Dairy vs. Calcium

"Milk it does a body good" and "Got milk?"are just some of the dairy industry's campaign slogans to get you believing your body needs milk.



So much so that even after a child is weaned, a mother believes her baby still needs milk, but not hers, instead the milk of an animal because somehow she's been trained to believe that this is best for her infant. How does this make sense? You stop giving your child your milk, but think giving your child the milk of another species is fine and needed.

Don't' get me wrong! I'm 100% for a mother breastfeeding her child her milk. I also strongly believe that milk from a naturally lactating cow is great, for her calf! However, even a calf doesn't continue to drink milk from it's own mother as it gets older. So, why do most humans think it's normal to drink cows milk throughout their life?


As with all mammals, mother's milk is intended for the baby, not the grown adult.

So many people experience such terrible reactions from cow's milk, and still even though their bodies are telling them no, they continue to drink it. Even those who are severely lactose intolerant make me shake my head as they pop pills to make it easier on their system and continue to down the stuff as they hold their stomachs in pain. The negative reaction to milk doesn't even need to be immediate or as severe for your body to be telling you this not right for you. Many experience awful acne, weight gain, ear aches (especially in children), inflammation, congestion. I remember way back in the day when I'd eat ice cream how I'd have small coughing fits, only to find out later that milk is mucous forming, that explained my reaction!


So what to do? Your body does need calcium. Well milk is not the only source of calcium as the dairy industry would hope you'd believe. In fact it's not even close to being the best source of calcium!

So what can I recommend for you to have with those cookies instead? Lot's! There is an endless choice of grain, vegetable, seed and nut milks that are so much healthier for you to consume and still get you calcium.


-Oat milk


-Soy milk


-Almond milk


-Rice milk



-Potato milk



-Hemp milk

...and most of these milks come in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry too!

Other sources of calcium include:

-Black strap molasses
-Tahini

-Most greens

-Many seeds and nuts like almonds

-Sea vegetables

-Beans and peas

-Grains
So you see your options are almost endless AND healthy!

Assignment:

I would like you to experiment with alternative types of calcium this week and slowly start to make the change to these healthier options.

What Do You See In The Mirror?

Hello!

You've been doing so well, but for some you still may not like what you see in the mirror.

So, how can you make yourself feel better today?

Assignment:

I want you to grab your journal and make a list of positive states that coincide with different parts of your life.

They might be things like:

- I am a mother and feel blessed and fulfilled

-I love to go roller blading it makes feel skillful and fit

-I am married to a man I love and who loves me

-I volunteer and this makes me feel useful and connected with my community

Your statements can be about anything related to your life as long as they are positive and help you feel more secure and happy.

Today I want you to think of yourself in the most positive and wonderful ways to enhance your quality of life.

Continue to add to this personal list as an ongoing exercise. It will make you smile and bring you up when you forget how amazing you truly are!

Ciao

Recipe:

My Morning Scrambled Eggs:

Extra firm tofu

Olive oil

Scallion/green onion

Onion

mushrooms

Nutritional yeast

Soy sauce

Turmeric

Salt

Pepper

I start by crumbling the tofu. I personally like a larger crumble. I set it aside and then pan fry my scallion, onions and mushrooms before adding my tofu. I toss these all together and then add the next ingredients to taste.

This great for the new or experimental vegan with mock sausages, toast and hash browns. Yum! I'm making myself hungry!

Enjoy!

Read Your Labels When Shopping

The types of foods to buy, the exercises to do, it can all be confusing.

Stick with me and I hope to increase your knowledge about nutrition and fitness.

This week we will still focus on foods as you maintain your what is now your regular fitness activities, until we get into the physical component of this.

Today I want you to begin not just having one meatless meal a day, but also one day completely without meat. Remember this does not mean without protein, so be sure to replace the animal on your plate with a health plant protein instead.

I also want you to read the labels of the products you buy now. If the products contain saturated fat (which in most cases is from animals) I don't want you to buy it. So that would mean dairy, butter and ...does anyone really use this anymore? ...lard. The only exception to the saturated fat would be the highly controversial coconut oil and we will discuss the whys of this in the future.

In addition to avoiding saturated fats you want to make sure not to purchase foods high in trans fats either these tend to be the yummy foods that keep you fat (baked goods, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc.).

I've been getting many emails asking if you should be weighing yourself. This is up to you. If you want to do weekly weigh-ins go ahead ....but! ...if you are the type of person who lives and dies by the scale then stay away. Though I am sure you've already begun to drop some pounds just by dropping sugar, reducing meat and increasing your water intake for some it may not be the amount of pounds you've been hoping to see by now. Remember we've just begun. We are doing this the healthy way, and that this is not a diet but a new way to live. So be patient and proud! You've been doing amazing so far!

Checking In

Congratulations!

You are still with me on this journey to optimal health and wellness.

How are you doing with your journaling?

Are you keeping up your activity level? Or better yet have you increased it? If you haven't found your ideal activity don't give up until you do find something you enjoy!

