Bread, Bread, Bread for Life

  I rarely toot the horn of a site if I haven't used their services but I'm going to make an exception. Recently, I found this site and I'm kind of excited. I have been checking out their blog also. 

The only reason I ever found Food to Live (FTL) was because my doctor has warned me to get a bit more serious about eating healthier things. I'm not eating super-junky stuff but I need to go harder at the fiber and nutrients than I have been.

The first change I made was to cut out the sliced garlic and herb turkey deli meat I so love for sandwiches. I switched up and kept everything else except for the meat and bread. Yeah. I now use high-fiber bread instead of brioche or Italian white bread and I just enjoy it with the avocado, tomato, and yellow onion. It's a tasty sandwich. Because of the delicious bread and the avocado, I almost don't miss the turkey.

This Aldi's Ancient Grains is the bread I started to fall in love with:

I need to be able to control
that sodium level...

It's pricey though. Like around 5 a loaf. I wanted to try Ezekiel Bread or Dave's Killer Bread but their prices make the Ancient Grains look like nothing.

I've switched over to eating a lot of cabbage and other greens, white meat, and using good oils. When I was going over my budget, I realized I need to find a way to afford really nutritious bread. So...

My family has asked what I want for Christmas. My answer: bread machine. I picked out one that will let me add nuts and seeds or just prep the dough so I can finish the rest myself. Then, while looking for affordable seeds and grains, I found Food to Live.

FTL recipes are heavily vegan and I am not interested. I just want to be able to make my own sprouted grains and seeded bread. It has to be less expensive than keeping Killer Dave in business. Those prices!...

Normally, I am not a big eater of bread. However, I would rather get full from eating a highly nutritious bread than eating a ton of veggies and fruits. I can only take so much of salad and chicken. With the right bread - seeded with tasty nuts - I could go from breakfast to dinner on just that with some butter.

In case any of you are interested, here are some links I have found to recipes. Enjoy.

• Easy Dutch Oven Bread  this one not only looks good but I can't wait to use my Dutch oven for bread
• Fast No-Knead Multi-Seed Bread and this one... that bread looks amazing.
• Seedy Sandwich Bread with Sprouted Wheat I'm not as visually excited by this one, but I love the idea that it's with sprouted wheat.

I was happy to see that The Prepared Pantry had this helpful write-up on designing whole grain bread recipes. That will go up on my fridge.

This all has me very excited to get my hands on that bread machine! In the meantime, I am going to start trying some of these recipes by hand. Pictures (good or bad) will be coming up...

Peace

--Free

The Yummy That Is Umami

With my appetite on the decline, I have been trying to find ways to make rice and veggies more flavorful. I was going overboard on the salt, then I tried using chicken bouillon cubes to add flavor - but basically, that's just chicken-flavored salt. Salt is not my best friend because I have too much Afro-blood in my ancestry.

This right here though... This makes any bland food so savory that it's should be a crime. It's umami seasoning (aka MSG):

Less than $6.50/16oz bag from Ajinomoto brand

And, yes, I have heard all the horror stories about MSG but I, personally, never had negative reactions from eating it in foods prepared in restaurants. I did have a co-worker once who said that MSG triggered her migraines. Do your research. I'm just here to talk about my experience using Umami as a seasoning.

So this is called umami seasoning but I just learned that what Umami actually means. 

Umami (/uːˈmɑːmi/, from Japanese: うま味 [ɯmami]) or savory taste is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness). It has been described as savory and is characteristic of broths and cooked meats. (Thank you, Wikipedia)

Don't act like you knew that! Okay, maybe you did, but my ignorant self did not. I do know that whenever I tried to make my fried rice, there was always a little something missing from the flavors. It's the umami. As I joked to a friend, umami, my mami, I don't care, just give me the tasty flavors! (She thought the joke was corny, by the way...)

So, savory is the best word to describe this seasoning that I got (from Amazon, by the way). Instead of adding more salt to my fried rice (or whatever) and being disappointed with that something-is-missing feeling, just add some umami and boom, that's it. 

As I mentioned, I am eating a fairly simple diet of rice and veggies. I love rice and can eat it with just a little butter and salt/pepper seasoning, but that gets old after the first 6 or 20 days. I really needed to cut back on the salt but since I only rarely eat my rice sweetened, I had to change things up. What I've done the past couple of days is using the umami on the veggies that I eat. I can actually eat the rice plain and unseasoned as long as the vegetables have some serious flavor. The umami makes me go all Emeril and yell "Bam!" when I use it.

(By the way, when I was looking at customer reviews of this online, quite a few customers mentioned that this is their salt alternative. I forget that some people have many reasons - other than high blood pressure and weight issues - for cutting back on or cutting out salt in their diets.)

