A Week on Engine 2 Diet

                Today is Easter and marks a week ‘gone vegan!’  I have to admit this is a bit easier than I thought.  I have had temptations but it has not been too hard to resist.  I will admit; I cheated today.  I had a piece of milk chocolate but resisted the cheese, coffee cake and cookies.  I am actually proud that I only cheated once.  The detox was over in a few days but the sluggishness is lingering.  I had this sluggishness before I started the Engine 2 Diet, one of the reasons I wanted to try this.  As I mentioned in another post is my husband and I are trying to get pregnant.  So I stopped taking birth control.  I read some of the side effects and had just anticipated moodiness but I got all the other side effects.  The worse being sluggishness and inability to fall asleep, stay asleep and wake up in the morning.  So far this challenge has not improved that but I hope it will with time. 

So this week I had my yearly womanly exam this week.  I asked my doctor about anything I need to worry about or if she thought there were issues in being pregnant and being vegetarian or vegan.  I expected the usual comments, the comments my friends, family, coworkers and even my healthcare friends say.  ‘you won’t get enough protein, calcium, vitamin D, Vitamin B12, etc.’.  What I got from her was just the opposite.  She said, “no, I don’t see any issues as long as you take a daily vitamin and make sure it has folate.  And actually I think that is how we were meant to live”.  It made me sooooo happy!  I talked with her for a bit longer about my sluggishness and if I should be concerned about my thyroid.  She noted that was likely related to my age and stopping the birth control.  She said, “you may want to consider gluten free”.  Wow it was great to hear my doctor say that.  I am very excited that she and I have similar views and it helped me reassure that I am on the right path and I can do this in this conservative Midwestern town in which I live.

Forks Over Knives: Macaroni Salad

I made my first trip to the grocery and that took a bit longer than I anticipated and was a bit cheaper too.  I can’t complain about cheaper.   I thought it would be a struggle, however, I found many things that are vegan with a little reading.  Even saw a recipe for mac and cheese.  This week was full of whole grains.  I start the day with green tea and a bowl of whole grain cereal with almond milk.  There is a lot of milk alternatives so don’t feel like you need to try almond milk.  I really like it, myself.  I started with the sweet ones and progressed to the non-sweet pretty quickly.  Honestly though, once you get to the bottom of the box it is a tad bit grainy but nothing I notice anymore.  I made a few recipes and had plenty of leftovers for lunch and dinner.  I have the ‘Forks over Knives’ cookbook which is a vegan and came out of the documentary.  I made 2 recipes this week.  The Baked Spaghetti Squash with Spicy Lentil Sauce.  This was really tasty and yielded about 5-6 meals.  It was a little too spicy for me so I would suggest toning down a few ingredients.  I also made Macaroni Salad for Easter brunch.  I don’t think my husband’s family was interested in this so I have a lot left over.  I plan to add more veggies and eat it for lunch.  Also I made veggies and quinoa for dinners.  This wasn’t much of a change for me… hope it is this easy for you too.

First few days of the Engine 2 Diet

                I am about half way through my third day and want to give you a run down.  Now I have been a vegetarian for about 3 years and done a juice cleanse less than a year ago but still found I ate a lot of dairy.  So I noticed day 1 and 2 I had withdrawal.  I was surprised.  I didn’t think I ate that much that I would have a withdrawal from but I did.  It was minor, just light head aches and little moody and a bit spacy but much better today.  You may be thinking really how do you withdrawal from food because it is not addictive.  Well as I have read and come to understand that there are some things that just don’t easily leave your system and when you give your system more nutrient rich food and cut out much of the fat, salts and sugars you give your body a chance to cleanse itself resulting in this detox.  Now don’t be scared of the detox.  You will get through it and feel much better!

                I have been eating lots of whole grains, fruit and veggies the last few days and I will admit I have been crazy craving carbs.  I think that may be my strongest addition.  I am giving in to these cravings now with pretzels and even pasta but trying to keep the quantity in check.  I hope to be able to move to virtually all whole grain food from this Engine 2 Diet Challenge. 

