Cheers and Taunts

2.9
I believe we should always walk our wellness journey with others, whether we're stocking our power pantry, or participating in some welcomed physical activity. So when my son, Ben, invited me to a Daily Showdown yesterday, it was easy to say yes. If you've gotten into the world of fitness and activity trackers, you might recognize a Daily Showdown as a challenge you can send to someone through Fit Bit.

I got my Fit Bit Zip back in September, and have been logging activity through it since. Once you have an account established you can connect with other Fit Bit users to track who is being more and less active, and even throw out daily and weekly challenges. Where I work, there are now four of us connected through Fit Bit, and following each other's activity.

Like any good competition, the challenges you initiate through Fit Bit come with the opportunity to trash talk, or to support someone else. They call it 'taunting' and 'cheering'. When you taunt, you are basically throwing a dose of raspberries someone's way, either to brag because you're way ahead of them, or to give them the business because you know you're not going to catch up today. Obviously when you cheer someone you're giving them a thumbs up on them hitting their numbers...

There's nothing like the real thing when it comes to a slap on the back or a kick in the seat, but having a Fit Bit challenge is a close second. No doubt, it offers healthy competition (literally) and gives you a reason and a way to increase your physical activity. If you haven't gotten a good tracker yet, maybe now's the time to add it to your power pantry wellness lifestyle. 

By the Way

Ben's toast on the Daily Showdown... he already went to bed and I'm up a thousand or so steps on him...
:o)

From the Good Side

2.8
When I began my wellness journey years ago, I researched bodily pH and acid/alkaline balance in food. It was fascinating to me, and I committed much of it to memory. There is great information available on how our bodies metabolize foods and the fact that some foods, when digested, cause our pH to go up (become more alkaline) and some cause it to go down (become more acidic). What you realize as you dig further into the topic is that eating from the 'good' side of the charts (the alkaline forming side) supports whole food / raw food choices in our power pantry.

There is no denying that we live in a time of great health opportunity. I think the big question is whether we will step up and make the healthful choices available to us. The evidence is overwhelming... simple whole and raw foods (alkaline-forming foods) are vital to our health. Processed and refined foods (acid-forming foods) hold little nutritional value for the calories they impart, and are much more detrimental to our health.

So, what kinds of foods am I referring to on the good side and the bad side? Check out this acid / alkaline food chart from pHMiracle Living:
Acid / Alkaline Food Chart

An example Acid/Alkaline Food Chart

For a visual and nutritional information feast, go to Google Images and search for "acid alkaline food chart", and peruse some of the results. What you quickly realize is that whole, raw foods are more alkaline-forming as we metabolize them, and processed meats, refined grains and carbohydrates, as well as things like soda and sweeteners, are all acid-forming as we digest them.

I won't get into the details of how these acid-forming foods affect our health, but here is one resource to consider, from Dr. Andrew Weil, MD, who heads up the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, and has tremendous resources on anti-inflamatory eating and wellness. Here is a brief Q&A from Dr. Weil on acid-forming foods and alkaline-forming benefits:
Eating to Protect Bones

Have a look at your pantry and refrigerator today... where can you reduce the kinds of processed and refined foods which are more acid-forming (and much less healthful) and increase the alkaline-forming whole foods you eat? Begin to increase those alkaline-forming foods to the point where 80% or more of your calories come from the 'good' side of the chart, and your body and health will thank you for it.

By the Way

While you may find some inconsistent information on the web as to exactly where foods fall on the acid/alkaline charts, the basic premise is that the more refined they are, the more acid-forming they are (and less healthful). Just think fresh, raw, whole foods, and stock up on those wherever you can, and you'll be on your way to improving your power pantry.

Doctors in the House

2.7
I'm a big fan of Dr. Joel Fuhrman and his seminal book on nutritional excellence, Eat to Live. We're adding folks to the Power Pantry rolls weekly, and if you've joined us recently, reading and following the powerful guidance in Eat to Live is a perfect place to start. You'll find solid, easy-to-understand concepts of how nutrient density and following a whole-food diet is the way to optimal physical health.

Here is tremendous guidance from a recent email blast of Dr. Fuhrman's:

The benefits of following the Nutritarian diet are numerous and life-changing. By following the Nutritarian diet, it is possible to:

• Achieve your ideal weight
• Improve your overall health
• Prevent and reverse heart disease and type 2 diabetes
• Protect yourself from cancer and dementia
• Reduce or eliminate your need for medication
• Avoid any unnecessary and potentially harmful medical interventions
• Raise heathy children and safeguard their future health
• Slow down the aging process
• Push the boundaries of human longevity

That's quite a list of benefits! I can attest that simple improvements in what I eat have brought me to a level of physical health that I haven't enjoyed since I was a kid. As I go into my fifth year of intentional lifestyle wellness, I'm still fascinated at how simple it is to achieve significantly improved physical health.