Now, the best thing, in my opinion, about the umami (aside from helping me cut way back on salt), is that I only have to use a little. I was worried that a six- or seven-dollar bag was going to look expensive as compared to salt. You know they practically pay you to take the salt out of the grocery stores. However, I put the umami in a little seasonings container and this small part of the 16-oz bag is going to last for months. 

That's what I'm guessing. I'll have to update this post when I have a better idea.

The grain of the umami is finer than salt and looks more like tiny crystal shavings if that makes sense. It's so fine that it's hard to see while sprinkling. I labeled the shaker just so no one mistakes it for salt or sugar. My family and friends are welcome to go into my kitchen like it's theirs so I don't want to accidentally make anyone sick.

This is the size of the bag compared to a standard AA-sized battery.

Back to the main reason that I switched to umami and away from salt. This umami has 125mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon compared to 590mg in the same amount of table salt. And umami packs so much flavor that I don't need to use as much. I doubt that I have used a quarter teaspoon of umami all day. 

The umami here on the left and the table salt (Hy-vee brand) on the left:

Keep in mind, ladies - less sodium equals less water retention... I'm just saying.

I found this teaspoon serving guide on the back label of the bag and laughed. I seriously do not use that even that much umami.

So, I guess I can just sum up by saying that this stuff came into my kitchen at the right time. This umami even makes eggs taste great. I was so tired of plain rice (and rice that I couldn't season quite well enough) that I was cheating and making rice pudding. Talk about calories... Now I am back to the rice with veggies and other mostly-healthy stuff. The umami (I refuse to call it MSG) is making food good again. Savory is definitely the word here.

At any rate, be sure to make sure that you can tolerate MSG/umami before you go out spending your money. You know better than to dive in unawares.

Peace
--Free





And because I have been so sedentary the last few days, I exercise vicariously through these dancing machines...

choreography by Keone  (and Mari, maybe?) Madrid

And my favorites, the Jabbawockeez

If I could move like this, I'd never stop dancing

Intermittent Fasting (and KetoFast)

This is how I started my review of KetoFast:

Some people are having a lot of success with the keto diet. I lost about 10 pounds the first 2 months I was on it. Then I hit a donut and fell off the wagon. I'm kidding. I fell off because I didn't have any support and my cooking space was limited. I have no excuse now because I joined a Facebook group that is super supportive and I have a full kitchen all to myself.

Not long after writing that, I checked my urine with a keto stick and saw that there was a slightly noticeable result. I ran over and updated my Amazon review. The next day I used another keto stick and... nada - as in not a result at all.  I'm going back over to update the Amazon review when I finish this post. ~sigh~

I'm not giving up on the KetoFast though. I haven't used it enough to give it a fair chance. Also, I'm sure that pigging out on pasta didn't help the second results.

Again, as I admitted in that other post, I haven't exactly been back on the keto wagon. To be honest, I don't think I can full-time keto. I think I can do alternate days of keto. And that's where this intermittent fasting comes in. But first, a little history.

Before my sister passed, she was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and, of course, I stayed right there with her. I was about 185 pounds when she was admitted. When we had her funeral, I weighed in at around 145.  I know this because all my pants were hanging off my hips and I had to dig in the closet for a smaller size. Within a month, I had put back on all the lost pounds and they brought friends. I topped at 200 pounds. I know why. I was depressed and eating to fill the emptiness that came with the loss of my sister. And I didn't really even care about how overweight and uncomfortable I was.

I tell you all that to tell you why I am trying Daily Intermittent Fasting - specifically the 16-hour fasting routine. I think I can handle this, guys.

DIM is basically what I was accidentally doing while my sister was in the hospital. I wasn't even exercising. I would have a coffee in the morning with maybe a vending machine pastry. Lunch was one of those plastic-wrapped burgers (also from vending) or a burger and fries or chips from the cafeteria. The rest of the time, I was drinking coffee or nibbling on chips. By 6 or 7 o'clock in the evening, I was so bored that I would just doze off. The cafeteria shut down at a certain time and I'd be sick of the vending machines. Pretty much, after 7 or 8 p.m. I was shut down for the night.

I started the DIM routine last night by not eating anything after 8. It wasn't too bad because I'm not awful about nighttime snacking. If I get hungry at night, I don't exactly snack - I heat up a meal. And because I can't count on when I will have energy enough, I tend to cook something for the whole week. Usually, spaghetti.

Because I want to practice keto at least part of the time, this is the plan I decided to alternate from day to day.

Keto Day - 2 meals; at least 32oz of water; and restrict myself to 2 cups of tea/coffee (instead of my usual 5 to 6 cups). One of the 2 meals will be keto-friendly.

Non-Keto Day - 1 keto-friendly meal and a small keto-friendly snack; 64 oz of water and all the tea/coffee I want during eating hours.

