My Sabbatical ... Sort of

First I want to say thank you to all of you who sent me emails to reach out and make sure that both Dan and I are okay.  I am very, very sorry that I didn’t have the time to respond yet.  I hope to find time in the future to respond to all of you who were so kind to spend your time to check on us.  Your thoughtful messages meant a lot to me. 

Needless to say my life has been out of control busy for the last few months.  It seems like every day something else gets added to my already bulging to-do list.  *sigh*  Since you know I don’t like to focus on what is wrong I am going to skim over the bad things and focus instead on the positive.

We have had the most wonderful weather this spring.  There have been quite a few days in the upper 80s already this year which is unbelievable.  The sailboat is officially “unwinterized” and she has already been out a few times which were fantastic! 

Our first trip of the season was with our new friend Lauren.  You remember Lauren we met her are Johns Hopkins during our unplanned visit this January. Lauren is quickly becoming an unofficial member of the family.  We have seen her on average once a week since we met in January.  It is wonderful to have a local health conscious friend who I can share healthy recipes, books, videos and articles with and hear her thoughts.   Lauren has also been kind enough to offer to be a recipe taste tester for me.  By the way, the new curried almond salad with cashew mayo recipe (no oil of course) was very well received.  Now I need to measure the ingredients since the concept worked.  This will be making regular appearances on the boat this summer, it is that good.

Also on the very positive news front  “my duck” (the one who eats Cheerios and catches them in the air) had babies.  As Dan said I am proud “grandmother”  LOL.  My duck brought her little ones over to meet me the day they were born.  I couldn’t be more thrilled if I were an actual grandmother.  ;-)  Aren’t they just the cutest little things?  They are the sweetest little chirpy fluff balls.  J  Since I am sure some of you are curious the little ones are already eating Cheerios.  I need to do some research and figure out what I should be feeding my ducks so that they are as healthy as possible.

What has gotten in the way of writing entries for the blog?  There have been so many things that I really don’t know where to start.  First there was a series of computer problems that resulted in three dead laptops in the span of a few days.  Dan was able to reformat one of them and resurrect it but the other two are permanently gone.  We bought another ultrabook and are now back to two laptops thank goodness.  After the laptop debacle of 2012 I don’t go anywhere near Dan’s desktop in his home office. All I need is to crash that too. I used to joke that I have the black thumb of death with plants but now I think the same thing is true with computers.  ;-)

Additionally I have been much busier than I anticipated with school (both the Immersion program at IIN and the Robbins-Madanes program).  Also my health coaching business is taking off and that too is taking up a lot more time than I expected.  However I will say that I am still thrilled each time someone has an “ah –ha moment”.  I can honestly say that I will never get tired of helping people reverse unhealthy trends and get on a better path.

Part of ramping up the business meant that I needed to stop fiddling around and square away my second website which I have been working on “in my spare time”, what little of that there has been over the last few months.  I am reasonably happy with my new site.  However I would love to get a little more feedback before I open it up to everyone.  If you have time to look at the site and give me feedback please let me know by sending an email to veganepicurean@gmail.com with “new site review” in the header and I will send you link.  Thank you in advance for taking the time to consider whether you have time to help me out or not. 

As you can tell I went from a woman of leisure to running flat out, rather zero to sixty in a lot of respects. I knew that I would be busy but never anticipated that I would be this busy.  However I am not complaining things are working out well so it’s all good.  There is a lot more going on but I have to save some of it for future posts so I don’t run out of things to write about.  ;-)

What have you been up to this spring? Is there anything fun going on in your life? Any new tips or tricks to staying healthy that you would like to share with others?  As I am very fond of saying we are stronger together than we are alone.

Happy thoughts:

Since it has been a while since I have written my happy thoughts I will need to get back into the habit of doing this.  J

