Water vs. Coke (and pepsi products!)

Hey all! sorry i've been not blogging in a while... fell off the bandwagon but i'm back! 

I was doing my usual scan of statuses, photos, etc. on Facebook and came across a photo with some facts about coke vs water and it was a little disturbing. I don't drink much diet coke these days (I went from about 60 oz of diet coke and NO water a day to 100+ oz of water a day and maybe 2 or 3 diet cokes a week) but these facts are alarming and quite honestly, gross. This is the picture I saw:

WATER or COKE - Can you believe this....? Not even about the sugar!

WATER 

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (also applies to half the world population)
#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.
#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.
#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.
#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79% and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE
#1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.
#2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
#3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
#4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
#5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.
#7. To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.
#8. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.


FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
#1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.
#2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous Material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
#3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

So the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?

Not sure how much Coke I want to consume after reading that. Also, with all the crazy ingredients in carbonated drinks like Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc if you consume enough your  body will actually add protection in the areas surrounding your organs... aka FAT. Just an additional fact.

Water consumption is also one of the top treatments for cellulite. Cellulite is caused by toxins lingering in fat deposits that cause the little and unattractive dimple things and water and exercise (sweating) helps flush all those toxins out of your body! 

If you are new to this blog, and have trouble drinking enough water throughout the day, scroll down and ready my entry 'Everyday i'm Guzzlin' and you can read about some easy ways to consume more water!

I promise I will blog more often and have some good topics coming up: benefits of Chia Seeds (tomorrow!), pros/cons of HOT YOGA, and the low down on thai food. If you want to suggest a topic, just let me know! Find me on Facebook (Lindsay Wright) or Email me: LAWright22@hotmail.com

Eat healthy, live happy :)

Lindsay

Recipes, Cravings and Books...... OH MY!

This post is about no particular subject, just things I have learned in the past week or so. Sorry for the delay in posts, but i'm back on track!

Me and my sister have started making our dinners and protein sources (chicken, quinoa, etc.) for the week all on sunday so there is no temptation to get take out or skip dinner and snack around on unhealthy things. Dinner is usually the hardest meal because we both make our lunches the night before and by the time work is over, the last thing that's on your mind is coming home and spending an hour in the kitchen cooking! We have been choosing 2 recipes and making 3 servings of each (leaving one dinner for a 'cheat meal'). Here are just a couple of the recipes we have been using.

Romaine Lettuce Wraps (1 serving)

1/4 cup (Chopped) of: tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms

1 cup chopped chicken (cooked)

1 tbs chopped mint 

1 tbs chopped cilantro

1 tbs sesame seed oil

1/2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs feta cheese

2 leaves romaine

sautee the tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, chicken, mint and cilantro in a pan with the tbs of olive oil. once sauteed, add sesame seed oil and let simmer for a couple minutes. Split on two leaves of romaine and enjoy!

With this recipe, I trippled the recipe and put it in 3 zip lock baggies so I can just grab them and throw them in the pan!

Chicken Orzo Salad (3 servings)

• 6 oz uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
• 3 cup chicken
  
  
• 1 1/2 cups trimmed arugula
• 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved 
• 1 cup spinach
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper 
• 1/2 cup prechopped red onion 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon extravirgin olive oil  
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.
2. 2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.
3. 3. Combine vinegar, oil, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

This recipe is better when you make more than one serving because there is less waste as far as the veggies. This recipe is good either hot or cold! I made 3 servings worth and put it in a tupperware and a serving (cooked) is a cup so I just scooped a cup for dinner each time and there ya go!

There is a recipe i'm going to try tomorrow that involves using chickpeas and other ingredients to make a desert that tastes like cookie dough.... i'll report on that tomorrow because if I could have that to curb my sweet tooth that would be fabulous! It sucks to do so well in the gym and ruin it with sweets!

Speaking of cravings..... I found this (via pinterest.....DUH!) and this is a good tool to use for cravings. This evening I was craving a Diet Coke and so I found it on this chart... luckily, it says sesame was something that could curb it and it just happened to be an ingredient in my dinner. By the time I ate and drank some water.... no more craving for Diet coke!

I'm going to print this out and stick it on my fridge for future reference! 

On to another subject......

Chocolate Milk after workouts??

This subject was brought to me by my friend Katie. She has started a running program and heard that chocolate milk is the best thing to have post workout/run. I actually got forwarded an email from the NSCAA about the benefits of chocolate milk after a workout or run. This is copied from WedMd:

 Drinking low-fat chocolate milk after a workout helps endurance, builds muscle, reduces fat, and seems to improve performance, according to new research.