In your food log how many new and healthy changes have you made? Did you maybe experiment with a new plant protein or sweetener? Did you try going without meat for one meal a day? We want a smooth transition so take it slow. Too many or too hard a change can be a shock to the system for some people. Also I don't want you to feel like you've failed or to add extra stress when you are on this path to a healthier you.

Pat yourself on the back! I know you are doing a good job! Feel free to continue emailing me your questions and I"ll do my best to reply.

Until tomorrow,

Ciao!

Questions & Answers

I've been receiving so many emails and phone calls with many questions on a variety of posts, so I am going to use today to reply to the questions that seem to keep repeating themselves. Let's get started.


Q: Why do you think that plant protein is better than animal protein?

A: For many reasons, plant protein is not taking a life, it's not filled with hormones, steroids, antibiotics, mercury and metals, it feels better, it's not in your system for days and most plant protein is not acid forming like meat. It's not difficult to digest (though some people have problems with soy, this is usually if they consume too much, have an allergy to it or are not eating organic soy). I could go on but I think I've given you enough to consider for now. :-)

Q: You mentioned either BMI or WHR can you help me? What is the right waist measurements?

A: If I understand your question correctly you want to know what you should aim for in waist size. For a woman it's no bigger than 32" and for a man no larger than 35". Some calculators allow for an inch or more in either direction.

Q: Are you taking on more Personal Training clients? I'd love you to train me.

A: I'm sorry to say that at this time I am not taking on new clients.

Q: Do I have to be vegan to follow your program?

A: No, but it certainly helps in feeling healthier and living a cleaner life. Being vegan also will help you to lose weight, lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It's really one of the best decisions you can make for your health, for the animals and for the planet.

Q: Are there cookbooks you would recommend?

A: Yes! Please see the link at the top and bottom of the blog home page.

Q: In your post about protein shakes you talked about a lot of them being bad for you but you didn't give us any that you'd recommend, and I don't want a recipe. I want a powder I can take with me and add water too. Can you give me a brand name?

A: Good point! I didn't offer up any brand names as a healthy alternative and I should have. One that I use and recommend is Vega. The creator is both vegan and a Canadian athlete! He has many flavours to choose from as well. You can find it in most stores that carry protein powders.

Q: As a vegan/vegetarian do you worry about B12?

A: Short answer no? I've been living this healthy lifestyle for most of my life I am very aware of what foods contain B12. If you are new to becoming veggie (vegetarian or vegan) you may hear a lot about B12 as a scare tactic. There are many non-meat sources of B12 which I will list shortly or you can look into taking supplements. Other sources include nutritional yeast, miso, most fermented soy products.

Recommended Reading

How Sweet It Is!

Sugar, syrups, sweeteners, substitutes ...what is best?

Do you know that most North Americans consume at least their body weight in sugar each year if not more!?

Personally I try to stay away from refined sugars, I don't use honey (yes the vegan thing, you do know honey is bee vomit right?) and I certainly don't touch chemicals called artificial sweeteners.

Sugar weakens your immune system and is linked to causing cancer and building up yeast in the body.

To follow along with me on this program you need to eliminate artificial sweeteners from your diet and we will talk more about sugar in future posts.

If I must use a sweetener and it depends on what I'm using it for, I do try to to lean towards "natural" sweeteners like maple syrup, agave nectar and stevia. However, these products are not for everyone. The good thing about these sweeteners is that other than being natural, they don't cause the crash you would get from refined sugars because of their glycemic index (GI).

Also because of the effect they can have on the body pregnant women and those trying to get pregnant should really watch their intake. For those who follow my fertility blog (FertilityToday.blogspot.com) you know that I sent "Sarah" (not her real name) for many tests one of them being uric acid and to test her PH balance, to see if she was fructose sensitive and needed to stay under 25-30 grams a day and to see how acidic her body was.

Still just because something is "natural" does not necessarily mean it's good for you. For example the agave syrup that I like to use is not for everyone. It's high fructose which can lead to obesity (it's stored as fat), high blood pressure, diabetes and more. This doesn't mean these plant sugars don't have health properties, especially if consumed in small portions, they do.

Again as with any of these sweeteners it depends on brand, how they are processed, and what, if anything is added to them.

I like stevia. I think it is the safest alternative to refined sugar. Like agave nectar you can also get it in flavours like vanilla, hazelnut and English toffee for those who like to sweeten their "coffee".
Assignment:

So step one, I want you to stop using refined sugars, bee regurgitation (honey), and artificial sweeteners.

Step two, I want you to go out and purchase either Stevia or Agave Nectar and start experimenting with them in places you would normally use sugar or a sweetener.

We will be having a lot more conversations on sweeteners to come.

The cleaner your palate becomes the less you will feel the need to sweeten everything. For example you may begin to enjoy herbal teas for their natural flavour rather than the habit of sugaring it to make it taste good.

Ciao for now

Meet Your Meat

Today I want to talk a bit about meat.

As most of you know I stopped eating meat as a teenager. It was an easy choice for me. Meat is not healthy for you, killing and torturing animals to feed our bellies is just unnecessary and mean in this day and age, and humans were not created as meat eaters.

