23 and 1/2 Hours + College

Hey my Wonderful Spring Flowers!

I just got home from my classes and I have so much to share about college! These past few weeks have been full of classes, learning, studying, and craziness. I’m having a lot of fun with my classes, even though the volume can seem a little overwhelming at times. I’m adapting to the workload though and it’s getting easier to handle. I ADORE my Nutrition in the Life Cycle class. I always enjoy my nutrition classes — doing the work for them actually stress-relieving for me. I love how we’re digging deeper into each of the life stages and learning why certain things happen the way they do, when certain nutrients need to be particularly stressed at certain times of life, and how to make recommendations for optimal health. My Anatomy class is also a lot of fun. (This last week I learned WHY saturated fats are solids and unsaturated fats of liquid! It absolutely MADE my day I was so excited!) It is the most intense class I’ve ever taken. At least it makes my other classes seem easy. We’re just finishing up histology (have two exams on it this weekend) and then we’ll dig deep into the skull and start learning bones. In my Developing World class I’ve been “adopted” into the country of Swaziland (in South Africa) and I’m excited that I get to learn more about this country and its people. My Bio-statistics class is also very informative — I love how it talks about how to evaluate data and studies to make sure it’s reliable information. My scripture studies have been amazing recently. (Why is it that the times in my life that are the most hectic, the most crazy, I get the most amazing feelings of comfort and strength?! I can see His hand in my life every single day and I know the only reason I’ve been doing well is because of Him.) My religion teacher is actually in Jerusalem right now; he’s promised to bring us pictures and stories when he comes back in a little over a week. 

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As a part of my preparation for my Nutrition class today I watched this video that really impressed me. I’ve linked it right here and would love to hear your thoughts on it. 

What are your thoughts from this video? 

Do you agree with him?

Would you recommend this treatment for health and well-being?

with lots of hugs,

P.S. I’ll be back soon with some deliciousness… since I’ll be an official adult this next Tuesday.

Sneaky Roasted-Red-Pepper Hummus

Hey my Luscious Spring Blossoms!

Thanks for all of your comments on my last few posts. Your continuing support really means a lot to me and I am so grateful to have friends like you. I’m so grateful for my family and everything they do for me each and every day. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I have to be up here in college. I am learning so much and I’ve been dying to share some of it with you. Here are a few things I’ve been learning throughout my various classes:

(Disclaimer: Though I’m studying Health Science: Health Promotions with an emphasis on Nutrition and Personal Health and Fitness, I’m still a college student. I don’t have my degree yet. Nonetheless, these are some of the things I found really interesting as I’ve studied for my health classes. Don’t forget to consult your health professional before revamping your entire diet and/or lifestyle.)

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What’s an easy way to know if I’m hydrated or not?

Check the color of your urine! An easy rule-of-thumb to tell if you’re well hydrated is to check the color of your urine. A light lemonade or clearish-yellow color usually indicates that you’re well hydrated. The darker the shade of yellow becomes, the more dehydrated you are. (This doesn’t always work; i.e. excess riboflavin, a B-Vitamin, is excreted through the urine, and when riboflavin mixes with the water it turns yellow.)

Why do we need to grind flaxseeds and not chia seeds?

It’s because the outside layer of the flaxseed is insoluble. If they aren’t ground up, they will simply pass right through your gastrointestinal tract and be excreted. Chia seeds on the other hand have a soluble outside layer, so their nutrients can be absorbed right into the blood and lymph systems.

How does soluble fiber (found foods such as legumes, oats, and flaxseed) help lower cholesterol?

Bile is produced in the liver from cholesterol. After the gallbladder excretes bile to help the lipase “divide and conquer” the fatty acids, a lot of the bile is then reabsorbed and taken back to the liver to be recycled. In simplified terms, the soluble fiber can attach itself to some of the bile and make it be excreted in the stool. The liver then has to produce more bile, which it creates from cholesterol in the body, which then lowers cholesterol.

Why is it important to get the right ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids?

Because my book says it better than what I could, here’s what it says: “… [T]he omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids made from them are used to make hormone-like molecules called eicosanoids. Eicosanoids help regulate blood clotting, blood pressure, immune function, and other body processes. The effect of an eicosanoid on these functions depends on the fatty acid from which it was made. For example, when the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid is the starting material, the eicosanoid synthesized increases blood clotting; when the omega-3 fatty acid EPA is the starting material, the eicosanoid made decreases blood clotting” (*page 145).

