Boo had more fun with the box!

Ready to Blenderize!

I heart accessorizing!

I have no new recipes to share today, but I did want to mention that we ate the Easy, Southern Sweet Potato and bulgur patties over salads last night…cold! The bulgur mixed perfectly and the potato added just the right amount of sweet! I thought I would share a pic!

Organic strawberries are a must-have in salads this summer!

 SUNSCREEN CHALLENGE! 

Yesterday, my friend Lindsay over at The Ketchup Diaries, posted about a 5K she ran in memory of her college friend, Glenna Kohl. Glenna lost her battle with skin cancer at the very young age of 26. Throughout her teen years, she had worked as a lifeguard and also frequented the tanning beds on a weekly basis. Because of Glenna’s story, there is a new law called, “Glenna’s Law,” where anyone under the age of 18 needs to have parental consent before using a tanning bed. Her story appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine and I think it’s something worth reading and sharing with others. I hope Glenna’s story will inspire you to be smarter about the sun. You know I’ve got my SPF on!!

“FUN” FACTS:

•  One in FIVE Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime.
• Melanoma in more prevalent in females 15-29, than in males of the same age group.
• The torso is the most common location to develop melanoma in 15-29 year old females.
• The American Cancer Society recommends a skin cancer-related checkup and counseling about sun exposure as part of any periodic health examination for men and women beginning at age 20. Have you had your exam yet?

*Information provided from the American Academy of Dermatology

Thanks for all the well wishes to Brandon. He came out of the exam feeling “okay,” but I have confidence that he did better than he thinks!! *fingers crossed!!* We will find out results in a month!

The cancer information I have read over the years inspired me to create a list of potential factors that could be contributing to this epidemic it seems our country is facing.  I will be sharing this list throughout the next few months. The very first factor I thought I would address is the imbalance of the Omega-3 and Omega-6 ratio.

Why does there need to be balance?

Both Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids compete to have control over body functions and the presence of one, greatly affects the presence of another. Omega-6s are crucial for optimum health, but when these fatty acids begin to accumulate at high levels, it seems they cancel out the benefits of omega-3s.

Essentially, if your diet is predominantly fueled by foods that are high in omega-6s (‘heart healthy’ vegetable oils; safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed), then you are contributing to inflammation in your body because omega-6s are “pro” inflammatory, while omega-3s are anti-inflammatory. Studies have shown that the balance of pro and anti-inflammatory agents in the body is disrupted when omega-6s are too high in comparison to omega-3s. This promotes chronic inflammation, heightening risk for illnesses like CANCER, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s.

What ARE Omega-3s and Omega-6s anyway??

• Omega-6s are polyunsaturated fats like linoleic acid (found in most vegetable oils) and arachidonic acid (found mostly in animal sources). Overall, they promote inflammation in cells as a stress response and stimulate fat cell production.
• Omega-3s consist of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid), DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), and ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid). DHA and EPA are found in fish oils, while ALA is found mostly in plant oils like dark leafy greens, walnuts, and flaxseed. ALA is converted to DHA and EPA in the body. All work to decrease inflammation, enhance the nervous system, help limit adipose cells (body fat), and prevent cancer!!

In the last century, a great imbalance has been created between these two fatty acids. The ideal ratio is about 2:1 (Omega-6: Omega-3) but typically Americans have a ratio balance of 10:1 or up to 30:1.  This “imbalance,” disrupts the natural physiological balance, promoting the growth of fat and cancer cells in the body.

How did we become so imbalanced??

Cute huh?

• Beef, dairy, and poultry: Corn, soy, and wheat (sources of omega-6s) became the main sources of feed for animals beginning in the 1950s, as opposed to spring grass. Spring grass is a very strong source of omega-3s and as a result, the animals’ derivatives–milk, butter, eggs, cream, cheese, etc, also contained these essential omega-3s. However, now that the main source of feed (corn, soy, and wheat) is rich in omega-6s, the derivatives are richer in those fatty acids and our diets began to lack omega-3s. In fact, according to a study I read about in Dr. Servan-Schreiber’s book , Anti-Cancer, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that chickens raised on corn, produce eggs with twenty times more omega-6s than omega-3s. Forage fed chickens were shown to have a ratio of 1:1.
• Margarine: With increased incidence of high cholesterol, “vegetable” margarine’s were introduced as a substitute for butter. While the switch showed drastic decreases in cholesterol levels, inflammatory disorders and heart attacks seemed to increase. Considering that most margarines are made with sunflower oil ( 70 times more omega-6s than omega-3s), soybean oil ( 7 times more omega-6s than omega-3s), and canola oil ( 3 times more omega-6s than omega-3s), perhaps the omega-6 imbalance was causing the added inflammation?