I like this graphic that I snagged from Pinterest.





This is the only the second day for me and I don't plan to start the keto-alternating until next week.  First, I have to get used to the fasting itself.

Yesterday, I did fine waking up not starving but it was really hard not to have my morning tea or coffee. I cannot drink black coffee at all and drinking plain tea was almost as bad. I did get one cup of plain black tea down though because I hear it's great for the metabolism.

I'm not a breakfast eater, which is why I chose the 9-1 fasting period. I read that it's best to pick what works with your routine. For instance, my niece is a breakfast eater because she can't handle her pre-work gym time without it.

On this second day of the IF routine, I did better about getting through the morning without tea or coffee. I did drink a LOT of water though. By one o'clock, I was really ready for some food and the fasting made me appreciate the meaning of breakfast or "breaking fast". All I had was a cup of tea and some toast and, man, wheat toast never tasted so good!

I love this next graphic just for motivation and positive reinforcement:

Yeah, it's too small to read. So go over to the source site to check it out.

Anyway, I will be updating about my progress with the IF routine as I go along. By the way, I got my start by using the calendar and information over at the 3 Day Military Diet Menu site. There is a lot of information there so do check it out.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW & DISCOUNT** Keto Fast™ - Exogenous Ketone Supplement

Some people are having a lot of success with the keto diet. I lost about 10 pounds the first 2 months I was on it. Then I hit a donut and fell off the wagon. I'm kidding. I fell off because I didn't have any support and my cooking space was limited. I have no excuse now because I joined a Facebook group that is super supportive and I have a full kitchen all to myself.

I am re-committed to my cleaning up my eating habit and taking in fewer carbs than usual, but that means cutting my coffee and tea habit in half. At least. All that flavored cream is what does me in. Less coffee and tea equals energy drop. I am already battling fatigue so... I needed a plan.

This is what I am going to be trying out to boost my energy and help my metabolism:

 

It's Keto Fast from Healthy Wiser. As soon as I got a chance to get some to review, I jumped on it. Before I even start telling you more about it, let me say now that I can score you a discount. I'll give you the details in a minute. First, let me share my initial impressions:

Product Claims

• Boost or "supercharge" your blood ketones
• Promote better mood, and
• sustained energy, and
• mental acuity, and
• decreased appetite

The most important claim is what I'm interested in:

Or can't have carbs

I love when a brand guarantees their product like this. I can check my ketones with my testing strips and I will be taking photos every week to track my progress. (If you all are nice, I will share the weight photos.)  Now, I got my first product for free but if you guys want to try it, there's a 100% money-back guarantee to go along with the discount. But let's run through my impressions as of Day 2.

Label & Info

I was surprised at how powder-fine the Keto Fast is. You can see from the video that it's almost like talc. Almost.

Keto Fast (I like the name) is, most important of all, not low-carb but carb-free. This is good because on the diet I use, I allow myself up to 40 grams of daily carbs and I want to save those for any creamer I use in my hot beverages!

Less important to me but really important to some folks, this is also gluten-free. Also, it's non-GMO. I think we can all appreciate that. Oh, and it's made in the good old USA.

Taste, taste, taste

Okay, so the one thing I thought I wasn't going to like about this is the "Lemon Lime" flavor. No matter how good a product is, it won't work if you can't stand to use it and  I seriously almost didn't accept the chance to try the supplement just because of that. Then I thought that as long as the product helped, I could probably just slam the drink really fast.

I only put this is water and I didn't blend or shake it; I just used a fork and stirred it really well. I should have put it in my water bottle so that I could shake it because just stirring left a bit of residue on the surface. I was anxious to try this though so I just took a teeny-tiny sip. Not bad! This is something I could enjoy doing a few times a day. By the way, 3 scoops per day is the maximum dose.

There is none of the saccharine-fake-sweet taste that I associate with lemon-lime drinks. This reminded me of a tart Kool-Aid type beverage. I personally would not add this to any of the smoothies I've fixed because the flavor wouldn't compliment them. I prefer drinking this just with cold water.  There is no way that I would ever add this to... MILK.

Results?

As I said, this is only Day 2 so I can only tell you about the initial effects. I will have to update about further results at a later time - maybe with the promised photos.

So.

Did I feel an energy boost? Yes. I got busy and forgot to pay attention, but I think it was within an hour that I noticed I felt as alert as if I'd had my usual caffeine boost. Sure enough, there were none of the jitters we get so used to from caffeine that we think it's normal. My energy didn't last long, but that's probably because of my other health issues - which is also why I am only going to be using the supplement once a day.  It was a very nice  flush of energy for the 3 or 4 hours that it did last.

