Monday October 18

[braided-rug]

Hi guys.

A bit rattled today, I am sure I will calm down in a sec. Mum was saying she has the same symptoms as dh, hope she talks to her doctor about it tomorrow. Anyway she said she would.

The town was like a ghost town earlier, but now it is busy, maybe they opened a road or something, or it was just quiet and I don't usually go out at that time of day. I have been still taking dh to work after lunch. I expect my car back on Wednesday. The guys' father died so he had other things to do as well.

[violet]

Not long until the car situation is back to normal for you, Br. How very sad that the mechanic lost his dad.

Well, here's something that may encourage us all to think more carefully about our health.

www.bluezones.com/

You have to register, then answer a bunch of questions, and you will be told your cellular age, your likely life expectancy, and your likely healthy life expectancy, ie, how long you'll have good health.

My biggest downfall is sugar, not per se, but sugar-filled treats, especially chocolate. My goal is to reduce the sugar load on my body, which will also reduce my weight. I'm in the healthy weight range still, but am creeping toward the upper end and, as a small person, I know that is way too high. Plus there is a tummy hanging over my jeans that was never there before.

The good news is that my so-called cellular age is less than my actual age, so barring all disasters, I could be sitting here blabbering on for a few decades yet. That's supposing my mind lasts as long as my body, of course.

I was initially terrified to try the test, but it was a useful exercise in that it reinforced what I'm doing right and what can be improved.

And so, after an exciting, housework-filled day , I will update my ipod and listen to a podcast while I cook some Singapore noodles (lots of veg, no added salt ) for dinner.

I hope all is well in your little nook in the world, ladies.

Elisa

PS (Dd has done me proud and bought some tomato plants, which she has planted in pots at the bf's. She's watering them, and has even remembered to fertilize them. Now I want to plant some!)

[Linda]

Hi everyone,

That will be good when you get your car back, BR. Too bad about the mechanic's father.

Hopefully your mom will get in to talk to her Dr.

Thanks for posting that site, Elisa. I love using 'tools' like that to guage things. I took the test too....with not so encouraging results... but....I do know that some of my answers (because of my health challenges) throw the end results off kilter a bit. But....a wake up call for sure.

Ohh...and chocolate...a downfall? ;D LOL...My theory is.....as long as you have equal amounts of chocolate in each hand and eat them at the same time......then that constitutes a balanced diet. ;D *And*.....that's my story and I'm sticking to it... ;D ;D

I do want to go back and look more in depth at that site though...looks like lots of great info there.

I guess as I get older....I get tired of keeping on top of what I must do or eat every day (or have trouble remembering is more like it). Some days I think I should make a spread sheet of sorts to ensure I'm covering all the bases.

It's gorgeous sunny here right now....but they're saying it's going to rain...so...who knows? Hopefully they're wrong. I guess one of the hard hit areas from Igor got a lot rain on the weekend and created more problems for them. More washed out roads (roads that had just been reconnected by temporary measures).

Have a great day ladies!

Linda

[Linda]

Oct 18, 2010 23:15:59 GMT 11 Linda said:

I do want to go back and look more in depth at that site though...looks like lots of great info there.

I guess as I get older....I get tired of keeping on top of what I must do or eat every day (or have trouble remembering is more like it). Some days I think I should make a spread sheet of sorts to ensure I'm covering all the bases.

Actually, after looking over the site again...I'm thinking a check list/chart wouldn't be a bad idea. That way, I could see what I've taken/eaten/drank and what still needs to be added in. At least until I get into some sort of a regular routine.

[violet]

Oct 19, 2010 0:21:22 GMT 11 Linda said:

Oct 18, 2010 23:15:59 GMT 11 Linda said:

Actually, after looking over the site again...I'm thinking a check list/chart wouldn't be a bad idea. That way, I could see what I've taken/eaten/drank and what still needs to be added in. At least until I get into some sort of a regular routine.

Linda, that's exactly what I'm thinking.

Yes, sure, I do eat vegetables and fruit and nuts, but I think there's too much chocolate in both hands sometimes ;D and not enough of the other stuff.

Quantities are another issue. A small quantity of nuts is good, a cup full is too much of a good thing. As a grazer lol, there could be days when I don't even realise I could be eating a cup full.

It started me thinking about lunch - I often snack my way through it, whereas I could grate some cheese and a carrot together and mix in some tuna and spinach, which ups the vegetable content of the day and makes the flavors more varied so I don't crave sugar after. If I do want something sweet, a piece of wholegrain bread with marmalade is a good choice.

