Milk

I don't know about you, but I grew up thinking that when I drank a glass of milk I was doing a good thing. Calcium, strong bones! Now, I'm thinking not so much... My parents used to encourage me to drink the milk in my cereal, or the milk that I used to dunk my Oreos, but now they are vegan, and we don't even have milk in the house.

So what's so bad about milk? And how do we get around it?

1. Milk actually DEPLETES the calcium from your bones
2. Cow's milk is custom designed for cows
3. Milk INCREASES fracture risk
4. Today's milk is considered a processed food

This is specifically dairy milk, which I think we all know TASTES the best. But I don't know if it's really worth it. It's not natural milk.

I'm going to need you to be open-minded with me for a minute. I say this, because I was very opposed to what I am about to present. Growing up only drinking milk, I couldn't imagine what else I would put in my cereal. My parents urged me to try soy milk, but I was not having it. I tried it once plain, and it wasn't very great. In cereal, it's okay. But just okay. However, what I have really grown to love is almond milk. It still doesn't really make sense to me... How milk is made from almonds, but I've learned to put that behind me. I honestly think almond milk has a very similar taste to actual milk. I can't say the same for soy milk. The only real difference is the consistency. Nothing will ever be quite as refreshing as milk. But when it comes to cereal, and cooking, and little things like that, you won't even notice a difference. You do notice it with Oreos though.... Keep drinking milk with Oreos, but for everything else, almond milk all the way!

Why Organic is Better

We've talked about time, well more the lack of time. However, there is another critically important element that is associated with healthy eating. Finances... it is significantly more expensive to buy natural, organic products. Usually, the less ingredients it has, the more expensive it is, which is is kind of a crazy idea. So the question I have, "Is it worth it?" 

Is it really worth 56% more for a banana? Or 125% more for peanut butter? 

The answer is YES. 

It is better for YOU. 

Using pesticides kills some essential nutrients in the foods we are eating. Overall pesticide residue in organic foods is ten to one hundred times lower than non-organic. In my opinion, it also tastes better! There's nothing better than a case of organic apples from Costco. 

It is better for the ENVIRONMENT. 

"Organic and agroecological farming methods typically build healthier soils, produce less pollution, and protect ecosystems better than conventional cultivation methods." Organic farms use 70 percent less energy than industrial farms. Industrial farms are resource hogs often times using cheap, nonrenewable fossil fuels. 

It is better for the ANIMALS.

Unfortunately, organic doesn't ALWAYS mean humane treatment of animals, but more often than not, organic is more likely to use human treatment over non-organic. Another way to ensure humane treatment of the producers of your meat and dairy products is to look for "free range" and "graze."

Next time you go shopping, and see the difference in prices, think about the difference you can make in the world by supporting these smaller organic farms. It's worth it. 

Taco Pizza

So I've never been a huge tomato sauce person. I LOVE pizza, but only the pizza where the sauce isn't oozing out the side. I like very minimal sauce. If this is you, I have a new experiment for you to try. The first place I ever had this new creation was at Pizza Shack in Lamoni, Iowa. However, I'm super picky, so I picked off all the olives and tomatoes. This pizza could luck much more colorful and delicious, but it just has the things I like on it, so it's boring.

THIS, is taco pizza. Instead of the traditional tomato sauce on pizza, you use refried beans! I love beans! Which is great for me, and bad for my friends.... With refried beans being the base you can just add any ingredient that you would usually put on your taco. Mine has refried beans, black beans, green peppers, tortilla chips, and mild sauce, but the possibilities are endless! Yo could even add ground beef or chicken to enhance the flavor! Or if you're a economically challenged college student, you can forget the meat, and buy the cheaper ingredients. 

Cooking and preparation takes about 30 minutes total, which really isn't bad! My rule is that if it takes me more than 30 minutes, it's really not worth my time. UNLESS, it is delicious and can be eaten for multiple meals and still be delicious. AND cold taco pizza is just as delicious as cold pepperoni pizza. Top your pizza, heat the oven to 425 degrees, let it sit for 10-15 minutes and you're golden. Next time you can't decide between Mexican or Italian, go for taco pizza!

Added vs. Natural Sugar

Sugar is always one of those things that I look for on a label, because it's one of the main things I try to stay away from. Sugar turns to fat, and fat is something that I try to avoid. I also have another philosophy, where I feel like its okay to eat anything that grows naturally. However, fruit is loaded with sugar! Is there a difference between sugar in an apple vs. sugar in a doughnut? YES!

Apples have natural sugar while doughnuts have added sugar. There are only two kinds of natural sugars: those found in milk (lactose) and those found in fruit (fructose). Natural sugars also have nutrients, such as protein, fiber, Vitamin D, A, & C, Calcium... With nutrients such as fiber and protein it also takes longer to digest, which decreases the spike in blood sugar received from added sugars. This also causes you to be full LONGER! Added sugars are a pure source of carbohydrate with around 15 calories per teaspoon... yikes. Unlike natural sugars, added sugars lead to weight gain and poorly controlled blood sugar levels. 

Some things to look out for: 
1. Juice- You really have to be careful when looking at juice labels. There are some natural and organic juices out there, containing only natural sugars. However, many name brand juices are also loaded with added sugar as well. 

2. Canned fruit- Usually fruit that comes in cans is also loaded with added sugar, packed in a heavy syrup.

3. Apple Sauce- Apple sauce is one of my FAVORITE snacks. Unfortunately  apple sauce is also corrupted by added sugars! Apple sauce is already naturally sweet, there's no need for this! 