Why you should be grateful for adipose tissue (fat cells)?

You might ask why I would say something like that. Why on earth would someone want to be grateful for fat cells? Let me explain. One gram of fat contains 9 calories of energy. 1 gram of protein and 1 gram of carbohydrate each store 4 calories of energy. If the body were to store the excess calories as either protein or carbohydrate, you would be “twice” the size in a sense. And, since carbohydrates and proteins hold on to water, you would be much larger than you were now. Fat is a compact version.

Carbohydrates are not the enemy.

They provide the body the most efficient form of energy and allow protein to do it’s job. “Body proteins that are broken down  [in the case that there is not enough carbohydrates] to make glucose are no longer available to do their job, whether the job is to speed up a chemical reaction or contract a muscle. Sufficient dietary carbohydrate ensures that protein is not used in this way; carbohydrate is therefore said to spare protein” (*page 112).

In addition, eating more protein than you need does not build muscle. Exercise builds muscle. Sufficient protein can be used to rebuild the muscle after exercise, but only if the body has enough energy to do it – it gets that energy from carbohydrates. Instead of worrying about carbohydrates, simply focus on the kinds you eat: try to get most if not all of them whole and unrefined.

* Grosvenor, Mary B. and Lori A. Smolin. Visualizing Nutrition: Everyday Choices Second Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012.

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In addition to these fun-facts, I wanted to share with you another delicious hummus creation – this one with extra sneaky veggies blended in!

My Sneaky Roasted-Red-Pepper Hummus!

If your garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are canned, drain and rinse them thoroughly.

Measure out the roasted red pepper, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and spices.

Add the chickpeas to your blender.

Add the other ingredients and secure the lid on top.

Turn your blender on med/high.

Blend until it becomes smooth and creamy — it may take a couple minutes. (If your blender is having trouble thoroughly processing the chickpeas, add a tablespoon of water at a time as needed to help it out.)

Spoon it out into a 2-cup container, grad some dippages (I like raw carrots and celery especially – pretzels actually taste great too).

Roasted-Red-Pepper Hummus

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cup cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans (or one 15-oz can, drained and rinsed)
  
• ½ cup roasted red peppers
  
• 1 ½ tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)
  
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• ½ tsp. cumin
  
• ½ tsp. chili powder
  
• ¼ tsp. salt
  

Directions

1. (If your chickpeas/garbanzo beans are canned, drain and rinse them thoroughly.) Measure out your other ingredients. Add them and the chickpeas to your blender and secure on the lid.
   
2. Turn your blender on med/high. Blend until it becomes smooth and creamy, or for a couple minutes. (If your blender is having trouble thoroughly processing the chickpeas, add a tablespoon of water at a time as needed to help it out.)
   
3. Spoon it out into a 2-cup container, grad some dippages (I like raw carrots and celery especially – pretzels actually taste great too).
   

Print This!

Yum yum yum.

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What is one way you like “sneaking” more vegetables into your diet?

With lots of hugs,

Fresh Friday Link-up: E-Book, Week 8, and Cow’s Milk Allergy Guide.

Hey my Beautiful Blossoming Daffodils!

Thanks for all of your heart-warming comments and emails I got from my last post. Your kindness, love, and support really brought me to tears and I am so grateful for all of your encouragement. I know I may not be perfect (I released myself from my obsession with perfectionism), but that doesn’t mean I can’t live my life the best I can. The more strive to help others and lose myself in the service of others, I am better able to find myself. One thing I have learned is that some things take time. Getting an education takes time. Finding balance takes time. Healing takes time. I just have to keep pressing forward with steadfastness, striving to be the best me I can, and then I can come off conqueror.

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I just finished up my second phase of ThisFitChick’s workout program. These past 4 weeks have consisted of 4 heavy weight sessions a week (two of which I combine into one because of my schedule) and with 3 HIT cardio sessions.The next 4 weeks will consist of 3 heavy weight sessions (one day arms, next day legs, and last day arms+abs) and 4 HIT cardio sessions (that involve either speed cardio on a machine or full body cardio moves to rev up the heart rate). I found this past week of workouts were starting to get a little easy for me (because I was getting stronger with each session), so I’m definitely ready to change things up with this next 4 weeks of challenges, starting with week 9.

