans fats!  

Researchers have found that there's a part of your body that might actually shrink when you eat too much fast food.

Unfortunately, it's your brain.

People with diets high in trans fats are more likely to experience the kind of brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people who consume less of the artery-damaging fats, the new study suggests.

Those with diets high in vitamins C and E, the B vitamins and vitamin D, meanwhile, appear to have larger brains than people with diets low in these nutrients.

And diets high in omega 3 fatty acids seemed to benefit the small blood vessels of the brain — "and the thinking abilities related to those vessels," said lead investigator Dr. Gene Bowman.

The work — published in the journal Neurology — involved 104 people, ages 65 and older, enrolled in the Oregon Brain Aging Study. All were generally healthy elders, with few smokers or people with diabetes or high blood cholesterol.

When the study was launched in 1989, "the aim was to study the effects of age on dementia risk in people that don't have factors known to increase their risk at the time," Bowman said.

Other researchers have linked diet and dementia. But the usual strategy is to have people fill out questionnaires about the type and frequency of foods they eat — except people sometimes forget. Age can also affect how the body absorbs nutrients.

In the new study, researchers checked blood samples for markers of 30 different nutrients. Participants also did a raft of neuropsychological tests, and 42 had MRI scans of their brains as well. The team was interested in three things: cognitive function, total brain volume and white matter changes thought to be a sign of small vessel disease of the brain.

Small vessel disease, also known as cerebral small vessel disease, is an accumulation of plaque deposits in the small blood vessels throughout the brain. It can lead to stroke.

"We know in Alzheimer's disease that total brain atrophy (or shrinkage) is accelerated compared to people of the same age and same gender that don't have Alzheimer's disease," said Bowman, a naturopathic doctor in the department of neurology at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland.

Among the key findings:

- The B vitamins, the antioxidants C and E and vitamin D all seemed to be working in concert in some way the researchers can't yet fully explain. But the B-C-E-D pattern was associated with greater total brain volume and better global cognitive function. People who scored low on this vitamin combination turned out to have less total brain tissue;

- People who had high levels of circulating trans fats had less brain volume. They also had poorer memory, attention, language and processing speed skills;

- People with higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids had better executive function — the ability to plan, problem solve, multi-task and perform other functions — as well as fewer white matter lesions on their brain scans.

The findings held after researchers took age, sex, education, hypertension and genetic and other factors into account.

Some trans fats are found naturally, in small amounts, in dairy products, beef and lamb, but the trans fats in the study are hidden in cakes, flaky pastries, potato chips and other fried, frozen and processed food.

Trans fatty acids increase inflammation, make arteries harder and decrease heart rhythm, increasing the risk of cardiac arrest.

But only a handful of studies have looked at the relationship between trans fats and brain function, Bowman said. "I think our study is one of the first to look at blood levels of trans fats related to brain health."

He said the term "brain shrinkage" is a bit of a misnomer, because the researchers didn't look at rates of change over time. And the study doesn't prove cause-and-effect, just an association.

But evidence suggests that trans fats can replace good fats in cell membranes, "and when that occurs it changes the structure and chemical properties of the cell in an unfavourable way," Bowman said.

"Trans fats are known to be bad for cardiovascular health," he said. "It makes sense that they're probably bad for the brain, too."

He recommended avoiding processed foods that list "partially hydrogenated oils" on the ingredient list. "That's trans fat," Bowman said.

I'm not sure about you, but these sure look a lot less appealing to me now (more so that before - which was low to begin with).

...Not Yummy!

Passion Equals Success!!!

Steve Jobs (may his soul rest in peace) explains the rules of success - I believe it!

Harvard Declares Dairy NOT Part of Healthy Diet

Yesterday, I posted the new Healthy Eating Plate.  After reading the diagram, a friend pointed out the near absence of milk.  Here is an article from the Harvard School of Public Health addressing that issue. 

The Harvard School of Public Health sent a strong message to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and nutrition experts everywhere with the recent release of its “Healthy Eating Plate” food guide.  The university was responding to the USDA’s new MyPlate guide for healthy eating, which replaced the outdated and misguided food pyramid.

Harvard’s nutrition experts did not pull punches, declaring that the university’s food guide was based on sound nutrition research and more importantly, not influenced by food industry lobbyists.  The greatest evidence of its research focus is the absence of dairy products from the “Healthy Eating Plate” based on Harvard’s assessment that “…high intake can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.”  The Harvard experts also referred to the high levels of saturated fat in most dairy products and suggested that collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, and baked beans are safer choices than dairy for obtaining calcium, as are high quality supplements.

Kudos to Harvard for promoting greater consumption of vegetables and fruits, as well as healthier protein options such as fish, beans or nuts.  And kudos to Harvard for ignoring the lobbyists and showing the USDA what healthy eating is all about. 

This Just In: The New Healthy Eating Plate

I just got this diagram sent to me - The new Healthy Eating Plate!  It was created by Harvard Health Publications and nutrition experts at the Harvard School of Public Health. Too me, it offers more specific and more accurate recommendations for following a healthy diet than the Canada Food Guide or MyPlate. In addition, the Healthy Eating Plate is based on the most up-to-date nutrition research, and most importantly, it is not influenced by the food industry or agriculture policy.  Bon Appetit! 

Motivational Quote:

You learn so much more by losing, than you ever will by winning... don't fear losing, embrace it and allow yourself to grow.


-Kevin Chang