The drink seems to have the right combination of carbohydrates and protein says researcher John L. Ivy, PhD, department chair of kinesiology and health education at the University of Texas at Austin.

"When recovering from exercise, two things you want to do is replenish sugar stores in the muscle and turn on protein synthesis and stop protein breakdown," Ivy tells WebMD.

"The combination of carbohydrate and protein [found in chocolate milk] work synergistically to do those two things," 

There is actually an entire WEBSITE about the benefits of chocolate milk! It is a great resource and if you have a couple minutes you should check it out! Chocolate milk is far less in price AND its good for adults and children!  here is the website: http://www.refuelwithchocolatemilk.com/

And for a final subject......

I'm reading 'Born to Run'

I haven't gotten very far, but from what i've read so far and heard from others, it is a must read for any runner of ANY distance. It has been a long time since i've read a book for pleasure. My boyfriend John read this and has gotten back into running just for the LOVE of running, not for time or distance. It has made an impact on him because he is much more relaxed when he goes out for a run and concentrates on how much he enjoys it and how blessed he is to be able to run..... instead of focusing on time and distance. I have gotten back into running but I thought this would be a good extra motivator! I will keep updates on how i'm liking the book.... so far so good!

Eat healthy, live happy :)

Lindsay

No Meats.... No Problem!

This subject was requested by one of my dearest friends Katie! Her and my other friend Jenn do meals on Mondays called 'No Meat Mondays'. For those of you who think that to get protein, you have to mostly consume meat..... not true!

There are quite a few good sources of protein that don't involve meat! From the nut family such as peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews are very high in protein. Some as high as 9g per serving! Although keep in mind that this group is high in protein but pack a punch as far as calories. Don't freak out though, most of the calories are a result of the high amounts fats that you need everyday because they are good for your heart! Just be aware of the serving size! These nuts are good roasted with a little sweet spice, or a great substitute for croutons on salads if you want that crunchy ingredient!

Legumes are also a good source of proteins! Legumes include black beans, lima beans, pinto beans. Garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), and lentils. This group is a GREAT replacement for protein because they are also incredibly high in fiber per serving (usually about 1 cup)! Great meals to make with these include black bean burgers/burritos, lentil soups, and homemade hummus (with chickpeas)

There are also dairy products that are a good substitute for protein. Foods like cottage cheese, mozzarella, goats milk, goat cheese, whole milk, feta cheese, and greek yogurt are all good sources of protein.

My personal favorite source of protein is...... EGGS! Eggs have the highest biological value of protein. In fact, when the quality of protein in a food is assessed, it is compared to the egg. The best part is you can use eggs in almost anything! Sandwiches, omlets stuffed with veggies, burritos (and throw in some black beans!), boiled and cut for salads.... the list goes on and on!

So as you can see there are TONS of alternate sources of protein that don't involve meat, and this is just the tip of the iceberg! Below, I included a list of sources of recipes that are high in protein and don't include any meat. If you want to do your own research, if you just search 'high protein vegetarian recipes' there are a lot of results there as well!

http://www.choose-healthy-food.com/high-protein-recipes.html Out of all the 'non-meat' recipe sources I looked at, I really like this one the best! it also includes HUMMUS recipes!!!

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/vegetarian-no-meat-meals-pg-935545/view-all/  33 NON MEAT meals that everyone in the family can enjoy!

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/cookbooks.asp?cookbook=58148

Eat Happy, Live healthy

Lindsay

Running: What to eat and When!

This subject was brought to me by a friend named Elizabeth. She is training for a 1/2 marathon and wanted to know about nutritional timing (carbs vs protein, etc.) when running long distances.

This is a great topic because when people are training for things like running, sometimes the nutrition can take a backseat to the physical side of it. This can have a extremely negative effect on our body when attempting a 1/2 or full marathon. Unfortunately, I know from experience. I trained for the OKC Memorial Marathon in 2010. I was so consumed by running and thinking that as long as I run run run, i'll be able finish. By doing this, I didn't pay attention to 2 important aspects of training. One of those was nutrition (the other was resistance training). This ignorant way of training lead me to a complete physical collapse at mile 20. I was so dehydrated (from not drinking enough water on a daily basis) and so weak (from not eating correctly throughout training) that my legs and body gave out on me to the point that walking took everything in my being. Pretty much this is how I looked at mile 20.... but worse.

