Food and Beverages

A couple more basic Clean Livin' suggestions:

1. Eat five small meals a day or three larger ones--whichever feels right for you--but try to make your morning and mid-day meals the heaviest while keeping your evening meals light.  This makes perfect sense when you think about it.  You need proteins and carbs in the morning for energy and to make nutrients available to your body for the work ahead.  At lunch, you've still got a half day to face, so eat those carbs and proteins to keep you going.  After dinner, you probably won't burn up hundreds of calories, so feed yourself accordingly.  Since we need a whole lot of the nutrients that only fruits and veggies can supply, eat those freely all day long.

2. Try not to eat after 8 p.m.  Your body does most of its rebuilding, detoxing, and immunity work between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.  If you eat a heavy meal late in the day, your body has to busy itself with digestion rather than attending to those very important tasks.  People have told us that they've lost weight simply by following this rule.  If you're starving an hour after dinner, drink a cup of tea or a few more glasses of water and fantasize about the wonderful breakfast you've got lined up for the next morning.  You'll sleep better and enjoy greater immunity.  And remember, feeling a bit hungry is a good thing.  It makes you aware of the good job your body is doing of burning up the food you've ingested and also makes you feel cleaner, lighter.

3.  For women trying to increase their calcium intake, herbal teas are an excellent choice.  Green foods are considered to be the best sources of calcium--better than any supplement currently on the market.  Nettle, horsetail, sage, red clover, and oatstraw all contain calcium.  In addition, if you increase hydrochloric acid production in your stomach, your body will be better able to absorb the calcium you're sending down.  You can do this by drinking some lemon juice squeezed into a glass of water after your meal or by drinking dandelion tea.  All of those calcium-rich herbs are available in tea bags (Alvita is one brand).  You can brew one herbal tea bag and one green tea bag in an 8 oz. glass for a drink that's tastier and extremely healthy.

4.  Speaking of lemons....some of us swear by drinking hot lemonade daily.  Lemons are naturally anti-viral and anti-bacterial.  I squeeze the juice from half a lemon into an 8. oz glass of hot water.  Some folks suggest adding maple sugar to this mixture, but I drink it straight up as both a detox and an immunity booster.  A few dashes of cayenne pepper added to the lemonade help cut mucus, combat arthritis issues, add antioxidants, and provide cardiovascular benefits.  Lemon juice with cayenne is an acquired taste but well worth the effort.

5.  Try not to drink water or juices for 20 minutes before or after a meal.  There are several reasons for this.  Filling your stomach with fluids dilutes the enzymes and acids needed for digestion and therefore slows down the whole process, causing gas and distress.  It also can make you feel full before you've taken in all the nutrients you need.  An hour later you feel compelled to snack even though the kitchen should be closed for the night.  Also, digesting fluids is a different process from digesting solids.  Give your stomach a break and let it do one thing at a time and do it well. 

Peer Pressure Pounds

So last weekend, a very dear friend from college came to town, and I realized how much the dreaded stigma of "the dieter" or "the health freak" still plays a part in all of our social interactions. It's not like my friend is overweight or even that she eats poorly--it's just that she, like the majority of Americans out there, isn't wholly conscious of what she's putting into her body. Because of that, there's no limitation to what she (or, even I, up until about a month ago) will eat, and there's hardly a minute of indecision involved in her choices (or, at least, that indecision is based on taste instead of health). I found myself, this past weekend, pretending not to care about what I was eating so as to not be seen as the "stick in the mud" while at the same time feeling really bad about the things I consumed.

Here was my weekend of falling off the wagon:

Friday

•The boss was really proud of our accomplishments over the past week, and so he bought us all cupcakes. I felt like I couldn't not eat it...so I did...and I, the girl with the biggest sweet tooth on the planet, didn't even want it! Consulting with my mother later on, I realized that the better approach would have been to take one, say how delicious I knew it was and I wanted to have it later, and then, when no one was looking, throw it out.

•That night, we went out to dinner. My choice wasn't terrible in terms of a meal (stir fry, tho the rice was white), but I ended up having a beer with dinner because the friends we were with wanted to buy a pitcher. I had no desire for this beer (even before I started eating consciously, I didn't like beer), but I also didn't want to say no and be a party pooper. Solution to this? Sew on some balls and stick to my convictions.

Saturday
•Oatmeal for breakfast--yay, me! Ok, I had some cheese too. A moment of weakness. Also, when I'm PMSing, I always crave cheese. And I was definitely PMSing last weekend. Solution? Willpower.

•Yes, I had a Uncle Eddie's Vegan Cookie...or two...while I watched a movie...Yeah, that's willpower again.

