Sweet Sugar

A couple times a day I get cravings for something sweet.   According to three sugar addiction quizzes I am not addicted to sugar but I sure eat a lot of it.

Sugar Addiction surveys:  Prevention Quiz, Eat This Not That Quiz, Vandia Quiz

When I get a sweet craving I eat a bowl of sweetened cereal and then another and sometimes a third bowl.  My craving is satisfied but my heart starts pumping hard, I get a sugar rush and sometimes a headache.

I know this is not good for me.

Sugar is digested quickly, causing blood glucose level to spike and forcing the body to store those calories in the form of fat.  Repeated blood sugar spikes stress organs in the body.*

The American Heart Association recommends that men eat less than 9 teaspoons of sugar a day, and women less than 6.  Very Berry Cherrios have 9 grams of sugar per serving.  There are approximately 4 grams of sugar in 1 teaspoon.  So for three servings of cereal I am consuming almost 7 teaspoons of sugar just for a snack (75% of daily amount).

I have been looking for alternative sweet snacks.  My approach is to let myself have some sweets but they must be healthier than Very Berry Cheerios.  I have been experimenting with different kinds of sweets like honey, dates and stevia.

Honey is sweet and tastes great.  It is considered a good substitute for sugar because it has more nutrients as compared to sugar.  Benefits of Honey

Honey also has antibacterial properties which are beneficial to the body.  Antibacterial properties

I have noticed that honey does not effect me like sugar cereal.  I don't get a sugar rush or a headache after eating honey.

I investigated  to find out why.  Honey and sugar are both carbohydrates, consisting of two types of sugar:  glucose and fructose.  The proportions of glucose and fructose in honey and sugar are different: sugar is 50% fructose and 50% glucose and honey contains 40% fructose and 30% glucose.

Sugar has a higher glycemic index (GI) than honey which means it raises blood sugar levels more quickly.  This is due to its higher fructose content, and the absence of trace minerals.  Difference between honey and sugar

Dates are also very sweet.  I recently made Lemon Energy Bites which are sweetened with dates.  They taste good and satisfy my sweet craving.  As a bonus they are good for me with nuts and chia seeds.  The recipe is given at the bottom of post.  

Dates have vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants.  They contain natural sugar compared to refined sugar in white sugar.  Dates are high in sugar and calories so I only eat one Lemon Energy Bite per day.  Information about dates

Stevia is an alternative to sugar.  It is a natural sweetener that is extracted from the leaves of a South American shrub.  It is 100% natural, has no calories and no known adverse health effects.   Stevia Information

I made my favorite peanut butter oatmeal cookies with Stevia.  They turned out okay but not as good as when making them with white and brown sugar.  They were a little bit dry.

I plan to continue eating honey and dates to satisfy my sweet cravings.  Also, I hope that as I reduce the amount of sweets I eat each day my sweet cravings will disappear.

What do you eat when you are craving something sweet?  Maybe you could replace it with honey, dates or stevia.

Lemon Energy Bites
Ingredients
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup almonds
1/2 cup pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
2 TBS chia seeds
Zest and juice from a medium lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

How to make it:
1.  Put dates, nuts and seeds in a food processor an pulse until chopped.
2.  Add lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla and process until mixture comes together.
3.  Form into balls and store in fridge or freezer

These bites will keep in your refrigerator in an airtight container for up to one month or can be frozen.

Source:  Spectrum Health Hospital

*Zinczenko, David, Goulding, Matt, Eat This Not That. Rodale Inc., 2012, pps. 128/229.

Travel Healthy

Traveling is stressful for me:  getting to the airport on time, going through security check, sitting on the plane next to a fussy baby.

And if I am traveling for work there is added stress: preparing for a presentation, making a good first impression with colleagues, providing training to others and getting around a new area.

To reduce stress I plan ahead, make a schedule, and research the area.  But there are always stressful situations that come up.

I have taken several business trips where I have not been in top form.  I have sat in a conference room 800 miles from home and could barely stay awake.  Also when I was participating in a scale-up in a manufacturing plant I was listless and feeling blah.