• Two weeks ago I got to spend a weekday with my husband when he had a trip to Richmond for work. I rode along to keep him company and we talked the 3 hours down and back which made us both happy. We had lunch at our favorite veg restaurant and I got more recipe ideas. I will tell you more about this later.
•  I bought a new Vitamix for home and now I have my old Vitamix on the boat.  *happy dance*  I love having a Vitamix on the boat.  Now we can have green smoothies anytime and anywhere.  Could life get any better?  Well maybe it could get better.  One of the guys (Eric, who you will be hearing more about in upcoming posts) at the marina saw my Vitamix in action and he bought one too.  I am spreading the Vitamix love everywhere I go.  I really should be on their payroll.  LOL
•  Recently I have been testing homemade fabric softeners because I dislike the idea of using the chemical stuff with its carcinogens and that has been going really well.  This is something else that I need to share with you in an upcoming post.  If you don’t see this in a few weeks and are interesting be sure to remind me to tell you about it.
•  I have been reading a lot of books on Buddhism in my free time and I must say the more I learn the more it draws me in.  If any of you have any book suggestions let me know I would love to know what you would recommend. I will tell you about the specific books I have been enjoying in a future post.
• Dan and I went to a fun little Italian movie at The Charles last week called " The Salt of Life” that was cute.  It was shot in Rome and made us both miss Italy since we adore Rome.  We may need to take a little trip sometime this year to satisfy our craving for living on Italian time.  Any of you who have been fortunate enough to go to Italy know exactly what I mean. 
• As crazy as this will sound I have finally come to terms with the fact that I am going to be 50 years old later this week.  Wow, I can’t believe that I said that out loud LOL.  I now realize that since I don’t look my age I really need to wear 50 proudly.  ;-)  This has really been huge for me since I have been dreading turning 50 for the last 3 years. Yes I actually started worrying about it when I was 47.  No vanity here…… LOL
•  I am also very thankful for every day that I get to spend with my wonderful husband. We both appreciate every moment we have.  One thing that cancer has taught me is that life is short so enjoy it now since none of us know how long we have.  Buddhism reminds me that the only moment any of us has is now and to live fully in this moment.

Signing out:

I have a client to coach later today and then I need to do fun things like finish doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen since I actually cooked today.  I hope you are having a wonderful day.  It is my plan to get back to daily posting though my posts will probably be shorter than they have in the past.  In a few weeks I will be sharing the second site with all of you and that is where I will be writing more about health with this blog reserved for my recipes and daily musings.

Talk with you all again soon which I hope means tomorrow.  J

Potassium, Sodium and Chloride

How often have all of us heard someone say that they are eating bananas for the potassium and wondered what that meant or why anyone cared about their potassium intake?  When I was young my mother was always eating bananas for the potassium since she had high blood pressure.  It was decades later before I understood what was going on.  Since I assume that many of you didn’t learn this in school either I thought I would explain it so we all understand why we should care about our electrolyte intake and our ratio of potassium to sodium.

Potassium (K), sodium (Na) and chloride (CI) are all electrolytes (mineral salts) which conduct electricity when dissolved in water.  These electrolytes serve important functions in the body including playing roles in the maintenance of: water balance, kidney and adrenal function, acid and base balance, muscle and nerve function, and heart function.  Doctors have known for years that diet high in sodium and low in potassium was associated with high blood pressure. Additionally many studies have showed that a high-sodium and low-potassium diet is associated with both the development of both cancer and cardiovascular disease.  I hope you are starting to see that the balance of these electrolytes in your body matter, a lot!

I will not be talking much about chloride because chloride coexists in nature with sodium and table salt is actually sodium chloride (NaCI).  Foods which contribute sodium to your diet also provide chloride.  Sodium and chloride are highly bioavailable and are typically absorbed in the small intestine.  However people who experience intestinal malabsorption (either due to disease or GI infections) can find themselves sodium deficient.  People who experience severe diarrhea and vomiting can experience sodium and chloride deficiencies.  Healthy people are unlikely to be sodium deficient.

Most Americans consume a potassium to sodium ration (K:Na) of 1:2 or lower.  What that means is that they are consuming twice the amount of sodium as they are potassium.  However the problem is that scientists think the ratio should be 5:1 (potassium to sodium) or higher.  Now the question becomes how do we increase our potassium by 10 times and that is one way to look at the problem that we are faced with.   However don’t forget that you can always decrease your sodium as well. The good news is that fresh fruit and vegetables are packed with potassium while being low in sodium.   Most fresh produce contains at least 100 grams of potassium to a few grams of sodium.   Here are a few examples of foods comparing milligram of potassium to sodium so that you can see the difference in natural versus man-made items:

Acorn Squash, 1 cup cubed and baked (896:8)

Apple, 1 medium (182:2)
Asparagus, ½ cup (165:1)
Avocado, ½ (680:5)
Banana, 1 medium (467:1)
Black strap molasses, 1 tablespoon (498:11)
Bread whole wheat, 1 slice (71:148)
Cantaloupe, 1/8^th of a large (315:9)
Catsup, 1 tablespoon (72:178)
Chickpea, 1 cup cooked w/o salt (477:11)
Ham lunchmeat 1 slice (56:283)
Mozzarella, 1oz part-skim (24:132)
Mustard, 1 tablespoon yellow (24:168)
Orange, 1 medium (263:1)
Parmesan, 1 tablespoon shredded (5:85)
Potato, 1 medium (782:6)
Prunes, 1 medium (63:0)
Pudding mix, fat-free sugar-free chocolate , 1 svg prepared (122:318)
Quinoa, ¼ cup uncooked (314:8)
Tomato, 1 medium raw (444:5)
Tomato, 1 cup canned whole (530:440)
Soup Cream of Tomato, 10.75 oz can (644:1690)
Soy sauce, 1 tablespoon (64:871)
Swiss cheese, 1 oz (31:420)

