Rich in omega 3 and breath freshening garlic, this guacamole goes great with tortilla chips or any dish inspired south of the border.
Ingredients
3 ripe avocados
4 cloves garlic
3 scallions
2 Tb lemon juice
1/2 cup tomato-5 oz. grape or 1 Roma
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb fresh cilantro
Scoop the avocado out of the shell and squish it with a fork.
Chop the scallions, tomato, and cilantro. Mince the garlic. Mix all ingredients. Scoop and enjoy!
Happy Homemade Soup Day! Celebrate with a warm bowl of nutritious goodness!
Soup can be a helpful part of your weight loss journey if your soup is Sexy (Slurp This, Not That).
Making homemade soup is easier than you think and tastes delicious. Click here for step by step instructions for homemade soup in 20 minutes.
Click on a recipe below to try a new soup.
Last week we learned that exercise helps our buttock skin to look perkier under the microscopes of research scientists. This week we’re talking about why exercise benefits skin. The biggest benefit of exercise is blood flow.
When you get your heart pumping faster with exercise, your blood flows faster, which allows the blood to take more laps around your body per minute—30% more laps per minute. So instead of delivering blood with its load of oxygen and nutrients 60-100 times in one minute like it usually does, that ventricle visitation increases to 95-150 times in one minute. Tiny arteries in the skin open up and the nutrient-oxygen payload is delivered everywhere.
Why is this important? Your cells need a certain amount of nutrients and oxygen (let’s call it Nutr-O2) to live. When they get extra Nutr-O2, they can use the bounty to do things like repair damage to the skin from the sun and pollutants. They can increase the skin’s collagen production (in this case the collagen production of Les Misérables Wrinkles, a musical about a French collagen student, Jean They’regone, who smooths fine lines and reduces wrinkles). Fibroblasts are the theater geek cells in the skin responsible for collagen production. As they age, these fibroblasts acquire mortgages and dependents which require them to quit the theater and get real jobs. This results in fewer, lazier fibroblasts remaining in the campus theater troupe… I mean skin. The extra Nutr-O2s are a surprise inheritance that funds the fibroblasts and gets them back into production.
Les Misérables Wrinkles
Don’t forget the veins! Extra Nutr-O2s are delivered, but the blood doesn’t return to the heart empty-membraned: blood carries waste away from the skin. Instead of removing free radicals and pollutants 60 times per minute, it takes out the trash 95 times per minute: that’s a lot of trash. Exercise benefits every organ of the body, including the largest one—the skin— so get your body moving. Your buttock will thank you.
Note: Theater majors are wonderful people. The phrase “collagen production” was simply too good to pass up. If I’ve offended any theater people, I encourage them to respond with a one act play.
Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. —Proverbs 19:20 (NIV)
When we think about skin care, most of us picture lotions, sunscreen, or someone sporting a goopy green face peel and cucumber eyelids. Turns out we should add exercise to that list of mental pictures. In 2014 researchers at McMasters University in Ontario found that exercise produced remarkable changes in the skin of people over age 40. (If you’re not over 40 yet, you will be before you know it, so pay attention anyway.)
McMaster University had already studied old mice and found that mice who exercised “maintained healthy brains, hearts, muscles, reproductive organs, and fur far longer than their sedentary labmates”. Mice who were denied access to running wheels quickly grew frail, ill, gray, and demented. Admit it: not only are you picturing a few humans you know right now, but you’re trying to remember if they exercise.
When we’re young, our body can cover up for many poor health choices. Twenty year olds can eat mostly junk, never leave the couch, and still appear healthy, but as our bodies approach middle age, we start visibly reaping what our habits have sown.
The researchers at McMaster U. turned from mice to human volunteers and biopsied skin from the one area of the body that (hopefully) had never seen the sun: the buttock. The volunteers were habitually sedentary and aged 65 or older at the start of the study, and all had normal skin for their age.
As normal skin ages, the topmost layer of the epidermis (the part you can see and touch) becomes thicker which makes the skin feel dry, flakey, and dense. The dermis, the layer of skin under the epidermis, becomes thinner, which makes the skin look saggy and translucent. That was the state of the volunteer buttocks: thicker outer layer and thinner inner layer. Mm-mmm, green face peels and dry saggy butt skin. If we continue with these mental images, this is going to be a post about weight loss, not skin!
The volunteers exercised twice a week for three months and had a butt biopsy again. (Lucky researchers.) The post-exercise skin layers looked very different; similar to the skin of 20-40 year olds. Wrinkles were not affected by the exercise, but those wrinkles were now enjoying a thinner epidermis and a nice thick dermis.
Why does exercise benefit our skin? One reason is sweat, my least favorite aspect of exercise. When our bodies get warmed up, our pores dilate. As the sweat pours forth, it carries dirt and oil with it, like a warm, salty, inside out mini shower. Speaking of showers, if you won’t be bathing soon after you sweat, it’s a good idea to at least wash your face. If you don’t rinse them off, the dirt and oil can be sucked back into your pores as you cool off. Yup, this is definitely a weight loss post.
