Happy Mother's Day!

Menu Planning 101: Paper Clutter

I have a theory. If your desk or dining room table is piled with paperwork, you are not going to be completing a food journal anytime soon. You are also not going to be planning your menu. Am I right? So let’s conquer this paper monster so we can get down to the business of getting healthy.

What you’ll need:

1 black fine tip sharpie
1 box or more of file folders – Any color
A large trash can
A shredder
A legal note pad to use as a Master List (a list you will use daily to write down any unfinished business)
A pen

Schedule appointments with yourself for one hour blocks of time.

Go through every paper in every pile in every corner.

Make a decision on every piece of paper.

Write any unfinished business on the master list.

Throw away what you don’t need.

Shred papers that reveal your identity.

Place the paper you are keeping in a file labeled with a black sharpie.

Never let papers pile up again. As soon as you get a piece of paper, make a decision – throw it away or list it on the master list and file it away.

Your master list will be the last thing you review in the evening and the first thing you review in the morning while you are having coffee or your healthy smoothie. You will add new items throughout the day and cross off items you have completed.

No need to rewrite your list everyday, unless you are a perpetual list maker.

How many pages of the Master List did you end up with?

Inspiration for this post:
Book by Mayer

Healthy vs Harmful Fats

Healthy fats
Healthy fats can lower your risk of heart disease by reducing the total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in your blood. Cholesterol, which your body produces for building cells, is the main substance in fatty deposits (plaques) that can develop in your arteries. Plaques that build up can reduce blood flow through your vessels, increasing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels.

Here are the differences as well as the best food sources of these healthy fats:

Monounsaturated fat remains liquid at room temperature but may start to solidify in the refrigerator. Foods high in monounsaturated fat include olive, peanut and canola oils. Avocados and most nuts also have high amounts of monounsaturated fat.

Polyunsaturated fat is usually liquid at room temperature and in the refrigerator. Foods high in polyunsaturated fats include vegetable oils, such as safflower, corn, sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils.

Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats found mostly in seafood. Good sources of omega-3s include fatty, cold-water fish, such as salmon, mackerel and herring. Flaxseeds, flax oil and walnuts also contain omega-3 fatty acids, and small amounts are found in soybean and canola oils.

Harmful fats

Saturated and trans fats are less healthy kinds of fats. They can increase your risk of heart disease by increasing your total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol isn't technically a fat, but it's found in food derived from animal sources. Intake of dietary cholesterol increases blood cholesterol levels, but not as much as saturated and trans fats do, and not to the same degree in all people.

Here are how these fats differ and what their common food sources are:

Saturated fat. Usually solid or waxy at room temperature, saturated fat is most often found in animal products — such as red meat, poultry, butter, whole milk and half and half. Other foods high in saturated fat include coconut, palm and other tropical oils.

Trans fat. Also referred to as trans-fatty acids, trans fat comes from adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. This makes the fat more solid and less likely to spoil. Hydrogenated fat is a common ingredient in commercial baked goods — such as crackers, cookies and cakes — and in fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries. Shortenings and some margarines also are high in trans fat. Food manufacturers are required to list trans fat content on nutrition labels. Amounts less than 0.5 grams per serving are listed as 0 grams trans fat on the food label.

Dietary cholesterol. Your body naturally manufactures all of the cholesterol it needs, but you also get cholesterol from animal products, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, lard and butter.

source: mayo clinic

For more Healthy tips visit: http://www.iowaavenue.com/

A 30 Day Challenge

In response to Iowa Avenue's 30 day challenge:

I have decided to take the 30 day menu challenge.

It's 30 days of a 1200 calorie menu plan. I have included checklists:

(Just in case you want to join me)

Make your own checklist and print on business cards which you can get from
avery business cards


Here is a sample

Milk
Bread
Meat
Fat
Vegetable
Fruit
Vit/Min Supp
 Water
Activity


free downloadable E-Journal - letter size version, slightly different and easier to see for those of us who are visually impaired.

You don't have to take my challenge, make up your own, and join us at Iowa Avenue's 30 day challenge.

You have permission to reprint what you just read. Use it in your e-zine, website, blog, or newsletter. The only requirement is to include the following footer...

by Diana Young, RD, LD/N, CDE
Visit www.TheMenuCoachChronicles.com or www.IowaAvenue.com for more content like this.
Reprint permission granted with this footer included.

