2.46
This past week we had an awesome mini-vacation which landed us in Gloucester, MA. Its quintessential New England, historic flair warrants a longer stay next time we're in the area. The area has phenomenal, fresh seafood, and Gloucester itself is known as America's oldest sea port. Very cool.
While we were there, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner out to enjoy the local seafood. And I decided to suspend my power pantry guidelines and order what looked and sounded good on the menu. While Jen had the baked haddock, which was awesome, I got the fisherman's fried platter, with fresh, tender shrimp, clams, calamari and a haddock filet, all lightly breaded and deep fried. No plant-based choices or whole food concerns here. I have never had shrimp that were that tender, much less the clams and calamari... it was delicious, and although I didn't have a salad or veggies (beyond a little coleslaw), I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
There's always time to make great power pantry choices in what we're eating and drinking, and there are times to set uber-healthy choices aside and enjoy a 'feast'. That's what we did on our trip... A great guide is an 80/20 approach: 80% of our food should be a good choice, ones our bodies benefit from nutritionally; the other 20% can be less intentional American fare. And the 20% isn't always a gooey, sugary dessert; maybe it's the fried platter... (I can't remember the last time I had ketchup, not that there's much wrong with ketchup, I just don't eat it anymore. On Wednesday night, I had ketchup with my fried seafood and fries... mmmmmm...)
So settle on your convictions to pursue great food and drink choices, focusing on nutritional density, and a plant-based diet. Then, here and there, be willing to take a break and enjoy something that sounds good, looks good, or comes highly recommended. Doing this helps us redouble our effort and conviction to make power pantry choices a majority of the time.
By the Way
Check out the post I did last year about an 80/20 approach to our wellness choices:
Go 80/20
This is a great guideline to help us organize and stock our power pantry and fridge for health-promoting choices.
2.45
I love having teens and a tween (and a pre-schooler) for kids. They are digital natives and come across some great content online that I would never have found on my own. Part of a wellness lifestyle includes the ability to laugh, find joy in the moment, and make happiness a regular part of life. And our daughter found a great resource recently, so I'm shooting it out to the Power Pantry community.
Any chance you've heard of Studio C? They are a comedy troupe which posts comedy shorts on YouTube, and has a great following (because they're funny.) Laughter is good medicine (check out my post on this from last year)... we know it in our gut and science continues to tell us so. By that guidance, a few Studio C videos a day are just what the doctor ordered.
Do you find yourself taking life too seriously? I often forget that a long time ago I gave up control as general manager of the universe... everyday worries, strife and frustrations are just not worth getting bent out of shape over. And a dose of comedic reality can help as a reset. What's better is to live with purpose, find worthwhile work to keep us occupied, maintain a selfless perspective (that is, live to serve, not to be served), and get going - time's a wastin'!
Check out some of Studio C on YouTube. You can subscribe to their channel, and you'll find a ton of content. Their Wikipedia article has a whole episode run-down of all seasons so far - check them out here: Studio C article.
So have a few laughs (or a lot of them) with the crowd from Studio C. Better yet, gather the family around and watch some of the videos together. They are all family-friendly (nothing beyond some PG-level themes) and do a great job of poking fun at typical American life. Enjoy!
By the Way
While all their content isn't hilarious, Studio C has some real winners. Their most famous one is a soccer shootout parody that's been viewed over 28 million times... because it's funny. Check it out here.
2.44
Power pantry pick-of-the-week: today's post offers a terrific addition to your snacking choices. While carrot sticks and a nutty, dried fruit trail mix might be great, we've recently become fans of Van's. Van's International Foods, that is.
We first found their multigrain crackers some months ago, and with them being not only gluten-free, but corn free, they were an instant hit around our house. And they taste great and have a crisp, light texture... perfect for the latest hummus or guac recipe.
Then I saw more of their stuff at the local super-store, shopping emporium: cereals, granola, snack bars...wow! The thing I love is their ingredient list, and that they have a basic grain mix which shows up in almost all of their offerings (here are the ingredients for their 'Lots of Everything' crackers):
Van's Gluten Free Whole Grain Blend (Oats, Brown Rice Flour, Millet, Quinoa And Amaranth), Potato Starch, non-GMO Expeller Pressed Sunflower And/Or Safflower Oil, Brown Sugar, Rice Flour, Sesame Seeds, Salt, Poppy Seeds, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Yeast Extract, Sunflower Lecithin, Caraway Seeds, Mixed Tocopherols For Freshness.
Maybe you'd enjoy something from the Van's Foods family. Check them out online here:
http://www.vansfoods.com/, and look for Van's in the cracker aisle at your supermarket. If you don't find them, be sure to ask, because there may be a gluten-free section, or it's possible your grocer's purchasing folks aren't yet enlightened to the great products from Van's. Happy snacking.
By the Way
Van's doesn't have a huge product line, simply crackers, cereals, pastas, etc. Their tag line is "Simply Delicious" and their offering supports that profile. Check out their full product line here: http://www.vansfoods.com/our-products
2.43
I've written before that I'm a big fan of Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He consistently adds value to the conversation on health, wellness and nutrition, and best of all, his guidance works, if we'll just do it. At some point, when we're not satisfied with our health and the direction we're getting from conventional medical sources, we need to consider other resources. For me, Dr. Fuhrman is one of those resources.
A fundamental perspective that Dr. Fuhrman brings to nutritional excellence is that salad should be the main dish for as many meals as possible. The value our bodies derive from fresh veggies and the nutritional density of greens, and all colorful vegetables for that matter, are unmatched by anything in the standard American diet. It's as simple as that, "make salad the main dish"!