Check your labels carefully!
Food Label ConfusionOne of the biggest conundrums surrounding the sugar debate is deciphering where sugar is coming from on a food label. The total grams of sugar listed in the nutrition facts doesn’t differentiate whether the sugars are coming from added or natural sources. The only thing a savvy consumer can do is read the ingredient list. Since ingredients are listed in descending order, folks can determine where the majority of the sugar in that food is coming from.

Cereal

I love cereal. If I could eat cereal for every meal of every day I would. However, you have to be really careful about what kind of cereal you're eating. A majority of them are loaded with sugar, which is very upsetting. Some of my all time favorite cereals (Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Fruity Pebbles, Golden Grahams...) are the equivalent to eating a bowl of ice cream. 

Check out which our your favorites have the most sugar: 

I wasn't prepared to let my love for cereal die, when I decided to adopt a healthy (er) style of eating. Cereal is, and will probably always be one of my favorite things to eat. I've found some healthier cereals I can eat that still taste good!

1. Grape Nuts: I'm not going to lie. On their own, these taste terrible. However, with just a few additions, it has turned into one of my favorites! I just add a spoonful of brown sugar and a handful of blueberries, which is still significantly less sugar than any of the brands listed above. This cereal is also a great source of protein!

2. Kashi Honey Toasted Oat: Currently, this is my favorite cereal. Kashi is seriously the best.  You don't need to add anything, because it's already delicious. This is the kind of cereal you look forward to eating and it only has 5 grams of sugar per serving. Score.

3. Kashi Indigo Morning: Kashi has done it again. Have you ever had Pops? Another one of my favorites as a kid. This, in my opinion, is better than Pops. It's like Pops with berries, but healthy! It's really similar in taste and texture, but the berries just give it an extra kick. This cereal only has 6 grams of sugar per serving, which is extremely low compared to Pops, which has 14.85 grams of sugar per serving.



These are just a few of my new favorites to help me stay on track for living a healthier life! Healthy Eating! 

Stay Awake Naturally

I don't know where you are at in your life, but I am finishing up my senior year of my undergrad, which means I have a lot of late nights. Chances are, no matter what you're doing there are times where you need to stay up late to get something done. I don't usually drink energy drinks, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Last night I needed to stay awake. My body was fighting me, and winning, so I didn't know what defense to fight back with other than a peace rockstar energy drink... and a bag of ultimate cheddar munchies. As I was drinking it, I made the mistake of looking at the nutritional facts. It had 0 for almost everything. 0 Calories, 0 sugar, 0 carbs, 0 fat... what i was drinking was pretty much just chemicals. If I can't pronounce 90 percent of the ingredients, I probably shouldn't be drinking it. 

I'm writing this post, so that you don't have to put this poison into your body! I've done some research  on natural ways to keep yourself awake for those late nights. Here are some solutions from Web MD that I came across: 

1. Eat a Healthy Snack: Usually I crave doughnuts or ultimate cheddar munchies late at night, but snacks loaded with sugar only give you a short energy boost. Snacks like peanut butter on a whole wheat cracker, yogurt, nuts,  or fruit will give you more energy in the long run. 

2. Get up and move around: Sitting around makes you sleepy. Stand up and jump around, or go run a lap around the building you're in. 

3. Take a breather: LITERALLY. Deep breathing increases your oxygen levels, which lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and improves your circulation leading to better mental performance and more energy. 
The idea of deep-breathing exercises is to inhale to the abdomen, not the chest. You can do them at your desk. Sitting up straight, try this exercise up to 10 times:With one hand on your belly just below your ribs and the other on your chest, inhale deeply through your nose and let your belly push your hand out. Your chest should not move.Breathe out through lips pursed as if you were whistling. You can use the hand on your belly to help push air out.

4. Drink water: Sometimes sleepiness is caused from fatigue and dehydration. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water!

Can't "Shake" the Craving

So here's the deal. I've been having some real moments of weakness. I like eating healthy, because it makes me feel good. This isn't something that I want to give up, because I like feeling good. BUT, no matter how much or how long I avoid them, I can't stop craving things that are really terrible for me. Ultimate Cheddar Munchies are always on my mind... it's kind of sad really. The past two weeks, I've really just wanted a hamburger, french fries, and a milk shake. There just aren't healthy substitutes for things that are that good. I thought avoiding them would work, because now when I do eat these things they make me pretty sick, but no. It's always worth that 10 minutes of heaven for the 3-5 hours of stomach pains. 

This would usually be the part of the blog where I tell you my solution to this problem. Unfortunately, I haven't found one. This is just me being real with you. These past few days I've just been really off track, and today I hit one of those points where I said to myself, "It's time to get your life back together..." It sounds dramatic, but it's true. When I go off the wagon and eat whatever I want I'm happy for a short while, but I feel like crap as my belly expands, and my motivation decreases. 

There are 5 major moments of weakness that you need to look out for! Maybe if you're aware of the occasions where you're most likely to jump off the wagon, you can better prepare yourself. 

1. On Vacation

2. After a Break-Up

3. A Party With Great Food

4. Watching TV

5. At A Buffet, or Restaurant with Enormous Portions

For tips on overcoming these weaknesses checkout this page!

If you have any tips for overcoming your moments of weakness, please let me know! 

It's a constant struggle, but I have felt the benefits of a healthy life, and I am determined to overcome this craving of a hamburger, french fries, and milkshake. 

Here are some mantras for moments of willpower weakness! They haven't really worked for me, but they're worth a shot!