In my quest to find a healthier lifestyle with what I eat, the topic of coffee often comes up. We live in a society where it seems that the new “social drinking” comes in the form of a coffee shop and a latte. I am convinced of people’s love of this drink by the fact that there are six coffee shops in a two mile radius of my house ( two of which are Starbucks), and that the standard latte is $3+. I admit that I love my coffee to the point where I get excited about having a cup, ever since it was my go-to for staying up in college (which is no longer the case! It’s all in moderation now). It’s my time in the day to slow down, enjoying something I love, and drinking a treat I enjoy. But there are some downsides to coffee (as their are in a lot of things, unfortunately) but the upsides may override them. Here is some of the research I found to determine if you feel that the cup of day is a pro or con to your health.
Lets start with the good stuff! Pros:
According to WebMD, coffee adds quite a few pros to your life. Research has shown that coffee can reduce risk of some diseases such as Parkinson’s, colon cancer, liver cirrhosis, gallstones, and possibly diabetes. The caffeine (which could have negative effects in some people) can help headaches and asthma and can increase mood and productivity.
Coffee is also a surprisingly good source for antioxidants. It supplies a concentrated amount that can supplement those in fruits, vegetables, seeds, etc. Coffee far surpassed black tea on the antioxidant scale, cup for cup. While coffee can not replace the antioxidants found in other natural foods, it contains some additional ones not found in the others.
Okay, we know there are some downsides. Cons:
Those who can not tolerate caffeine, or drink too much a day can suffer from problems like anxiety, high blood pressure, and may raise cholesterol. It can be addictive or cause withdrawals in certain people or those who drink it habitually (more on caffeine addiction here). And oh yeah – it can stain your teeth.
These are just some basics on coffee drinking and the pros and cons. At the end I will put some more in-depth references if you want to get more information. But if you do like a little coffee in moderation, don’t feel so guilty – it does have some very good qualities.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/0831_050831_coffee.html
http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/coffee_health_benefits
http://men.webmd.com/features/coffee-new-health-food?page=2
http://www.medicinenet.com/caffeine/article.htm
Photo credit: Nicholas Tarling
Thank you for all the inspirational comments over the last few weeks, they have really been encouraging.
For the last few weeks I have had the amazing opportunity to visit Paris. Fortunately, the volcano let me go and come home again, it happen to erupt both ways. But the trip was too good to be ruined stuck in an airport. I went with my aunt, a seasoned traveler, and we stayed in an apartment in the Marais. Unless, you can’t live without having your room cleaned every day with new towels, renting an apartment is an amazing way to immerse yourself in a new city. We had a great rooftop view with a full kitchen to store all our findings from the plentiful markets.
I went in late spring and there were colorful produce market everywhere. But I have to show you at least one picture of the flower markets on the Isles as well…
Besides the architecture and history, one of the things that impressed me the most about France was the high quality of food. The French want the best ingredients for what they eat, and it makes such a difference. I wont eat butter at home, not because I think that it is bad for you (I don’t), I just not a fan of the taste. I ate it like crazy when I was there, it had so much more flavor and richness. My aunt and I are big ‘foodies’ and where interested in the agricultural aspect of France. On average, what made the quality of food so much higher? So we ventured out to the middle of the Bois de Vincennes, a large park southwest of the city. The weather could not be more perfect with everyone in the area out biking and running. It was worth the trip just to enjoy the park (which was accessible by the Metro - and the metro deserves a whole page dedicated to its efficiency). In the park there is the Ferme de Paris, a small organic farm dedicated to teach about responsible farming. And it’s free – amazing considering the bathrooms often are not free!
The farm is clean and well-taken care of and housed some of the healthiest and happiest animals I have seen. Maybe happy cows come from France.
I love the look of calligraphy and clean lines in linear art. These are my newest art collection of black and white animals.
I’m doing a limited edition of 125 of each print, and they can be purchased on my Etsy site!
I have been looking for an oatmeal cookie recipe that is naturally sweetened with honey. I came across this recipe from Whole Grain Gourmet, I made some modifications to it to fit what I had around the house.
Ingredients:
1 c. Whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1-1/2 c. Oats
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1 Tbsp. Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c. Honey
1/2 c. Oil *
1 Tbsp. Molasses
1 Egg **
1 tsp. Vanilla
Optional: Walnuts, raisins, dried berries, chocolate chips (you can buy a grain sweetened variety)
Preheat oven to 335 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then combine. Add in your nuts, fruit, chocolate, etc. Drop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet or lined with parchment and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden colored. Enjoy!