Katherine from The Real Food Runner is having a Fresh Friday Link-Up Party, and I’d thought I’d join the fun.

Here are 3 things that made my week Fresh & Fantastic:

1. Tayla put together a beautiful and inspiring e-book on accepting and loving yourself as you are today. It’s filled with inspirational quotes and messages that have helped her in the past, and she put them all together in one place and is giving it out for free. If you want to grab a copy of it, go over to her blog and you can download it via Google Docs.

2. I had a green smoothie this morning – I felt absolutely amazing afterwards.

3. I have a guest post for you from Bianca Ridley, a leading nutritionist from Nutricia, a company that specializes in the delivery of advanced medical nutrition for the very young, the old and the sick. She wrote a fantastic guide (printed below) that discusses a cow’s milk allergy and shares ways parents can make the lives of their children with a cow’s milk allergy a little easier. 

Cows’ Milk Allergy: A Parent’s Guide

Having a baby and being a parent is tough. Mums definitely have it tough too, as most of the things our baby wants are supplied by us: breast milk, cuddles, mummy-baby skin-to-skin, that kind of thing. When they are born, unless daddy is at home 24/7, we do almost everything to make sure our ‘mini me’ is healthy and happy.

Sometimes, things aren’t always quite perfect. If being pregnant wasn’t worrying enough, they then drop our fragile little bundles into the big scary world. Allergens are just one of the world’s evil tricks. While some children are predisposed, there is just no way of telling what they will react to. Among the most common allergies are dust, cows’ milk, pets and nuts.

Cows’ milk allergy can be a very difficult one to manage. Avoiding it as a drink helps, but if you pick up a packet of something in the supermarket and read the back, you might notice they have included milk in disguise. It is rarely referred to as ‘milk’, and instead you may find ‘hydrolyzed whey protein’ or ‘casein’ among the ingredients list. This is milk, hiding in plain sight.

When a child is diagnosed with CMA, it is often a huge relief. Symptoms include colic, reflux, constipation or diarrhea, and skin problems such as rashes or eczema. More extreme reactions can include breathing difficulties or even anaphylaxis. As a parent, having a name for the unsettled, screaming, refluxy baby that just won’t let you sleep can really help. So what next?

Since CMA is often detected in infancy, their diet must be reviewed by a dietician. Breastfed babies will usually continue to take mum’s breast milk while mum sticks to a restricted diet. Bottle fed babies, and some breastfed babies, may be prescribed medical nutrition such as a special medical formula which may help to ease symptoms. If reflux is one of the troubling symptoms, try feeding your baby their bottle with their head elevated, or for a breastfed baby, sit them up in a slight reclining position when they have finished their feed. The next challenge is weaning.

Milk-free weaning is possible, especially if you choose to cook for your child. Guidelines state that allergic children should not wean before six months as there is an allergy-preventing enzyme in their stomach that does not develop until this time. However, once you start, it isn’t as restricted as you may think! Pureed fruit and vegetables are perfect, and don’t have any extras in. If cooking meat dishes, avoid coupling them with creamy milk-based sauces, and opt for gravy or a tomato-based product instead. Experiment with different foods to see what your child enjoys.

If you don’t have time to cook all the time, there are some amazing organic food ranges which contain minimal ingredients and taste really good too (from experience). If you offer breakfast, porridges and even some baby rice products can contain milk, so make sure you check the packets.

Keeping a food diary and noting symptoms is very important when managing CMA. Sometimes, a child may react to a new food, or you may take a ‘dairy challenge’, usually on a doctor or dietician’s advice. Recognizing a reaction may help to distinguish new allergies, or, in the case of food challenges, can establish if a child has outgrown CMA.

If you notice a change in your child’s symptoms, or something new, be strong when talking to your healthcare professional. Many parents find that GPs are not necessarily the most understanding with CMA, as it is not something they usually diagnose. It may help to write things down for them.

Most children will outgrow it by age 4, while it may take until age 6 for some. While some may never outgrow it, there is good news: it is a completely manageable condition. By being vigilant, and encouraging your child to do the same when they are a little older, this allergy can be totally controlled. Finding the best way to cope is half the battle won.

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Do you have a food allergy? How do you handle it?

Do you prefer E-books or paperback/hardback books?

What’s one thing that made your week fresh and fantastic?

With lots of hugs,