So what can YOU do??

Lower Omega-6 Intake (suggestions from The Conscious Life):

1. Replace vegetable oils with olive oil (flaxseed oil is the next best alternative)
2. Choose WHOLE foods over processed foods and you can slash your omega-6 intake by almost a third!!
3. Read ingredients labels carefully and avoid products with grape seed, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, corn and soybean oils.
4. Avoid deep fried foods, which are typically dipped in the vegetable oils mentioned in point 3.
5. Margarines, Mayo, Dressings, and other spreads contain lots of omega-6s. Choose alternative condiments or look for products made with olive oil or canola oil!

Increase Omega-3 Intake (suggestions from The Conscious Life):

1. Consume oily fish twice a week. Check out the Environmental Defense Fund’s site for eco-friendly and safe seafood to eat.
2. Look for foods fortified with EPA and DHA (as stated clearly on the label!).
3. Eat sources of ALA, which converts into DHA and EPA in the body, including dark leafy greens and flaxseeds.
4. If you are vegetarian or don’t care for seafood, it might be wise to consider a supplement. Talk with your physician before taking any kind of DHA or EPA supplements.
5. Buy free-range or pasture fed meats, poultry, and dairy as they contain higher amounts of DHA and EPA.

* Please keep in mind that our bodies need BOTH Omega-6 and Omega-3s from our diet. Our life is about balance and our bodies still NEED Omega-6s, just not in such large quantities! I hope you found this information useful and will start putting these principles in to practice!

Feel free to share with friends and on your own blogs! I would also LOVE to hear opinions! Thanks for stopping by!

SUNSCREEN CHALLENGE: Even though it’s an extremely dreary, dark day, I lathered up my face and arms with an SPF of 30!! No wrinkles for me!

References:

• “Anti-Cancer; A New Way Of Life.” Servan-Schreiber, David, MD, PhD. Strand, London. Viking Penguin: 2009.
• “Anti-Inflammaroty Diet: How To Balance Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids.” Wee Peng Ho. The Conscious Life. 15 Oct, 2009.

Painful!!

Just recently, I started to get new moles popping up all over.  I had been a lifeguard for 3 years and barely wore sunscreen in my 11 hour days in the sun. The dermatologist has already removed a countless amount of these moles because they were categorized as dysplastic nevi (atypical moles that increase your risk for melanoma). Hello wake up call!!

The fact of the matter??  Tanning and tanning beds are like smoking. People know the risks, but they do it anyway!  Why doesn’t melanoma scare people? The stats keep getting scarier and skin cancer is showing up in those younger and younger. My message?? BE PROACTIVE!! Cover up!

Note: I strive to look so cool in a backward hat.

Lately though, I have been thinking about new ways we can protect our skin (other than sunscreen of course). I started researching ways that foods can defend you from skin cancer. While I am still encouraging DAILY sunscreen, I LOVE the idea of natural defense; through your foods! Here are a few Power Foods!!

• Dark Chocolate: Just 2 oz of real dark chocolate daily offers loads of antioxidants that help fight those pesky free radicals damaging YOUR healthy cells!
• Broccoli, radish, and watercress: Each produce sulforaphane when digested, which is a compound that works to form cell-protecting proteins; helping to fight cancer!
• Fish: The omega 3 fatty acids found in fish help reduce inflammation and protect against DNA damage; making you less susceptible to burns, which contribute to skin cancer.  Try eating about 2-3 servings of fatty fish per week to reap the benefits.
• Green and Black Teas: Both are high in antioxidants. Again, antioxidants fight free radicals which DAMAGE your cells!! Antioxidants help protect against cancer cell formation.
• Colorful Fruits and Vegetables: In general, the more colorful the fruit and vegetables, the better. Plants use COLOR as their sunscreen protection. Why can’t we use a little too?? Think bright red tomatoes, deep pink watermelon, and intense orange carrots!
• Spinach, Kale, Chard: The International Journal of Cancer showed that consuming these three super foods can decrease your risk for squamous cell carcinoma by as much as 50%! Have you had your greens today?