I intentionally included a number of foods that I think are commonly found in the American diet.  The reason was to show you how much sodium is in a tiny amount of these processed foods.  Did you notice that the man-made food (except canned tomatoes) contains more sodium than potassium but that the opposite is true of the natural items? Why do processed foods contain so much sodium?  Salt was originally added to food to delay spoilage.  However when you read the ingredient labels of food now you will see that there are chemical preservatives added for that job. Salt is primarily added to food because our tastebuds have all grown to expect it.  When you eat a diet full of salt and give up the salt food initially tastes bland.  Since most Americans consume a lot of sodium food processors continue to use a lot of sodium to make their food appealing to the majority of consumers.

Since so many of us consume a diet low in potassium should we be worried about potassium deficiency?  According to Dr. David Katz deficiency of potassium is not common but does occur.  Conditions which cause fluid shifts (like surgery or being in the hospital), or metabolic imbalances (such as diabetes) can produce life-threatening potassium imbalances.  Potassium deficiency at less dangerous levels results in symptom which can include:  high blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, muscle weakness, paralysis, mental confusion and irritability.  All this just from eating a diet low in fresh fruit and vegetables and high in sodium?  Did you realize that there are few commonly used items that rob your body of potassium?  Drinking alcohol and taking aspirin also reduce your potassium levels as do taking diuretics.  Eek!  I don’t know about you but I think it is simpler to eat my fruits and veggies than to think about this.  Also remember that herbal diuretics can reduce your potassium so you should use those sparingly as well.

The elderly are at a higher risk for potassium deficiency as are athletes.  In the elderly the problem is typically due to inadequate intake or diuretic use (common with cardiovascular disease), but in athletes the issue is usually potassium loss through sweat.  If you spend a lot of time exercising (and therefore sweating) it is recommended that you should be consuming additional potassium (produce).

I don’t recommend that anyone take potassium in supplement form since it can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  Consuming fresh vegetables and fruits in their natural form are unlikely to cause problems.  People with kidney problems need to be careful with how much sodium and potassium they include since the kidney is what balances our electrolytes. If you have kidney disease you need to talk to you doctor before you dramatically change the intake of potassium or sodium containing foods.  The adequate intake (AI) of 4,700mg/day for adults is recommended. However it is worth knowing that our ancient ancestors are thought to have eaten more than 10g of potassium per day.

What about sodium is there any easier way to lower it?  Actually it is easy to lower your sodium intake but it involves eating a diet which is once again based on whole plant-based foods.  Once you start reading labels and focusing on sodium content I think you will be shocked by the amount of sodium in foods. I was very surprised by the amount of sodium in bread and canned tomatoes.  Most bread is also a problem because it frequently contains both high fructose corn syrup and soy protein isolates not to mention preservatives and other things that I don’t eat.  Canned tomatoes contain not only a lot of sodium but also BPA.  *sigh* Sometimes it feels like nothing is safe to eat anymore doesn’t it?

There is no RDA for sodium but a daily intake of 115mg (which is very easy to both reach and to exceed) is considered essential.  According to Dr. David Katz 500mg per day is recommended, and we reach and typically exceed that every day either without adding salt to food or eating processed food if that makes you feel better about eating a diet like ours.  It is estimated that our ancient ancestors consumed less than 1,000mg of sodium per day, far less than the 4,000mg+ which the average American now consumes daily.

Asian foods tend to be very high in sodium so be careful with your use of soy sauce, liquid aminos, miso, and other Asian condiments and sauces.  As much as I love Asian food, I try to keep our consumption to a minimum so that our average sodium intake doesn’t get out of control.

If you still eat cheese that is also a hidden source of sodium that you should keep in mind. Cheese like feta is particularly high in sodium.  In addition to sodium, cheese contains an abundance of saturated fat which isn’t good for your arteries and it increases your levels of IGF-1 which fuels cancer growth.  As much as I love the taste of cheese I can’t look at it now without seeing something that I now consider a toxin.   There are days when I wish I could unlearn some of the nutrition facts that I have learned.  However I know it is in the best interest of my family to keep cheese out of our diet.  Darn it!  ;-)

If you eat lunch meat, bacon, smoked meats or processed meat like sausage you are also consuming a lot of “hidden” sodium. The next time you are in the grocery store look at the sodium content on lunchmeat and smoked salmon and I think you will be surprised by how high it is.  I calculated the potassium and sodium content of a ham and cheese sandwich assuming 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 3 slices of ham, 1 oz of Swiss cheese and 1 tablespoon of mustard and the potassium was 365mg but the sodium was 1,733mg.  Whoa!  Even I was surprised by those numbers.  However it makes it easy to see how the typical American diet would contain over 4,000mg of sodium doesn’t it?  Instead of a sandwich with lunchmeat and cheese how about a veggie wrap with hummus (no salt), roasted and raw veggies?  That would contain a lot of potassium, vitamins and micronutrients and not much sodium.  Are you starting to see why I order those when Ian makes my lunch?  ;-)

The bottom line is that most of us are consuming too much sodium and not enough potassium. We would all be healthier if we reduced our consumption of packaged or processed food and ate more fresh food.  If you just do those two things you will be making a huge difference in your health.