•And I also had non-whole wheat pasta when I went out to dinner with friends that night (no other option, other than salad...which I guess would be the other option. Damn.).

HOWEVER I stayed away from the oily, oozy, fragrant garlic knots that everyone kept stuffing their faces with, and that the wait staff replenished every five seconds at our table. I also had a half-glass of red wine.

•And then I had a Heffeweizen at the bar. Because this guy who was talking to my friend and me was buying and I didn't feel like being the exception to everyone else, and I also didn't want him to have to manuever through the very, very, very crowded Other Room bar in Venice with a glass of red wine. Solution? No man needs to buy you a drink. Especially not one with bad shoes.

By Sunday, my friend was gone and I went to the gym and pounded out what I hoped were all the empty calories that I'd consumed over the weekend. To top it all off, when we were preparing to go out on Saturday night, I tried on a pair of jeans that had given me SERIOUS muffin tops only a month and a half ago, and much to my surprise discovered that they fit much, much better now...so of course I immediately felt like all the hard work I'd done over the past month would fly out the window and my sexy white skinny jeans from The Gap would never fit well again...that's what happens when you already have a guilt complex, and then you start dieting. Unless you stick to your healthy way of life, you'll never be able to look your body in the eye again.

Bagels

A lot of folks think a bagel smeared with a moderate amount of Smart Balance or cream cheese is a low-cal/healthy/smart way to start the day.  That's not really true.  Bagels are a good example of empty calories.

The average deli bagel contains about 300-380 calories and is made from refined white flour, i.e., flour whose nutrients have been milled right out of it and then (maybe) put back in synthetically.  Relatively harmless, a bagel has .8 grams of fat, of which only .2 grams are saturated.  It has no cholesterol, 278 grams of sodium, 1.2 grams of fiber, 5.4 grams of protein and 9.4 mg. of calcium.  Not so bad.  But if you smear on two tablespoons of cream cheese, you're adding  3 grams of saturated fat, 20 mg. of cholesterol, 140 mg. of sodium, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.  Skipping the cream cheese eliminates some of the negatives, but wouldn't it be better to aim for purely positives?

Our family really likes Alvarado Street Sprouted Wheat Bagels (and breads).  They're made from sprouted organic wheat berries and organic unbleached wheat flour.  Whole Foods carries them as does our local Shop Rite (in the bakery section).  They contain 250 calories, 0 grams of saturated fat (.5 grams of other fats), no cholesterol, no trans fat, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugars, 10 grams of protein, 1.5 mg. of iron, and 20 mg. of calcium.   Unfortunately, they also contain a whopping 430 mg. of sodium, which I wish Alvarado Street would do something about.  But they clearly provide more of the nutrients your body needs than standard issue bagels do.  If you top a sprouted wheat bagel with unsweetened almond or peanut butter, you've upped your protein content considerably while adding important nutrients and oils.  You can eat these bagels with apple or pumpkin butter and boost the nutritional values that way.  This is a much better break-the-fast meal.  This is treating yourself right.

*A note about nut butters:  If you're a Skippy addict--as I was for most of my life--and think unsweetened nut butters are dry and tasteless, open your mind and give yourself a couple of weeks to get used to them.  Try to find a brand that contains just ground-up nuts, preferably organic, with nothing else added.  Many stores make their own and these usually don't separate the way some healthy commercial brands do.  Be aware that peanut butter is the least healthy type; almond and macademia provide more nutrients and generally don't pose a problem for people with arthritis issues.  

**Another note--this one about sprouted grains:  There are several reasons why sprouted grains are highly desirable.  When the seed is allowed to sprout, the grain becomes alive, active, and nutrient-rich.  There are more vitamins in sprouted grains than in regular ones.  In addition, we're aiming for the most natural and unrefined foods we can find.  Sprouted grains fit that description perfectly.  What's more, the sprouting produces enzymes that are vital for digestion, so the nutrients in the grain are handled by the body with true efficiency (and less gas).  And finally, sprouting breaks down the phytic acid found in the bran part of wheat.  When it's intact, this acid blocks the absorption of iron, calcium and other essential minerals.  

Spellin' It Out

It occurred to me that we should spell out what the "Clean Livin" this family is aspiring to is all about. It's very simple.

1. No empty calories. Make sure that everything you put in your mouth is nutritious and natural. Refined flours, for example, are empty calories. Their original nutrients have been stripped away and new nutrients put back in, in an unnatural form that is difficult for your system to utilize efficiently. Whole grains, lean meats and fish, legumes, fresh fruits and veggies, raw nuts and seeds, and healthy oils are what your body needs to function efficiently every day. Believe it or not, these can be just as delicious as any junk or comfort food we crave.

