Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category
| Newer Entries »DEFINE: alkaline
Monday, March 8th, 2010
At DEFINE, our goal is to help you “DEFINE your balance”. And since “balance” is a unique recipe for each individual, I find it interesting to see different elements that affect our “balance”. Along with exercise and rest, diet plays an enormous part in the “balance” of our bodies and minds.
The foods we eat are either acid or alkaline according to the pH scale. The scale ranges from 0-14. O is extreme acidity and 14 is extreme alkaline. Our bodies are naturally seeking a “balance” of alkaline and acidity, so our blood tends to have a pH of 7.35 – 7.45.
The food’s we eat determine how hard our bodies have to work in order to remain in “balance”. For example, if we are eating a lot of foods that are high in acid along the pH scale, the body will naturally pull from the natural minerals within the body (such as our bones) since these minerals tend to have higher alkalinity. And consequently, if we are eating a diet that is higher along the pH scale in alkalinity, then our bodies can operate more efficiently which consequently gives us better health.
Watch the following video and notice any areas of high acidity that you can easily cut out: fried food, soda, dairy? Let us know what you think!
Posted in Nutrition | 2 Comments »
Sugar Sallow
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
Sugar! Is it really as bad as they say? If you are anything like me, a piece of chocolate cake (think Meryl Streep’s beautiful creation in It’s Complicated) sounds pretty much amazing on pretty much any occasion. However, if you do a little research on sugar and its effects on the body, you will quickly find that the majority of leading doctors and nutritionists, especially in the 
natural health world, find that sugar is one of the leading causes of a large majority of our most common health concerns: diabetes, obesity, tooth decay, and hyperactivity.
So what are we supposed to do? Should we give up all sugar? Should we give up desserts? Should we drink diet soda instead of regular soda? What should we do?
I propose a very simple, yet in my opinion, very useful approach: BALANCE your approach to eliminating sugar from your diet. Consider doing the following as a great first step.
1) One of the easiest ways to manage the amount of sugar you intake is to lookout for the ubiquitous culprit, High Fructose Corn Syrup. This cheap and very sweet additive is in a large majority of the food and beverages that many of us are accustomed to consuming. Check the label. If you see this ingredient, check to see if there are other options without the corn syrup. A lot of stores carry various healthy options to our favorite products. You will be doing yourself a huge favor to avoid it.
2) Secondly, enjoy your sweets on special occasions. After cutting sugar out of your diet for a few days, you will quickly see that a lot of the foods we eat are so extremely sweet that you almost stop wanting them. Jitters aren’t very fun! However, if you can make eating sweets a special treat, instead of every meal, that chocolate cake will be something you can savor and not feel guilty about.
3) Avoid Soda! Definitely avoid regular soda, and in my opinion, avoid any type of Soda (including diet soda.) Whether you come from the school of thought to avoid diet soda because it hinders our bodies ability to identify calories (causing us to over indulge in calories), or you think that “diet” soda is clearly a bunch of unnatural chemicals (because honestly, how can anything we consume be 0 calories? ). It is so much safer and easier to drink some carbonated soda water with some fresh juice or a squeeze of orange or lemon. Or, if you want the convenience of can, check out Le Croix (see picture below). This delicious and low calorie beverage is all natural and a great substitute for any soda-holic. It comes in a wide range of flavors as well.
Basically, do your body and your long-term health a favor by eliminating the unnecessary sugar that you are consuming on a daily basis. That way, your sugary treat will be well worth your wait. Go ahead, DEFINE your balance!
Posted in Nutrition, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
DEFINE: detox
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Have you considered starting 2010 with a fresh new glow? If so, consider starting this new year with a gentle detox for your body and mind. This detox will incorporate small changes to your diet and participating in both DEFINEbody and DEFINEmind classes.
Diet: Our bodies are designed to absorb and eliminate toxins in the body. Therefore, a detoxification is always occurring with the help of your kidneys and liver. However, in order to keep these toxins in balance, or better yet, remove more toxins than you take in, it is important to consider the food and beverages that you are consuming. The easiest and healthiest way to consume low toxic foods and beverages is to consume organic products.