* I used applesauce for the whole 1/2 c. of oil, but you can used half oil/half applesauce.
**I used half a banana instead of an egg and it turned out great!
Tags: cookie, honey, natural, naturally sweet, oatmeal, whole wheat
Today was the day that I started my seeds indoors! Since I recently moved from Phoenix to Denver, I was unsure when to start my seeds in accordance to the last frost. Luckily, I have a proven source to help me with problems like this – Grandma. As amazing and useful as the Internet is, it is even better to get information like that passed down from someone you know who has been doing it for 50+ years.
Step 1: Pre-moisten soil: I bought a Jiffy greenhouse at the nursery with ready to plant peat pots that you can transplant directly into the outdoor pot. Luckly I didnt use very many (the balcony is a smallish space) so I will be able to use this greenhouse for a couple of years. I used the organic Jiffy seed starting soil.
Step 2: Plant and water again! I left them in a warm spot inside with no direct light and then placed the dome on it. I am a little worried that I over-watered… I guess I will find out in a week or so. It’s the waiting that’s the hardest!!
Tags: garden, organic, patio, seed starting, watering
A Saturday Guide
Stand up straight! That is something that a lot of us have heard since we were little. But there is definitely something to that. Good posture and healthy back practices can lead to better physical health (reduction in physical pain and good spinal and organ health), and better mental health ( having good posture gives you confidence that you and others will admire). Not only does it help with your health, standing up straight can give you the appearance of being 5-10 pounds lighter – that is enough info alone to stand up straight! Small daily practices will give you a lot of benefits down the road in maintaining a healthy pain-free back.
1. Stretch, stretch, stretch. Even a 5 minute routine when you get up in the morning can do wonders. This promotes healthy back muscles, elongates your spine, and relieves tension. There are many good books and web pages on good back stretches. My husband and I use the book Stretching by Bob Anderson. Yoga and Pilate’s are also great ways to stretch and strengthen your back to alleviate pain. Once you get your morning routine down that works for you, start repeating it before you go to bed. Once that is down, try an at work regimate. Here is a website that can get you started on your at work workout!
2. Practice good sleeping posture. There is nothing worse than waking up with neck or back pain. We are in our sleeping positions anywhere from 6-8 hours (hopefully!) and that could be a great time to relax and release your spine. One of the best ways to sleep is on a firm mattress on your back. Put a pillow under your head (but not under your shoulders), another pillow under your knees, and/or a small pillow or rolled towel under the small of your back. This can be an uncomfortable thing at first, especially if you are used to sleeping curled up in a ball on your side – like I was. A few nights and it will become more and more comfortable and you will start to see an improvement. Take a few nights to break bad sleeping posture now, and you will thank yourself later.
3. Stand up straight! Haha, you were waiting for it! This also applies to sit up straight as well. As weird as this may sound, it might take some practice and even be a little uncomfortable at first. We have trained our spines to slouch, and we need to retrain them the correct way. Take a deep breath and sit or stand tall. Roll your shoulders forward and then back and let them rest with the shoulder blades down, pulling away from your ears. Have your neck long with your eyes looking directly in front of you, not down. This last point is particularly important if you are at a computer, adjust the height so you are not bending your neck and looking down.
4. Abs. Abs? Yes, the stronger your abs muscles are, the more they help support your back and spine. This is why so many Pilate’s and yoga classes focus on your core (abs). More crunches = healthier back.
5. Remind yourself. Especially when you are first starting to work on your posture, constantly remind yourself the principles in step 3. Post a memo on your wall at work that you see often or set a timer on your phone every 15-30 minutes. The more that you get in the habit to correct yourself often, the quicker you will see results.
6. Wear good shoes. Shoes that are supportive for your feet are supportive for your back and maintaining good posture. Investing in good supportive shoes now, can save you in lots of lower back pain down the road. This does not just apply to runners - it applies to everyone!
7. Work those back muscles. Again, the better the back muscles, the easier it is to have good posture and the more support your spine gets. Start slow and low (weights). A lot of fitness clubs have good classes that incorporate enough weights to help strengthen your back. A good exercise to start with is to get some weights and stand up straight with good posture. Bend over at your waist with your back still straight and pull the weights up perpendicular to your body and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
Our back is a huge muscle group and protects our very important spine. The more you work to maintain it, the less pain and injuries you will have. Start small with the exercises and never forget to stretch! When it comes to backs, stretching is your best friend!