MAKE IT YOUR YEAR TO PRACTICE DAILY SUN PROTECTION!! 

• Funny Hats?……………..CHECK
• SPF of 30 or higher?……….CHECK
• Sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection?……CHECK, CHECK!!
• Eating a Healthy Diet, rich in SUPER foods???….TRIPLE CHECK! 

 Join me!! Help me make pale the new “tan.”  Click to see a list of more pale beauties!!

Beauty without the tan!

After years of too much sun...you TOO could look like this. (something to strive for?)

Take the SunScreen Challenge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• For 30 days, write a daily blurb about how YOU are protecting yourself from the sun! Food/SunScreen/Hats/Shirts??? Share it with readers and be a HUGE influence! USE YOUR VOICE! Don’t have a blog?? Share with others through twitter, facebook, and the like! Be creative!!

Today I am protecting my skin with an SPF of 30 for my hands, face, and neck (the rest of me is covered up…it’s COLD outside!!)

Around the Blogosphere:

• Pale Gurl-Life Liberty and The Pursuit of a Tan (Hilarious!)
• CONTEST GIVEAWAY at The Healthy Junky! Check it out!!
• A MUST read about Strawberries!!  Thanks to Ashley from Edible Perspective!!

I wanted to learn more about my new find before I just started eating it like an apple. Good thing I read to WASH AND PEEL before consuming!! ha.  I discovered that jicama is actually a legume, sometimes referred to as a Yam bean or Mexican turnip.  They can grow up to 50 pounds!! Wow. That would be something to chop through!

Upon sampling, the inside is similar to a water chestnut in texture and is pretty appetizing raw; sweet and crunchy. It is used in lots of Mexican cuisine; salsas, salads, slaws, and veggie platters. So how does it  measure up nutritionally you ask??

Jicama is fat free, low in sodium, and a good source of Vitamin C and potassium. One cup has only 46 calories, 6 grams of fiber, and just 11 grams of carbohydrate!!

Passing the taste test, I concocted a jicama bean salad. I basically just added a bunch of veggies I had in the fridge, nothing super special, so feel free to experiment as you wish! You could even try slicing them up and serving as veggie sticks! Beats boring old celery and carrots and will really surprise your guests at your next party!! I made a wrap with the bean mix for lunch today and it was phenomenal!! The more the salad marinates, the better it gets!!

Question: What exotic fruits or vegetables have you tried lately?? Any recommendations?

Great for a salad topper or a veggie wrap mix!

Jicama Bean Salad on Baby Greens with Honey Lemon Dressing

• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans (kidney beans work okay too…what I had on hand!)
• 1 fairly large carrot, shredded
• 1/3 cup diced red pepper
• 1/3 cup diced green pepper
• 1 large mushroom, diced
• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup diced jicama
• 3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed, cooked, cooled

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized storage bowl. Substitute ingredients as you see fit!!

Dressing (I just eyeballed these measurements so just experiment)

• 2-4 T olive oil
• 2 T Honey
• 3-4 T Lemon Juice OR Lime Juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1-2 T fresh basil or parsley chopped

Whisk all together and pour over salad…refrigerate for 1-2 hours to let the salad marinate. Scoop over a bed of spinach greens. Enjoy!!

What’s Going On Around The Blogosphere??

• Check out Beth’s site to be entered to win FREE KIND bars! All you have to do is leave a comment!! So simple!
• Check out my interview with Jessica from Dairy Free Betty!!
• Need some help with your health blog? Check out Matt’s site called Health Blog Helper!

In a perfect world, this would seem like the answer we are all looking for! How glorious!! I LOVE sleep!! 

Reality check: THIS IS NOT A PERFECT WORLD. If something sounds too good to be true….that’s because it IS!  I’m just as gullable as the next guy, but the HCG diet has trouble written all over it!

We'll see about that...

What Is HCG??

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin or HCG is a hormone found in both genders, that signals the hypothalamus (the part of your brain that directly affects metabolism) to mobilize fat stores. The hormone is particularly important in pregnancy because it provides nutrients for the fetus for growth and development and slightly increases metabolism. Yay for moms and babies!!