2. Eat a wide variety of foods. The color of foods is a key to their nutritional content. Nature couldn't have made it any easier for us. So try to eat something red, something yellow, etc., every day in order to take in all the vitamins, minerals and additional substances your body was designed to run on. And don't forget to eat your fiber, both soluble and non-soluble. Not only is this essential for regularity, it's also vital for your vascular system.

3. Liquids are important, too. Your body really does need all that water. The proper functioning of your organs depends upon it. Your body does not need all that soda, caffeine, and alcohol. Each of these things has been linked to serious diseases. Everything in moderation, of course. But even better is to aim to keep things as clean as possible. So make the best decisions you can at any given moment because all those moments add up. It's also beneficial to track how you feel after drinking soda or a couple of glasses of wine (especially if depression is an issue). Remember, it takes about three weeks for every molecule of a substance to leave your body. Three weeks. That's plenty of time to wreak plenty of havoc.

4. Get off your ass. Again, it's that simple. You don't have to go to the gym, hire a personal trainer, or buy expensive equipment. Take care of your living space, your car, your pets, your garden, and your loved ones the way they should be taken care of and you'll burn calories. Nature intended us to be busy taking care of our business. If you get on your hands and knees to attack the dust bunnies under your bed, you're burning calories and working on flexibility. If you keep thinking you really ought to clean all that crap out of the trunk of your car, do it. You're burning calories and freeing your mind to think about other things. We also suggest wearing comfortable clothing--workout gear--as often as you can during the day so that you feel completely free to walk briskly, climb stairs, bend over. Think of your daily life as a daily workout and your health will automatically improve.

5. Get educated. The more you know about proper nutrition and the health hazards built into junk food, the harder it becomes to put that layer cake in your mouth--unless you're flat-out self-destructive. Even if that is the case, there's a school of thought that says the best way to start liking yourself is by putting high quality foods into your system. It sends a message to your inner self that you're worth it, that you deserve to go through life feeling strong, looking fit, and having energy to burn. Learning about the health hazards inherent in many of the foods we were all raised to love will not frighten you or limit your fun. It will empower you and expand your horizons.

6. Forgive yourself when you slip up. It happens to all of us. But don't tell yourself that the day is blown and you'll start anew tomorrow. Just try to do better and move around a little more for the rest of the day. Resolve to live clean, really clean, for three weeks and see what happens. We're willing to bet that you won't want to go back to your old ways.

**Stay tuned for some healthy recipes that prove this healthy stuff doesn't taste like dirt!

Curbing Your Cravings

I've been working out nearly every day and have noticed that my need to chomp on snacks all day long and eat late at night has diminished. When I start feeling better about my body, I really just don't have the desire to put crap into it, especially when I know how hard I've worked to slim myself down.

If I find myself lazing around the apartment, watching tv and starting to think about how nice it would be to eat a bowl of ice cream while watching The Office, I now put on my sneakers and head to the gym. I can still watch The Office there, but I'm pretty sure it'd be hard to eat ice cream while jogging on the treadmill. In other words, I think I'm realizing that by keeping myself busy and active, I'm actually curbing my snacking habits...and becoming a more involved, busy, and happy person.

A Lesson In Healthy Eating....Brought To You By The Occidental College Theatre Department!

I started really and truly cleaning up my eating and fitness at the beginning of this past summer. The semester had just ended. I'd just finished acting in a show at school. I was emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted and had really let myself go. I felt crappy, pissy, ugly, and like I didn't look good in any of my outfits (this was definitely the worst side-effect of my over-eating). Being in a production gave me excuse to eat at 11:00 at night, right before I went to bed, or snack on unfulfilling things throughout the day. I also was having trouble fitting exercise into my life. It was not a happy time at all.

I came home for summer vacation completely determined to revamp my body and my self-image. The whole process was actually a lot easier than I'd expected--I think this was probably because I was living at home and didn't have the temptation of going out and drinking, partying, and eating crappy food at 2:00 in the morning. I exercised nearly every day, ate hearty, nutritious meals, and spent the majority of my time outside, in the clean, fresh air of Branchville. I came back to school a revamped, confident, healthy person. I was glowing, inside and out (I got a really good tan over the summer, which helped).

I maintained my healthy eating and exercising pretty well over the course of my first semester and throughout winter vacation. I had some slip-ups and ate late at night more often, but I was still doing pretty damn well. Then, this semester, I was cast in the show HAIR. Although I didn't fall completely off the wagon, being in a show again really changed my habits. I only was finding time to exercise about once or twice a week and was definitely over-eating (and not the right things).