So I have been calling the Engine 2 Diet a challenge.  My friends, family and co-workers laugh and joke with me about it.  No one has tried to change my mind, luckily, but you will run into those who try.  I know it is not for everyone.  My reasoning for doing this is

1.       It is the most sustainable thing I can do for the planet, more than riding the bus or never flying again

2.       I do it for my savings account.  Sure it will cost a bit more to buy whole grains over processed food but fare less than the meat and dairy I ate and likely save me money in health care costs.

3.       It takes most of my voting dollar out of the politically controlled FDA.  A little side note special interest groups have a lot more influence on our eating habits than most people realize.

4.       It reduces my chances of developing a stroke, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and many other diseases down to nearly nothing.

I hear 2 comments most frequently about my choices. 

1. “We are meant to eat meat, we have canine teeth” My response is yes and if we ate the amount of meat our ancestors did thousands of years ago we would be fine but today we eat far more than our bodies require.  It was a special treat that was a complement to whole grains, fruits and veggies.  Today it is the foundation of the dinner plate and the average person gets far more protein than they need.  Additionally, the food that our modern society eats has been altered in a lab and evolved faster than our bodies can react.  Our science has allowed us to modify chickens to the point that they go from hatchling to slaughter house, with larger breasts and legs, in less than half the time it once took.  However, these practices have not been studied long term to see the impact on us.  I like to think if we did those studies today we would find it is slowly killing us. 

2. “How do you get enough protein”.   I tell people I get plenty of protein.  Do you know how much you get?  Do you know what the side effects of getting too much?  You normally get a blank look.  It is kind of fun to get people thinking.

Well have fun with the Engine 2 Diet!

Engine 2 Diet Day 1

I watched a bunch of documentaries and read a few books and they all came back to the same message.  The best way to reduce my risk for many of the modern western world diseases I needed to consider a vegan diet.  Well easier said than done.  My friends and family can attest I mentioned my desire for several months but just never made the commitment.  I am 34 years old, keep busy with rec league soccer, TRX and an active social life.  Oh and my husband and I are trying to have a baby, our first baby.  So I guess that means it is time for me to start getting healthier!

 I picked up the Engine 2 Diet by Rip Esselstyn and I realized it is time to give it a try and this is as easy as any other way to start.  I have been a vegetarian for almost three years and yet I find that my diet is still very dependent on animal products. Also I consider myself pretty healthy, but I make bad food choices frequently, especially when I am socializing.  And then my kitty, Iggy, was recently diagnosed as a diabetic.  Yup I am working to be healthy and I over feed my kitty to the point he is a diabetic.  Really sad, but we are actively working to find the right diet and level of insulin for him. 

Ok so I read the book and it got me motivated to jump on the band wagon yet again.  So here I am.  I thought if I document the process, post it, and share my info it would keep me hooked, honest and give other motivations! I am going to share my starting info.  I am not too proud of this info, hence, why I want to do this before I become a mom.  I plan to exercise with cardio and strength training as described in the book.

Here is my info I collected on Sunday before I started and the blood work is from the last time I gave blood to Hoxworth on 2.26.2013.  Nice added bonus to giving blood is a free chance to look at your blood work J

Measurements	My Start
Weight: Total	146.2 lb
Weight: Water	52.4%
Weight: Fat	25.1%
Measurement:  Height	5’ 6”
Measurement:  Waist at naval	34.5
Measurement:  Bust	26
Measurement:  Hip	37
Measurement:  Booty	39
Measurement:  Thigh	L 22.5   R 22
Measurement:  Calf	L 14      R  14
Measurement:  Arm	L 11.5   R  12
Measurement:   Neck	13
BMI	23.6
Waist to Height	.52
Heart Rate: Standing	72 bpm
Heart Rate: Exercise	132 bpm
Heart Rate: Rest	80 bpm
Hoxworth: Blood Pressure	121/77
Hoxworth: HCT	42%
Hoxworth: Total Cholesterol	194

My goals are to lose weight, improve  the above numbers, reduce this constant tired feeling,  fall asleep at night, sleep through the night and wake up easier each morning, increase concentration, reduce sick time and hopefully heal some of my ailments like my knees and ear aches.  I know some of these are related to me stopping birth control but I hope I can improve them by trying this challenge.

