29 Jan Happy New Year!
It’s the beginning of a new year and decade. Did you overeat and indulge over the holidays? Good! We sometimes have to let go and just enjoy ourselves a little. But now is the time to get back on your healthy diet and exercise routine. Perhaps it’s time for a New Year’s/Decade’s Resolution?
One of the things that interests me is staying fit and maintaining a healthy weight. If you are a middle-aged woman reading this, you know it can be difficult. In this newsletter, you will find some health tips, a nutritious recipe, and a gentle detox to start your year off right!
LET’S TALK DETOX!
Did you overindulge over the holidays? Eat foods you normally don’t? Feeling a little thicker around the middle? I’m guilty of eating lots of little chocolate candies. They were everywhere! Chocolate caramels, salted dark chocolate squares, honey sweetened mint chocolate drops, chocolate covered almonds, chocolate walnut clusters….I love chocolate but chocolate does not return the love!
My stomach is feeling acidic and I swear there’s an extra inch around my middle. Once I start overindulging in chocolate, it is hard to stop. So, it’s time for a mini detox, a return to eating healthy.
This is not a typical detox. No fasting. No supplements to bind toxins and pull them out. Winter is not the ideal time to do an extreme detox. Wait until Spring when the weather is warmer and there are less colds & flus around. For now, just get back on track with your diet.
Post Holiday Detox:
- Eat 3 meals per day with a 12 hour overnight fast.
- Eat organic.
- When organic is not possible, avoid the “Dirty Dozen”.
- Eat whole foods only, no processed food.
- Choose fish high in omega-3s and low in toxins.
- Avoid beef unless grass fed.
- Consume organic chicken and turkey.
- 2 plus cups of vegetables per day.
- Choose liver detoxing vegetables like beet greens, beets, cruciferous vegetables, artichokes, berries
- Minimize grains and starchy vegetables like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
- Avoid inflammatory fats like hydrogenated oils, deep fried foods, margarine.
- No sugars
- If you can tolerate dairy, then one serving of unsweetened yogurt or kefir per day is okay
- Water! Half your weight in ounces plus 2-3 cups of tea (green, white, rooibos, dandelion, ginger) per day
If you’d like to learn more about detox and get ready for deep detox in Spring, call us at 408-357-3422, email us or schedule here.
In the News
Is Exercise More Important Than Diet?
A new study has revealed that physical activity does more to maintain substantial weight loss than diet does. I’ve personally found this to be true and prefer exercise over dieting. I would gladly ride my bike 10 miles rather than skip a meal!
Type 2 Diabetes:
Recent studies have shown that Type 2 Diabetes remission can happen if you go under extreme calorie restrictions or intensive diets. By using a more modest approach to diet and exercise, not only is this more motivating and achievable for people, but it can help get rid of diabetes. This is good news!
Reduce your breast cancer risk:
Women who lost weight after age 50 and kept it off had a lower risk of breast cancer than women whose weight remained stable. Even a modest amount of sustained weight loss is associated with lower breast cancer risk for women over 50!
Even if you gain weight after age 50, it is not too late to lower your risk of breast cancer. Read more here.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has shown to: improve blood sugar regulation, reduce stress and inflammation, decrease blood pressure, benefit brain health, and even modify risk factors associated with obesity and diabetes. Ask me about intermittent fasting at your next appointment!
HEALTHY RECIPE
I love Vietnamese Pho but rarely have it because it isn’t worth the MSG hangover. Recently, I asked a friend for her grandmother’s recipe. She is more of a baker herself so could only share that her grandmother said, “Drink all your broth. You can leave the noodles but not the broth.” Her grandmother is wise.
Pho is made with bone broth and that is where all the nutrients are…plus collagen to keep our skin youthful and ligaments strong. Perhaps, her grandmother will share her recipe with me one day but for now I’ll have to try this one from “A Spicy Perspective”. I like that it suggests Keto and Paleo options.
I’d recommend substituting bone broth for the beef broth. If you follow LOW FODMAP like me then omit the onion and garlic. I personally can tolerate a little onion so I simply cut the recommended amount of onion by half. Another idea is to add the tops of green onions as a garnish to give that onion flavor. For garlic, use garlic infused oil.
As for garlic scapes (tops), it’s questionable if it’s LOW FODMAP. I’m committed to growing them this summer so will let you know!
Here’s where you can find the recipe!
https://www.aspicyperspective.com/low-carb-vietnamese-pho-recipe/