I don't think that it really suppressed my appetite. I don't eat breakfast or big lunches, so maybe the effects wore off by the time dinner time rolled around. I did kill dinner though! I had two servings of something a keto gal ain't supposed to have in the first place! ~my bad, my bad~

Since I will probably cheat too much to keep up with a dedicated keto-er, I guess I will be better at seeing if this does work for regular eaters. If this boosts the metabolism, I should see some results unless I start eating more than usual.

For truly committed Keto-ers - especially those just starting out - carbs are the most familiar energy source so the first few weeks on a ketogenic meal plan can make you feel so sluggish. Or, at least, that's how it was for me.

I'm looking forward to cutting back on my carbs and seeing if this can replace some of my caffeinated drinks.

The Discount

As promised, here is the discount information...

You get a 25% OFF coupon using the code IMHEALTHY7 redeem it at  www.HealthyWiser.com

If you do try this, I would be interested to know what you think about the flavor and what your overall results were.

Peace
--Free



DISCLOSURE: I received one or more of the products mentioned in this post for free in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

**RECIPE** Heavenly Cloud Bread

In the past 5 weeks, I have lost just a little over 9 pounds. I wasn't really trying. I just didn't feel good, but when I went to see the fam in Arizona, I got more exercise than normal. I'm paying for that now, but I want to keep up the weight loss. My plan? Lots of water and a lot less carbs.

Bread is probably the hardest thing to give up - or even slow down on! Also, snacks. I remembered hearing about cloud bread when I first learned about the Keto diet. What I didn't know is how easy it is to make and how freaking delicious it can be. I say can be because you have to play with the recipe a bit.

Here's the basic recipe I gathered from several different sources (including this one):

2 Eggs - yolks and whites separated
2 Tbl (or 1oz) Cream cheese - softened (and cooled) so it's blendable
1/4 tsp Baking powder

I made my first batch and it was good. Instead of individual clouds, I did a cake-style batch and sliced it afterward. I used it to sandwich my burger patty. This is it turned out:

Like I said, it was just okay. That's because it was before I had a better batch. The bread came out a little eggy tasting and soft. I should have baked it longer than the 12 minutes. I was too worried I would burn it.

So. Time to give it another try, right?

This is how I have modified the recipe (and tripled it) so that it is slap-yo-mama delicious:

Eggs
Cream cheese
Baking powder
Vanilla Extract (just a 1/4 tsp)
Sweetener (I used a full Tbls of table sugar this time)

The extract and sweetener made all the difference between "This is good and I can use it every now and then" to "This is amazing and I can give up bread and cookies ".

Beautiful. Notice how clean the pan is. That's because the batter didn't stick to it. I use a Wilton Perfect Results pan because it's cheap and sturdy. This bread was firmer and had a much better taste. I'm sure that the sugar helped with the browning and texture.

Now, there are a couple of things I learned that I'll pass on:

• If you don't have parchment paper, use a metal baking sheet (lightly oiled)
• Make sure to whip the egg whites to very stiff peaks (use metal or glass bowl for this)
• For bread, bake about 15 minutes on 300. For cookie/snack, bake an additional 10 minutes on 200. Check often so the batter doesn't burn. 
• You may need to rotate the pan once during baking so that batter cooks evenly. 
• Let the bread cool completely before removing from the pan. I waited 20 minutes.

This is why I said to use a metal pan if you don't have parchment paper:

Yeah. Look at that. Just a  hot funky mess. ~sigh~

Notice how the batter didn't even cook the same. The bread came out so thin and fragile that all I could use it for was snacking. Also, you can see that it didn't brown as well as the bread that was done in the metal pan.

Left = Metal pan perfection
Right = Whatever the hell...

Anyway...

The biggest thing I love about the modified recipe is that I can make smaller pieces, brown the bread darker, then broil for a moment to get something that will make substitutes for cookies. If I need to, I can always check out these other recipes for cookies and treats:

• Chocolate chip cookies
• Cheese Danish
• Mini vanilla cakes
• Chocolate Cloud cookies (that look amazingly like actual CC cookies!)

Obviously, you can get creative and do a lot with the basic cloud bread recipe. For now, I am happy enough with the batch I made.

Peace
--Free

**Info Probe** Tumeric (for flavor, health & beauty)

Since I posted about the types and benefits of butter (and ghee), I've been thinking of some of the other easily accessible products that we could all be taking advantage of. I'm thinking mainly of food items that lots of other cultures already make use of - and that we Westerners don't.

Turmeric became one of my favorite cooking powders several months back. I started adding it to my coffee and baked foods when I heard that it was supposed to be anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory. Due to the aging process (and maybe some of the meds I've been on), I needed the anti-inflammatory properties. What I didn't know about turmeric is how many other healthy benefits it can have.