 Even though it was extremely painful and lets be honest, humiliating as far as someone who majored in nutrition and exercise... I am thankful for that experience because it taught me the value of nutrition and appreciate it a lot more not just as far as running, but in everyday life. I focused on the mistakes I made with nutrition and resistance training and completed the 2011 OKC Memorial Marathon..... in the RAIN, HAIL, WIND, 35 DEGREE WEATHER!

i'm in the red!

 When running there are several factors that come into play for success and nutrition is one of them! For this post, we'll focus on TRAINING for looooong distances like the 1/2 and full marathons since several people are starting to get into longer distances training for upcoming races. As far as nutrition while actually running a 1/2 or full.... that's a whole other beast, but a topic I can handle if people want info!

Anyway...

For a person training to run long distances, 3 of the biggest nutritional factors are: Water,Carbs, Protein. First i'll break these three things down and then go into the importance of timing for the three!

Water

Water is the life force of the body and is one of the most important things you can give your body while running. Water regulates your internal body temperature while you run which will keep you alert and warm if its cold outside and cool when its warm outside! It is also good for keeping your joints healthy and moving smoothly and it keeps your muscles hydrated. Dehydration while running long distances can cause a host of problems like cramping of muscles, weakness (physical and mental), nausea, etc. Making water your primary liquid consumption will help improve your running experience!

Protein

Protein is made up of Amino Acids. There are several Amino Acids and each of them have their own job in the body. One of protein's job as a whole is take care of your muscles. When you run long distances, your muscles break down and suffer tears and damage on a micro level. What protein does is go into the muscles and repair that damage and improve muscle strength. 

The daily requirement for protein calls for at least .8g of protein per kg of weight. Since most people weigh in pounds (lbs), you have to convert your weight to kilograms by taking your weight in pounds and dividing it by 2.2! so if you take that number and multiply it by .8, it'll give you your MINIMUM requirement for protein per day!

What about people who are training to run long distances??

When you are running 1-4 miles, .8g/kg/day of protein should be enough as long as you are hitting that requirement. However, when you start getting into higher milage (4-10 miles for 1/2 marathon and 6-20 miles for full marathon), even though fat and carbs are your main source of fuel, there is some protein breakdown that occurs in your body and that protein NEEDS to be replaced. For men, increasing protein intake to .8-1.4g/kg/day should cover that amount lost (increase intake steadily as you increase milage). Studies have shown that women don't lose protein as much as men, so with that said, increasing a woman's intake to .8-1.2g/kg/d should be enough.

Another rule for you who like to count calories, making protein 15% of your daily caloric intake should be enough!

Carbohydrates

That myth that carbs are bad and to lose weight all carbs should be cut out..... i'm sorry and excuse my language... that is total shit. Carbs actually make up over 50% OF A HEALTHY PERSON'S CALORIC INTAKE. And if you are training to run long distances like a 1/2 or full marathon, you might as well get excited because your percentage could be a little higher. 

Are there such things as "good carbs" and "bad carbs".... absolutely!

Carbs are the main energy source for your body. So if you meet someone and they say "well I cut out carbs to lose weight... but I don't understand how I cant make it through the day".... they can't function correctly because they most likely do not have an efficient amount of carbs. A runners main source of energy expended while running is carbs. The key to carbs (for everyone and runners) is to consume "good carbs" like those found in fruits, veggies, and whole grains verses "bad carbs" such as starchy breads, white rices, and foods high in bad fats such as fast food and processed foods.

The Beauty of Timing

How all of this ties together is the key to making the long run days efficient and successful! We talked about water, protein, and carbs and how they are important when training for long distance running, but getting the timing right is the key! 

Before the run.....

It is NOT good to eat less than 1- 1 1/2 hours before you run. It isn't enough time to let your food digest into your body and it can cause cramping, nausea and a bunch of other problems. If you can eat before your run 2-2 /12 hours is enough time to let your food settle. Having something from the whole grain family is a good source of carbs and adding a little peanut butter (1-2tbs) along with it can give your muscles and body the energy it needs to move efficiently. As you increase your milage and time running, what you eat before as far as complex carbs in grains and a little protein doesn't change a lot, but during the run (over 2 hours running), its smart to incorporate carbs into your run (via gels, chews, etc.). The main thing is once you find a meal that you can eat before and it works for you....STICK WITH IT! Before my long runs I usually went with 1 or 2 pieces of whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter on each piece and as I got into my 10 or more mile runs, I added 1/2 or a whole Gala Apple.

After the run.......

After your run it is so important to replace the precious nutrients that your body has lost! Eating complex carbs like fresh fruits (blueberries, blackberries, apples, etc) keep your energy levels up so you don't crash after your run and incorporating protein right afterwards such as Whey protein (shakes) and egg whites with veggies give your body the protein needed to refuel your muscles! Water right afterwards is important because it helps flush the lactic acid out of your muscles that cause that soreness that is no fun!