Organic fruits and vegetables are great choices when going through a detox. Many fruits and vegetables help assist in removing existing toxins in the body. Some of the best fruits for detoxifying are the acid fruits: oranges, lemons, and grapefruits. By starting your day with a healthy juice, you will be intaking beneficial nutrients that will help remove any toxins. Add vegetables to your daily diet such as garlic, onions, broccoli, bok choy, cabbage, asparagus, and brussels sprouts, and you will start seeing and feeling great results.
In addition to some of the food and beverages you consume, you also want to try eliminating certain staples from your diet. If possible, minimize the amount of beef and chicken from your diet. Try to eat more fresh fish. If possible try to eat fish 3-5 times per week. If beef and chicken are a large part of your diet, try eating organic beef and chicken. And finally, alcohol and caffeine. When going through a detox, you want to eliminate all alcohol and caffeine from your system. If you “require” that morning cup of coffee, try an herbal tea with freshly squeezed lemon to get your day started.
DEFINEbody & DEFINEmind: both the DEFINEbody and the DEFINEmind class are geared to help you look and feel your best. The popular DEFINEbody has natural cleansing benefits like most exercise, but DEFINEbody is so effective at increasing the metabolism, that your body will be able to detox more efficiently with the increase of water to your diet. If you are looking at taking your “detox” to the next level, you should consider getting involved in DEFINEmind for all of the cleansing and detoxifying benefits this class offers. By massaging out the muscles and helping the circulation in your muscles and joints, you are effectively cleansing your muscles of stored toxins.
Once you begin your detox, you will enjoy a higher level of energy, a vibrant glow, and better health. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, and enjoy the purification of your body and mind.
Posted in Nutrition, exercise | 5 Comments »
DEFINE: h2o
Friday, December 18th, 2009
Aside from air, water is the most important substance in our body. Water is the “vehicle” for the nutrients we consume. Is your water driving smoothly? Start by asking yourself a few questions:
- What is the climate like where I live?
- How active am I?
- What is my diet like?
The answers to these three questions will determine the amount of water you need to consume and the types of foods you will want to consume to make sure your water is driving your nutrients effectively.
The first two questions are relatively obvious: If you live in a climate that tends to be hot, you will want to consume more water especially during those hotter months. The heat causes you to perspire, which depletes you of your water supply. Be sure you fill it back up! Additionally, if you are an extremely active individual, you will want to consume more water than a non-active person because of the loss of water from your activities. Plus, breaking down the muscles and increasing your metabolism causes your body to lose fluids faster.
Although climate and diet are relatively straight-forward to the idea of hydration, we often don’t think about the “food” we consume when we think about the amount of water we need in a day. We are told to drink eight glasses of water a day, but food can give us as much as 20 percent of our necessary fluid intake, and even more if you are eating hydrating foods. Check out the following recipe from Cooking Light for a hydrating recipe of shrimp tacos.
Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- SALSA:
- 1/2 pound tomatillos
- Cooking spray
- 2/3 cup chopped green onions (about 4 green onions)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- TACOS:
- 1 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp
- 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
- 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrot
Preparation
1. Preheat grill.
2. To prepare salsa, remove husks and stems from tomatillos. Place tomatillos on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 10 minutes or until slightly blackened on each side, turning occasionally. Cool completely; coarsely chop. Place tomatillos, onions, and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 7 times or until coarsely chopped.
3. To prepare tacos, thread shrimp evenly on 6 (10-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 2 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning once. Remove shrimp from skewers, and place in a medium bowl. Add hot pepper sauce, chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat.
4. Heat the tortillas on the grill 1 minute on each side. Top each tortilla with 1/4 cup cabbage and 2 tablespoons carrot. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among the tortillas; top each with 2 tablespoons salsa.
Posted in Nutrition, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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