Just like when I was posting the information about butter, I want to point out that it pays to look to a variety of cultures for healthy ideas. Turmeric is, I learned, used in Ayurvedic medicine for treating a number of disorders. Of course, I know very little about the religious/spiritual aspects of Ayurvedic medicine, I can appreciate the things that are beneficial to physical health.

Other than the flavor it adds to food, one of the things I like most about turmeric is the vivid yellow color of the powder. When I bake meats and veggies, I love to add the yellow turmeric with some deep red curry powder.

The yellow color is not just something to please the eyes. Apparently, the main active ingredient in turmeric is something called curcumin. The amounts of curcumin found in turmeric is small and since it's not easily absorbed by the body, some people prefer to get the curcumin in higher doses via supplements. On the other hand, curcumin is better absorbed when combined with fatty substances or black pepper. I am intrigued by the anti-oxidant (and other healthy) claims of a curcumin extract so I've ordered some. Of course, I will let you all know how that works out.

As far as non-food/uses for turmeric, you've probably already heard about using it as an eyeshadow. I think the first time I heard about that was when everyone was doing beauty hacks using cocoa and sugar and other kitchen staples. I'm careful about what I will use on my face - even natural products. I suggest that anyone planning on experimenting with this will make sure to use a lot of caution. I'm not sure if turmeric can

Just for kicks, I did a quick search for beauty tips using turmeric and... there are lots. Pinterest is, of course, loaded with various ideas and then there are all the folks selling books and products that include turmeric. As soon as I saw that turmeric can be used for hair removal, I was out. Here's just one link to give you an idea of some beauty uses. Like I said, proceed with caution.

Because I really like the Wellness Mama site, I wanted to include this link about turmeric. I was paying attention to the cautions as well as to the general info provided.

Since turmeric is mainly used for food, I am including some links for using it in the kitchen:

• I had not thought yet of adding it to my greens! I'm gonna be all over this next time I cook up some collards and kale. There is also a recipe for a ginger-turmeric tea that I want to try out.
• I hate slideshow articles but , hot dang, if Bon Appétit doesn't make stuff look yummy.
• Recipe for making golden paste  - which pairs turmeric with the pepper and oil to increase absorption.
• A few more ways to use turmeric and golden paste in foods/beverages.

So, there you go. There are lots of reasons to look into using turmeric and lots of ways to do so. If anyone has any tips and/or recipes, don't be shy about sharing.

Peace
--Free

**NOTE - For anyone who, like me, wondered if curcumin was the same as cumin, the answer is no.  Maybe I ought to do my next Probe on cumin!



No-brainer DISCLAIMER: I assume you all know that I am not a doctor or any other type of medical professional. You should use your common sense and your doctor's advice when it comes to your health.

**ALERT** Keto Summit 2016 (Hurry!)

You've heard me raving about the keto diet. It's low carb/high fat eating to lose weight. If you want to learn more about it, go over and sign up for the Keto Summit. 

You can sign up for free but if you want extra access features, there are paid options. I'm doing the freebie! Here is the link to sign up for a ticket to be sent to your email:

The Keto Summit

The 2016 summit runs from September 25 - October 5th and it's an online event. I see that folks can sign up as affiliates so you might want to check that out.

In case you are wondering, I am not getting paid or compensated for this shout out. I just want to share the word about the keto diet. I'm happy with the way I am not eating. I am losing the weight slower than some people but I don't care. The way I am now eating is so satisfying (and cheap), filling (and cheap), and easy to live by (and cheap) that I can't even think of it as being on a diet.

Some people I know have been asking about how to get started on this keto regimen.  I'm still learning the basics myself. I just know that I feel better and look better since I've started lowering the carbs and adding healthy fats to my nutrition. So this summit might be the best way to start accumulating information. Also, I will be adding links to more information in upcoming posts.

Someone in a Facebook group told me about the summit and I was glad. I'd never heard of such a thing before. For a diet? Wow. Okay. So I am just was curious as anyone else about the event. I will recap afterwards, depending on how things go.

Peace
--Free

Low Carb Check-in (and a **REVIEW** of Atkins Snack Bar)

So, it's Day 3 (if I am counting full days & not the one where I cheated like Tiger Woods) and I was able to get into a top that I bought months ago, and I was able to get into my cute boots. Yay.

Odd thing is, I'm losing inches but I don't see a bit decrease in pounds. Matter of fact, depending on which time of day I step on the scale, I might be a bit UP in weight from the last time.

Good news is, I've decided not to worry about the pounds showing on the scale as much as I look at how my clothing fits. Also, how I feel is a big indicator of positive results. The most positive result so far: I'm not as crashed-out and tired feeling. Last night I worked on the book for more than 3 hours at a sitting, That has not happened in a while because I either get sleepy or muddled and have to stop working.