Wednesday:

Breakfast for both of us was a green smoothie which was made with:  kale, frozen mango, frozen banana, walnuts cinnamon, water, coconut extract and a little stevia.  I ran out of frozen cherries but did have a frozen mango which is why you aren’t seeing the chocolate cherry green smoothies currently.

I spent some time reading a new textbook that I purchased on health psychology before it was time see my girlfriend Deirdre for lunch.  Deirdre is my friend who quit her federal government job to go back to school to get her PhD in psychology.   Have I said recently that Deirdre is my hero?  I am still in awe of her ability to quit her job and go back to school being a single girl.  Wouldn’t we all love to have chutzpah like that?

Lunch with Deirdre took place at the usual place. Since Deirdre lives in the neighborhood now we can get together at my favorite place.  Deirdre likes it enough that she now goes there without me as well. I think that speaks volumes.

I started lunch with a bowl of the white bean, kale and sweet potato soup.  Deirdre had tomato bisque, which I did not photograph.

For my entrée I asked if the kitchen would make the veggie and hummus wrap and put a small salad with that.  I never get tired of this combination.  Deirdre had a turkey burger and sweet potato fries which again I did not photograph.

Being girls Deirdre and I talked for hours and hours and that meant there was time for Deirdre to have a little dessert. She ordered a carrot cake cupcake which was so cute that I had to take its picture. Carrot cake was always my favorite cake but I was good and didn’t have a bite.  It smelled delicious even from across the table.  LOL

Dinner was a simple bowl of leftover curried lentil soup.  Thank goodness for intentional leftovers. Having intentional leftovers on hand is the primary reason that I am able to keep such an uber healthy diet. If you are trying to eat a healthier diet, start with making intentional leftovers.   I think you will be surprised by what a difference that makes.

Happy Thoughts:

·         Wednesday we had the most glorious weather. I went to the dentist got a little beat up but it was all good.  I took a few pictures leaving the dental office to give you a sense of life in the city.  While I was at the dentist I learned something new.  The outer covering of popcorn can get under your gums and when it does that it also does not degrade and can turn into an abscess. Thankfully mine just required some digging to remove (fun stuff!) but I won’t be having popcorn for a while now that is for sure. After that little revelation popcorn might just be off my “preferred” food list now.  It wasn’t all that thrilling without oil and salt anyway.  ;-)  Poor Binky, he is going to miss having popcorn when we watch movies.  Yes, Binky actually eats popcorn which we found out by accident one day and I had to snap the picture of him getting his own.  Only at our house would that be considered cute.  LOL

·         I stopped at the library on Wednesday and picked up more books. I know what you are thinking believe me.  How does she have time to read all these books?  Dan asks the very same question.  No matter where I am I have a book with me. Tuesday while I waited for Deirdre to arrive at lunch I was reading.  Wednesday I was reading while in the waiting room at the dentist.  I literally always have a book with me. You didn’t think I got all this nutrition knowledge from osmosis did you?  LOL

·         While I was in Hunt Valley I stopped at Wegman’s for provisions which in my case meant raw organic nuts and seeds (raw cashews, raw pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts), many bags of dried organic beans, black strap molasses (an excellent source of potassium, calcium and iron), turmeric (always good to have one hand), and some hulled hemp seeds to name a few items.  I must be quite the sight checking out at the grocery store. I often wonder what the clerks think when they ring this stuff up and put in the bags.  ;-)

·         Thursday I spent most of the day at Hopkins again.  There are definitely positives and negatives to sitting in hospital waiting rooms all day. Every time we are here I am always reminded how fortunate we are with how things have gone for us.  However I am also struck by the pain and suffering that other people have to endure.  *long exhale*  When you are someone like me who feels for others it is extremely difficult to see other people suffering.  There were people in wheelchairs who obviously didn’t have the energy to walk.  Other people were on oxygen and many people without hair.  Cancer is a horrible disease that I probably see more often than the rest of you.  The fact that always surprises me is the number of people that I see who are very obviously younger than I am.  When I was in my 30’s I thought cancer was something that happened to old people but that is not the case now. There were plenty of people in their 30’s and 40’s in the waiting room again yesterday.  That is part the reason I am so dedicated to show you that it is more than possible to live a healthy life, and that it does make a difference.  You have no idea how much I want you understand that.  I don’t want any of you to be one of those people I see in the Hopkins waiting room who cause me to fight back tears when I see them.

