Health is a Vehicle, Not a Destination

A lot of us take this vehicle for granted. When was the last time you had your car inspected? Are you overdue for a checkup? Does the oil need to be changed?

Many of us, like our health, neglect our cars, our mode of transportation.

Think about where you want to go in the next hour. Do you need to drive to the store? Is there enough gas in your car? Now think about where you want to be in the next month. Year. And so on. If you have grand plans like getting a new job or entering into a deeper relationship, you will need your health to get you there.

Excellent health is about more than just feeling good. Of course, good physical health is an important goal, but if you simply stop there, you will miss out on so much more. Robust health allows us to be active in the world and achieve more than we can imagine.

Ask yourself: Why be healthy? What would you do with your life if you were healthy all the time? How would you use this gift to enhance your life and the lives of those around you? What would happen if you experienced high-level wellness most of the time? Imagine what your life would be like if strength, flexibility, endurance and clear thinking were part of your everyday life.

3 Tips For Transitioning to a Plant Diet

My top three tips for someone who is transitioning to a plant-based diet are all about cravings.

Often when we make a major shift in our diet, we swing to an extreme change too fast, which can cause us to rebound, overeat foods that don't support our well-being, and we feel like a failure. 

1. Sweeten it up, honey! 

Be sure to include healthy versions of the tastes and textures you normally crave. If sweets are your thing, focus on sweet root veggies, pumpkin soups, or crispy raw red bell peppers, carrots, and seasonal fruit. If you have enough naturally sweet flavors in your diet that are also nutrient rich, you won't be as tempted by sugar sweetened treats that can throw off your energy, make your tired, or throw off your hormonal balance. 

2. More Minerals

A healthy plant based diet includes nutrient rich foods to provide the body with all the minerals it needs. Weave in regular doses of sea vegetables including nori, kombu, and dulse flakes to get the powerful punch of nutrients and minerals including iron, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium and folate. I love the little Sea Shakers from Maine Coast Sea Vegetables, that make it easy to add a tiny bit to any meal. 

3. Power up on Proteins

Make sure you're getting your protein from a variety of sources. For some people, this isn't hard! Many plant-based people can eat a variety of whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds and their body feels strong, recovers from injury well, and can build muscle and endurance. A word of caution - not everyone can thrive on a plant-based diet. I know this may seem crazy coming from the woman who wrote three books on living vegan! I do believe that most people do better eating more plants, and many can live happily and healthfully on only plant based foods. But there are also people who need animal proteins at different stages in life: sometimes more regularly, sometimes for a short period. To discover what type of person you are, you'll need to let go of any judgements about animal foods being immoral, open up to experimentation, and learn to listen to what your body is telling you. Whatever you discover is okay! 

Cook For Your Health

Learning the art of simple meal planning will help you get all the nutrients you need as well as release you from dependency on restaurant food, fast food and other processed foods. You eat differently when you  feed yourself at home versus when you are out and about. Restaurant food is usually very salty and highly flavored, as it’s designed to be a taste sensation and it often comes in very big portions. By buying and preparing your own food, you can eat in accordance with your body’s actual needs and you are less likely to overeat or consume excess salt and flavoring.

Cooking delicious, satisfying meals in a brief period of time is a skill worth learning. It’s not difficult, but it takes practice. At first, you may burn the rice or overcook the greens but that’s okay. Give yourself permission to make mistakes.

For many people, the task of cooking seems daunting. They are puzzled, and ask questions like, “How do plain, ordinary vegetables turn into such a delicious meal in a few minutes?”

Here are a few ways to easily make plain vegetables more exciting:

• After cooking, it usually only takes 3 minutes of steaming  or sautéing, add 1 tablespoon olive oil or toasted sesame oil to every 2 cups of veggies.
• Add 2 bay leave or 1 teaspoon cumin seeds to the cooking water.
• Sprinkle cooked veggies with toasted pumpkin, sesame, flax or sunflower seeds. Or sprinkle with almonds, walnuts or dried shredded coconut.
• Sprinkle greens with fresh herbs: mint, dill, basil, parsley, cilantro or scallion.
• Use tamari soy sauce or umeboshi vinegar to add extra flavor to cooked veggies.
• Squeeze fresh lemon or lime juice over steamed vegetables.
• After steaming, quickly stir-fry with a pinch of sea salt, olive oil and garlic.

Few cookbooks address the initial, most-challenging period. They don’t mention that cooking a meal takes much longer when you are an inexperienced chef than it does when you have had some practice. Cooking takes some patience and practice. In a short time, you will be effortlessly washing, chopping, cooking and nourishing yourself and others.

one Conversation Could Change What You Eat

Many people shop labels.  Whether its high fashion or expensive cars, a label costs more; it means something to the consumer.  Food is no different.  People who care about the quality of the food they put in their body read labels.  If a label reads “high fructose corn syrup” or “trans fat” an informed consumer will bypass this product.  Whether a food has an organic label or not is also important information for today’s foodies.  If a product has the seal “USDA Organic” the consumer knows that the food was grown or prepared using organic practices and ingredients; however, the producer has paid a fee to the government to obtain that certification. 

