Tag Archives: health

Book List

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Hi everyone!

Today I want to direct your attention to a new page on my blog. :)

Sound the trumpets and the drums! ….dum da dum….

I give you my BOOK LIST located up above and next to the “About The Food Yogi” page.  It’s an easily accessible listing of recommended reading, books I am currently reading, and books I have on my shelf, cued up to be read.

I am excited to share these with you all! Quite often, I write about what I am reading and learning from these books and this gives a better chance to put a face with a name (so to speak).  The page will be updated as I move on to new and interesting reads, so check back often.  But of course, I will also be blogging and sharing that information with you all too.

On the Book List page you will find pictures of the covers of the listed books.  Each cover is a link to each book’s Amazon page.  If you’re interested and would like to read more, click the cover and you can preview the book there, order yourself a copy, or download to your Kindle. Easy peasy!

Oh!  And feel free to leave comments with any good reading recommendations.  Nutrition, foodie-stuff, yoga, health, wellness, fun fiction…all are welcome.  Thanks!

Have a wonderful day and happy reading! :)

Healthy Habits – Guest Post on Healthyfrenchie

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Hi everyone!  I’ve been busy studying for my Anatomy final.  Even though I really want to start writing when I get up in the morning, I have to dig out my anatomy notebook and flashcards to keep reviewing.  I hope you understand.

In the meantime, please check out my guest post at HealthyFrenchie on developing healthy habits.  She writes a great blog about how she overcame her eating disorders with determination and strength.  And she has a cute dog, Freddie! :-)

Thank you Helene for your support, and the opportunity to write for your terrific blog!

My Food Addictions

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Believe me, I completely understand how it is super hard to fight the craving for a food we “love” and are used to consuming on a daily basis. The problem lies in the fact that when people hear that they have to give something up, they run for the hills. It’s not like you’re giving up food for the rest of your life. It’s just breaking a bad habit through a series of baby steps to eliminate it and then remaining vigilant about it so as to not fall back.

Chances are that your food nemesis is full of sugar and/or sodium and is harmful to your health. You may not notice it right away (what you can’t see won’t hurt you) but the long-term effects can be bad. Really bad, in certain cases. But I know, we’re all human. I’m not saying never drink a soda EVER AGAIN because you will die!! No. That’s ridiculous! :-P Every once in a while is fine and be happy with that. It is so much better for your health to consume your food nemesis less often than consuming it 2-3 times a day.

So, I wanted to share two of my food nemesises. :-) This first one is actually my first and biggest learning experience in a food addiction and the harmful effects it can have on the body.

Chocolate milk. I loved Ovaltine as a kid and drank it often. But the chocolate milk served in one of the dining halls in college was so much more than just special. It was like a smooth, creamy frosty from Wendy’s. I was a little homesick the first few weeks of freshman year and that chocolate milk showed me a little comfort of home. I never had a problem with my weight and considered myself blessed with a decent metabolism. This milk was at my disposal and during the weeks between Labor Day and Columbus Day and I think I drank it nearly every day with lunch. Now, we all know the cliche “freshman 15″ that women gain when they go to college. Well, in those weeks I gained about a freshman 30. I’m not kidding. I was around 120-125 lbs when I got to college and I ballooned to about 150ish. It was terrible. I never felt so bad and embarrassed. When I went home for Columbus Day, I had to buy new clothes. It was really hard to see my high school friends who could totally see the difference and tried not to stare. I went back to school after that Columbus Day weekend and decided I needed to change my diet. I did not have the invincible metabolism that I thought. I cut out the chocolate milk and slowly but surely the weight started to come off. I haven’t had chocolate milk ever since…in it’s cold form. I love hot chocolate in the winter. But I only have it as a special treat.

Potato chips. I don’t have any crazy story about potato chips except that I did eat a full bag once as a child. I love them and it’s obviously bad news if there’s a bag around. That’s why I stay far, far away. I only eat them on special occasions like my birthday or something. They’re even better when dipped in onion dip…:-)

Yeah, I went there. See!! It’s tough. But it’s better in the long run. I promise. I have mentally trained myself to stay away. And I’m happier this way because I don’t and won’t weigh a metric ton.

Tell me your food addictions? Did you have a similar experience? What did you do about it?

Here Comes the Sun (and Vitamin D)

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Recently in my Anatomy and Physiology class we have been learning about the bones.  My teacher brought up the disease Rickets.  He explained that  during the turn of the century children were developing leg bone deformities in places like  Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia due to lack of sunlight.  Before child labor laws they would work down in mines beginning before sunrise and finishing after sunset.  In this pivotal time of growth in childhood, they were never exposed to sunlight that activated the vitamin D in their bodies.  This caused them to develop Rickets.

Because we have been blessed to have some really beautiful weather days, along with daylight savings time, it made me think how important vitamin D is to our bodies.  I had to do a little research.

Vitamin D aids in the body’s absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus and maintaining strong, healthy bones.  We synthesize it in the skin when we are in the sun, which is why it can be known as the “sunshine vitamin.”  This is why the bones of those children weren’t developing properly.  Our body’s are like plants that need sunshine to grow and maintain strength and nourishment.

Those of us who work in offices and are cooped up all day long, only  see the sun on a lunch break, if that’s even possible.  So what happens during the winter when we almost never see the light of day?  Thankfully, turns out, that if you’re drinking milk and juice fortified with vitamin D, eating eggs, certain types of fish (tuna, salmon, swordfish, sardines) and yogurt, you are a-okay on the vitamin D scale.  Though, if you take cod liver oil, that’s probably the best option with the maximum amount of IUs of vitamin D you can ingest.

But it’s so nice out now!  Just being outside in direct sunlight for 10-15 minutes without sunscreen is a great way to get the vitamin D working in the body.  Though, the UVB rays do not go through glass, so sitting in your car or by an office window with sunlight beaming through doesn’t work.  I strongly recommend everyone get outside, take a walk, breathe in the fresh air.  You are doing something good for your mind and body on so many different levels.