5 Reasons to Add Lentils to Your Diet

Lentils are tasty, easy to cook, high in nutrition, budget friendly and a healthy replacement for meat.

The lentil is a legume from a bushy plant with lens-shaped seeds. Most lentils are grown in Canada, India, and Turkey.  In 2016, global production was 6.3 million tonnes. Wikipedia

People have been eating lentils for a long time.  Lentil artifacts have been found on archeological digs on the banks of the Euphrates River dating back to 8,000 BC.  Lentils are mentioned several times in the Bible. JustFunFacts

There are five types of lentils.  Brown and green lentils are the least expensive and tend to fall apart when cooked.  Red lentils are a bright orange color most commonly found in Indian curry dishes like daal.  French lentils (also called Puy lentils) have a nuttier flavor and stay firm when cooked.  Black lentils (Beluga lentils) are the most flavorful.  They’re very small and dark and hold their shape when cooked. ACoupleCooks MayoClinic

5 Reasons to Add Lentils to Your Diet

1. Lentils Taste Great
Lentils have a mild earthy, nutty, and peppery flavor.  They are extremely versatile to use in cooking. They can be added to soups, stews and salads.  They can also be the main ingredient in many dishes such as Sloppy Joes, Vegetarian Chili , and Lentil and Cauliflower Dahl.   I have made these three dishes and they taste great!  I plan to try the Lentil Cookies and Greek Lentil Salad recipes in the next couple of weeks.

2. Easy to Cook
Dried lentils do not required pre-soaking in water.  They just need to be rinsed and boiled for 20-25 minutes.  They cook in half the time of dried beans.  I usually boil them in vegetable broth.

3. Lentils Are Nutritious
Lentils are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates, while low in fat and calories.  The soluble fiber in lentils helps lower cholesterol and may help prevent heart disease and diabetes. 

Lentils are also an excellent source of protein, iron, calcium, magnesium and folate. NPR  

The magnesium in lentils can help if you have trouble sleeping, are stressed or overworked. WellandGood

4. Budget Friendly
Lentils are not an exotic or expensive health food.  The price of lentils is comparable (if not cheaper) to rice, beans and pasta.  However, lentils have a significant amount of protein.  Lentils cost approximately $0.30/ 1 cup serving which is significantly less expensive than chicken or beef.

5. Lentils are a Whole Food Plant Protein
One cup of lentils provides 36% of your Daily Value of protein (based on a 2,000 calorie diet).  Because they are so high in protein, lentils are often a meat substitute in vegetarian diets.  Pair them with a whole grain, such as brown rice, and you have a complete vegetarian protein source, meaning all the essential amino acids are present. NPR

Lentils are also an important plant protein in a Whole Foods Plant-Based diet because they are not processed. HealthLine  When eating a Whole Foods Plant-Based diet be aware that many plant based proteins are highly processed.    

For example plant based Morning Star Farms Grillers Crumbles have over twenty ingredients! (Ingredients include: Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Protein Concentrate, Wheat Gluten, Water for Hydration), Water, Corn Oil, Contains Two Percent or Less of Chicory Root Fiber (Inulin), Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors, Black Malt Powder, Salt, Soy Sauce (Water, Soybeans, Salt, Wheat), Dried Cane Syrup, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Onion Juice Concentrate, Spices, Tomato Powder, Citric Acid, Niacinamide, Iron (Ferrous Sulfate), Skim Milk, Egg Whites, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12).

Try lentils today!  They taste good, are easy to cook, nutritious, inexpensive and a good source of plant based protein.

5 Signs You Are Exercising Too Much

If you're planning to set a New Year's resolution to exercise more you are not alone!  Data from YouGov Omnibus indicates that Exercise was the most popular resolution for 2019. YouGov  About 1 out of 8 gym memberships are initiated during the January New Year's rush.  BlueWater

If you are committed to more exercise in 2020 be careful that you do not exercise too much, too soon.  

Overreaching is short-term training without sufficient recuperation, that exceeds an individuals capacity.*

Overtraining is more serious and results from untreated overreaching that produces long-term impairments in performance and other conditions that might require medical intervention.*

There are specific symptoms that occur when you are exercising too much.  Given below are five signs for both Resistance Training (weight lifting) and Aerobic exercise.  Everyone is different so some people may only have one or two signs.  