There's another doctor I'm quite impressed with, and I've benefited greatly from his guidance. Dr. Dean Ornish is a veteran of over 35 years of wellness research and oversees the Preventative Medicine Research Institutes (PMRI - click for their website). The basis of Dr. Ornish's work is what he refers to as The Ornish Spectrum. He has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that improvements in four simple areas of life will restore health and vitality to even the sickest patients. The four areas of Dr. Ornish's Spectrum are:

• what you eat
• how you respond to stress
• how much activity you have
• how much love and support you have.

With decades of proof, the improved lives of his patients stand as a testament to his good work. There is a wealth of tremendous research available from the PMRI research page on their website:
PMRI Research Highlights

Achieving your lifestyle wellness goals is simple, even though it may not be easy. If you're on the path, stick to it, and if you're just starting, welcome aboard!

By the Way

Dr. Ornish has a number of TED Talks where he reviews the great research his work has generated. It is incredible to me that he was spreading this guidance over 10 years ago; I'm thankful that it is becoming a part of the fabric and dialog of our American lifestyle... Here is his talk from 2004, and it's well worth the time to watch it:
Dr. Ornish - Healing Through Diet

A 2015 Hot List

2.6
Good choices and sustainable actions take time to be proven... actually time is the only thing which shows them to be good or sustainable. I think one day we'll look back on this modern era and wonder how large segments of population slid into the unhealthy and unsustainable choices so prevalent today. On the flip side, there is value in getting back to basics...back to simple. Basic and simple can be healthful when good choices are consistently lived out day after day.

So I was encouraged when I saw the results of the 2015 Culinary Forecast published by the National Restaurant Association. This year the NRA canvassed almost 1,300 professional chefs on what the hot trends will be on US restaurant menus. The results are shared in their What's Hot in 2015 list, which came out in December. There is a ton of great food trend information published in the list, and it gives perspective on what these experts expect to see in their establishments this year.

Here are the top 20 trends published in this years' results:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Environmental sustainability
4. Healthful kids’ meals
5. Natural ingredients/minimally processed food
6. New cuts of meat
7. Hyper-local sourcing
8. Sustainable seafood
9. Food waste reduction/management
10. Farm/estate branded items
11. Non-wheat noodles/pasta
12. Gluten-free cuisine
13. Ancient grains
14. Whole grain items in kids’ meals
15. Non-traditional fish
16. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items
17. Nutrition
18. House-made/artisan ice cream
19. Fruit/vegetable kids’ side items
20. Artisan cheeses

Refreshingly, all of these expected trends lean hard toward nutritionally and environmentally sustainable practices. There are little to no processed foods represented, as well as almost a total lack of packed, preserved foods. Of course, these are restaurants, presumably serving fresh-cooked favorites and new creations alike, so we'd expect them to focus on fresh, local whole-food ingredients as much as possible.

One very notable addition to the list for 2015 is #5 - Natural Ingredients / Minimally Processed Food. I think this is remarkable in two ways: first that it broke the top ten, and second that it speaks to a whole-food focus. For not having made the list before this year, I think this shouts loudly that the experts are aware of the natural, unprocessed food trend.

Check out the web page for the 2015 Culinary Forecast by clicking here. It's a great read...especially some of the sub-statistics and call-outs for how things are trending. With all these great trends coming to our restaurants, it will give us a break from our power pantry and cooking at home. And there's a good chance we'll be inspired with something healthful we'll want to cook ourselves.

By the Way

Page 4 of the report shares broader analysis of what's trending by calling out New Top Trends, Perennial Favorites, Yesterday's News, and Steady in Top 20 Food Trends (since 2009). I like the 'Steady' category, because these nine trends have been consistent for 6 years now, with Nutrition and Locally Sourced Items among them. Here's the list:

Locally sourced itemsHealthful kids’ mealsEnvironmental sustainabilityGluten-free cuisineSustainable seafoodNutritionNew cuts of meatNon-traditional fi shFruit/vegetable sides in kids’ meals

A Fly in My Soup?

2.5
There's a difference between a fad and a trend... a fad comes along quickly and fades away just as quickly, whereas a trend develops and matures more slowly, and likely becomes part of the fabric of life. I've been seeing a change on the horizon, and asked myself whether this is a fad or a trend...my gut tells me it's a trend...

The innovation I've been seeing (which isn't an innovation at all... folks have been doing this for millennia now) is consuming insects as a regular part of their diet, especially as a source of sustainable protein. Recently I saw an article in Prevention Magazine, "Are Crickets the Future of Food?" which led me to Megan Miller, cofounder of Bitty Foods. Megan did a mind-stretching TEDx Talk last year that tells her story:

Megan Miller: Are Insects the Future of Food - click through and check this out... it's only about five minutes.

