Lessons from Noah's Ark

It has been one of the wettest Julys on record, and many of us are looking forward to a more pleasant August. But, there are lessons that can be learned from dreary, rainy days.

Consider the following suggestions from Everything I Need to Know, I Learned from Noah's Ark:

• Don't miss the boat.

• Remember that we are all in the same boat.

• Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

• Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, you may be asked to do something really big.

• Build your future on high ground.

• For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

• Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

• When you are stressed, float awhile.

• Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

Source: Inspirational Jokes

Lean Benefits of Chocolate

The Aztecs believed that chocolate was a gift from the gods. Today, it is one of the most commonly craved foods in North America.

High-quality dark chocolate contains flavanoids that can help lower blood pressure and increase blood flow to the brain. It is also rich in magnesium, another important mineral in cardiovascular health.

In her book, Go Green Get Lean, Kate Geagan offers the following tips for anyone interested in getting the lean benefits of chocolate.

• Buy only good quality dark chocolate, containing at least 60% cocoa.

• Do not buy in bulk. It is better to buy single servings to keep a handle on portions.

• Have a 1-ounce serving after a meal, when you are already feeling full.

• If chocolate is a trigger food for you or if you have problems with portion control, avoid chocolate.

A Bit of Humour

A mother invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and asked her to say the blessing.

"I don't know what to say," the little girl replied.

"Just say what you hear Mommy say."

The daughter bowed her head. "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"

Source: The Power of Focus for Women, Fran Hewitt & Les Hewitt

The Right Juice

You will get more nutrition if you skip the juice and eat the whole fruit instead.

But, the right juice in the right amounts can be a viable alternative for anyone looking for a quick, easy, and reliable way to sneak in extra servings of fruits and vegetables. This is especially true when dealing with young children and adolescents.

Keep the following tips in mind when selecting the right juice for your household:

• Buy only 100% juice.
  

• Read the ingredient list carefully. Avoid added sweeteners like sugar, glucose-fructose, honey, molasses, or corn and other syrups. And, avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

• Stick with the top four: orange, grapefruit, prune, and pineapple. According to the Nutrition Action Healthletter, orange juice is by far the best. A glass of OJ has over a day's vitamin C. It also has more than 10% of a day's potassium which can help prevent high blood pressure. Be on the lookout for some orange juices (i.e. Tropicana) which contain added calcium.

• Buy in bulk if you can. This will cut down your costs and help you avoid the excessive packaging associated with single-serving bottles and juice boxes.

• Consider investing in a hand-pressed juicer and start squeezing the old-fashioned way. It's easy and the children love it.

Dieting on a Budget

Size matters.

There is a difference between portions and servings. A portion refers to the amount of food you eat at a given time. i.e. a plate of pasta or a bowl of ice cream. On the other hand, a serving is a specific amount of food with a defined nutrient range. Servings are usually expressed in terms of cups, teaspoons, or grams.

A portion of food on your plate can contain several servings. In her book, Go Green Get Lean, Kate Geagan, compared pasta servings in Italy to those in North America. In Italy, diners get about 2 cups of pasta in total (roughly 4 servings) while North Americans will have 5 to 8 cups of pasta (10 to 16 servings) at one time.

We need to retrain our eyes as to how much food is appropriate--we seem to have lost this skill.

Consider the following guidelines:

• A medium piece of fruit is the size of a woman's fist.

• Three ounces of meat, poultry or fish are the size of a deck of cards.

• Half a cup of pasta is the size of a computer mouse

• One ounce of cheese is the size of four dice.

• One tablespoon of peanut butter is the size of a postage stamp.

A Bit of Humour

Q. What did the yogi tell the door-to-door salesperson who came to his house selling vacuum cleaners?

A. Too many attachments.

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Q. Why did the yogi refuse anesthesia when having his wisdom teeth removed?

A. He wanted to transcend-dental-medication!

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Q. What do yoga meditation and an apple peeler have in common?