If you are interested in starting too; consider the below website, The Engine 2 Diet and Forks Over Knives documentary. And make sure you talk to your doctor too

http://engine2diet.com/

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

Why I became a Vegetarian

A few years ago I heard Alicia Silverstone was a vegan and that she wrote a book about her choice and how she lived the choice.  I had always had a strong desire to become a vegetarian but never made the commitment.    When I heard about her book ‘A Kind Diet’ I have to admit I was intrigued to see if the actress that once stared in ‘Clueless’ was able to educate me on vegan living.  In parallel my roommate was reading ‘Skinny Bitch’ which is also a book written on a vegan lifestyle that I have not yet read. 

Vegetarian- is one that does not eat the flesh of an animal.  If you still eat fish you are not a vegetarian.   There are subsets of vegetarians; ovo, lacto and ovo-lacto vegetarian.  I am ovo-lacto vegetarian.  Meaning I eat eggs, dairy, honey etc. but not the flesh of animals.

Vegan- is one that does not eat flesh or any animal products: dairy, honey, some wines, eggs, and gelation.  There are even subsets of vegans but I won’t go into them.  They are not something you will jump into tomorrow.

I purchased Alicia’s book and read it in no time.  It is a quick and easy read and she keeps you engaged with real-life stories of hers and others.  I have to admit I thought it was a great starter book to get me motivated to change.  What I liked is that it gave perspective on why she went down the vegetarian/vegan path.  She shared the reality of how my bacon cheeseburger was raised, feed, slaughtered and processed.  She gave insight on this impact on the planet.  And she gave insight on the reality that you can live and thrive on a vegan diet.  I was like many people.  I liked the idea of my meat not resembling the animal it was and I liked not knowing how it got to my dinner table.  Funny thing is that as I talk to friends and family that is what they always said.

‘I am happy being ignorant, Valerie. Please don’t make me think about and know where my burger came from!!!”

In 2010, however, I felt it was time to begin to face reality and understand what I was doing to my health and the planet’s health.  (I will go into more details in other posts).   So after putting down Alicia’s book I began changing.  I won’t say it was easy because it wasn’t and still is not always easy.  I did have an advantage.  I didn’t eat fish, could care less about having steak and only pork I liked was bacon.  It will be a bit harder if you like all more than I did.  So I slowly cut out food.  At the time I lived alone so it was easy to change my diet and just not have the meat around.  It was a bit harder when we went to a wing joint with friends. My husband still eats meat and it can make meals a bit more complicated.  Oh, I still have 1 meat meal a year, Thanksgiving.  I just can’t give that holiday up.  However, with that said you will begin to notice that you feel different eating less and less meat, you feel cleaner, lighter, healthier, have a bit more energy and a bit happier.  I loved how I felt after I gave up meat for a month or so.    I felt so good in fact that the temptations were no longer temptations.  Another added bonus is I haven’t had a sick day since.  Don’t get me wrong, I have gotten stomach viruses and colds, even the flu but I don’t stay sick for as long, and I feel better when sick.  I can often get a little extra rest and feel like myself again.  (I will admit that I have the luxury that I can work from home on days that I feel under the weather and that allows me to work with a fever). 

So what do I eat that separates me from a vegan?  Well I do my best to reduce the animal products I do consume but I do eat dairy, eggs and honey.   

So I use vegan butter, Earth Balance, which tastes amazing!  Be warned it is all oils.

 I drink almond milk at home and soil milk when I am out. You can make the switch slowly by going for the sweetened kind then the un-sweetened.  I never have the sweetened milk any more

I switched from ranch dressing to balsamic vinaigrette (most of the time). 

I eat less and less eggs and hold the mayo as much as possible and make a few other changes from here and there.

What I noticed is that you will begin to taste things.  I mean really taste them.  They won’t all taste like fats, salt and sugar.  It is great but makes me less than thrilled with most restaurant food but almost all restaurants have at least a veggie burger on the menu.  I love being a vegetarian and have been going back and forth on vegan for some time now.  I imagine that at some point I will make that move too.