Here's further evidence that an insect-as-food trend is developing. This article is from almost four years ago in the Wall Street Journal:

The Six-Legged Meat of the Future

The point behind this growing trend is that insects are very simple to raise, and they are exceptionally sustainable. The bloated (and, I think, unnecessary) beef and dairy industries, not so much... With population projections of an additional two billion people joining our planet in the next 35 years, and first-world populations continuing to grow, it would be great to have some sustainable and nutritious options for eating.

I'm not in any way ready to add crickets and bees to our power pantry, but learning about this growing trend and the potential of a sustainable food source has me thinking. I'd give it no more than about 3 years, and I bet we'll all have tried something with cricket flour or topped with a meal worm or two...

By the Way

I'd say not to be too grossed out by the whole insect-as-food topic. After all, shrimp and prawn are nothing but sea bugs, really. And lobster are just the over-sized cousins of those bugs, so if you love these crustaceans, you're half way there.

The Magic Bullet

2.4
I got the coolest health-nut gift for Christmas... a NutriBulletPRO 900 (by Magic Bullet). OohRah! This is the ultimate blending machine, where nutrition is concerned. 

When it comes to getting the most of the whole fruits and vegetables we eat, there are two schools of thought for making it into juice. Overall, it is agreed that breaking down the cell structure of the food extracts and releases more of the nutrients (like antioxidants, vitamins and minerals) making these absorb-able and nutritionally available. The difference is in whether you 'juice' or 'blend'. When you juice, you extract almost all of nutrient-rich juice and leave the pulp behind (the skins, fiber, seed hulls, etc.) If you blend, you completely pulverize the whole food, breaking down the juice, fiber, skins, seeds, etc., into a slushy, whole-food drink of whatever you're blending. I'm definitely a blender, not a juicer.

The concept for blending whole fruits and veggies is simple: fill the NutriBullet cup half way with greens (spinach, collard greens, kale, romaine, etc.) top off with any kind of fruit (could be frozen, to lend a cold, slushy consistency to your drink), add filtered water and blend for about 15-30 seconds. That's all it takes.

For an extra boost, you can add things like chia or flax seeds, almonds, walnuts, maca powder (more on that in a future post) and cacao powder. Any of these will give your drink a nutritional blast of vitamins, antioxidants, healthy fats and more.

At this point we've made numerous morning drinks in the NutriBullet, as well as a great dairy-free chocolate pudding, a rich, spicy chocolate / chia pudding, and an interesting take on vanilla pudding (using chia seeds). It makes an incredible banana 'ice cream' (just blend frozen bananas, scoop and eat - awesome... especially when topped with the chocolate pudding...)


So if you want to get more from your whole fruits and veggies, and get your daily supply of greens in a convenient way, consider blending (or juicing) to give your health a great boost.

By the Way

One of the best things about the NutriBullet is how easy it is to clean up. Because the blender 'pitcher' is actually the drink cup, you just turn the cup upside down to blend (the blades are mounted in a sealable lid) and once blended, turn right-side-up and enjoy. Very cool.

There are other great drink blender options as well, like the NutriNinja... but I'm psyched about my NutriBullet...

Fiber Rescue

2.3
I've posted in the past about the ill effects of the standard American diet, and specifics like consuming way too much protein. Coming off of some less-than-stellar eating over the holidays, we could probably all use a refresher on another attribute of our common diet: we eat way too little fiber. And I'm not talking about prune juice and raisin bran... (come on, I'm not even 50...) The fact is, the carbs and protein that are staples for our meals leave us significantly lacking when it comes to dietary fiber.

So why does fiber matter? Because it is the catalyst for keeping our digestive tract performing well, and it makes nutrients accessible by moving food through our system. When we don't have enough fiber, frustrating and painful gut issues crop up like diverticulitis and constipation. I've had friends and relatives who suffered from diverticulitis attacks in the past, and it is really painful and disruptive to life, but it is also really simple to overcome. At the core of the solution is a diet rich in whole foods, lots of veggies and fruits, and staying well-hydrated. There are plenty of other benefits of fiber in our diets, like lowering our risks of diabetes and heart disease, and helping to maintain a healthy weight.

Here is some basic information explaining dietary fiber, and how to get enough fiber in our diets, from the Mayo Clinic:
Dietary Fiber: Essential for a healthy diet

If you're going to add some fiber-rich eating to your power pantry choices, start slowly. You want to build up to about 35 grams of fiber a day, which may be a lot depending on how you currently do eating your fruits and veggies. If you amp up too quickly, you may suffer through a lot of bloating and discomfort, so take your time. The point is to make it a health habit, just like anything else in a wellness lifestyle. Get used to the idea, wade in, and don't look back. You'll benefit in no time, especially if you've suffered from gut issues in the past.