A. They both take you to the core.

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Q. How many yogis does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Into what?


Source: Yoga Jokes

The Latte Factor

We all have one and we don't always know it.

What is a latte factor? It is those items that we buy on a regular basis that are completely expendable and add very little to the quality of our lives. It could be a latte, cappuccino, DVD, chocolate bar, shoes, lottery tickets...

So how do you discover it? Start carrying a notebook with you and write down every single expenditure and withdrawal of money. That also includes every cheque you write and every card you swipe.

How long should you do this? Keep it up for a week, preferably for a month. Then, get out a calculator and take a total. Multiply this sum by either 52 or 12. That's what it costs to run your life.

Next, got through and highlight the essentials, i.e. mortgage, utilities, car loan, insurance...
And, take a close look at the remaining items such as clothes, magazines, snacks, DVDs...

You are now ready to make a decision about your spending habits. Do you really need to spend $3.25 at Tim Horton's each day of the work week? That easily adds up to over $800 a year. Take a few minutes and calculate the annual cost of your latte factor.

Remember, money talks and what it is saying speaks volumes about you and your lifestyle.

Cut Clutter

One of the primary concepts of feng shui is to avoid clutter. According to this Chinese art of placement, we will experience clarity, a sense of well being and high energy levels once we clear the clutter and keep it away.

It is important to focus on the areas of our homes that are most important to our health and vitality.

In feng shui, the main entrance is where the home receives its primary energy. Since having a clutter-free entrance provides visual relief, it is essential to move any unnecessary items. Recycling bins and stacks of mail do not belong in this area, and the coat closet should contain only in-season items.

Kitchens represent our state of health; they are associated with the liver, which is the organ primarily responsible for detoxifying the body. It is important to get rid of broken appliances and dishes and any food that is long past its expiry date.

An adult bedroom is for sleeping and intimate relationships; everything in the room should be on that wave length. Exercise equipment, paperwork, computers, and televisions should be removed--they are contributing to visual and energy clutter.

Protein in the Summer

During the summer, we tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer high protein foods. If we are not careful, we could easily become tired and drained of energy. Having smaller meals and eating more often can help alleviate this problem.

Consider the following suggestions for increasing protein intake:

• Drop a Popsicle stick in a fresh cheese cup and freeze it for a instant snack.

• Blend your favourite fresh fruit, yogurt, and a few ice cubes to create a smoothie.

• Start each day with a scoop of whey protein, 2 tablespoons of flax seed, 1/2 cup of cut cantaloupe and water. Use a hand blender to combine all ingredients. This is my favourite breakfast and it contains 25 grams of protein.

• Add fresh grapes and toasted almonds to instant vanilla milk-based pudding.

• Enjoy a nice, tall, iced latte with lots of milk.

A Bit of Humour

Four monks were meditating in a monastery. Suddenly, the prayer flag on the roof started flapping.

A young monk came out of his meditation and said, "Flag is flapping."

A more experienced monk said, "Wind is flapping."

A third monk who had been there for more than 20 years said, "Mind is flapping."

The eldest monk was visibly annoyed and said, "Mouths are flapping!"

Source: Yoga Jokes

Sharing Recipes--Iced Coffee

You can make iced coffee at home. This is a special treat on those hot, humid afternoons when you want to get your caffeine fix and keep cool.

The following recipe is quick and easy to follow.

Consider adding creme de cacao for a chocolate flavour or cinnamon schnapps for a spicy flavour.

Procedure

• Brew a pot of fresh coffee using 2 tablespoons of dark-roasted ground coffee per cup. Add sugar or sweetener.

• Transfer the hot coffee to a carafe. Let it cool to room temperature.

• Refrigerate until cold, usually 2 to 3 hours.

• Fill a tall glass with ice cubes.

• Pour the chilled coffee into the glass. Stir.

• You may wish to add 1/2 cup of milk per serving.