5 Signs of Aerobic Overreaching and Overtraining

• decreased performance
• general malaise
• loss of interest or enthusiasm for training
• disturbed psychological state (increase depression, anxiety, fatigue or decrease vigor or a combination of these changes)
• increased muscle soreness*

5 Signs of Resistance Training Overreaching and Overtraining

• plateau followed by decrease in strength gains
• sleep disturbances
• decreased appetite
• a cold that won't go away
• excessive muscle soreness*

Make sure the intensity and duration of your first workouts are similar to your current fitness level.  For example, if you are able to run one mile, try to run two miles on the first day of training (not 5 miles).  Run two miles the first week and 3 miles the next week.  Or, only attend one fitness class the first week, and two classes the second week.  As you ramp up your training make sure you allow enough time for recovery.  For example, exercise every other day and focus on stretching and walking on the days in between.

Persistence and patience are the most important qualities in sticking to an exercise program.


*Coburn, Jared W., Malek, Moh H., ed. NSCA’s Essentials of Personal Training. 2nd ed. Human Kinetics, 2004, ops. 81, 101-102.

Two Simple Ways to Eat Healthy

Some people think I am a health food freak.  I eat dehydrated flax bagels and nutritional yeast cheese sauce.  I am not a health food freak, I am just trying to find healthy foods that I like.

I love Tostitos, saltines and graham crackers but they are not healthy.  Tostitos have a lot of sodium, graham crackers have a lot of sugar and all three have significant carbohydrates.  These snacks are processed and have many ingredients (soybean oil, citric acid, calcium phosphate, etc.), and they don't have any nutritional value.

Many people are addicted to processed food (not just me).  The five most purchased grocery items in the US are:

• Soda
• Beer
• Cereal
• Frozen dinners 
• Salty snacks  CheatSheet

Snacks aside, I thought the oatmeal I was eating for breakfast was healthy.  But recently I found out that oatmeal has Glysophate in it.  Glysophate is a chemical in pesticides that has been found to cause cancer.  (Environmental Working Group)  

It is challenging to eat healthy.  In addition to sodium, sugar, preservatives, and Glysophate, MSG is added to many foods for flavor.  There are studies that show MSG can cause health issues.   7/13/18 MSG Investigation  And, there are also concerns with GMO's. (9/20/19 Stomach Issues and GMO's)

The amount of ingredients added to our food is growing!  In 1970, an average American person consumed 123 pounds of sugar per year.  Today, each person consumes almost 152 pounds of sugar in one year.  This is equal to 3 pounds (or 6 cups) of sugar consumed in one week! DHHS   Global salt consumption is forecasted to grow 1.9% annually through 2020 to 335 million metric tons. FoodExecutive  Since the 1950s, the number of food additives allowed in U.S. food has grown from about 800 to more than 10,000.  Marcela

My solution to eating healthy is to eat whole foods (not processed) and a wide variety of foods.

Two Simple Ways to Eat Healthy

1.  Eat whole foods
Whole, Real or Natural foods are foods that are in their natural state with little or no processing, and no artificial ingredients.  DowntoEarth  Whole foods actually grow in a garden (potato) instead of being processed like a pop tart.    

Be careful of labels.  Any food label that says flavored, prepared, marinated, pre-cooked, or formed probably has some processing or ingredients the have been added.

Cook your own food:  can vegetables when they are in season, make homemade soup, bake cookies and bread, use dried beans instead of canned beans.

To save time use a crock pot or instant pot to make dinner ahead of time, freeze leftovers for future meals, and cook on weekends.

Eliminate or reduce soda and bottled drinks from your diet by drinking water.

Beware: Sit-down restaurants are not necessarily healthy.   For example:  TGI Fridays Tomato Basil soup has 1930 mg sodium and 20 g carbohydrates. TGIF Nutrition  As a comparison Campbell's Tomato Basil Soup has 790 mg sodium and 23 grams carbohydrates. Campbell's Tomato Soup  TGI Friday's soup is probably canned!

2.  Eat a wide of variety of foods
Studies show that people who eat a wide variety of food are healthier, live longer and have a reduced risk of developing lifestyle illnesses such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. 

Instead of choosing one cereal product to eat, it is better to choose a selection of cereal products and alternate, say between wheat, oat, rye, rice, or barley.  NutritionAustralia
Eat seasonal foods, such as asparagus in the spring, tomatoes and zucchini in the summer, squash and apples in the fall, and oranges in the winter.

Try new things that you don't necessarily eat very often such as chickpeas, lentils, dates and popcorn. 10/12/18 10 Reasons to Eat Popcorn

Add spices and herbs to your meals.  They can transform a meal without adding salt or fat. NutritionAustralia  Many spices and herbs are good for you such as garlic.  ClevelandClinic

If you eat a lot of processed foods find alternatives that don't contain soy.  Half of all genetically modified crops planted were genetically modified soybeans.  Wikipedia  Foods that may contain soy include: baked goods (breads, cookies, and crackers), canned broth and soup, canned tuna and meat, cereals, high-protein energy bars and snacks, processed meats, like deli meats, vegetable oil and worcestershire sauce.  WebMD

Tips For Happy Feet (and Reducing Stress)

Our feet are important!  They allow us to walk tin the woods, dance at a wedding and shop in the mall.