·         Friday I expected to spend the afternoon with my friend Will who just came back from NYU where he did a nutrition certification program.  However he needed to run to the dentist for an emergency procedure so I ended up having a little time on my hands to get caught up on some tasks at home.

·         We had incredible weather again on Friday with temperatures in the med-50s and even a little sun.  I love this time of year!  Anytime it is still in the 50s at 8 o’clock at night is fine with me. We went for a nice walk this evening before dinner.

Signing out:

This has been a crazy busy week for me.  Every day this week I have been out of the house for much of the day.  Next week I have much more free time in my schedule which I am definitely looking forward to.  Do you ever feel like your to-do list is completely out of control?  That describes my life at the moment, too much to do and not enough time to do it.  On that cheery note I have to get back to my to-do list so that I can relax a little and enjoy my weekend with Dan. Talk with you again soon.  I hope that you enjoy your weekend.

Can You Tell a Craving or Emotional Hunger from True Hunger?

One question that I get often is how to tell the difference between cravings, emotional hunger and real hunger. For many people knowing how to identify real from false hunger makes all the difference in their life and health.  We all have that “gee, I really want something to eat” feeling that happens even though we suspect that we aren’t actually hungry.  My craving voice used to run my life.  The cravings would sneak up on me in the middle of the afternoon and tell me that I needed a little something starchy.  Until some of my girlfriends acknowledged that this happened to them too I thought I was crazy.  Now I know that there are many things that cause these cravings including: hormonal fluctuations; eating too much sugar, fat or salt; emotions; dehydration and more.  However with time and a lot of experimentation on myself I learned how to deal with this demon and I want to share a few ideas with you in case you are suffering with cravings in silence.

Hunger is it Real or Not?:

When I get hungry but suspect it isn’t true hunger I always pause to figure out what is happening.  All of us get into trouble when we just feed the hunger without trying to figure it out.  There are a few questions that I ask myself to determine if I am experiencing a craving, emotional hunger or true hunger.  These questions are as follows:

1.       How long has it been since I ate?  If it is less than three hours I am usually experiencing a craving or possibly it is emotional eating.  However if it is has been more than 4 or 5 hours since I ate then I am usually actually hungry.

2.       Do I have any physical signs of hunger?  Does my stomach feel empty?  Am I getting a little dizzy, do I feel light headed?  Sometimes when I am very hungry I get a sensation in the back of my throat. All of those things strongly suggest that I am actually hungry.  When I don’t have any physical symptoms of hunger I delay eating.

3.       Would a piece of fruit or some hummus and veggies satisfy my hunger? When the answer is no again that is another sign that this is a craving.

4.       Do I want something very specific to eat?  For me this would usually be something starchy or possibly dark chocolate.  I seem to crave both bready things and chocolate when I am repressing some emotion or possibly experiencing hormonal fluctuations.  Other women have told me the same thing happens to them only with chips, salty snacks and soda.  I find that these specific cravings are almost never actual hunger.

5.       Have I been exercising and eat healthy whole plant-based foods?  Something else that happens is that when you eat things which contain a lot of sugar, fat and/or salt you body starts to crave those things.  When I am eating a healthy diet and I am active I don’t have many of those cravings.  Have you read "The End of Overeating?"  The medical doctor does a nice job explaining the addictive nature of sugar, fat and salt.

6.       Did the hunger come on quickly or did it build slowly? Hunger that takes time to develop is more likely to be true hunger.  I have found that cravings or emotional eating can happen in an instant and true hunger doesn’t do that.

7.       Could there have been a trigger for the hunger like a commercial on TV, a disagreement or a habit?   Commercials that show pasta or chocolate get me every time but I know this so I can ignore them. Many people have told me that a disagreement (repressed feelings) cause them to eat.  However habits are sometimes harder for people to spot. I know one woman who eats in the middle of the night and has done this a long time so it is now a habit. The only way to identify habits is to keep a food journal and if you suspect that you have unhealthy habits you may want to keep a journal for a while.

8.       Is it possible that I am dehydrated?  I realize that most people are chronically dehydrated and because I know that I get myself a glass of water or a green tea if I suspect that I am dehydrated and that is causing in my hunger. You will be surprised how often fluid will be enough. However don’t get something to drink that has a lot of calories like soda, fruit juice or a sweet coffee beverage since those are providing calories and sugar with little or no nutrition.

