Confessions of an Unliked Green Monster

There's a Green Monster Movement, did you know? Yesterday I decided it was time I finally give a green smoothie a shot...

Into the blender went 1 1/2 cups frozen spinach, 1 frozen banana, 4 frozen strawberries and...

 

...1 cup skim milk, agave nectar and honey. About 1 1/2 tsp of each.

  

 I got out my dizzy glass (that's what Crate and Barrel calls them anyways), and was pumped to enjoy my Green Monster!!

 

However, it tasted like spinach. And I love spinach, but not in liquid form.

So, Lily got the Green Monster....and loved it. Thank goodness husband doesn't read my blog, it'd be off with my head!!

I'm really disappointed I didn't love my first Green Monster. Especially after yesterday's post about increasing fruits and vegetables!!! I felt ashamed like I should've liked it. I went on to make a fruit smoothie (one of my claims to fame should there ever be one, haha) and had a spinach salad for diner.

Regretfully, I am not on board with the Green Monster Movement as of trial #1. But I'm willing to give it another go, most definitely! Does anyone have a Green Monster recipe they LOVE? Did anyone else not enjoy their first Green Monster?

No gym, no workout? Psh!

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Oklahoma yesterday – 72 and sunny! I was looking for something new to do for exercise to get a break from running…so, I headed to the local high school football stadium. Let’s just say, I kicked my own butt!

I started my workout with stadium stairs…running…up and down, up and down. And let’s just say high school football in the south is a big thing, so this is no small stadium stair feat. I next moved on to suicides. While I’ve done suicides on hockey rinks, the football field is a whole new beast (I later calculated that the football suicide is 0.625 miles!). After my suicide, I moved on to crunches and a pyramid of push-ups (10..rest..9..rest…8…rest…you get it). Water break and repeat.

Today, my calves feel like bricks. Luckily, my home nor work place require me to go down stairs…but I’m sure that would be far from pleasant as walking is painful enough. Let’s just say that 1) working out sans a gym is completely possible, 2) workouts outside a gym can be more difficult than workouts inside the gym, and 3) when you can FEEL lactic acid building in your muscles as you perform your workout, chances are you’re gunna be sore and you’re getting one CHALLENGING workout.

This morning I copied the breakfast of Meredith, writer of Pursuing Balance, and added fresh MANGO (mmm!) to my steel cut oats! I used a packet of PureVia and a sprinkle of cinnamon. 

It was VERY good! Though, I have to say, I’m not convinced that steel cut oats increase satiety. While I did have an early breakfast (6am), I was hungry by 10:30am…at which time I had…

…a Pumpkin Muffin I made last night with Southaven Farms’ Ginger Spice mix. They are sooo good, and SUPER easy! Don’t they look delicious?!

And I had my little helper for dish duty...

And on a random note, the Natural Twist Zevia is officially my favorite flavor. It has a bit of a citrus bitterness to it that I just love. Mmm!

P.S. Vita Top Promo! Get 6 FREE Deep Chocolate Vita Tops with the purchase of a 24-pack of Vitas. Enter coupon code EFBYY7Q9 at checkout to take advantage! Yumm! I LOVE Vita Tops!

Thirty-ONE Days of Diabetes

I decided not to be a cop-out and to complete the full month of diabetic meal pattern eating -- thirty-ONE days versus my proposed thirty days. So, my last day, Halloween...wasn't a complete bust for being what it was: Halloween. I ended the day with something like this...

Breakfast:

1/4 cup steel cut oats, uncooked (2 carbs)

1 Tbsp brown sugar Splenda (1 carb)

coffee with 2 Tbsp sugar-free International Delight (0 carbs)

1 kiwi (1 carb)

     Total: 4 carbs

Lunch:

1 servings of Terra Chips (1 1/2 carbs)

2 Nutridel cookies (1 1/2 carbs)

1 mini Butterfinger (1 carb)

     Total: 4 carbs

Evening (between 6 and 11pm):

fajitas - chicken and shrimp and all the veggies (0 carbs) - I didn't eat any tortillas!

1/2 cup beans (1 carb)

1/2 cup rice (1 carb)

1 cup salad and salsa (0 carbs)

handful of tortilla chips with salsa and a bit of queso (1 carb)

2 beers (1 1/2 carbs)

3 fun-size Kit Kats (2 carbs)

     Total: 6 1/2 carbs

TOO MUCH! AHHH! Darn candy! So my last day and meal was my worst day and meal of all 31 days. If it is any consolation for my actions, my stomach punished me for my sugary gluttony!!!