Most importantly, take good care of your back and spine. It is a huge key to physical and mental wellness.
Photo credit: Federico Stevanin
Tags: back, care, health, hurt, pain, posture, spinal, spine, stretching, wellness, workout
For Christmas, my Aunt got us a subscription to the publication, Bottom Line. It has been a great little publication that falls somewhere between Consumer Reports and Reader’s Digest. This edition they had an interesting article on sugar, that I thought I would share.
Suicide by Sugar : It’s More Addictive Than Cocaine…But You Can Break the Habit.
By: Nancy Appleton, PhD
The phrase “addictive white powder” probably makes you think of illegal drugs. Add sugar to that addictive group. Americans consume vast quantities – and suffer withdrawal symptoms when they don’t get it. In fact, animal studies indicate that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. Excess sugar has been linked to obesity, cancer, diabetes and dementia. What to do…
Sugar, Sugar Everywhere
In the US, the average person consumes about 142 pounds of sugar each year, the equivalent of 48 teaspoons a day. Of that amount, 74 pounds is ‘added’ sugar – about 23 teaspoons every day. Added sugars are defined as those sugars added to foods and beverages during the processing or home preparation as opposed to sugars that occur naturally.
People who want to cut back on sweeteners usually start with the sugar bowl. They spoon less sugar on their breakfast cereal, for example,, or use a sugar substitute in their coffee.
This doesn’t help very much. The vast majority of added sugar in the diet comes from packaged foods, including foods that we think are healthful.
For example, eight ounces of one brand of sweetened apple yogurt contains 44 grams of sugar, according to the nutrition facts label. Four grams equals one teaspoon, so that’s 11 teaspoons of sugar. (You cannot tell from the label how much sugar is from the yogurt, how much is from the apples and how much is added sugar.)
Most of the added sugar that we consume comes from regular soft drinks (there are about 10 teaspoons of sugar in 12 ounces of non-diet soda), candy, pies, cookies, cakes, fruit drinks, and milk-based desserts and products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt).
If you look carefully at the ingredients labels, which list ingredients in order of quantity, you will see that the first two or three ingredients often are forms of sugar, but many have innocuous-sounding names, such as barley malt, galactose and agave nectar. Other forms of sugar include honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, corn sweetener, dextrine, rice syrup, glucose, sucrose, and dextrose.
Dangerous Imbalance
The difference between sickness and health lies int he body’s ability to maintain homeostasis, the proper balance and performance of all the internal functions. Excess sugar disturbs this balance by impairing immunity, disrupting the production and release of hormones and creating an acidic internal environment.
It’s not healthy to maintain a highly acidic state. The body tries to offset this by making itself more alkaline. It does this, in part, by removing calcium and other minerals from the bones.
Result: People who eat too much sugar experience disruptions in insulin and other hormones. They have an elevated risk for osteoporosis due to calcium depletion. They also tend to have elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides (blood fats), which increase the risk for heart disease.
Break the Cycle
A sweet tooth is not the same as a sugar addiction. We’re genetically programmed to enjoy sweets on occasion. It becomes an addiction when sweet foods make you crave even more sugar and your consumption increases over time…you experience withdrawal (in the form of mood changes, such as irritability of feeling “down”) when you briefly go without sugar…and you experience intense cravings when sweet foods aren’t available.
Sugar, like drugs and alcohol, is addictive because it briefly elevates levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that produces positive feelings. When a sugar addict doesn’t eat sugar, serotonin declines to lower levels. This makes the person feel worse than before. He/she then eats more sugar to try to feel better-and the vicious cycle goes on.
For the best chance of breaking a sugar addiction, you need to ease out of it. This usually is more effective than going cold turkey. Once you’ve given up sugar entirely and the addiction is past, you’ll be able to enjoy small amounts of sugar if you choose, although some people find that they lose their taste for it. How to break the habit…
Divide sugar from all sources in half. Do this once a week. Examples: If you’ve been drinking two soft drinks a day, cut back to one. Eat half as much dessert. Eat a breakfast cereal that has only half as much sugar as your usual brand, or mix a low-sugar brand in with your higher-brand.
Limit yourself to one sweet bite. The second week, allow yourself to have only one taste of only one very sweet food daily. Then push the dish away. This might be ice cream, sweetened cereal or a breakfast muffin. That small “hit” of sugar will prevent serotonin from dropping too low, too fast. This is important because low serotonin can make you feel so poorly, physically and emotionally, that you’ll want to self-medicate with more sugar.