Want to lose 5 pounds this week? Stop eating meat! Do you know meat stays in your body for up to 3 days!? ...and if you are eating meat every meal, every day, ...well you do the math of how much decaying animal is currently plugging up your intestines.

Meat eaters have an intestinal track that is 3 times their body length so that they can have rotting flesh quickly pass through their systems. Humans, like other non-meat eaters have a track more than 10 times their body length. Also meat eaters have a stomach acid 20 times stronger than our to break down meat protein.

I want you to try to go at least one meal a day without eating meat for this month. For some the easiest meal to do this with is breakfast. If it's easier to do this at lunch or dinner, consider a pasta dinner, or replacing your meat protein with a plant protein. Another option though not one I recommend on a regular basis, is using mock meats which can be readily found at any health food store or most grocery stores in the freezer or produce section. This way you can have your favourite recipes with mock ground beef, chicken, mock burgers, hot dogs, etc. you get the idea. These mock meats are made with soy or vegetable protein but are still highly processed and I want to eventually steer you away from processed foods.

Now I'm not expecting you to become a vegetarian or vegan, but I do want you to be aware of what meat does to your body and where your meat comes from. So this will not be our last discussion on the topic.

I want you to spend the time to watch the video below. I know many meat eaters envision cows and chickens living free and happy on a large farm, that couldn't be farther from the truth. Still other meat eaters don't even make the association between what was once a living animal to what is on their BBQ or plate. Please feel free to post your comments or email me on your thoughts after watching the video.

http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=MYM_update_500&Player=flv

Portions

Hello!

I hope you've been doing well.

Do you know that even if you are eating a fairly healthy diet the portions you eat at each meal can lead to your undoing? Since many people are uncertain as to what a single serving is I'll give you the most simple guideline to go by, and that is no portion should be bigger than your fist or your palm. This will apply to your proteins and carbs that are not hight in fiber. I don't normally assign a portion to fruits & veggies, but all things in moderation.

I encourage you to use smaller plates for your meals such as a 9" dinner plate. Unlike the 11" or 12" plates you find in most restaurants.

Yesterday I mentioned that I don't count calories, as fashionable as it might be, and that is because if you eat the healthy diet we will be discussing in future posts you don't have to worry about counting them.

I also want to briefly touch on water. You may have heard you should drink 8-10 glasses a day, normally this is a good guideline to follow. However, it really depends on where you live, how active you are and your body size, also whether you are male or female. For men the recommendation is 13 cups and for women 9. I normally drink about a cup of water an hour because of my activity level.

Assignment: I want you to now plan out some meals for the upcoming days. Planning helps you to create healthier meals and avoid picking up or ordering in. Also experiment with a new plant protein such as tofu (maybe in a stir fry) or almond butter (great on toast)!

We will get into recommended food soon.

After posting the recipe for my Apple Pie & Ice Cream smoothie I received a lot of emails asking if I could continue to post different recipes for smoothies and other goodies. So I will do my best. Today is another smoothie recipe.

I Want Brownies!

Banana

Soy milk

Raw cocoa

Carob or vegan chocolate chips

Vanilla

Nuts (optional)

crushed ice

blend

Yum!

Note:

Soon we will be getting into the physical component. I strongly recommend meeting with your physician and discussing your plans to start this program with them.

Food & Fighting Cravings

If you really want to lose weight this time I'll help you, but we have to look at what you eat. If you've been following along day by day then you've started a food log.

Pull it out.

How much of what you've been eating has been processed foods? If you are like most people probably a good portion of it has been. So many people eat out of packages, tins and from fast food restaurants they have forgotten what real food is.

These foods with shelf lives that seem to last forever are high in sodium, trans fats and sugar. This is a big part of the reason why people are overweight. Food is now so far from it's natural source, if it even comes from one, that it's killing us. The worst part is many kids are growing up on the diet of cheese strings, McDonald's, pop and other processed foods it's messing them up physically and mentally.

If a great great grand parent were alive to see these packaged products how many would they actually recognize as food? Eggs come in liquid form in a box, oatmeal comes in a bar, water now comes in a wide range of colours, sugar in pretty pink and blue packages that increase cravings. It's insane!

Let's go back to your food log.

How many times did you go to Tim Horton's or Starbucks? How many times did you actually cook a meal with grains and vegetables? How often did you eat a raw piece of fruit or munch on some raw veggies? What about fibre? Fibre cleans the toxins out of the body, it fills you up and keeps your metabolic rate in check. It is also what will help you lose weight!

Later this month we will discuss portions, water and why I don't count calories. For now I want you to keep on with your log and if you are having craving for foods you know you don't want to write down later in your log as consumed, try these tips.

Tips:

-I find if I brush my teeth I often no longer crave eating something I don't need to consume.

-If you just must have that favourite dessert turn it into a healthy smoothie. This is something else I do.

For example, if you are craving apple pie and ice cream make it into a cold milkshake-like smoothie so you still get the chill of the ice cream and the flavour of the apple pie.

Sonia's Apple Pie & Ice Cream Smoothie:

Chopped apple

Almond milk

Non-dairy ice cream

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Agave nectar

Blend and enjoy!