I've gotten into a better groove with my eating patterns. I'm not just scarfing down eggs or chops like it's a command performance. I had to learn to eat when I'm hungry. That sounds crazy, because everyone knows to eat when they are hungry. Right? Maybe not. As my body adjusts to this diet, I'm finding that I'm not hungry as often as I used to be. I've had to break the habit of eating food (or snacks) just because they are there, Basically, I'm learning to listen to my true hunger and, for any snacks, I'm pacing myself.

I already told you that I love, love, love this flavor of Market Pantry brand water enhancer:

I actually thought about trying another flavor, but I'm going to stick with what I know! Plus, these are only around $2.65 at the regular price and I'm sure there's going to be a sale every now and then.  My niece and a couple of my friends really like the Crystal Light powders. I wasn't crazy about Crystal Light because of the fake/acidic aftertaste.  (If anyone has tried the Dasani ones, let me know what you think about those.)

One thing that I will be re-stocking is that Viva Labs Organic Cacao Powder that I reviewed not long ago. It has become a favorite substitute for creamer when I need to add flavor to my coffee.  In addition to the yummy taste (which, by the way, is great for boosting those cheap and weak-tasting coffees), cacao powder is good for the body in general. I've been worried about my sarc for the last several months and am doing everything I can to boost my immune system. (Now I will have to do a review of the powder!)

I take the pure cacao (left)
and add it to coffee creamer powder (right)

Okay, that all covers the check-in part of this post. Let's move on to the REVIEW of the Atkins Bars,
which are now a favorite snack of mine - even though I think they're kind of pricey. Or maybe not. I just re-checked my receipt and see that I paid $6.29 for a box of 5 bars. So, not too bad, I guess. I should look for them at Costco or Sam's to see if there is a price-break.

I was only tempted by the name of these. That photo doesn't exactly make the mouth water, does it?

It looks like a lie

Most sugar-free or low-sugar have a weird texture, an odd metallic undertaste, or they just make you want to spit them out and scrape your tongue free of any residue.

To start by telling the truth, I never expect a low-carb, low-sugar "snack" to taste good. My sister, a brother, and my mother were all diabetic dialysis patients. You better bet that I've tasted my share of "high protein", low-sugar bars, shakes, candies, etc.

It's a good thing I got to the stage of opening up the wrapper. I was really encouraged by the look of the actual bar. I have to suggest Atkins changes that wrapper which almost scared me into buying a Snickers instead.

is that malted milk in the center???
I loathe malted milk!

This low-carb treat is almost as good as a Snickers. Mostly. it reminds me of a large version of those little round "turtle" candies but with less carmel.

These are turtle candies

This is the Atkins

No malted milk anywhere in there, praise Jesus.

The chocolate is surprisingly smooth and, well, chocolate-y. Sometimes, "healthy" chocolate has a waxy texture. I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the store when I had my first bite and, boy, this one hit the tongue like a good, messy chocolate, just the way I like it. After eating nothing but eggs, chops, and neckbones for a few days, this was such a welcome treat. I'm sure that anyone seeing me right then wanted to suggest that my chocolate and I go get a room.

Now, there is a bit of a salty undertaste that I didn't notice the first time I ate one of these. I guess I was so excited about snacking on something involving chocolate and nuts to notice. My tongue was too happy with the chocolate to taste any salt. And the saltiness is not very pronounced or unpleasant. As a matter of fact, just like most chocolate lovers know, the saltiness sort of  intensified the chocolate flavor

So, yes, in my book, this bar is a winner.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Suja Organic (organic juices)

My weight has gone up. Again. Probably has something to do with the fact that I tried eating way through North Texas...





(None of those photos show my chowdowns at WhatABurger, ChicFilA, Jack in the Box, Sonic or the aisles of Kroger...)

The last week that I was there, I slowed down and tried eating healthier. I discovered a love for sushi (as long as it is cooked) and certain seafood is cheaper there in Costco. I took up walking because of the amazing trail system that is near my niece's house. By the way, I wish that more places had a color-coded system of walking/biking trails. I think that having such an even terrain and safe place to walk would be a huge motivation for people to get in shape.

As part of my diet, I tried to drink a lot more water. Also, I tried out a couple of juices that are new to me. This is the first one I tried out:

 It's "Sweet Beets" by Suja Essentials. I picked it up because I love beet juice and the other ingredients are nice. The one ingredient that I had never tried was tumeric. Because of the other flavors, I can't describe the taste accurately, but it didn't take away from the light and mellow sweetness of the drink. What it did do was, uh... "move" me. After just one bottle (which I sipped out of over about two hours), I was doing 'eliminations' like nobody's business. Really. Nobody needed to be involved with that.

I've been looking around for the same blend of "Sweet Beets" but can only find this one of "Berry Goodness" here in Anchorage.

Of course, I haven't yet been to all the local stores to look for the brand.