The most important thing that you can do to get control of false hunger is to not give in to it immediately. There is nothing that says you have to eat right away although sometimes it feels that way.   Stop, step back and think about what is happening.  At least half the time I find that by asking myself the questions above I am able to figure out easily that I am not honestly hungry and I don’t act on the urge.  Other times it takes me a little while to understand what is going on and sometimes I am actually hungry.  ;-)

I know that I am not the only one who has cravings since all my girlfriends talk about this now.  Until I started to talk about this with friends I felt like I was alone with my crazy cravings. I think it is important to realize that these cravings are normal but that you can get control over your behavior in response to the cravings. Since we all have these cravings let’s share what we have learned to deal with them.  What suggestions do you have for dealing with cravings? Do you have different tricks, tips or questions that you ask yourself? If you do have any suggestions please share them with the rest of us.  Here is short video from WebMD that you might want to check out on the subject.

Book Review:  Strength Finder 2.0

I have been doing a lot of introspective work lately trying to understand myself better.  My premise was how could I help other people overcome their challenges if I didn’t understand myself. With this in mind I bought a copy of the book StrengthFinder 2.0 and took the online test to find out what it would indicate were my strengths.  Honestly I didn’t expect much from a 30 minute online test where you had to answer a series of questions with your gut reaction each in 20 seconds.  However I have to say that I was shocked by my results.  Both Dan and I believe the test absolutely nailed who I am as a person. I wanted to share this with you because I think it will give you a ton of insight into what makes me tick. But I also think it might encourage you to find out what are your strengths. The premise of the book is that we will all be more successful if we use our strengths rather than trying to improve our weaknesses and this makes a lot of sense to me.

According to the online test my strengths are as follows:

1.       Input

2.       Learner

3.       Strategic

4.       Achiever

5.       Intellection

Since those are just titles of the various personality components I will briefly explain them so that they make sense to you. 

Input simply means that I have a strong craving to know more. Gee, really? That doesn’t sound anything like me! Yes I am being sarcastic about that.  It also said that I would like to collect information.  Funny how a simple test figured that out isn’t it?  There are reams of information at our house. I have binders full of articles about health and nutrition as just one example.  I never grow tired of collecting information about subjects that interest me which is exactly what this trait would predict.

Learners like to continuous learn and grow. How does an online test know that I spend hours every day learning?  This clearly explains why I am always reading and why our house if full of reference books on many different topics.  I spend hours every day studying something. I am definitely an information junkie, just ask my husband.  One of my favorite topics is nutrition but there are many other subjects that interest and one the most recent is Buddhism.  Yes, I do realize that I am a bit eccentric.  ;-)

The strategic trait speaks to my ability to put together creative solutions to problems and the ability to spot patterns and issues.  I can’t tell you how many people have commented on my ability to put things I learn about nutrition into practice and I think this may explain why that comes easily to me.  I have always been a big picture person.  I think this trait is the reason that I was able to make the connection between nutrition and health so quickly which is what caused our dramatic dietary shift years ago. It also explains why I am frequently surprised that others can’t add A plus B and get C.  My poor husband has to listen to me talk about this all time.  The man is a saint; you know idea how difficult I can be.  LOL

Achievers are described as people with a lot of stamina who thrive on hard work. This type of person takes great satisfaction from being productive and that also describes me quite accurately.  When I worked in corporate America I would routinely work 12 hour days.  While I was never a morning person I was almost always the last one out of the office by many hours.  I have never had a problem putting in the time to get something accomplished.  Dan used to show up at the hospital after midnight with dinner and try to drag me out of the office so I could get some sleep.  I have been a hard worker my entire life.  Even when I “retired” I still continued to use a to-do list so that I could get a lot accomplished. I am definitely one of those people who had to learn to relax since getting things done is very important to me.

Intellection is used to describe people who are characterized by their intellectual activity.  This group is said to be very introspective and to appreciate intellectual discussions.  Once again I am guilty as charged. I love to figure out why I do certain things or what makes me and others tick.  I love a good conversation about psychology, philosophy or anything else that is outside my usual area of expertise.  Anything that takes me out of my comfort zone and causes me to think in a new way or about a new topic I love.

Anyone who knows me was probably nodding in agreement as this read what the book predicted are my strengths. I am still a little shocked by how accurate that test actually was.  If you are thinking about changing careers or just want to find additional satisfaction in your current profession this book would probably be a good idea for you. This isn’t a book that you can check out from the library however. Each book has an individual code in it so that you can take the online test.  You use the code to set up an account for yourself.  If you are someone who enjoys introspection I would recommend this book.

Have any of you read this book and taken the test?  If you did what were your top 5 strengths?  Did you feel like they accurately described you? I was very pleasantly surprised by how the test really seemed to peg me, particularly the first few traits.   A little piece of me had expected to see “positivity” show up in my top 5 traits but I also understand why I got the ones that I did. Other than that one missing item I didn’t really see any surprises.