Anything that makes me more aware of what I'm doing to my body is a good thing for me. It's too easy to be lazy and eat whatever requires the least amount of effort.

The other issue for me is that I'm careful about what the kids eat, but not so careful with myself. While their health is paramount to me, if my health fails, I'll be a burden on them, so it does us all good if I stay as well as possible.

Also, after a month or so of irregular exercise, I'm back to walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. I try to run for two or three one minute bursts during that time. My ruined knee can't take much more than that. Anyway, I feel SO much better, in mind and body, that I had been thinking it's about time I made an effort to instigate long-term changes in my diet, so the discovery of that site has been timely.

Let's go!!!

Elisa ;D

[Linda]

[quote author=violet board=days thread=942 post=4780 time=1287441817
Linda, that's exactly what I'm thinking.
[/quote]
Great minds think alike ;D



"Yes, sure, I do eat vegetables and fruit and nuts, but I think there's too much chocolate in both hands sometimes and not enough of the other stuff".

Nah...you can never have enough chocolate

"Quantities are another issue. A small quantity of nuts is good, a cup full is too much of a good thing. As a grazer lol, there could be days when I don't even realise I could be eating a cup full".

Yes...this is so me as well and part of the reason why I want to start writing things down/consciously looking at what I'm having. I really like nuts...and it doesn't take too many to be too much.

"Anything that makes me more aware of what I'm doing to my body is a good thing for me. It's too easy to be lazy and eat whatever requires the least amount of effort."

Yep....me again. This happened at supper...the easiest thing was what we had...but it had 0 nutritional value. I was just too tired/swollen to stand there making the healthier meal so the quickest one won.

"The other issue for me is that I'm careful about what the kids eat, but not so careful with myself. While their health is paramount to me, if my health fails, I'll be a burden on them, so it does us all good if I stay as well as possible."

Yes again...and this did happen to me/us. I got sick and it ended up being a burden on the rest of my family.

"Also, after a month or so of irregular exercise, I'm back to walking 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. I try to run for two or three one minute bursts during that time. My ruined knee can't take much more than that. Anyway, I feel SO much better, in mind and body, that I had been thinking it's about time I made an effort to instigate long-term changes in my diet, so the discovery of that site has been timely."

That's wonderful, Elisa!! (well...not the ruined knee part...but the back to exercise part.


"Let's go!!!"

I am sooo ready!!! ;D

I've been pondering this whole thing all day ....thinking about it while I've been doing my exciting errr.....mundane tasks....about how I can best do this/keep track of things. I've even searched on line for printable sheets/check lists and am still trying to work it out in my head. For me....I want a check list of sorts so I can list the supplements I take each day or a couple/few times a week...and then be able to 'check them off' as I take them. That way, I can see at a glance if I've been taking the daily things daily and the twice/few times a week things, twice or a few times a week. I forget so easily and can't remember what I've taken.

I'd also like some blank lines to list various specific foods (ie nuts) and then tick them off as I have them. That way, I know which nuts I've had and how many...and which I still have to have that week. That way, I won't be doubling up/over eating on some of my more favourite ones. As you mentioned, Elisa...only a few of each is needed.

Then a space to record meals would be good too...(maybe even a pre planning section )....ooohh...I'm so excited...I just need to get it down on paper lol

Linda

[violet]

Hm, I wonder if this will be of use to you, Linda?

As they say, "....Use this downloadable menu planner to make a note of your meals and snacks, and how you were feeling when you ate. "

www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/tools/downloads/2010-weekly-menu-planner

I bought chocolate today, but not the massive family block. Sadly, it's gone now, and it wasn't me who ate it all. ;D

Eldest ds dropped by and there it went. I'd had one row of chocolate, which was just enough for me. Now to find some willpower for all the other food with sugar in it.

Elisa

[Linda]

Thanks, Elisa. Last night, before I saw your posting, I ended up making my own chart. I not only made it custom for my requirements....but...I also learned how to use MS Word much more efficiently. ;D

I know that feeling about the chocolate bar too....one feels sort of good that we didn't eat it all....yet there's that little part that says....I would have preferred to have it all.

Linda

[violet]

Trust me, Linda, it was BIG sacrifice to let ds eat my chocolate. ;D

Well done on creating a spreadsheet, too, that is great work! Now you can look at your chart and feel relieved when you see the "taken green stuff" box ticked. ;D

I eat to a rough plan: breakfast is either oats, a plain bought cereal or this mix dd came up with (and now won't eat), with a tablespoon each of walnuts and sultanas (small raisins), a teaspoon of chia seeds and skim milk. Changing from full-cream to skim milk is my single biggest health sacrifice so far. I love regular milk.