Dieting on a Budget

Most diet plans tend to focus on everything we need to give up. Instead, we should focus on what we need to add to our diets:

Getting more breakfast: Starting the day with a healthy combination of whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables will result in fewer calories being consumed later in the day. Consider the following meals:

• Egg white omelet made with vegetables.
• Whole grain cereal topped with fresh fruit and nuts.
• Parfaits made with low-fat yogurt, granola and fresh berries.

Getting more spice: In a study published by the International Journal of Obesity, people who had food seasoned with red pepper felt fuller and ate less than those who didn't. Consider adding chili powder or red pepper flakes to soups, stews, meat, and chili.

Getting more sleep: Medical researchers claim that lack of sleep boosts hunger and appetite.

A Bit of Humour

What a difference 40 years makes!

1969: Moving to California because it's cool
2009: Moving to California because it's warm

1969: Growing pot
2009: Growing a pot belly

1969: Acid Rock
2009: Acid Reflux

1969: Going to a new, hip joint
2009: Receiving a new hip joint

1969: Whatever
2009: Depends

Source: Inventing the Rest of Our Lives, Suzanne Braun Levine

Nuts All Day

High in protein, monounsaturated fats, fibre, potassium, vitamin E, and many trace minerals, nuts can help curb cravings and keep blood sugar and energy levels stable for hours. They are also portable and have a long shelf life.

It is important to watch the portions--1 ounce of almonds (about 23 nuts) weights in at 160 calories. Nutritionists suggest we limit ourselves to one serving a day.

In her book, Go Green Get Lean, Kate Geagan provides a few suggestions on how to met our daily 1-ounce requirement:

• Add 1 ounce of almonds to 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt and 1/2 cup fresh fruit.

• Spread 2 tablespoons all-natural hazelnut butter on 5 whole grain crackers.

• Sprinkle 1 ounce of cashews on your stir-fry or in your salad.

• One ounce walnuts with 10 dark chocolate chips makes a good afternoon snack.

Sharing Recipes--Oven Baked Parmesan Zucchini

Zucchini are low in calories and a good source of vitamins A, C, and folate. They can be eaten raw and are often a pleasant addition to a vegetable platter or salad.

Zucchini taste best when eaten small, about 6 to 9 inches in length. As they grow larger, they become less flavourful.

Consider this quick and easy recipe to complement meat and fish dishes.

Ingredients

4 small zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp white flour
3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp olive oil

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Cut the zucchini diagonally into 1/2 inch slices.

• Dip each zucchini in the beaten egg mixture.

• Combine the dry ingredients in a large plastic Ziploc bag.
  

• Add zucchini slices and shake well.

• Place the slices on a non-stick cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.

• Bake for 7-8 minutes or until golden brown.

A Polymeal a day...

There's a new recipe for heart disease prevention: grab a handful of dark chocolate, a couple of almonds, some fruits and vegetables, a sprinkle of garlic, and wash it all down with a glass of wine.

The polymeal diet is a combination of foods that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. It includes the above items eaten on a daily basis, plus fish four times a week.

This diet was first proposed by Oscar Franco, a public health scientist at the University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His research suggested that dining on the polymeal on a daily basis could cut the risk of heart disease by 76%.

It is suggested that a person should consume, each day:

• 150 mL of red wine (half a glass)
• 100 g of dark chocolate
• 400 g of fruits and vegetables
• 2.7 g of garlic
• 68 g of almonds

And, 118 grams of fish per day, four times a week.

A Bit of Humour

As three men are fishing on a lake, an angel appears in the boat with with them.

The first man gets over his shock and humbly says to the angel, "I've suffered from back pain for years. Is it too much to ask that you help me?" The angel touched the man's back, and he felt instant relief.

The second man points to his Coke-bottle glasses and asks if the angel could cure his poor eyesight. The angel tosses the man's glasses into the lake. The second they touch the water, the man's vision clears up.

The angel turns to the third man, who throws up his hands in fear. "Don't touch me!" the man cries, "I'm on disability."

Source: Readers' Digest, June 2009