Here is a great website that was developed after Alicia Silverstone published her book.

http://thekindlife.com/

Also maybe you will find it interesting to see who else is a vegetarian!!!

http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/Celebrity_Vegetarians.php

Treating Depression with Nutrition

                Depression afflicts many Americans.  Some reports estimate as many as 19 million Americans over 18 suffer from depression.   It afflicts women twice as often men and more Americans suffer from depression than cancer or heart disease.  I think that depression is only natural.  It is the feelings created by situations and lack of nutrients where it is needed.  Depression is often treated by aiding neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters transfer messages between brain cells.  I believe that we have the ability to treat most of what afflicts us when we give ourselves what we need.  Often what we need is proper nutrition.  Consider the below to keep you mind healthy

1.       Get your zzzzzs.  Sleep allows you to repair and rebuild your body and processes what you have taken in for the day.  Including food and memories.  You actually burn more calories in these processes than you do watching tv.  So get 6-8 hours a night.

2.       Hydrate.  Your body is about 60% water and you require it for many body functions.  Water helps your kidneys function and clean toxins from the body as well as energizes your muscles.

3.       Get your sweat on. Exercise is great at helping to remove toxins in your sweat and your muscles, good at helping to keep the mind active and great for helping the body to digest and move nutrition through the body.

4.       Maintain a healthy weight.  Fat has a tendency of holding toxins.

5.       Get your essential antioxidants.  Antioxidants such as beta carotene, vitamin C, E, B, B12, iron, zinc and selenium.  Antioxidants are helpful at reducing free radicals’ impact.  Free radicals can be very damaging to your brain. All can be found in Chlorella and Spirulina. 

6.       There are links between the neurotransmitter serotonin and carbohydrates. Eat healthy whole grains and stay away from bleached flour and processed sugars.

7.       Omega 3 Fatty Acids.  Studies show that people who are deficient in Omega 3 Fatty Acids have a higher rate of depression.  Add flaxseeds, nuts, dark leafy greens and avocados to your diet in small doses.  Note when adding flaxseed it is best to grind it up first as the hard shell is not easily digested.

Always consult your doctor and don’t be afraid to talk to friends or family.  Depression affects many and there is nothing wrong with asking for help.

Resources

http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?page_id=050CDCA2-C158-FBAC-16ACCE9DC8B7026C

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/diet-recovery

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/diet-recovery?page=3

Aloe Vera: Your First Aid Plant

            House plants are a great for adding a bit of character and life into your home.  They also cleanse the air and convert the carbon dioxide you exhale into oxygen you inhale. But Aloe Vera is more than just a house plant, it has medicinal properties. This succulent plant can be used to help treat a number of issues when it is applied externally.  Some believe it can even have health benefits when taken internally.  I personally have not made the move to digesting aloe but I use it for a number of skin issues.

Below are a number of the benefits of Aloe Vera

1.      Aloe Vera is great for soothing and reducing pain from burns and sunburns and helps the skin heal.

2.      Aloe Vera helps cuts heal.

3.      Aloe Vera helps reduce scars.

4.      Aloe Vera reduces inflammation when applied to an injury, cut, or burn.

5.      Aloe Vera helps cells regenerate.

6.      Aloe Vera hydrates you skin.

7.      When digested Aloe Vera reduces constipation.

8.      Some research suggests that when Aloe Vera is digested it helps reduce cholesterol.

9.      Some research suggests that when Aloe Vera is digested it helps lower blood sugar.

Why don’t you consider bringing home a Aloe Vera plant too.

Resource

http://www.newsmax.com/FastFeatures/health-benefits-of-aloe/2011/02/22/id/387035

https://www.foreverliving.com/marketing/Page.do?name=benefits

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-aloe-vera.html

Composting: It is easy and has benefits

            I bought a house a few years ago and my roommate and I really wanted to start composting.  Why you ask?  Because we thought it was cool.  I know silly reason but when the county we lived in offered their residents some pretty cheap compost bins, we took advantage of it.  I have been composting for about 4 years now and learned a few things.

1.      Your dirt output is totally dependent on your input and how often you mix it up.  I am personally very bad at the mixing and mix more in the summer than winter.

2.      You can compost virtually everything that isn’t meat and dairy but if you plan to use it in the food garden then you may want to stick with organic material.

3.      My husband and I really only need to take the trash to the curb every 2 weeks.

4.      It doesn’t smell as bad as I thought it would.  When I take out the compost every few days and mix it more there is little smell and no pesky critters.  When I am a bit lazy it shows.