Why Buy Local and Seasonal Food?

1. Your food dollar goes directly to the farmer, eliminating the middleman.
2. You will enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, unprocessed foods.
3. It tastes better.
4. You’re helping the environment.

To find what foods are in season in your area check out:
NRDC

To find a local farmer’s market:
Local Harvest

I just signed up to have my organic fruit and vegetables delivered to my door:
Orlando Organics
I’ll let you know how it goes.

You have permission to reprint what you just read. Use it in your e-zine, website, blog, or newsletter. The only requirement is to include the following footer...

by Diana Young, RD, LD/N, CDE
Visit www.TheMenuCoachChronicles.com or www.IowaAvenue.com for more content like this.
Reprint permission granted with this footer included.

Psychic Nutritionist

Psychic Nutritionist phone readings now available

Did you know that people will seek out a psychic, before a nutritionist, and a nutritionist before a dietitian? I recently noticed a trend in seeking out a “psychic nutritionist” and at $2.00 per minute or more, I’m considering changing my title to “ask the psychic nutritionist”

Ellen Burstyn credits a psychic nutritionist with playing a star role in helping her to find herself.

And here is a worthwhile quote:
Maria Esposito, a psychic nutritionist from El Monte and a regular on the #33 bus to downtown L.A. - "You have to be a mind reader to ride the bus in LA. It's the only way to figure out what time your bus is coming or where it's going. Communicating with the dead is easier than digging up a bus schedule in this town."

Superman III had a "psychic nutritionist," Lorelei Ambrosia

And I quote: The key for me was seeing a psychic nutritionist in Los Angeles named Eileen Poole. In my opinion she is the finest psychic nutritionist on the planet. All of her work is done through channeling and not by book knowledge. Following Eileen’s recommendations, using a pendulum to test all of my food, and using a purple Positive Energy Plate to energize my food all have had a highly energizing effect on my body.

Thoughts? Comments?

You have permission to reprint what you just read. Use it in your e-zine, website, blog, or newsletter. The only requirement is to include the following footer...

by Diana Young, RD, LD/N, CDE
Visit www.TheMenuCoachChronicles.com or www.IowaAvenue.com for more content like this.
Reprint permission granted with this footer included.

10 Lame Excuses For Not Eating Right

1. I only have junk food in the house. Well, whose fault is that? You need to have a plan. Sign up for Weight1Minute now!

2. I don’t know how to eat right. Did you know that Iowa Avenue has a resident registered dietitian who is just waiting to help anyone that “asksthedietitian”?

3. I’m too stressed out to eat right. Yes, we have a solution for that too. See Melissa's page. I attended an emotional eating teleseminar she gave and it was excellent and I highly recommend her.

4. I don’t want to give up my favorite foods. You don’t have to. Weight1minute is based on incorporating your food preferences. That is what I love about it.

5. I don’t have time to eat right. Hmm . . . Doesn’t take too much time to prepare fresh fruits and raw veggies.

6. Dietitians cost too much. Maybe, but at Iowa Avenue you can get monthly email support from a registered dietitian for $40.00 per month. You really can’t beat that price.

7. 5-a-day is too much. Serving sizes are smaller than you think:

• One medium piece of fruit
• ¼ cup of dried fruit
• ½ cup chopped, canned or frozen fruit
• 4 oz of 100% fruit or vegetable juice
• ½ cup chopped, canned or frozen vegetables
• 1 cup of leafy greens
  

8. I eat all my meals out. There are solutions for that as well. Do you eat alone? If not, split an entrée with the person you are dining with. You will be doing them a favor as well. Another solution would be to only eat ½ of the meal and save the rest for another meal.

9. I can’t afford to eat right. Yes you can and if this is your challenge then I will be posting more about this issue in the future or you can always send me a message and I can start helping you now.

10. I don’t have any support at home. Iowa Avenue is a friendly place where you will receive lots of support. Don’t be shy; we are all here to help each other.

Did I miss an excuse? If so, please leave a comment. And if I haven’t, leave a comment anyway.

You have permission to reprint what you just read. Use it in your e-zine, website, blog, or newsletter. The only requirement is to include the following footer...

by Diana Young, RD, LD/N, CDE
Visit www.TheMenuCoachChronicles.com or www.IowaAvenue.com for more content like this.
Reprint permission granted with this footer included.