In conclusion.......

The nutritional aspect of training for long distance runs is just as important as the running part and usually doesn't get as much attention. I by no means am a running expert, I can just go off my personal experiences and what I learned along the way. There are some good sources for more information about nutrition and running by people who are professional runners and researchers. I put links below to the places I visited when needing more information and I STRONGLY encourage taking full advantage of these resources!

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/nutrition/eating-and-training-how-to-time-it-right/250.html  this is an article from Runner's World and gives good examples for before fun meals based on if you run in the morning, lunch or evening!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/419729-a-runners-guide-to-eating/ This article is from Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong website and offers eating advice while running!

I hope you enjoyed!

Eat Healthy, Live Happy

Lindsay

Let me introduce you to YOUR new BFF.......

I know..... UUUUUGGGGHHHHH.... But just hear me out!!!!!! please??

For some, its easy to drink eight 8oz glasses of water a day, but for others (including myself) it can be a struggle to not only achieve the recommended amount, but to do it consistantly day after day.

We all know water is good for us because that is what we have been told since we were young, but how is it good for us? Well, I could type for hours about what it does for the body, and the physiological effects, but lets just keep it short and to the point....

Your brain- Your brain is made up of mostly water and when you are dehydrated the brain is far less efficient and you aren't as alert as you normally would be. Also, dehydration is one of the leading causes of headaches and migrains. With that said, water is also a natural remedy for a headache/migraine.

Kidney and Co. - Same rules above with your organs. Water helps protect them and working at 100%. Water also helps flush toxins out of your kidneys. Water is the best thing to give your kidneys because it helps flush toxins and helps prevent kidney stones. You can live with one kidney, but why risk it?!

Cholesterol - believe it or not, but dehydration can be the cause of high cholesterol. When the body is dehydrated, it produces more cholesterol to prevent more water loss!!!! By staying hydrated, the body produces cholesterol regularly!

Joints! not the illegal kind - Water helps keep your joints lubricated so they'll move easier. This is something that younger people may not see as a concern right now, but the better your joints are now, the less of a problem they'll be in the future!

Weight gain/loss - When you're dehydrated, your body tends to retain fluid which can lead to weight gain. When you give the body the water it needs, your body breaksdown fat easier and flushes it out which helps with weight loss!

The list goes on and on, but the point is, water is key. Now the next step is to figure out that all important 'how do I get those eight 8oz glasses?!?!' or 'I hate the taste of water.... because there is NONE!' We'll start with improving the taste in a healthy way...

healthy additions to water

Lemon - adding 1/4 of a lemon helps give water more of a Lemonade taste and it also assists in flushing toxins out of your body!

Cut Strawberries - Not only improves the taste but adds a little more vitamin C to your life!

Mint - Mint contains antioxidents and helps with the funcitons of the liver!

Gatorade propel/crystal light packets - a box of these is usually under $5.00 at the grocery store and adds a better taste to water without adding calories.

Flavored water recipe

 (give it a try... I think its pretty good)

1 pitcher water

1 lemon sliced

1/4 cup mint leaves

5 medium strawberries sliced

Add all ingredients to the pitcher of water and stir. Let sit in the fridge overnight and you have flavored water!

Now that we've figured out how to make water taste better, lets make it more convenient......



Trusty Nalgene Sidekick

This bad boy goes with me EVERYWHERE! The car, work, when i'm with friends, the couch.... the only place it doesn't go with me is if i'm in a restraunt (but order a water!). There are several kinds of nalgene bottles. I like this one because it 24oz so I know if I drink 3-4 of these in a day I've met my eight 8oz/day! This method seems to work the best for me!

Gallon a day challange

Drinking a gallon of water (128oz) is a great goal to work towards. The goal with this is to start the day with a gallon of water and ending the day with it empty. Some people like the idea of this challange because of accomplishing drinking the whole gallon in a day. FYI, if you aren't consuming much water to begin with, this might not be the best thing to start out with because you might be going number 1 most of the day! However, this is a good goal to work towards!

Keeping Tabs

This is also a way to make drinking water a game. Its simple. Keep track of how many glasses (8oz) of water you drink each day. If you make it to eight, put an X on your calander. The idea is to see how many X's in a row you can achieve!

I know drinking water isn't as fun as coffee, tea, diet coke, beer, etc. but if you can form a habit of making this a staple in your life, it'll make the biggest difference in your everyday life!

Live healthy, be happy!

Lindsay