Guess what?  For both situations I can blame my diet and sleep quality while on the trip.  I had several unhealthy meals and did not exercise for 4-5 days.

The added stress due to travel and being away from home contributed to my low energy.  Diet, exercise and sleep are very important to manage stress.  Stress Management Link

After these experiences I take steps to make sure I feel just as energetic and enthusiastic when I am away from home as compared to when I am home.

During my trips I focus on eating healthy, exercising and sleeping well.  It takes extra effort but the results are worth it.

I mentally psych myself up before a trip and let myself know that my diet will be restricted and that exercise is a top priority.  I can eat ice-cream and Tositios when I get home.

I always bring snacks on my trip: nuts, hummus, protein bars or beef jerky.  I also put a couple of water bottles into my luggage so that I have water in the hotel room (and a bottle I can reuse if needed).  I pack my bathing suit and running shoes.

Diet
Diet can contribute to increasing or decreasing stress levels, and impact sleep quality.

Some foods can provide comfort and increase the levels of hormones in the body that naturally fight stress.     

Foods that reduce stress include oatmeal, yogurt, blueberries, turkey, milk, fish and leafy green vegetables.  List of foods to reduce stress

Foods that are not good for stress include:  processed foods, white flour products, alcohol, caffeine, sugar.  List of foods that are not good for stress

Chose your meals carefully while traveling:
Do not order two Cosmos, sausage penne and a piece of chocolate cake.  Instead drink water and order salad and fish.  Do not eat any processed sauces or bread from the bread basket.

If you are hungry when you get back to your hotel room eat nuts (packed for your trip) or an apple (saved from the hotel breakfast buffet).

For breakfast have oatmeal and yogurt or scrambled eggs.  Stay away from the carbs - pastries, bagels and donuts.

Exercise
Exercise is a priority when traveling to manage stress and ensure sleep quality.

Traveling can make it harder to be active but it is very important to exercise when feeling stressed.  Physical activity releases endorphins and reduces adrenaline and cortisol levels which helps to reduce mental stress.

The concierge can provide a map for walking/running near the hotel.

If the hotel is not located in a safe area for pedestrians you can check out the fitness room.  Most hotels have fitness rooms with a treadmill and weights.

Some hotels have a pool where you could swim laps.

If the hotel does not have any of these options you could walk up and down the stairs for 30 minutes.  All hotels have stairways in case of fire.  You can do sit-ups and jumping jacks in your room.

Sleep
The amount and quality of sleep is crucial to your well-being.  A slight deprivation or poor sleep can affect memory, judgement and mood.

Skipping sleep impairs your brain function across the board.  It slows your ability to process information and problem solve, kills your creativity, and increases your stress levels and emotional reactivity.

Both diet and exercise can impact the quality of your sleep.  Diet impacts sleep Exercise impacts sleep   If you eat healthy and exercise while you are traveling you should be able to sleep well.

Take care of yourself while traveling!  Plan ahead, pack snacks and water, eat healthy, exercise and go to bed on time while at a temporary location.  You will feel energetic and enthusiastic and your trip will be successful.

What is meditation?

Meditation is supposed to be good for you.  See link:  Link

But what is it?

In the past I alway thought it was sitting quietly and staring off into space.  It is hard for me to sit still and I never understood the benefit.

However, now I understand that meditation is the ability to focus my thoughts and clear my mind.

Focusing my mind on the present moment and only one thing is not easy.  Typically my mind wanders off to some other thought and it takes willpower to force my mind to focus on the present moment.  I have been practicing during my yoga classes.  

While a yoga class mostly involves physical poses, meditation is also included to keep the mind sharp and clear, relieve stress and improve overall well-being.    

Recently I was playing tennis and realized that I have learned how to focus my thoughts!

My husband was hitting the ball to me and I was trying to hit it back but I kept missing.  Do you know the expression Air Ball?  I realized I was thinking about playing tennis on a beautiful day while on vacation and not focusing on actually hitting the ball.