Morning tea and afternoon tea vary, depending on what I'm doing/how hungry I am, but one will be dairy. I might have a milky chai and some almonds or pumpkin seeds, or fruit and yoghurt, or an apple and some brazil nuts, maybe a carrot and a piece of cheese.

Lunch varies, but I try to force myself to eat tuna a couple of times a week. I'm not hugely fond of fish. Otherwise, there will be (low fat) cheese in there somewhere.

For dinner I will be sure to have vegetables, but keep my portions of whatever else small, especially of the carbs. I'm not so hungry by nightfall - not surprising given that I eat all day. ;D

I try to vary dinners a lot, and will often make a soup as a first or additional course.

My life revolves around food.

I weighed myself on Friday and was horrified with the result. As I can see into the future , I know that when I weigh myself tomorrow morning after breakfast, I will be one full kilogram lighter.

Which is not surprising, given that if I add sweet treats in on top of everything else I eat, there are A LOT of kilojoules/calories going in.

Food's a bit like money; you need it, but it's easy to lose track of. Especially when snacking.

I look forward to hearing how the spreadsheet helps you, Linda.

Elisa

[Linda]

That's a great balance with your diet, Elisa...looks like you get a great variety. Especially with the nuts and seeds....from my research it seems so many different bases are covered with only a few varieties of nuts and seeds.

Just curious.....but you mention "full cream" milk. Just wondering what % that would be? Are there milks with various levels of milk fat, available there? We have skim milk, .5%, 1%, 2% and then whole milk (which is....3 or 4% I think). When I was a kid, there was only whole milk...then they came out with 2%....which we switched to. A few years ago, they came out with the 1% and the .5%. There has always been skim milk. When they came out with the 1%, dh and I switched. We've tried the lower ones....but nobody here will drink them....so (for now ) we drink the 1%.

My spreadsheet is quite elaborate..... ;D ;D....well...ok....it's not very elaborate lol. It's basically two charts...one will be the menu planner. It's labelled Monday - Sunday along the top and Breakfast, Lunch, Supper along the side. I plan on doing a menu before the week....putting in the foods that I know I need. Then when it comes to the week, I will tick off the ones that we have had (in case I shake it up a bit and eat Monday's planned meal on Tuesday . I'm that disorganized these days....I would probably forget if I didn't have it written down).

The second chart is similar......only the days of the week along the top. Down the side, I've listed the supplements I take, plus the various nuts and seeds I want to eat/incorporate. I don't necessarily want to eat every nut/seed every day (same with some of the supplements). If I check off what I eat/take then I can glance at the chart on Wednesday and see what still needs to be added in (rather than eating the whole package of cashews because I can't remember if I've had them one or four days already. ;D )

I too don't eat much at the evening meal. Also, because of stomach problems, I must eat it very early. So...small portion no later than 4:30.

I'm impressed by your abilities to see into the future. ;D Do you see any good news for my weight future??? ;D ;D

The breakfast mix sounds wonderful.....just wondering if you care to share it? I'd love to have something other than boxed cereal around here.

I'm really enjoying this thread....just wondering if there is another area on this board (or maybe one could be created?) for this (so it doesn't get buried in our day to day threads). I find if I'm accountable to someone.....it helps me behave better ;D

Linda

[violet]

Finding another place for this is a good idea, Linda.

Anyone have a suggestion? I will look later - I'm trying to upload photos to flickr and keep an eye on the time and the washing right at the moment, so my concentration is not great. ;D

Ok, sorry, the crystal ball is fuzzy right now, but I'm sure we will both reach our ideal weights very soon. ;D

The milk I prefer is the regular one, which has 3.2 - 3.8% fat. I started buying lower fat milk a few years back, after being lobbied to do so by the vainer people in this house. Finally, a few months back, sick of buying 27 different milks, I gritted my teeth and read all the labels on the various milks, and settled on one that contains no additives, just filtered milk with 1.3% fat. I forced myself to like it.

I didn't want a milk that contained anything other than milk.

I cheated and found the fat content information here:

www.dairyaustralia.com.au/Products-and-Recipes/Dairy-Products/Milk/Types-of-Milk.aspx

Now to the cereal. Dd likes muesli/granola, as do I, but they're horribly expensive. We've made a couple that have been nice, but she's taken the recipe for her favorite one and buried it in her room

However, the recipe I do have is for what we call "Fake WBC". From the fruit shop, I bought a horribly expensive, nutrient dense cereal that she liked, called WBC (World's Best Cereal). They have the proportions of the indgredients on the back of the pack, though we took some liberties for the sake of ease. It took a bit of chasing around to get all ingredients.