The average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which adds up to about 115,000 miles over a lifetime. That’s enough to go around the circumference of the earth four times. FootFacts

Moving is essential for overall health.  Being active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally.  It may even help you live longer. HealthLine

Tips to Keep Your Feet Happy and Healthy

• Move around while standing - Standing in one spot is far more tiring than walking because the demands are being made on the same few muscles for a longer length of time.  FootFacts
  
  
• Wash feet often - There are 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet.  Sweat glands in the feet excrete as much as a half-pint of moisture a day which can harbor order-causing bacteria.  FootFacts  

• Walk to exercise feet - Exercising your feet on a regular basis not only improves overall foot health, but may also reduce your risk for injury. HarvardHealth With over 26 bones, 33 joints, and five ligaments, there are many structures that can be injured in the foot. VeryWellHealth

• See a doctor for reocurring foot pain - Foot ailments can become your first sign of more serious medical problems. Your feet mirror your general health, so conditions like arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in your feet. FootFacts

• Fix Plantar Fasciitis by massaging feet before getting up in the morning - 10% of the US population is affected by Plantar Fasciitis which is irritation of a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of your foot.  VeryWellHealth  Pain in the foot when you get out of bed and when you stand after sitting for a while are classic symptoms.  If massage doesn't help see a doctor.  RunnersWorld

• Reduce stress through your feet -  Reflexology, therapeutic message soles, foot detoxification and essential oils are great ways to reduce stress after a long day. 

Reflexology - is the application of pressure to areas on the feet.  Reflexology is relaxing and may help alleviate stress.  The theory behind reflexology is that areas of the foot correspond to organs and systems of the body.  Pressure applied to the foot is believed to bring relaxation and healing to the corresponding area of the body. MayoClinic  

Therapeutic Message Soles - are insoles which are placed in in your shoes to stimulate  pressure pressure points on your feet while you walk.  I use Magna Power Insoles and they message my feet while I walk!

Foot Detoxification - claims to remove toxins from your body via the soles of the feet by soaking in an ionic foot bath or sticking special adhesive pads to the bottoms of your feet.  While there is no scientific evidence to show foot detox will reduce toxin levels in the body a foot soak is an excellent method for stress relief and improving circulation in your feet. LiveStrong, HealthLine

Essential Oils - massaging essential oils on your feet can promote relaxation and a good nights sleep.  

Acaí Berries vs Blueberries - Which One is the Winner?

Blueberries and Acai berries are both low in calories and incredibly good for you.

I love blueberries and eat them with yogurt and oatmeal almost everyday for breakfast.

I recently had an Acai Breakfast Bowl while visiting family.  Acai bowls look like ice cream, almost taste like ice cream, and make you feel good about your breakfast choice.  An Acai bowl is basically a really thick smoothie that's been topped with oatmeal, fruit or peanut butter, and then you wolf it down with a spoon.  

The Acai  (ah-sigh-EE) berry is a grapelike fruit harvested from Acai palm trees, which are mostly grown in Brazil’s Amazon rain forest.  Acai is thought to be the most powerful superfood in the Amazon.  Health benefits include increased energy, a boosted immune system, improved metabolic function, and better hair and skin. DrAxe

Not only are Acai berries really good for you they are also delicious. The flavor can be described as a mix between raspberry and blackberry, with a hint of dark chocolate.

Fresh Acai berries are not readily available in the US, but flash-frozen berries are available and can be found in the frozen food section of your grocery store (Target, Whole Foods and Costco).

I decided to investigate the nutritional value of Acai berries compared to blueberries.  The table below gives a summary.  Blueberries have more sugar and carbohydrates, while Acai berries have more fat.

	Blueberries (100 grams)	Acai Berries (100 grams puree)
Calories	57	70
Fat (g)	0.3	5
Total Carbohydrates (g)	14	4
Fiber (g)	2.4	3
Sugar (g)	10	2
Protein (g)	0.7	1
Potassium (mg)	77	60

Both Acai berries and blueberries are rich in antioxidants. Especially, anthocyanins, which give Acai berries their deep purple color and blueberries their blue color. HealthLine,  WebMd

Anthocyanins reduce inflammation and promote brain health.  Anthocyanins have also been shown to enhance and improve memory, balance cholesterol levels, and support circulation.   MedicineNewsToday, GlobalHealingCenter

Acai berries and blueberries both have fatty acids which can prevent high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  Healthfully, MedicalNewsToday

Both Acai berries and blueberries are incredibly good for you.  If you love fruit like I do, you don't have to choose one or the other, eat both!

