Too easy!

Good morning!
Today I have not been so lucky as far as more homework assignments getting cancelled, however promising myself I can blog for a little after completing the homework I do have is working out nicely :)


To back track a little bit, when I first started over-hauling my eating/living habits a year ago, I read a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman called Eat to Live. I LOVED this book! He took a lot of time to explain the science behind how all food (healthy or otherwise) effects our bodies. Now, he recommends a diet that is high in nutrients and that is plant-based - however I realize that for many of you, reading Dr. Fuhrman's book & switching to a plant-based diet is probably not something that you will be doing anytime soon. BUT - there are 2 easy tips for making life a little healthier that you CAN start doing today even that I wanted to share. 

#1

The first one is the idea of eating by the 90/10 rule. On the Eat to Live plan 90% = focus on plant-based foods, 10% = meat products, but this concept applies to how you eat now too. The basics idea here are: 

1. Eat as well as you can, and focus on eating foods with the highest amounts of nutrient to bad stuff (carbs, sugars...etc) 90% percent of the time. 
2. The other 10% of the time is where things like Birthdays/PMS Week (ladies you know what I mean)/special occasions/laid back saturdays...etc come into play. 

Keeping this rule in mind, I have found to be really helpful, especially being away at college. Eating healthy food at college is somewhat of a feat, and takes a lot of planning ahead. By keeping a running approximate balance of where I am at on the 90/10 ratio it makes healthy eating a little simpler.


This is an article that explains more about Dr. Furhman's 90/10 <<<

#2

The second tip you can start T.O.D.A.Y, (seriously!) is drinking water consistently! Up until a few months ago, I had always kind of known/heard/read that it is important to drink water. But I did not realize that NOT drinking water contributes to things such as bloating occurring. This water article explains this idea and other effects of not drinking water more throughly, but again to share the basics:

1. Our bodies are made up of a lot of cells. 
2. Cells like having water. 
3. If we don't drink enough water, our cells get a little nervous that we aren't going to replenish our water supply soon so they hold on to whatever water they have (causing bloating).
4. If we drink water CONSISTENTLY (not necessarily in mass quantities, just consistently), our cells don't have to swell and hold onto water for dear life.
5. End result = no more bloating, happier body! 

Again, not bloating is only one of the reasons to drink water consistently. This article talks about some more water stuff :)

Hope this helps & that you all have a wonderful day!

-Kyla

18 days down. A lifetime to go.

It is hard to believe that 18 days ago I was returning from Argentina with a new found plan for becoming healthier by simply reducing the amount of processed sugar in my diet. Now, after 18 days of eating, researching, reading, and discussing the benefits of eating only natural foods, I  plan on never going back to my old eating habits. One easy reason being, the less processed/sugar/animal product type foods you eat, the less you think they taste great anyways!

After reading the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Furhman I was floored at how simple (in theory) it is to make a drastic health change for the better simply by having a primarily plant based diet. If you're not interested in reading it, I'll summarize: the higher amount of nutrient rich foods you eat = a healthier and more disease resistant you. That is it, in a nutshell, and honestly I think its crazy to not actively strive for being a healthy and informed consumer. Most people (hopefully) wouldn't buy a car or house without some amount of research, so why not take some time to think and study what it is you are eating and is directly effecting your body and mental health? There are literally TONS of resources and support available to encourage a healthy eating lifestyle...

I think in many ways I have overwhelemed most of my friends with my new natural eating vendetta. After becoming aware of how food can effect your life in such a huge positive way - it drives me almost to the point of crazy that most of my college peers could honestly care less. I totally understand that only eating all natural and whole foods as a college student is really really hard, but that is not to say it is impossible. Personally, I get really passionate about a lot of things, and while that part of my personality is as much a curse as it is a blessing sometimes, I really pray that others will see my passion for healthy eating and that it may spark a least a curiosity as to why I would pass up eating college favorites such as  Buffalo Wild Wings, pizza, or food from our student grill. God has designed an earth full of food that is perfect for our bodies - without needing all of the extra salt, sugar, gluten, and oils (among many other things) we tend to add. America is becoming more and more well-known for the high rates of obesity our citizens have. Food is getting a bad rap, and honestly its not the food that is the issue, it is us. If we are the ones that are buying  the processed and unhealthy food - that sends an easy message to the companies that their product is in demand. However, back to my earlier statement about the positivity of food, for as much as unhealthy food is addicting and contributing to high obesity rates, food does not have to be the bad guy - and this is probably the first time in my life I have put that concept together.

So now, what is next?

Next, is spending a focused six weeks on increasing the amount of nutritious foods in my diet and cutting out the not so great options. My first big challenge is work on my coffee addiction. Yup, if you just thought "yikes" - that was a very accurate reaction. I am 3 days now sans coffee, and this morning was a rough one to say the least. While I have noticed that having sugar limited in what I eat really has seemed to be helping me feel less moody, this whole coffee deficiency thing might be the ax to the absence of my mood swings lately...Why no coffee? Well, one cup of coffee a day really wouldn't be a big deal - but I am used to drinking at least 3 or 4 cups every morning which is a great way to be dehydrated and puts me at much higher risk for heart problems. So coffee got kicked to the curb this week and I am definitely mourning it's absence..if anyone has a great morning worthy drink to easy my coffee separation blues - please share!


Overall eating this week: Fruit & granola with flax seed for breakfasts, salads for lunch everyday, and lots of veggies for dinner. Snacks: almonds or kidney beans (which are a new favorite food item!)

Overall mood: No coffee. And it I spent the afternoon doing taxes. But all things considered: B+ for my mood grade.