It doesn't sit heavily in your tummy, and is probably best with yoghurt if you like to feel full-ish. I do. ;D Because of the quinoa, it's high in protein and I don't feel hungry for ages after eating it.

The pepitas/pumpkin seeds don't add much to the flavor, imo, though it could be we got a bitter batch.

Fake WBC Cereal

Ingredients
½ cup pepitas
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup flaked almonds
½ 170g bag puffed rice
¼ 120g bag puffed quinoa
¼ 175g bag puffed millet
70-100g dried cranberries

Method
1. Mix all ingredients together

Another favorite is the perfect oatmeal from the WHFoods site. It's a wonderful site.

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

* 2-1/4 cups water
* dash salt
* 1 cup regular rolled oats
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 cup dried cranberries
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
* 1 TBS flaxseeds
* 1 TBS blackstrap molasses
* 1 cup milk or dairy-free milk alternative

Directions:

1. Combine the water and salt in a small saucepan and turn the heat to high.
2. When the water boils, turn the heat to low, add oatmeal, and cook, stirring, until the water is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add cinnamon, cranberries, walnuts, and flaxseeds. Stir, cover the pan, and turn off heat. Let set for 5 minutes. Serve with milk and molasses.

Serves 2


From here:

www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=107

Printable version here:

www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?pfriendly=1&tname=recipe&dbid=107

I'll look later to see if there's a suitable place for all this - I'm sure there is.

Elisa

[Linda]

Mmm...the 'fake WBC' looks very good, Elisa.

and the oatmeal too ...mmm.....

Everyone here likes muesli/granola too...but as it is there...these things are very, very expensive. I've been wanting to try something homemade...but had no clue as to where to even begin.

I want to check out those sites a bit later this afternoon (after we conquer changing fractions into decimals. )

How about another forum (is that the right term?) under the General area of this board. Something along the lines of Food/Nutrition/Health ..... or any combination of those....).or a creative name that means this..I'm not very creative at things like this).

I hope you're able to get your crystal ball fixed....and fixed properly (which means...when you look into it, it says my weight will go down.... ;D )

I did fairly well yesterday with my eating. Now....if only I can keep it up. ;D

Linda

[Linda]

Just checked that site...amazing! I've never seen recipes broken down so well...especially the in-depth one.

Thanks for posting it, Elisa.

[violet]

You're very welcome, Linda. I bought his World's Healthiest foods book - it's great.

I think we had a Health forum on the old board; maybe Br could do that again? Or something similar?

This is the sort of stuff I keep meaning to put on a blog, but, ya' know....

Now for today's bit of info. ;D I bought the latest issue of the excellent Healthy Food magazine. One of the featured articles is "5 foods you should eat - and probably don't". Remember this magazine is written by health professionals, mainly accredited dietitians, so the content is of a good standard.

I will paraphrase:

1. Chia seeds: 1 tablespoon = your entire recommended plant-based omega-3 intake for the day, plus 1/4 of women's daily fibre requirement, and a variety of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. I'm a big fan of these little fellows.

2. Quinoa: we've mentioned this before, it's the only grain that contains significant amounts of protein. Also contains iron and fibre.

3. Sardines: lost me here, I think they're disgusting but they're a great source of long-chain omega-3 and calcium.

4. Soy: ignore adverse publicity - have some soy, will improve cholesterol, blood pressure, reduce the risk of osetoporosis and helps with symptoms of menopause. Try edamame, tofu, soy and linseed bread.

5. Kangaroo: Also on my personal "disgusting" list, and a bit trickier for those not living in Australia to get. Eat it for enviro benefits, plus as a rich source of "conjugated linoleic acid" and its high polyunsaturated fat levels.

and here are 5 foods to eat more of:

Wholegrains

Natural yoghurt

Legumes

Olive oil

Nuts: 30 - 50g per day could lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, reduce risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and being overweight. And they taste good!

Suggested per day: 20 almonds, 20 walnut halves, 15 cashews or 15 macadamias.

Elisa

[Linda]

Yes...that is a good idea...

BR...would we be able to have a health/nutrition/fitness forum on this board?

That's quite the list, Elisa! I'm with you on the sardines.... and Kangaroo....pretty sure we can't get that here! (Guess that means I'll have to come to Australia...you know...for the health benefits and all ;D)

The only thing on that first list I've had is the Quinoa. I've had most things on that second list though.