So, I started to focus on hitting the ball.  I stopped thinking about everything else and concentrated on swinging my racket to connect with ball.  Guess what?  I started hitting the ball really well.  I had to concentrate in an intense way but it worked.

In addition to Concentration meditation there is another type of meditation:  Mindfulness meditation.  It is when you let your mind wander and are aware of what you are thinking about.  You pay attention to thoughts, feelings and sensations without being caught up in them.

When I moved to a new city and started a new job.  I found that I needed to run to clear my mind.

During my runs, I let my mind wander and thought about all the new people I had met.  I would think about first impressions, personality, and expertise and skills of each person.  I would review what was said and what was not said in our meetings.  I would think about follow-up questions.

When I got tired of thinking about work I cleared my mind and just focused on running, one foot in front of the other.

When I finished running my mind was refreshed and energized.  It was no longer chaotic and jumbled from information overload.

You should try meditation to focus your mind and clear your thoughts.  It is beneficial for all types of situations.

You don't have to go to a yoga class or run in order to practice meditation.  See link on how to meditate:    Meditation for Beginners

"Eat This Not That" Top 10 Tips

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My sister gave me an interesting book for my birthday, Eat This Not That written by David Zinczenko with Matt Goulding.

The book is easy to read with a lot of photos.  There were many surprising facts I learned in this book.

This book taught me to always compare food labels in order to purchase the healthiest products. 



For example look at the big difference in fat, sodium and calories for two different brands of prepared eggplant.  (page 296)

Product	Product	Fat	Sodium	Calories
	Cederland Eggplant Parmesan	16 g	780 mg	320
	Celentano Eggplant Parmigiana	44 g	960 mg	660

Given below are additional tips that I thought were very interesting:

1.  Mission Wraps Garden Spinach Herb has 30 ingredients, with less than 2% spinach. (page 19)

2.   DiGiorno Traditional Crust Supreme Pizza has more calories, sodium and fat than any other frozen pizza.  (page 26)

3.  Red peppers have twice the Vitamin C and 10 times the Vitamin A as compared to green peppers. (page 42)

4.  The sulfur in garlic helps to expand blood vessels which can help keep blood pressure in check. (page 43).

5.  Watermelon has an amino acid (citruline) which relaxes look vessels which improves blood flow (page 100)

6.  Spinach is one of the best sources of folate which protects against mental degeneration and age-related sexual issues. (page 44)

7.  Potatoes have almost twice as much Vitamin C as tomatoes, and nearly as much potassium as a banana.  (page 81)

8. The amount of sugar in 1 1/2 cups Lucky Charms cereal is the same amount which is in a Peanut Butter Twix candy bar. (page 155)

9.  One pouch of Hostess Mini Blueberry Muffins has more calories and sugar than a Krispy Kreme doughnut.  (page 172)

10.  Cola contains 9% high fructose corn syrup. (page 318)

The book also includes healthy recipes for under $10.  I made the Chicken and Sweet Potato Stir-Fry, Poor Man's Steak, and Grilled Chicken Gyro.  They all turned out great and I will make them again.  The directions are straightforward and easy to follow.

If you are interested there is an "Eat This Not That" internet site which includes links to a podcast, nutrition articles and a magazine subscription.  https://www.eatthis.com  Check it out!

Link to book at amazon https://amzn.to/2sNyZ7o.

Good and Bad Fats

Several years ago I was focused on counting the number of fat grams in my diet.

I diligently read food labels and only purchased low fat products.  I ate a lot of carbohydrates but I was always hungry and tired.   I did not eat meat, nuts or peanut butter and only ate a tiny bit of cheese.

Since then I have learned that some fat is good for you.  Fats are important to give your body energy and to support cell growth. They also help protect your organs and help keep your body warm.   Dietary fat article




There are three types of fats:

• Unsaturated 
• Saturated 
• Trans 

While all fats provide 9 calories per gram, unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) can have a positive effect on your health when eaten in moderation and used to replace saturated and trans fats.  They can help lower cholesterol levels and reduce risk of heart disease.