All-in-all, diabetic dieting was not difficult...it simply required some planning and self-control at times (which I often times lacked). As a dietitian, those managing their diabetes through oral medications such Metformin, Glipizide, Actos, and Glyburide are at high risk for elevated blood sugars. While many patients want to avoid insulin at all costs, insulin therapy actually creates a greater degree of control for the patient. A sliding-scale insulin regimen allows for fluctuating carbohydrate intake (and quite a bit of it, at that!), while the oral meds are not so forgiving. This was a very rewarding experience, and also very humbling. I do feel like I have a better understanding of the difficulties of diabetic meal patterning and the effort it takes to balance meals and control portion sizes. Any clinician working with a diabetic population should consider putting themselves up to this challenge in order to better relate to their patients and provide them with the insight, empathy, and care that diabetes self-management requires.

It's been a few days since I graced the blog world with some research and I booked marked this interesting study earlier in the week. And all too appropriately, it's related to diabetes. A meta-analysis showed that meat intake is linked to diabetes. Specifically, high intake of processed meat may increase the risk of developing type-2 diabetes by get this...40%! This study was conducted in the US and Norway and included 12 cohort studies [1].

In addition to processed meats, red meat was linked to an increased risk of type-2 diabetes. And along the same lines, high intake of both processed and red meats increases one's risk of colorectal cancer up to 20% [1]. 

Since the outpouring of research against the safety of processed meats, we have drastically reduced and nearly eliminated our intake. While luncheon meat is inexpensive (relatively) and handy, the health risks is poses are not worth the convenience to me. Opt for all-natural peanut butter or almond butter sandwiches, tuna, chicken, or egg salad. Light on the mayonnaise, always! 

 

And...my team finally did it. GO ILLINI!!!!!!!!!!!!! While the season is obviously a wash, watching my team whomp yesterday gave me goosebumps of excitement! SO happy for them!


This morning in our living was a picture epitomizing fall (at least to me)....

Puppy laying on a warm bed in front of the fire...chewing on an old-fashioned oats container!

I used the last of the old-fashioned oats in making my new FAVORITE breakfast (ever?)...

YUMMMM!!!

Happy November 1st! Enjoy a beautiful Sunday. Lily and I are off to go crazy at the dog park! Ciao!

[1]. Daniells, Stephen. Meat Linked to Increased Diabetes Risk: Meta-Analysis. Food Navigator. October 28, 2009.

PureVia vs. Truvia

Good morning! Husband is sick in bed -- I think I might've brought something home from work on Friday. Though, I am currently asymptomatic. Good thing with back-to-back hockey games this evening. On an unrelated note, let me re-visit stevia-based sweeteners: Truvia and PureVia.

If you read yesterday's blog, I deemed Truvia #1 to my taste-buds. Someone helpfully pointed out that they're made from the same plant -- the stevia plant. Stevia is native to Paraguay and Peru (depending on which source you reference). It is approximately 30 times sweeter than natural sugar, and is calorie free! Stevia-based sweeteners were approved for use by the FDA in December of 2008. Though they are 2-3x more expensive than saccharin (Sweet'n Low), aspartame (Equal) and sucralose (Splenda), they are gaining popularity quickly. "Truvia" is Coke's version of the stevia-based sweetener, while "PureVia" is Pepsi's version [1].

Both Truvia and PureVia are calorie-free, kosher products. One packet of commercially sold Truvia equates to the sweetness of 2 teaspoons of sugar. On the Truvia website there is a Q&A section and one of the questions is: What makes Truvia natural sweetener better than other stevia-based sweeteners? So, the research goes on [1].

The stevia plant has over 200 varieties. The quality of the "sweetness" depends on the extracted sweet compound that the leaves yield [2]. To me this reads "some parts of the plant are sweeter than others." We move on to PureVia's site where they give away the answer.

The sweeteners are made from Reb A (or Rebiana) -- the SWEETEST part of the plant. PureVia is ethanol-purified and the Reb A is blended with other "natural ingredients" for flavor. The bulking agents in PureVia include erythritol and isomaltulose [3]. Truvia does not purify with ethanol, according to what I've found thus far. Truvia also mentions no use of isomaltulose as a bulking agent [4]. Erythritol sounds bad, but it is a natural sweetener. It's found in fruits such as grapes and pears and is extracted naturally [4].