Anyway, to make a very long story a bit shorter, after a week back in New Jersey for Spring Break, I've come back to California with a renewed sense of determination--both in my quest to be a wholly healthy person and in my desire to be the most well-rounded actress I can possibly be. And though those two goals may not seem related, I really think they are. When I'm taking the best care of myself that I can, I know that I'm more mentally and emotionally capable and confident. And then that's where the joy of acting starts....

Calories and Questions

A math question from the very lovely and talented Pookie, who's battling the diet devil right now:

"How is it that there are 3 grams of sugar in a cup of grape nuts, twelve in an orange, 13 in a cup of cookie crisp, 20 in a cup of Raisin Bran, and 12 in a glass of 1% milk?"

I'm not a calorie counter myself, so I'm not quite sure how to explain the science of sugars. Anyone else care to take a stab?

And Pook: the best advice both my mother and sister ever gave me was NOT to diet--to simply try to eat healthy, and eat organic, and not obsess over every point (Weight Watchers) or calorie. If you educate yourself on what's good for you (which is a HUGE education, but is still incredibly valuable, as I'm learning every day), then you're golden. I think. Someone prove me wrong, please.

Sweet Treats?

I think that I might have worn out my love for Greek yogurt and strawberries. And the problem is that I'm craving a big, huge, sloppy, ice cream sundae. So, people out there, what's your best healthy substitute for desserts? Inquiring minds want to know.

Eat Your Meat...and Other Proteins

I've read that despite the relative wealth of Americans (or former wealth) a majority of us are undernourished.  We put a lot in our mouths, but much of it lacks necessary nutrients.  There's a theory that this lack of nutrients, especially protein, is what makes us feel hungry all the time. 

After casually tracking my protein consumption for a while, I realized that as long as I stayed to the straight and narrow of clean eating, I had no problem with protein.  But if I filled up on processed foods or snacks foods (like crackers), I fell behind.  

I should be taking in about 46 grams of protein.  If I have oatmeal with a 1/2 cup of milk for breakfast, that's about 11 grams.  Eating two slices of turkey on two slices of whole wheat bread for lunch gives me 18 more grams of protein.  A half cup of nuts for a mid-afternoon snack provides 10 grams.  And beans and brown rice, topped with plain yogurt and broccoli on the side for dinner adds on about 28 more grams.  So that's a whopping total of 64 grams.  But many days I don't have meat for lunch or a dinner so protein heavy.

The trick is not make yourself crazy with this information, but to try eating a wide variety of whole-grain, unrefined, and fresh foods.  If you stick to that basic pattern, you will become better nourished and will not be hungry all the time.  

As you switch to eating this way, you might even put on a few pounds at the very beginning.  But once your body gets over the shock and your nutritional deficiencies are remedied, you will start dropping down to the weight your bones were designed to carry.

In very general terms, adult women should consume about 46 grams of protein a day while men need about 60.  In order to figure out the exact amount you need, convert your ideal body weight to kilograms by multiplying it by .453.  Take the resulting number and multiply that by .9, since that's how much protein you need per kilo of body weight.  If you're skipping meals and living on junk, this protein goal will be tough to reach.  But if you're eatin' clean, it's a very reasonable goal, one that can really keep your appetite in check.

"None of that lard-coated caca for me, thanks!"

RE: The Title: That was a postcard my mom sent me when I was in college (about 4 years ago), and has been placed firmly on every refrigerator I've ever had since.

An interesting change has occurred in my eating mentality lately. When I think about ice cream, or cheese cake, or even cheese (oh God, how I LOVE cheese), my brain immediately says to me, "You can't have that!" It's gone beyond the point of rationalizing with myself, having that conversation that goes something along the lines of, "Well you COULD have just one Swedish Fish, but will it really be just one? And honestly, what good will just ONE Swedish Fish do? Far more bad than good, I can assure you." At which point I stop staring at the Swedish Fish in the office kitchen, and grab myself a bottle of water.

But recently, that conversation hasn't been happening that much (except for the Swedish Fish. Because it really could be so easy to just take one). Now, I've just gotten it into my head that eating something bad for me is simply not allowed, and might potentially cause me bodily harm. So, when I stare down that sausage pizza that was just delivered to the office, the diet-master inside my head (who, oddly, sounds a lot like my mother) just says, "No."

And believe it or not, I listen...for now....

Michelle Obama - Clean and Green

Check out this article about Michelle Obama that was in the Dining & Wine section of yesterday's New York Times.