The interesting thing about the results of this book was that it crystallized for me things that I knew about myself at a gut level.  The other book I am reading about marketing also asked me to list my strengths.  The reason that the when we use our strengths a few things happen. By leveraging our strengths we increase the probability that we will be successful. When we use our strengths results come easily and this increases overall satisfaction.  One of the things that I do well is my ability to remember facts and seemingly unrelated facts particularly involving nutrition.  I can talk about nutrition for days which all my friends can attest to.  This is one of the reasons that wellness coaching makes so much sense for me.  Do you know where your strengths lie?

Bean Cookbook:

Given that I have no come out of the closet in terms of my “need for information” you probably understand why I am always reading.  Yesterday morning I was reading Epicurious and came across this link for a bean cookbook.  I try not to add too many cookbooks to my collection now because it is completely out of control and I don’t really use them.  In fact when I buy a cookbook I read it like a novel and then it goes on the shelf where it will probably remain. I am definitely not someone who cooks from recipes; I don’t use my recipes or those from anyone else.  Cooking for me is more of a go with the flow experience. I like to taste, adjust and tweak as I go.  Are you starting to see why it is difficult to get me to actually write down a recipe?

When I was reading this article about the bean cookbook my first reaction was, I need this book.  Why?  Well I love beans and we eat them every day after all.  However I suspect this book will be like the all the others I will read it like a novel and it will go immediately to one of my bookcases with all its little cookbook friends.  The reason I am writing is twofold.  First if any of you have this book I would love to hear what you think of it.  Do you recommend purchasing the book? Second if you are stumped for bean ideas I wanted to let you know that this book exists. If you do buy it please stop back and share your thoughts on the book, I am sure that I am not the only one who would like to know more.

Saturday:

What happened to our 71 degree temperatures which started February?  Saturday was cold, snowy and incredibly windy.  Due to the weather we spent most of the day inside our nice warm house.  Snow is always more pretty when you are inside look out but that is particularly true when the wind is blowing.

Breakfast at our house was things you have seen before.  First we had some no-sugar and no-oil granola with homemade almond milk and fresh fruit. This is an old picture which shows bananas but I used blackberries today instead.

Dan and I shared a green smoothie (kale, cherry, banana, walnut, cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla with a little stevia).

I had savory oatmeal for lunch. This time it included mushrooms, onions, garlic, Italian seasonings, nutritional yeast and I added thinly sliced Brussels sprouts at the very end of cooking. Since Brussels sprouts are part of the cruciferous family I try not to cook them much either to maximize the nutrition that we consume.

We met Lauren for dinner at our usual place and had a great time.  We started with the Middle Eastern plate.

Then Ian came to the table and we chatted about food.  He made some suggestions which sounded delicious to us and that was what we went with.

First there was a blood orange, hearts of plan, and avocado salad with sesame which was delicious.

Then we had a smoky grilled asparagus with a habanero salsa which I loved.  However I do have a secret love affair with habanero peppers so that may explain why I enjoyed this so much.

However we all agreed that our favorite dish of the night was the grilled oyster mushrooms which were drizzled with a sauce of:  balsamic vinegar, truffle oil, and sweet soy.  The mushrooms were served over baby arugula and came with pickled kumquats.  This is delicious!  Lauren and were both taken with the mushrooms and the kumquats.  It always amazes me that Ian feels like he doesn’t do vegan food well, because we think it gets it right every time.

Lauren definitely fits right in at the restaurant and is getting to know everyone.  She told us that the girls on th nursing e unit were getting together next Sunday to celebrate the February birthdays and she suggested the restaurant.  We might just have to stop in for dinner that night to say hello to everyone since we were there so long we feel like part of the crew.  ;-)

Happy thoughts:

There are so many things to be thankful for each day if you are open to the good things that happen in all of our lives.  Here are the things that I have been happy for lately:

·         We had a lovely dinner Saturday night with our new friend Lauren.  It is fascinating that we have so much in common with her since she is young enough to be our child.  However knowing people like Lauren gives me great hope that maybe the health of this country can be turned around.  *fingers crossed*  We lingered over dinner while we spent time talking about everything and nothing.  I love evenings like those don’t you?

·         Saturday the predicted snow and rain mix was nothing more than flurries though it was fairly windy (we had guts of 40+ degrees and it felt like I was back in Chicago). Thankfully the weather wasn’t bad enough to derail our dinner plans with Lauren.

·         Sunday Dan and I had a lovely relaxed day together. We did a lot of nothing and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The weather was cold and windy and it was definitely a great day to stay inside.

·         Monday I had planned to have lunch with a friend but I hurt my knee and thought it made more sense to stay home and keep the knee iced. While I am not happy about my knee I am grateful that I was able to stay home and keep my knee elevated and iced.  Being somewhat immobile I took the opportunity to get a little reading knocked out. You are shocked by that I know LOL.  Before you ask, no I never get tired of learning it is what I love to do.