5.      It is great for the soil.  Composting adds nutrients, aerates the soil and can allow the soil to hold water or plants better.

6.      The more people compost the less waste in landfills and maybe, hopefully, less of a need for more or larger landfills.

What can you compost and what cant you compost?  Well pretty much everything that comes in your home can be composted but metal, plastic, styrofoam, meat and dairy.  I added a list of a few other no nos below.  I could compost paper and fabric.  However, since I don’t know if there are toxins in the dies or inks, I choose not to compost them.   I compost veggie and fruit scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, egg shells, yard waste, house plant waste and even dryer lint.  Here is a picture of my compost container

     Today you can find compost bins for sale pretty easily, online or in the home and garden stores.  If you want to do this casually then any bin that catches your eye will work.  If you want to produce soil then consider a rotating bin.  They are much easier to churn and increase the decay process.

 Happy Composting!

NEVER COMPOST:

Bread products: normally contain animal products, eggs, milk, or butter

Cooking oil:

Diseased plants: You don’t want to spread the disease

Rice: It breeds bacteria

Sawdust: Unless you know it is untreated

Weeds: you will just start breading the weeds

Walnuts: They contain juglone, which is a natural aromatic compound toxic to some plants.

Freshly turned compost.

This is the compost bin I use.

Here are a few helpful resources

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/composting/basic.htm

http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html

Chlorella: Another Great Algae

I mentioned that I take Spirulina which is blue-green algae.  Well I also take a green algae, Chlorella. When the strong cell wall is broken it becomes one of the most nutritious and easily digestible food and with the highest level of chlorophyll. It is an estimated 45% protein, 20% fat, 20% carbohydrate, 5% fiber, and 10% minerals and vitamins. Chlorella contains vitamin B-12, B-1, B-2, C, K, folic acid,  potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and, in small levels, zinc, manganese, and iodine.  It contains complete vitamins and it great for vegetarians and vegans who often lack vitamin B-12. 

Now let’s look at what that means for your body.  Chlorophyll is plants hemoglobin and helps our hemoglobin to absorb and move oxygen throughout the blood.  Another benefit is of Chlorella are its strong fibers help absorb many containments, including heavy metals, and pull them out of you body.    This is why you find it in cleansing or metal removing products.  This is also why I choose organic; to reduce potential containments I am exposed to.  Actually even Dr. Oz had a segment on the power of Chlorella to remove mercury and decrease fatigue.  I included the link below if you are interested. There are so many more benefits I will just list them

1.       Helps to reduce bad breath

2.       Helps to reduces body odor

3.       Helps reduce side effect from radiations

4.       Helps reduce risk of developing cancer and helps reduce the spread of cancer

5.       Helps to stimulates the immune system

6.       Helps to improve digestion! Don’t be alarmed if you notice a green tint next time you go to the bathroom.

7.       Helpful in treating Crohn’s disease

8.       Helps reduce ulcers

9.       Helps to reduce cholesterol

10.   Helps to increases energy

11.   Helps to relieve PMS

12.   Helps promote mental health

13.   Helps reduce asthma attacks

14.   Helps improve liver functions

15.   Helps remove bacteria, poison and fungi from the body

16.   Helps increase the body’s defense antibodies

17.   Helps regulate you pH balance

18.   Helps regulate blood pressure

19.   Helps regulates blood sugar

20.   Helps reduce arthritis pain

21.   Helps you lose weight

22.   Helps grow and repair tissue

I could go on but I think you get the picture and you are probably interested in trying Chlorella.  You can find it easily on the web or in a nutrition store.  Look for organic, broken cell wall, non-frozen, non-pasteurized Chlorella.  It comes in powder, tablet and capsules so you can choose what works best for you.

This is the brand I found I like

I add resources so if you are interested you can dig a little deeper.

Dr. Oz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tMeQROCdus

http://www.bio-sources.com/chlorellabenefits

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/vitamin-supplements/chlorella.htm

http://holistikhealth.com/blog/superfoods/chlorella

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-907-CHLORELLA.aspx?activeIngredientId=907&activeIngredientName=CHLORELLA

http://www.chlorellafella.com/pages/Chlorella-Benefits.html

http://www.chlorellafella.com/pages/Chlorella-Benefits.html