 How The HCG Diet Began

Dr. Albert T. Simeons, a British endocrinologist from the 1950′s, was the first to propose the HCG hormone as a weight-loss cure. He thought, since mom’s metabolism increases during pregnancy, maybe it would work for everyone!  He stated that the injection of HCG hormone would allow dieter’s to survive comfortably on 500 calories per day because it suppresses appetite while shedding fat stores. He wrote a book called Pounds and Inches, further describing the diet. I truly eat 500 calories for breakfast alone!!

The Claims

Apparently, if you religiously follow the 500 calorie per day diet and inject yourself with HCG hormone daily, you will lose 1-3 pounds PER DAY! Well, OF COURSE you lose weight! You’re surviving on next to nothing!!

The Evidence

To date, there is NO scientific research that proves HCG works as a weight-loss miracle and it is NOT approved by the FDA. In fact, in 1975, the FDA required any HCG advertising to state:

“HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective adjunctive therapy in the treatment of obesity. There is no substantial evidence that it increases weight loss beyond that resulting from caloric restriction, that it causes a more attractive or “normal” distribution of fat, or that it decreases the hunger and discomfort associated with calorie-restricted diets.”

I don’t always support the FDA but THIS is something worth supporting!

 Kevin Trudeau: “The Weight-Loss Cure THEY Don’t Want You To Know About”

In 2007, Kevin Trudeau, a NY Times Best Selling author, brought the diet back to life with his book, “The Weight-Loss Cure THEY Don’t Want You To Know About.”  The diet he proposed consists of three phases. In the first phase, you must follow 60 some odd diet ”do’s and don’ts,” take 9 different pills daily, do regular colon, liver, and heavy metal cleansings, and eat 100% organically for 30 days. If you get through Phase I, Phase II follows all the same rules, except now you are required to receive daily injections of the HCG hormone for 45 days. Then Phase III continues on the diet but without the injections. OH! and keep in mind that you must consume no more than 500 calories PER DAY! That is a freakishly low amount of calories that will only lead to malnutrition.

So I did a little background check on good ol’ Trudeau and read that he has NO medical OR nutritional background and has numerous civil suits, felonies, and misdemeanors leading to arrests, fines, and jail time. The Federal Trade Commission banned him from infomercials in 2004 because of his misrepresentations and unsubstantiated claims. Seems like someone we should all be trusting with our health….huh??

A Dietitian’s Viewpoint

All reasearch and sarcasm aside, let’s just look at the facts: the injections are NOT what is leading to weightloss!! The body cannot survive on 500 calories per day. To meet BASIC functions it needs at least 1200 calories. Dropping below that level means you are STARVING your body and slowing your metabolism! You will lose weight, but also begin to experience mental fatigue, irritability, headaches, and confusion. Your weight-loss will eventually slow and once you start eating again, the body will hold on to every morsel (injection or not). Weight gain will be inevitable.  Come on, it’s the year 2010! Any diet that tells you to SKIP entire food groups and restrict below 1200 calories per day, has definitely NOT done their research. Besides, I would rather be a little chunky than not be able to eat!

 I encourage anyone reading this article to pass it on to friends and family members that may or may not have heard of this diet. It’s important to be informed. This is a dangerous diet to follow and if you have a physician administering these injections, be careful! No dietitian would ever condone this!! Please look out for your loved ones!

What are your thoughts? Do you know anyone following this diet? Please share, I would love to get a discussion going!

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!! I have a major craving for guacamole that’s been building ever since I read this recipe from Nancy at Spicie Foodie, earlier in the week. YUM!! Thanks for sharing Nancy!! Your pictures are drool worthy!

 In my opinion, guacamole makes any Mexican recipe better.  I would love to make some tonight but that would require me to stop at the grocery store on my way home. NIGHTMARE!

 I usually like to celebrate this day, but since it’s mid-week for us work folk, that doesn’t typically translate in to a riveting night on the town. Ah yes, this is what  it means to have a “9-5.” I just turned 26 and I am *gulp* responsible!!!

Just so the night isn’t totally lost, I suppose we COULD go get some ice cream.  I know that has nothing to do with May 5th, BUT it sounds good doesn’t it?? Plus, my idea of a good time is listening to the latest high school drama and picking fights when we finally realize that the line isn’t moving because those same high school kids keep letting new friends slip in to line. On second thought, maybe we won’t go.   Has this ever happened to anyone else? Why don’t they have line police!!

Alright well I am off!! Stop back later, as I will have a post up about a new diet fad that involves hormone injections! Intrigued!!???

What is your favorite Mexican Dish???