Exercise also reduces stress and body wide inflammation, two things the medical community in general agrees we’re better off without. When we’re stressed, our glands produce less oil in our skin which causes things like acne and eczema to flare up.
Next week we’ll look at the biggest benefit of exercise for the skin: blood flow.
Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. Proverbs 10:17 (NIV)
Images courtesy of: www.cnn.com (old and young mice), www.fitandhappy.org (skin layers), http://toppixgallery.com/ (sweat), www.care2.com (facial)
Southwest SaladIngredients:
2 cups lettuce, chopped
1 cup chopped or sliced vegetables of your choice: carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, mushroom, broccoli, etc.
1/4 cup black beans
1/4 cup turkey or chicken
1 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
3 tortilla chips, crushed
3 Tb salad dressing – Ranch Southwest OR mix your own using 3 Tb any Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing and a few drops of hot sauce
This post is a re-peat, but NPR reported this week on scientists studying the connection between lack of sleep and Alzheimer’s, so it seemed like an appropriate time to remind ourselves that sleep is not a luxury, but a mind-altering necessity.
I invite you to travel with me down the Healthy Body Yellow Brick Road. Ready, Dorothy? Let’s collect our traveling companions and get back to Kansas!
Hey Scarecrow! Did you know that sleep cleans your brain? When you sleep, your brain cells contract, leaving extra space between them. Spinocerebral fluid then flows around the cells, flushing away the proteins that build up there when you’re awake. Protein build up has been linked to alzheimers and dementia. When you get enough sleep (7-8 hours per night), your brain gets detoxed. I got so little sleep in college, I think I built protein palaces. http://www.nih.gov/researchmatters/october2013/10282013clear.htm Another new study just announced that missed sleep results in an increase in certain chemicals in the brain – the same type of chemical increases that occur after a head injury. http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=10&from=en-us_msnhpvidmod#/video/7d94de3e-03fa-4090-aa8a-331b3c311c1e
“If I only had a heart” and if I only slept enough to keep it strong! Tin Man, a new study came out this past summer which links sleep and heart health. There are four factors that significantly affect one’s risk for cardiovascular disease: smoking, diet, exercise, and alcohol. New research has added a fifth: sleep. If you don’t get enough sleep, it adversely affects your heart just as much as smoking does. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2353692/Lack-sleep-increases-risk-heart-disease-SMOKING.html
Lion, your courage to face the day and change your bad habits into good ones is also linked to sleep. Mood is affected by sleep. If you or someone you know has worked night shift, you don’t need science to tell you that lack of sleep makes a person more irritable, less patient, and well, not someone you want to be caged up with. Some studies have linked sleep deprivation with depression and other studies show that lack of sleep causes your amygdala (the part of the brain associated with negative emotions) to act up more and be less connected to the part of your brain that regulates emotion (and keeps the crazies in check). http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/between-you-and-me/201308/all-night-the-effects-sleep-loss-mood
Last, but not least, we can’t forget the Good Witch Leptin and the Wicked Witch Ghrelin. Well rested bodies produce lots of the hormone leptin which tells your body to stop eating. Sleep starved bodies produce more ghrelin hormones which tell your body to eat more. So in this metaphor, the Munchkins actually work for Wicked Witch Ghrelin. (Dunkin Donut holes, get it?) Come on, Lollipop Guild, you’re not helping us get to Kansas. http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleepiness-10/lack-of-sleep-weight-gain
Join me in celebrating the New Year by resolving to get more sleep: rest for our brain, our heart, and our mood. On our Yellow Brick Road, the best thing Dorothy can do is lie down in the field of poppies and take a nap.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. Psalm 23:2,3a
Images are from:
http://www.doctormacro.com/movie%20summaries/w/wizard%20of%20oz,%20the%20(1939).htm
http://www.hrcsuite.com/strategic-planning/manufacturing-metrics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_Witch_of_the_West
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm846889984/ch0004330
http://www.queen-of-theme-party-games.com/wizard-of-oz-games.html#axzz39fndneOL
A scientific study recently “discovered” what women have known for centuries: if women get sufficient sleep, they’re more likely to have sex. Say it with me, Ladies: “Well, duh!”
For every one hour of extra sleep the women in the study got, their likelihood of having sex the next day increased by 14%. That might not sound like a lot, but I think my husband would take those odds with a smile.
The more sleep you get, the more sex you might want. The more sex you have, the better you’ll sleep. The better you sleep, the more sex you might want. The more sex you have, the better you’ll sleep. It’s a Sex-Sleep whirlpool and it’s a healthy one to get sucked in to.
Getting enough sleep is a constant struggle for mothers, so how do you get sucked into the whirlpool? Where do you begin: with sex or with sleep?
With either one. It’s a whirlpool: you can step in gingerly, jump in with both feet, or trip and fall in and you’ll start swirling.