A Description of a Good Night's Sleep: Did You Sleep Well?

A good night's sleep is incredibly important for our health. In fact, it’s just as important as eating healthy and exercising. Getting enough quality sleep can help protect mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety. NHBLI

But what does a good night's sleep mean?

It probably means something different to each person depending on your own definition and circumstances. I was surprised to find there are specific descriptions of a good night's sleep from the Sleep Foundation, Health Line and Thrive. They are summarized below.

Description Of A Good Night's Sleep

• You fall asleep within 15-20 minutes of lying down to sleep.

• You regularly sleep a total of seven to nine hours in a 24-hour period.

• While in your bed, your sleep is continuous—you don’t have long periods of lying awake when you wish to be sleeping.

• Your partner or family members do not notice any disturbing or out of the ordinary behavior from you while you sleep, such as snoring, pauses in breathing, restlessness, or otherwise nighttime behaviors.  SleepFoundation

• You wake up feeling refreshed, alert and energized.  HealthLine

• Your mood is generally good, and you feel no need for a nap. Thrive

You are probably aware of the most common ways to improve the quality of your sleep:  go to bed at the same time every night, relax before sleeping, and get plenty of activity during the day. HealthLine

However, there are some sneaky foods and drinks that can prevent a good night's sleep.  For example alcohol won’t help you sleep. Even small amounts make it harder to stay asleep. NIA  Also, for some people sugar and caffeine can increase heart rate and prevent relaxing sleep. EveryDayHealth, LiveStrong  Some medications, including those for high blood pressure and asthma, can keep you up all night.  SleepFoundation If your multivitamin pill has vitamin B12 in it, take it in the morning or early afternoon rather than before bed. The nutrient offers a quick energy boost, which can keep you up.  Shape

If you are lying in bed at night and can't fall asleep try focusing on relaxing your body.  Imagine your toes are completely relaxed, then your feet, and then your ankles.  Work your way up the rest of your body, section by section. By the time you get to your head you should be be completely relaxed.  

Interesting Facts About Sleep

• People can take cat naps with their eyes open without even knowing it. SleepEducation

• If it takes you less than five minutes to fall asleep, it’s likely that you’re sleep deprived. TheGoodBody

• Creative people sleep more but less well.  TheGoodBody

• Those who fly regularly for work could be more at risk of sleep deprivation. Flying at high altitudes leads to disturbed sleep due to the lack of oxygen.  TheGoodBody

• People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have bigger appetites due to the fact that their leptin levels (leptin is an appetite-regulating hormone) fall, promoting appetite increase.  SleepFoundation

• Our dreams don’t create faces – we dream about what we’ve already seen (if only for a second). Restonic

• The reason drinking milk before bed helps you sleep is because milk contains the sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan.  WebMD

Easy Way To Add Protein To Your Diet

I found the perfect solution to easily add protein, vitamins and minerals to my diet by sprinkling Nutritional Yeast onto my food.   Nutritional Yeast is also a great seasoning.  It adds a savory, cheesy and nutty flavor.  

Two tablespoons of nutritional yeast provides nine grams of protein! You would have to consume one ounce of beef, one large egg, or a cup of whole milk to get that same amount elsewhere. Dr.Oz 

Nutritional yeast is also a source of B vitamins, including thiamine, riboflavin, folate, B-6 and niacin. Just a half tablespoon of some brands will provide a day's worth of B vitamins, while other brands offer between 30 - 100% of B vitamins.  LiveStrong  Runningonrealfood

It also contains minerals such as zinc, selenium, manganese and molybdenum. Minerals are important for metabolism, growth and immunity. HealthLine

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free and usually gluten-free.  It is also low in fat and sodium and contains no sugar or soy.  Nutritional yeast has 4 grams of fiber per serving. Runningonrealfood

Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast from a species of yeast known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

It is produced by growing the cultures on blackstrap molasses, whey or sugar beets for several days. When the yeast is ready, it is deactivated with heat and then harvested, washed, dried and packaged.  Wikipedia

Nutritional Yeast is similar to the yeast used in baking but the heating and drying process makes it inactive.  MedicalNewsToday

It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. Some larger grocery stores also carry it.  It can also be purchased on-line.

Nutritional yeast can be sprinkled on:

• Baked or mashed potatoes 
• Rice or pasta
• Veggies (Zoodles)
• Pizza
• Spaghetti sauce
• Soups
• Scrambled eggs
• Popcorn
• Cheesy Sauce