By the Way

The key sources of dietary fiber are fruits, veggies, beans / legumes, and seeds. Adding some compliment of these to every meal is the key. For me, I enjoy a morning muesli for breakfast most days of the week, which features things like oats, millet, ground flax seed, chia seeds, dried fruit, almonds, walnuts and frozen berries. There are a myriad of ways I can mix and match all of these nutrient-dense, healthful ingredients for a tasty, fiber-rich breakfast any day. It's a great start...

All In

2.2
With a new year starting, I bet you have a new adventure facing you. And there's a chance you're coming up with hesitations why you should just ignore it, and get on with life as usual. Living a wellness lifestyle, and making power pantry choices, can be a lot like that. Maybe you have benefited from improvements in your food choices and you've stepped up your physical activity more than any time in your past. Once you have gained ground in this way, you may be compelled to go further...but the pull of 'normal' makes you hesitate. I say, "don't settle for normal."

While I haven't always thought this way, in recent years I've tried to live 'all in'. Life comes at us from all directions, good and bad, but I have to believe that what shows up will ultimately yield some kind of good, either in my life or the life of someone around me. So if I decide to be all in, technically, we should move the ball down the field that much faster, and get to the good stuff, right?

And the blur of life may leave us asking 'why?' Why this? Why that? What next? But maybe those aren't the right questions. Along with being all in, it can also be great to just ask 'why not?' Crazy things may happen, followed by crazy opportunities or alternatives we've never considered. But that's what showed up today, so, why not?

As long as we're enriching our life and the lives of those around us, and what we're striving for isn't illegal, immoral or unethical, I think we should go all in. Choose to lean into the current reality, while holding firm to the vision you have for your future, and you too can benefit from being 'all in.'

By the Way

One issue with living 'all in' is that it may look like you've gone off the deep end. Friends and family may not recognize the new you, and begin showing concern for your mental stability... It's okay, though. If you've committed to new ways of thinking and living which fill you with life and light, and make you more able to share it with others, where's the harm in that? Go be awesome, and maybe you'll rub off a little bit as you do life with others. Remember, "obsessed is a word lazy people use to describe the dedicated."

New Year, New You

2.1
Happy New Year! It's 2015, ready or not. If last year seemed like a blur to you, as it did for me, now is the time to pre-savor the new year and all it holds. If you've been contemplating, or maybe you've begun, power pantry choices in your kitchen, welcoming the new year may give you the boost you need to seal the deal.

I thought I'd review a handful of great power pantry choices which are simple to make, and are quite rewarding for our physical health. One or two (or more if you're bold) of these may stand out as improvements you're convicted of to start 2015:

• Get rid of bleached enriched white flour, and all the bread, crackers and goodies containing it, and resolve to go with 100% whole wheat flour in your baking and buying
• Make brown rice your standard instead of white rice; wild rice is great as well, quinoa is a tremendous grain/starch addition to a meal (instead of rice), and even some interesting grains like millet can substitute white rice
• Once and for all, get rid of all the artificial sweeteners (splenda, aspartame, sucralose, and all their cousins) and high fructose corn syrup, and never go back. There is nothing healthful or of nutritional value with any of these, and they lurk in our drinks, dressings, snacks, cereals and baked goods. There's nothing wrong with raw (turbinado) sugar, agave nectar, stevia, raw honey, and plain old pure cane sugar. I've maintained a healthful weight and great nutritional balance for years with all of these natural sweeteners, in moderation.
• Lose the hydrogenated (and partially hydrogenated) oils. These are laboratory creations meant to reduce cost, and improve food textures and shelf life, and have no redeeming quality in our diet. And they're ubiquitous in baked goods, snacks, granola bars and cereals of all kinds. Going to extra virgin olive oil for cooking, and shopping for higher quality products is the way to go.
• Eliminate MSG (mono-sodium glutamate) from your pantry. You'll find it as a 'flavor enhancer' in soups, salad dressings, salsas, flavored chips and crackers of all kinds. This is a detriment to our metabolism, and in future decades, I think we'll wonder how and why we tempted our taste buds with fake flavor at the expense of our bodily health.

This list could go on, but those are a few essentials. A natural, whole-foods-based power pantry can be the start of a new you in the new year. So grab onto one or two of these that aren't yet part of your wellness lifestyle, and decide to make the change and never look back. That's what Jen and I have done over the several years that we've been living a wellness lifestyle. It's a big change, and takes an 'all in' commitment, but it is so worth it, you'll wonder why you waited so long to start.

By the Way

I often say that power pantry and wellness lifestyle choices, whether food related or for exercise or wellness in general, are best made with others. Don't walk your journey alone. Look for a friend, co-worker or family member to journey with you. It will create accountability, and you'll learn from each other. When launching into new territory, we're better together.