Saturated and trans fats can negatively effect your health by raising bad cholesterol levels (LDL) in your blood.  

Trans fats are made using vegetable oils and added to foods like cakes, icing, biscuits and popcorn.

• Unsaturated - olive oil, avocados, salmon, walnuts, sunflower seeds, tofu and soybeans
• Saturated - red meat, milk, cheese, coconut oil and added to processed foods
• Trans - being phased out in US starting June 18.  FDA Trans Fat Article

I was curious about the amount of fat in salty snacks.

Given below is a table showing the amount of fat, saturated fat, calories and sodium in some of my family's favorite snacks.

	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)	Calories	Sodium (mg)
Lays Oven Baked Potato Crisps, Original, 18 chips, 1 oz	2	0	120	135
Ruffles, Oven Baked Cheddar and Sour Cream, 11 chips, 1 oz	3	0.5	120	140
Lays Potato Chips, Classic, 15 chips, 1 oz	10	1.5	160	170
Better Made Original Potato Chips 17 chips	11	3	160	170
Tostitos Oven Baked Scoops, 16 chips, 1 oz	3.5	0.5	120	240
Tostitos Tortilla Corn Chips, 7 chips, 1 oz	7	1	140	115
Cheetos Puffs Cheese Flavored, 23 pieces	7	1	140	300
Fritos Original Corn Chips, 1 oz bag	10	2	180	170
Doritos, 11 chips, includes MSG	8	1	140	210

I didn't realize that Baked chips had a significant reduction in fat as compared to the original versions.  

Since completing this chart now I understand why my husband usually purchases the baked version of potato chips.

I am going to really reduce the amount of Tostitos I eat because even though the baked version has less fat it has a lot more sodium than the original version.

I was also surprised about the amount of calories in Fritos and the amount of sodium in Cheese Puffs.

This link includes additional snacks:  Chips Ranked

Core Strength is Important but Subtle

We have all heard about the importance of core strength.  However, to improve and maintain core strength push ups and sit ups are required.  This is not the kind of activity I like.

However, I know I need it.

Therefore my strategy is to obtain the core strength I need to keep myself strong for activities that I enjoy.  I do the bare minimum and complete core strength exercises two times per week to maintain strength.

In my experience the benefits of core strength are subtle.   I have noticed some changes in my body recently because I have not been doing my core strength exercises for the last couple of months due to an injury.

While running I start to lean slightly forward when I get tired due to lack of strength in my back and mid-section.  I also notice that I slouch more when I am sitting.  And my back gets tired when I am riding my bike.

It takes about  2 - 3 weeks of doing the core strength exercises before I notice an improvement.  This is probably because my exercise routine is not very rigorous and I only do it two times per week.

I developed my exercise routine based on where I thought my body needed strength.  I included several exercises that I learned at Seung-ni Fit Club a couple of years ago.  It only takes about 20 minutes and during that time I listen to music or watch tv.

My routine focuses on core (back, neck, chest, belly) and arms.  I don't include legs because a lot of the activities I enjoy already improve and maintain leg muscles.  I don't do a lot of activities that build arm strength so it is important to me to have strong arms.

By including arm strength exercises I have noticed my arm muscles are more defined due to lean muscle mass.  See previous blog "Muscles for Weight Loss" about the benefits of lean muscle mass.

My routine is given below.

1.  Pre-exercise stretching: video

2.  Arms (using 8 lbs weights)

• Basic curl -  50 curls for each arm video
• Side bends -  50 on each side video
• Dumbbell shoulder press - 15 for each arm  video
• Dumbbell rear upright row  20 for each arm side video
• Push ups - 10 - 15  video

3.  Core

• 50 crunches video
• 50 side crunches video
• 100 bicycle crunches video
• 40 sit-ups video

You should try this workout for a couple of weeks and see if you have an improvement in core and arm strength.  Don't forget you will really have to pay attention to your body to notice the improvements as they are effective but subtle.

This routine can be modified based on your needs and other activities that you do.