Obviously summer is the best time to launch into this perspective, as we're surrounded by every kind of fresh produce for about the next 4 months. Of course our hyper-connected world yields fresh fruits and veggies year-round, whether from the farm field a mile away, or California, Florida, New Zealand or Argentina (all of which have been sources for the Muller's produce recently).
So take a look at your meal-planning for the next few weeks and incorporate salad wherever you can. Part of the preparation will be stocking your power pantry and fridge to compliment the salad initiative, so start there. And be careful about the dressings! That is the biggest tripping hazard in a healthful salad. Most bottled, brand name dressings are off the charts with fats (and not good fats), sodium, flavor-enhancers and sugars - uhg! Around our house we keep it simple with some Newman's Own selections, mix-yourself Italian dressing, and plain old oil and vinegar. Simple always wins.
Here's to being big on salads and amping up our salad consumption. Good luck!
By the Way
Dr. Furhman recently did an email blast about making salad the main dish. Check it out here:
Make the Salad the Main Dish
He even addresses the dressing issue with some (shameless) promotion of his own line of healthy dressing choices...
2.42
Have you heard of the 431 Project? I hadn't either until a few months ago. It is one of those passionate movements unfolding before our eyes, and for me, I really want to see them succeed.
The 431 Project was started by Spartan Races Founder and CEO Joe DeSena, with the goal of impacting today's kids, teens and young adults toward healthy living. To do this we have to get them off the couch, engaged in regular physical activity, and eating healthy, nutritious foods. That's a tall order given that obesity among children is about 17%, and has been for over 10 years.
But the organizers of the 431 Project are up to the challenge, after all, they have the grit of the Spartan Races behind their efforts. If you're familiar with the Spartan Races (see my post from last year) you know that they eat challenges for a snack between morning muesli and a 15 mile run through the mud...
Check out what the 431 Project is doing here: www.The431Project.com, and think about a student or young adult you may be able to influence toward healthy living. Is there a niece or nephew, or a neighbor, or maybe one of your own children, who needs to move toward healthier lifestyle choices? The very best time to begin making healthy choices is today, and if we can help even one person move toward those good wellness choices, then all of our effort is worthwhile.
By the Way
There are numerous ways to bring the 431 Project to your community, for the benefit of youth and young adults. Check out this document available from the 431 Project website, and see if one of the activities may fit in your community: Healthy Initiatives.
2.41
Sometimes adversity yields a great idea. That's what happened in 2011 when Pastor Rick Warren, of Saddleback Church, realized he and his congregation were way overweight. The resulting great idea is The Daniel Plan.
If you haven't heard of this extremely valuable lifestyle plan, check out www.danielplan.com. At its foundation is the biblical story of Daniel, and how he negotiated with his captors to not follow the ways of the Persians, particularly where food and drink were concerned.
Rick Warren's conviction that he and his congregation needed to reduce their size led him to gather an expert panel of doctors. The three were Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Mark Hyman, and Dr. Mehmet Oz - this is a significantly powerful team when it comes to lifestyle wellness guidance. Not only are they nationally recognized, but they bring a wealth of nutritional wisdom to their work.
Five essentials make up the backbone of The Daniel Plan: Faith, Food, Fitness, Focus and Friends. The two main drivers of the plan, though (the secret sauce) are Faith and Friends. To learn more, check out the Start page from their website - Daniel Plan Start page.
The guidance available through The Daniel Plan is invaluable - there is no telling how much you will benefit from this kind of help unless to engage it. Check out the web site, or the book Warren wrote: The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier Life. If you need a wellness lifestyle boost, and direction to get and keep you on track, maybe you'll benefit from The Daniel Plan.
By the Way
In the first year alone, over 15,000 participants in the plan, from Saddleback Church, lost a total of 250,000 pounds. That is tremendous impact from a simple plan.
2.40
It's fresh produce season, and time to enjoy all the great veggies and fruits available from your local farms. A power pantry lifestyle has a whole-foods, plant-based diet at its core, and filling your pantry and fridge with fresh produce is the right step in that direction.
A friend emailed me about a CSA his cousin operates. CSA stands for 'community supported agriculture', and it is a great and growing model of connecting citizen consumers with local farmers and produce growers. I did a post on farmer's markets and CSA's last year to shine some light on this tremendous resource for fresh foods. If you haven't engaged in stopping at a roadside stand, farmer's market or CSA for fresh produce, this is the time to do it.
How is the spread of fresh-to-cooked foods at your dining room table? Many integrative / holistic nutritionists agree that over half of our diet should be raw fruits and veggies. That is the best resource for phytonutrients and valuable antioxidants our bodies need to fight sickness and build healthy bones and tissues. Fresh foods are the path to those nutrients, and a farmer's market or CSA will help you along that path.
So revel in the pending summer weather and the rainbow of fruits and veggies available from local farms. We're just at the beginning of growing and harvesting season - get out there and enjoy it!
By the Way
Yesterday was the 'full strawberry moon', identified as such by early Algonquin Indian tribes because June features abundant strawberries. The strawberry season is really short, though, with only about 3 weeks of opportunity between the last week of May and the first two weeks of June. Don't miss it!
You can check out the Pick Your Own website to find your state harvest calendar and note when crops will be starting to ripen, and when the peak is for harvest.
While we were there, we treated ourselves to a nice dinner out to enjoy the local seafood. And I decided to suspend my power pantry guidelines and order what looked and sounded good on the menu. While Jen had the baked haddock, which was awesome, I got the fisherman's fried platter, with fresh, tender shrimp, clams, calamari and a haddock filet, all lightly breaded and deep fried. No plant-based choices or whole food concerns here. I have never had shrimp that were that tender, much less the clams and calamari... it was delicious, and although I didn't have a salad or veggies (beyond a little coleslaw), I thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