·         Tuesday I am having lunch with my girlfriend Deirdre. We haven’t had a girl’s lunch in months. I can’t wait to hear what she has been up to.  There are few things in life that are better than spending time with a good girlfriend.  Can’t wait!

·         Wednesday I get to go to the dentist.  What, why is that a happy thought?  Okay so I am not weird and in fact I actually have a bit of a dental phobia from a bad childhood experience. However the people at our dental office are so nice that I don’t mind going in to see them and even enjoy it. The time at the dentist is more like seeing old friends than having work done.  What, you don’t email the people who work on your teeth?  Yes, I really do pick up new friends wherever I go.  Are you starting to see how much I love people?  LOL

Signing Out:

I have a crazy busy week planned with something planned everyday this week.  Yikes!  Someone seems to have overbooked her schedule again.  I will try to be pack at least once or twice this week with posts but it is going to be difficult. Please understand if you only hear from me once.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and that your Monday was a good one.  Have a happy and healthy week and I will talk to you again as soon as I can.  Ciao.

Super Bowl Recipe Ideas

The Super Bowl is Like Thanksgiving?

I have to admit that I am a bit confused by why people seem to think that the Super Bowl is an excuse to get together and eat a boat load of unhealthy food.  It was a few years ago that I realized that the Super Bowl has become like Thanksgiving, from a gorging perspective, only the food is even more unhealthy.  People get together to eat buffalo chicken wings (fried wings rolled in butter and Tabasco nothing healthy here), nachos (often made with Velveeta need I say more), cheese and cold cut trays (please pass the nitrates *ugh*), and other various things I wouldn’t even consider consuming. When did the Super Bowl become all about eating and more importantly why doesn’t anyone serve something that resembles whole food?   Seriously this really has to change.  We need to collectively show people that healthy food can also be delicious food.

If you wanted to have a Super Bowl gathering why not make it a healthy version, or at least offer some healthy options for those who want them?  I would suggest things like:

·         Veggies and hummus (there are so many hummus recipes on my blog I couldn't pick just one)

·         Cashew queso (which you could dip veggies, pita chips, potato cubes, or bread cubes)

·         Bean-based chili topped with cashew crème fraiche or vegan cheddar cheeze

·         Buffalo tofu or tempeh (hold the Earth Balance but keep the Tabasco) or Chermoula tofu which is delicious and unique

·         Guacamole and chips (or my favorite cucumber chips)

·         Fresh fruit dipped in chocolate for dessert

When I look at the list above that actually seems rather decadent to me, but I suppose it is all a matter of perspective.  No this list isn’t your traditional Super Bowl fare but it also isn’t going to send anyone to the emergency room with chest pain.  Did you know that your risk of heart attack is elevated for more than 6 hours after a high fat meal (like the traditional food consumed during the Super Bowl)?  I read that years ago and never forgot it.  Now I know it is because of what the fat does to the flexibility of your arteries.  However how it works isn’t important, just knowing that it happens is enough to keep me on the straight and narrow.

I Need Your Help:

Friday I was chatting with my vegan RD friend (*waves hi to Courtney*) because I was extremely frustrated that one of my friends has serious health concerns and yet this person seems insufficiently motivated to change her current lifestyle which is killing her. I know that sounds a bit dramatic but the situation really is actually bad.  This friend is younger than I am, by almost 10 years and has a laundry list of health problems and it just breaks my heart to watch her continue to deteriorate.  Initially I had thought that being around me more often would be the kick in the butt she needed to make change. After all, my friend was interested in getting healthy. She always asked me questions about health, losing weight, preventing cancer, and exercising so naturally I assumed that this meant that she wanted to improve her health. However I realized earlier this week that my friend is clearly not ready to change yet in spite all her health problems.  *sigh*  I am trying to understand what is holding her back but she doesn’t seem to know or possibly she is afraid to tell me because I am “too healthy”.  I have no idea what is going on but for some reason my friend can’t communicate to me what thoughts or fears are getting in her way.

The reason that I am telling you this is that I would really like your help.  In order to help as many people as possible I feel as though I would be more effective if I understood what types of things hold people back.  If you read my description above and saw something that reminded you of yourself please email me. I would love to “talk” with you so that I can begin to understand what types of issues are stopping people from making lifestyle changes.  If you used to be this person but you made changes I would love to “talk” with you too.  If you know what finally pushed you into making changes please share.  You can reach me at veganepicurean@gmail.com.   

Signing Out:

Sorry this is a short post but I hadn’t actually planned on writing one until I saw a commercial this morning for Super Bowl fare and that started my wheels spinning.  See what I mean about I am always thinking?  Clearly I should have been meditating rather than checking out the weather so that I could plan my day.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope that you will find something healthy to eat at your Super Bowl gathering this weekend.  I hope that you all have a happy and healthy weekend.  J