The only downer to this product is the price. In Texas, I paid $2.50 each for 2 bottles (because there was a store sale). In Anchorage I paid around $3.50 for the one bottle. Crazy, right?

Since I like the "Sweet Beet" brand, I plan to juice the combination of ingredients myself. As much as I like the brand, if I can't find a better price, I will probably only buy it once in a blue moon. BUT, for anyone who can afford it, the juice is pretty terrific. Both blends taste great and they aren't too thin or thick. I could actually use one as a meal substitute. Also, in the warmer weather, the juice was super refreshing and cooling.

Oh - speaking of meal replacement,  there is one other thing about these juices: the calorie content is up there. For the "Sweet Beets" it's 210 calories for a 12-oz bottle (plus 65 mg of sodium, 40g sugar and 49g in carbs). "Berry Goodness" is 190 calories (0 sodium, 36g sugar and 44g carbs).

Yeah.

Just like with most "healthy" juices, you have to watch the nutrition labels for the real story. I was only looking at the brand's hype label when I purchased the juice. They do have great hype.

I think that a lot of us focus on the 'organic' notice and ignore the breakdown of the content. There is good and not-so-good in the two juices I tried.

Plus side: "Sweet Beets" daily value is 90% Vit A and 4% of calcium (but only 1g dietary fiber and 2g protein).

The "Berry Goodness" values are high in Vit C at 42%, with 5% iron and4% calcium. Fiber is 2g and protein is 1g.

Since my body reacted to the "Sweet Beets" in ways that it never has to the other ingredients, I figured I needed to learn more about turmeric. I've only ever heard of it being used to season food. What I learned is that it does have a laxative effect. Also, I wanted to be aware of any possible cautions and side effects. I don't love that whole "stimulating the appetite" part!

Bottom line: I really enjoy the juice (at least the 2 I've tried), but the cost is up there right along with the calories. This is something that will be a splurge treat - maybe in place of a fatty coffee? - but not one that I can indulge often.

By the way, I have re-joined the gym and am working to be in top shape before the sun warms Anchorage again. That should give me ample time!

Peace
--Free


NOTE: I was calling the whole brand "Suja Essentials" but, as you can see on their site, "Essentials" is just one of a line of several types of juices. Sorry about that Suja!

**REVIEW** Dr Miller Miracle Tea - OR Cleansing Naturally (part 3 of 3)

This is going to be a long post, but I hope it's useful for anyone looking to switch up their eating habits. (By the way, Amazon has already credited my refund. Love those guys!)

Now that I've experienced the Miracle Tea and found that it just doesn't work for me, I figure this is a good time to resort back to a proven method for cleansing my body (colon and all).  The tea might be fine for most people, but I am going to get back to basics with my situation.

I've gone through many changes and challenges with food. I've done well and not so well. And I am going back over and taking a look at some of those situations. To give myself, some credit, I haven't done so badly with my nutrition in the past few years - at least when I'm actually thinking about what I eat.

For me, right now, back to basics means just eating right. If I do that, I shouldn't have to do any kind of cleanse, right? And I know that changing up my diet actually does work. So, I have changed it up. Or, rather, gotten back to some of the basics.

Pretty basic, right?

 When I was getting back into shape post-prednisone, I indulged in lots of fruits and vegetables. I love almost any kind of fruit, but I'm picky about vegetables. I had to learn to get a good intake of all kinds of veggies in a way that I could enjoy them. Also, eating healthy is stressful unless you do enjoy it.

You might remember my trusty blender. You know, from the first time I was on a detox.  Even after I finished losing most of the weight I wanted to, until a few months ago, I still enjoyed doing what I call a veggie binge on a regular basis.

Still trusty, after all these ye- uh, months

A "veggie binge" is what I do for a few weeks when my body is feeling out of sorts. I will do nothing but a massive amount of vegetables (via smoothies and salads) for three or four days of a week and, for the rest of the week, eat just about anything but bread and other starches.

This binge seems to re-regulate my body and boost my energy levels. If I was smart (or disciplined) enough, I would never go off the binge. That's what I'm going to try to work up to this time: adopting the binge as a lifestyle.

The key to this kind of diet is to shop smart. Here in Alaska, fruits and vegetables can be pricey (especially during the winter months) so you have to always stick to a really defined food budget. You have to cut out those "treats" of cafe-bought coffee and any food bought through a drive-through window. Also, you have to spend a little more time planning food prep.

This is not all as tricky as it might sound. At least not for me. I just have to not be lazy about my food needs. And there are so many benefits to eating better - especially for someone with health problems. Me.