And according to Bonnie Fuller (courtesy of her blog on Huffington Post, "Michelle Obama's Sleevegate: Why Can't America Handle Her Bare Arms?"), here's how you can get her fabulously sculpted biceps: "...you need to do three sets each of "Lying Down Dumbbell Tricep Extensions", "Dumbbell Hammer Bicep Curls" and "Dumbbell Lateral raises," to achieve her toned shape." For those of you who don't own dumbbells and don't belong to a gym, I hear soup cans are great substitutes for weights.

Livin' Clean: The Epiphany

I've sort of half-heartedly tried to diet and exercise for a while now. There would be a couple of weeks here and there where I'd go maybe three times a week to the gym (according to when I washed my hair, which my mother rejected as a crazy idea, and she was right). I'd get it in my head that I should eat healthy, so I'd wash my salad and whole wheat pasta down with a Coke.

But about a month ago, I realized that I live in a place (Santa Monica) that thrives on its beach culture...and I was in no way prepared to don my bikini and spend most weekends, come June (or February, as the weather recently has indicated) swinging valiantly at volleyballs and catching up on my cheesy novels by the ocean. Not only that, but I love clothes, and I realized that I was no longer taking an interest in what I was wearing, mainly because nothing looked good on me, and I didn't really feel good wearing anything (muffin tops, guts, fat thighs, etc.--nothing was as egregious as I make it sound here, but the fact that I was noticing these things and they were getting in the way of me enjoying myself and feeling good about myself were reason enough to change). And lately, I've been becoming more and more aware of the people around me, especially those who are approaching their 50's, 60's, even 70's, and their lifestyles--who was becoming impeded by the decisions they made in their 20's? Who was having more fun than they did in their 20's, because they took care of themselves from the get-go?

So all these thoughts were sort of swirling in my head, and then Mom came to visit. I'd say that ever since I went to college, she's been fiercely pursuing a healthy, active lifestyle. And 6 years after my departure from her home, I can honestly say that she's more beautiful, and in better shape, than I've ever seen her. She was able to spread her convictions on to my sister, and though for a while I thought that they were both drinking some pretty loopy Kool-Aid, I've come to realize that while I was thinking that, I was also marveling at how healthy--and, almost more importantly, how happy they both seemed. They both glow from the inside out. My sister practically causes traffic accidents these days--no one can take their eyes off of her. Mom looks about 40--when really she's 54.

Mom's arrival coincided with an epiphany on my part: I needed to get off my fat ass (to quote Mom), and do something about the way I felt, instead of just wishing that one day I'd just wake up and end up with toned and defined muscles (and yet, still the curves--i.e., bodacious tatas and "birthing hips" that I've come to appreciate...or at the very least, moderately tolerate). So, first step: we went through my entire closet, I tried on every piece of clothing, and threw out everything that looked bad on me...which means that the Goodwill has recently acquired about 30 blouses with capped sleeves. I kept pieces that we liked, but agreed would be "inspiration clothing" for me--clothes that were quality, but also required I lose a coupla pounds.

And then came the frank discussion about food. I really like food. And I have this weird habit of pairing odd things together...like salami and mint chocolate chip ice cream. Not together, mind you, but as compliments to each other. I also am addicted to Coca Cola, and work in an office where such beverages--as well as cupcakes, Swedish Fish, and various fried foods--are in ready supply. But watching Mom and my sister eat made me realize that it IS possible to eat healthy, and even to enjoy--hell, not just enjoy, crave--that ridiculously expensive Kombucha tea made by GT Dave and sold for $4.00 a pop at Whole Foods. Now, I've eating only whole wheats, having breakfast for the first time since high school, and not eating anything after 9pm. I've managed to sit on my hands when facing crisp, delicious, crusty french baguettes and cheese, Crumbs cupcakes, even birthday cake smothered in that painfully sweet icing that I love. And you know what? I'm really, really proud of myself. Mom can vouch for that. I call her practically every time I take a bite of something.

Long story short: I'm trying. Hard. And even more importantly, I'm being honest with myself. I feel healthier, and more energized, than I have in a long time, and living has become like a puzzle for me: how can I cut corners, eat healthier, expend more energy, in every aspect of my life? The other weekend I was at DSW Shoe Warehouse, consulting with Mom about a pair of Madden Girl heels. She and I ended up talking for a while longer, and I hate going up to the register when I'm on my cell phone, so I power walked around DSW until I'd heard all about the latest exploits of our 13 year old deaf dog. And then I paid for my shoes, went home, and tried them on with all the clothes that, come summertime, I'm going to look fucking fabulous in.

-Bronwyn