If you have trouble getting yourself to bed on time, ask your husband to seduce you an hour before you want to be asleep. (More on that here.) If you have no interest in sex, take a nap (20 minutes on the floor surrounded by Cheerios and Hot Wheels is fine; it doesn’t have to be glamorous) or make the effort to go to bed early for a night or two. Women are more like electric stoves than gas stoves; we need time to heat up. Pampering yourself with sleep and a day or two to mentally warm up can yield wonderful results.
Let’s say sex leaves you wide awake and not sleepy; then sex before bed might not be your best option. Instead, use sex to wake up early. Set an alarm, seduce your husband, re-set the alarm for him because you know he’ll be falling asleep, and get up. Get some exercise, get some breakfast, get a few minutes of quiet sanity, whatever you want. That night you’ll be tired earlier which, if you go to bed earlier, will start your whirlpool of early to bed, early to rise, makes a woman sexy, healthy, and wise.
“In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.” Psalm 127:2
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jsm.12858/abstract
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
Drinking water is essential for looking and feeling your best, but how can you be sure to drink enough water each day? With new VISIBLE WATER™!
Unlike the invisible water that lurks in your home’s pipes or refrigerator, VISIBLE WATER™ is guaranteed to enter your body. And using VISIBLE WATER™ is easy! Simply fill a glass, cup, or bottle with invisible water and place it where you can see it: your desk at work, your car’s cup holder, or – my personal favorite – the kitchen counter. 
VISIBLE WATER™ starts working immediately. Your eyes are drawn to the VISIBLE WATER™, your hand reaches for it, and before you can say “Hydrate me!” cool liquid refreshment is pouring down your throat and working its miracles.
VISIBLE WATER™ is easy to maintain. Once your VISIBLE WATER™ level drops below 50%, simply refill the glass, cup, or bottle and place it back in its Visible Location. You’ll be amazed at how much VISIBLE WATER™ you’ll drink in a day!
VISIBLE WATER™ comes in a variety of flavors like Public, Well, Spring, Distilled, and Lemon Zest!
VISIBLE WATER™ helps ease constipation and joint pain and prevents muscle cramps. It aids digestion, helps with weight loss, and has even been known to fight cancer and heart disease!
If you want to increase your water intake, join the billions of satisfied customers who choose VISIBLE WATER™ every day.
Remember: if it’s invisible, you forget, but if it’s VISIBLE WATER™, you drink it!
Coming Soon: VISIBLE VEGETABLES™ (Sold separately)
I’m baking pies for Thanksgiving this week (my only contribution to the meal) and I’m baking extra pumpkin pies for breakfast. Pie for breakfast might sound crazy, but it’s a family tradition that dates all the way back to when I started baking pies. Pumpkin pie has every food group: dairy, protein, vegetable, grains, even sugar and fat. It’s such a complete picture of the food pyramid that we slice pie into triangles in honor of the three sided symbol of a balanced diet.
I wanted to defend my love of pumpkin pie for breakfast by researching the number of food pyramid servings of vegetables, protein, and dairy per slice. The numbers looked impressive at first: pumpkin pie includes 3 servings of dairy, 1 serving of protein, and 4 servings of vegetables! Then I realized those numbers were per pie, not per slice. Those 3/8, 1/8, and 1/2 fractions aren’t very persuasive. I had to change my tactics.
Surely pumpkin pie, since its namesake is a vegetable, is better than (or at least equivalent to) other breakfast foods, I reasoned with myself. I made a chart comparing calories, protein, sugar, and sodium and returned to Google.
The results?
Pumpkin pie is the best breakfast ever! It has fewer calories than a bagel with cream cheese and more protein than a donut! (Of course, you can say the same about dryer lint.) Like any statistician worth her salt, I make the numbers say what I want them to say.
The truth is that pumpkin pie has less protein, more sugar, and more sodium than a bagel with cream cheese. Pie has twice the protein of a donut, but the two are pretty much equal when it comes to calories, sodium, and sugar. Pie’s saving grace is the pumpkin and the vitamins that vegetable brings with it.
If, however, you make yourself a crustless pumpkin pie, you cut your calories in half and the argument for Pie for Breakfast becomes much stronger, as well as statistically sound. Pie then becomes on par with a cup of Cheerios with 2% milk or an egg and buttered toast and it still counts as vegetables for breakfast.
It turns out that pumpkin pie is not an ideal breakfast. (Since a truly ideal breakfast is raw nuts and vegetables, that statement can be applied to most menu items.) But if you’re going to eat pumpkin pie, the morning is a great time to do it. Pie pairs well with coffee or tea and it provides a full food pyramid picture. Most importantly, pie for breakfast fills you with joy, which gets your day off to a great start!
Images courtesy of: www.bonappetit.com (pie slices), www.safefood.eu (food pyramid),www.crunchacolor.com (ingredients), amyshealthybaking.com (crustless pie)
Sex, Soup, and 2 Fisted Eating 