After about two weeks with little or no sugar, your internal chemistry, including levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, will stabilize at a healthier level.
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. These foods help restore the body’s natural acid-alkaline balance. This will help reduce sugar cravings and promote better digestion. Be sure to substitute fresh fruits for juices. Whole fruit is better because the fiber slows the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream. The fiber also is filling, which is why few people will sit down and eat four oranges – the number you would need to squeeze to get one eight-ounce glass of juice.
Helpful: All fruits are healthful, but melons and berries have less sugar than other fruits.
Tags: addicition, health, sugar
One of the things I have missed most about cutting out refined sugar/white flour is making holiday sugar cookies and decorating. This has been a family tradition of mine since I can remember and I have probably 100 cookie cutters that have been collected over the years, and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I recently came across a great blog, http://myyearwithout.blogspot.com/, about living without sugar. She has great recipes and help for those trying to get off the stuff. She had a no-sugar sugar cookie that she had found off another great site, http://thenourishingapron.blogspot.com/, who also cooks without refined sugar. This recipe is on both their sites, so I decided to try it for some fun Valentine’s day cookies. I used whole wheat flour instead of white, which made the cookie have almost a tea biscuit taste (which I like! I drink a lot of tea) and you can also try wheat pastry flour too if you want to keep it white flour free.
I made two batches of the original recipe, which can be found here, one with almond extract and one with vanilla. I substituted the white flour for equal parts whole wheat flour. Yum, sugar cookies again-thanks guys!
I decided to make a cream cheese spread to put on top of them, this may look and act like a frosting - but it is really more of a sweet spread. It reminds me somewhat of sweet cream butter, with a cream cheese taste. It works well for decorating and freezes nicely. Although it is no sugar (Yay!) it still has some fat – so it is somewhat of a special occasion spread.
Cream Cheese Spread
1 c. cream cheese
3 tsp. butter (optional but it gives great depth and allows the spread to set up like frosting)
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. agave
1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional)
Mix all ingredients together, I use a food processor, and the spread may be a little thin, just put in the fridge for a few minutes to set up.
Make small cookies with spread and raspberries, and you have a great treat for V-day parties.
Tags: agave, cookies, cream cheese, honey, natural, naturally sweet, spread, sugar cookie, sugarless, whole wheat
Product Review: A
For Christmas, I got the Rosetta Stone in hopes of being able to speak a little for my upcoming trip to France.
I have had about three years of classroom Spanish, along with making an effort to learn it on my own. I have learned more French in 3 weeks with Rosetta Stone than a year I took of Spanish in a classroom setting.
Ease:The program is self-learning and goes at the pace that you want. This is great if you are really trying to learn pronunciation, spelling, or if you just want to review certain material a couple of times. It corrects your pronunciation (which is big – because you no longer have a need to be in a class with a teacher to correct you) and you are able to keep repeating certain steps that are relevant to you. The program teaches you in the same basic way you learned language as a child. It shows you a picture of a cat, tells you the word cat, has you say the word cat, and then write it. It is really fluid in the transition from teaching the single nouns and verbs into creating full sentences. It is also helpful to people who don’t have the time to go to a class, you can do it at your own pace and still get maximum return on your time.
Cost:The software is more expensive than some, but it is worth the money. I have purchased tapes and books that are less, but I don’t get much out of them. It is still cheaper than most classes you will find.
Software: The only downfall to the program I have run into, and why I gave it an A instead of an A+ was the software. Since I have been using it I have had one software glitch where I had to start the program over. I may have been able to contact customer support and had them help me, but I didn’t want to take the time and it hasn’t happened since. The software comes with a headset and speaker, which broke after 2 weeks. I called customer service and they had another one shipped to me that day. They were friendly, helpful and quick, so it was somewhat of a non issue.
If you are looking for a way to begin learning a new language either for business or your own pleasure, I would highly recommend this. After trying everything from in-person classes to self-taught books and tapes, this teaches well at a personal pace and level.
Au revoir!
Tags: language, learning, Reviews, rosetta stone, software
A butterfly study I did today in watercolor and graphite. I am always interested in the geometries of living things and how symmetrical butterflies are. I love mixing the perfection of math with the unperfection (if that’s a word) of hand drawing and painting. I’m planning on doing a few of these to play with the different shapes and colors.
Tags: Art, butterflies, butterfly, color, graphite, nature, watercolor
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