Many small farmers cannot afford the high cost of the government’s organic label.  According to the Organic Trade Association, referenced in this article on Change.org, 92 percent of organic food sold in this country is sold by mass markets, like Wal-Mart, Costco, or grocery store chains.  By comparison, only 8 percent comes from farmers markets, co-ops, or CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). 

Quite often the small farmers have organic growing practices; they just don’t pay for the expensive label.  How do you get this important information?  It’s easy; simply start a conversation with the person you are buying your food from.  When you visit the farmers market and you see they do not have an organic label, ask why?   Ask them about their growing practices.   Do they use pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals?  You won’t know until you ask. 

24 healthy Living

Need a little inspiration to get back to healthy this summer? Look no further than the Internet!  Whether you’re seeking healthy recipes, new workout ideas, or simply some wellness words of wisdom, these healthy lifestyle blogs will be your new go-to reads!

Recipes

My New Roots  - Sara focuses on seasonal ingredients to create her truly beautiful, vegetarian dishes. This blog will have you excited to stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers market this weekend!

Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes  - Heather has mastered the art of creating simple, beautiful and healthy recipes! Her photos alone will inspire you to start cooking healthier this summer. 

Oh She Glows – Angela creates meat and dairy-free recipes, many of which are also free of gluten, soy, and processed ingredients. At first glance, you would never know how healthy her recipes are with the truly crave-able food photos she posts.

Naturally Ella – This beautiful food blog, written by Erin, is focused on creating simple, fresh and seasonal vegetarian dishes. Erin’s photos are outstanding and her recipes are delicious and completely accessible for the home chef!

Fit Foodie Finds – Lee from Fit Food Finds has mastered the balance of delicious and healthy food! Her recipes are amazing, and just when you think you’re about to lick the screen, she’ll throw in a workout or two to keep you balanced!

Oh Lady Cakes – If you’re looking for something sweet made out of real, whole foods, then Ashlae of Oh, Ladycakes is your girl! She puts together drool-worthy recipes that will satisfy your sweet tooth without leaving you feeling guilty.

Sprouted Kitchen – Sara has been growing her very successful clean eating blog for a quite a while and it just keeps getting better and better! Her images are stunning and her recipes will have you running out the door for ingredients!

Happyolks – Kelsey, the author behind this simple and beautiful food blog, is determined to celebrate the experience of creating a wholesome meal and the happiness that comes with it!

Green Kitchen Stories – This vegetarian blog, written by the most adorable family of three, was the winner of this year’s Saveur Best Special Diets Blog, and for good reason! If you want  decadent vegetarian recipes, this will be your new favorite blog!

Happiness and Wellness

Lemon Stripes – Health Coach turned fashion blogger Julia is an inspiration to all fashionistas. She is very open and honest on her blog about her life, her career, and how she over comes obstacles. If you like fashion, then you will love Lemon Stripes.

Summer Tomato – Darya is a food and health writer based in San Francisco. Her blog, Summer Tomato, is a great resource for healthy recipes, advice on creating healthy habits, and fitness tips!

Whole Foodie Booty – Health Coach Shannon shares some of her best secrets for feeling great and living a healthy lifestyle without restricting yourself. Her positive attitude and outlook really shines through in her writing.

Maria Marlowe – Another Health Coach to follow, Maria shares excellent tips on her blog that even the most savvy health nut can benefit from! Follow along to find tips and tricks for living a health life. If you like what you see, Maria also leads classes and one-on-one coaching sessions!

Holli Thompson – This author of “Discover Your Nutritional Style” writes truly inspiring blog posts about living healthy. Holli will introduce you to new ingredients, recipes, and wellness tips that you’ll be using all year!

Vishnu’s Virtues – Vishnu is all about quitting your job and finally doing what you love and what will make you feel fulfilled with your life! His inspiring approach to life is a great read, even if you don’t want to quit your 9 to 5!

Sarah Wilson – This Australian Native will do more than help you quit eating sugar; she also posts truly inspirational material that will make living your healthiest life a breeze!

Fierce Fabulous Free – Nisha Moodley is about as inspirational as they come! Follow along as she opens up about the ups and downs of her life and sharing how to deal with all that life has to offer.

Workout

Ask Lauren Fleshman – This professional runner shares her experience as a runner, including all the highs and lows. Lauren answers questions for runners of all experience levels and is a very motivational writer.

Daily Cup of Yoga – Follow along as these yogis teach you what it means to incorporate yoga into your daily routine and how you can start getting in shape and living a peaceful life. 

Run to the Finish – Let Amanda of Run to the Finish motivate you to find your inner runner as she takes you on her journey to live her healthiest life. She’ll post fitness tips, clean eating habits, and consistent encouragement as you work toward your personal goals!

Fit Bottomed Girls – This fun fitness blog is written by two women who know that fitness is an essential part of living a healthy lifestyle. Let them guide you on your journey to getting into better shape!

Peanut Butter Fingers – This healthy lifestyle blogger, Julie, posts great workout inspiration, healthy recipes, and plenty of puppy pictures! It’s a very fun and informative read.   

Purely Twins – This website, written by two fitness loving twin sisters, is a one-stop shop for all things fitness and wellness. Follow along as Lori and Michelle post inspiration content and host motivational fitness programs like Purely Fit Life Club.

Powercakes – This blog written by Kasey, a certified personal trainer, will inspire you to start a successful fitness routine this summer while still enjoying all that life has to offer!