So in a nut shell, the stevia plant's sweetness varies a lot. Though both products are derived from the Reb A portion of the plant, the bulking agents and proportions of stevia vary...creating a different taste. There ya have it. Is there ANYTHING more anyone could ever want to know about stevia? : )

Last night I used some of my new calorie-containing sweeteners and made crock pot oatmeal. It was delicious. I threw into my crock pot:

2 cups of old fashioned oats
6 cups water
3 Tbsp cinnamon (I like a lot!)
2 Tbsp turbinado
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup dates, diced

Cook on low 8-9 hours and enjoy! It was creamy and delicious! It needed no more sugar and has leftovers ready for 3 breakfasts this week! If you think I'm crock pot obsessed, you are correct!

On a completely unrelated note...no more football-less Saturdays! It should be a good year for the Fighting Illini (#25) and Oklahoma Sooners (#2). The two teams play back-to-back next weekend on ESPN and I couldn't be more excited! I'm saving my first hoodie reveal for Saturday. Crock pot vegetarian chili will be involved, as well. What college football team are you a #1 fan of?

Lily and I are off to the dog park...have a wonderful day!

[1]. McCay, Betsy. FDA Clears Use of Herb as Sweetener. The Wall Street Journal. December 18, 2008.
[2]. Stevia-based Sweetener Truvia Gets FDA Nod. Stevia Cafe.
[3]. PureVia website.
[4]. Truvia website.

Buffets aren’t good for doggies

Lily visited her sister this weekend, it was a blast. Our little bundle of joy weighs in at 23lbs at 18 weeks of age…a moderate number when compared to her sister of 28lbs. Only 5lbs difference, right? Really, though, that would be an added 22% of body weight packed on our wrinkle butt. The difference is that Tammy Faye, Lily’s sister, has her food left out 24/7 while we feed Lily the recommended 1 ½-2 cups each day. And let’s be honest, it’s more like 2 cups…always.


When the puppies were playing, Lily was always in charge. Bigger isn’t better even in puppy play. Additionally, Lily gets 3 walks a day most days of the week. Nothing long and excessive in the Oklahoma heat, but she’s active none-the-less. She’s got quite the bull baby physique and it’s helping Mark and I get out and walk more, as well. Remember that article I reviewed a few weeks back about dog ownership increasing activity? It’s definitely true…plus it’s given me the opportunity to meet a lot of our neighbors! Go figure! Anyone else a dog owner and find their activity heightened due to their fur baby?

Admittedly, she’s still a piglet. When we arrived yesterday for the play date, Lily proceeded to inhale both bowls of food left out for her sister and mom. So much for a dainty appetite – psh.

Tonight at our household was chicken fajitas! Yumm! Look at those delicious, colorful bell peppers!

And my favorite ingredient...ONION!

Delicious! We went sans the tortillas because 1) we didn't have them, 2) I didn't want to stop to get any (grocery store at 5pm...I'll pass), and 3) you just don't need them! Salsa and light sour cream go great!

6 legs are better than 2

If you want to boost your activity level, lose weight, and have a great time doing it…a dog may be your answer.

Robert Kushner, professor of medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago, co-authored a study looking into the effects of dog ownership on activity level...and subsequently, weight loss. Two groups were observed: one group of obese adults with obese dogs and one group of obese adults without dogs. After a year, those with dogs had lost weight -- 4.7% of their body weight, or roughly 11 pounds. Similarly, the dogs shed (pun intended) 12 pounds, accounting for an average loss of 15% of their body weight [1].

Those dogs participating in the study were fed a calorie-controlled diet while their owners received dietary counseling and were encouraged to walk at least three times a week for 30 minutes [1]. An easy goal to reach with a 4-legger around, I’d say.

Most importantly, however, is the sustainability of activity that goes along with dog ownership. Dogs can be used for not only great companionship, but also motivation to stick with a diet and exercise plan long-term. Plus, it’s more enjoyable than going alone – all huge keys to permanent lifestyle behavior changes such as the incorporation of exercise.

On a side note: Bulldogs may not be your best bet when looking for a weight-loss companion. Our Lily (AKA “Wrinkle Butt”) made it to the end of the block last night with just enough energy reserves left to watch Molly, the black lab mix, run guns-a-blazin’ after her ball…incessantly….for the better part of a half-hour. And somehow the walk home was still taxing on our little bundle of laziness. Must be that Oklahoma heat, right? Guess I’ll need to utilize that YMCA membership as my companion needs as much help as I do to maintain an exercise regimen!

[1]. Need a Walking Partner? Try a Dog. Medline Plus. June 11, 2009.