First, let's look at some of those benefits:

• You can handle a lot of common physical complaints with changing up your diet: fatigue, constipation, mental sluggishness, skin and hair issues, etc.
• Even with my more serious health issues, I can get some relief from changing my diet. I lost weight which helped SO much as far as my joint pain; eating right cleared out some of the toxic feeling I got from being on different medications; drinking more water and eating certain things certainly helped my kidney function. 
• In my opinion, eating healthier helped my mental state. Instead of taking anti-depressants, I looked to natural sources of vitamins and minerals to help me. Depression is a big problem when you have a chronic illness - just because of the way a disease affects every other aspect of your life. I still have my moments, but those moments are worse when I'm not eating well.
• Controlling your weight is easier when you are satisfying your hunger correctly. If I'm going to overeat, I guess it's better to overindulge with foods that are giving me good nutrients instead of empty calories.

Common sense tells you that things like better nutrition, good rest, and less stress equal better overall health. Before I was diagnosed with my sarcoidosis, I was smoking like a house on fire, rarely eating right, not resting very well and, Lord knows, I had a bunch of stress to deal with. I always wonder if the sarc would have remained dormant if I had treated my body better.

My health is still nowhere near where I'd like it to be but, if I hadn't listened to my doctors and changed up my nutrition for several months, there's no telling how much worse off I'd be now. And, trust me, I don't want to get worse.

Anyway, Amazon has agreed to refund my money for the tea, so I was able to hit the stores and stock up for at least a two weeks of a veggie binge. You saw what I've been eating/blending for the past couple days. Here's what I got from the store:

It's actually dark PURPLE

• Collard greens
• Turnip greens
• Red Cabbage
• Broccoli crowns
• Apples
• Beets
• Raw almonds
• Soy milk (vanilla flavored)
• Vine tomatoes

Luckily, I already had on hand some things that I can use:

• Chaga nectar
• Green tea powder
• Raw spinach
• Raw ginger

By the way, I don't care what anyone says, I don't count tomato as a fruit. I'm going to use the apples and soy as my sweetening agents to mask all those veggies. 

Having just enough fruit to sweeten the blend is my trick for getting all those veggies ingested. Sometimes, I will add a tablespoon of frozen OJ (no water added) into the mix, but I forgot to get some.

I will do a approximately 20-ounce smoothie to get me through the main part of the day. Sometimes, that's enough but, if I'm still hungry for something, I will do salads the rest of the day. By "salad" I mean all veggies, no mixed dressing. My favorite salad is to drizzle extra virgin olive oil over some of the green veggies, add some sliced tomatoes and onion, then hit with a little salt and pepper. The tomatoes and olive oil make a kind of dressing of their own. Since we still have a bunch of eggs around, I might boil one to throw on top.

For the non-binge days, I will eat a really well-seasoned pork chop or piece of chicken that's baked or fried (yes, fried - but in olive oil) or I will snack on summer sausage and cheese. I can do without bread if my meat is good enough. Also, I can be satisfied with a snack of canned smoked clams or fish. By the way, I really have to watch my calcium intake, which is another reason I have to alternate my binge days with non-binge days.

If I do get tempted to snack on something not so nutritious, I just do it and move on. My biggest weakness is if someone comes home with pizza. I love pizza. Luckily, we hardly ever do pizza without a salad, so...

Anyway, I'm attempting to use the app that came with my latest phone. You know - the one I got to replace one went blizto right in the middle of a family crisis. Well, the app is pretty cool and not that hard. Just takes discipline to actually use it and pay attention to it. It's Samsung's S Health. The food tracking part of the app is a little bit annoying. Inputting is tricky and sometimes requires converting things. I hate math.

Looks like a lot of food, doesn't it?

I want to stick with this healthy eating plan - not for months at a time like I've previously done, but for life. For life. Hmmm.

If you are thinking of changing up your nutrition, maybe this will help:

This is what the Mediterranean Diet looks like (according to some sources)

And this is what I imagine most people eat. 

(And for the folks who claim it's how many calories and not where you get those calories, I disagree. That might work for weight loss, but we have to eat healthy food for better health.)

Which one more closely resembles yours?

This is some comparative information -

• Differences between the 2 diets and again
• Modern Mediterraneans might be slipping into unhealthy eating 
• Looking at healthy eating
• And then there's the Okinawa diet

The bottom line is that there are plenty of ways to eat healthy, every individual has to make the choice. Making good choices when there are so many bad alternatives around takes discipline and commitment.

I'm ready.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I recently heard about and tried the Smoocing (lite) app. It's for people who do juices & smoothies. My review is the only one up on Google Play as of today, if you care what I think about it.

Do you Chaga?

Today*, when I visited the Center (Farmers') Market of Alaska-grown products in our Sears Mall, I didn't intend to spend a penny. Actually, I was only at the mall to pick up a few grocery items from Carrs-Safeway... Yeah, well. Send me near a mall and watch what happens, right?

I'm glad I got detoured and took a look at what the vendors had to offer. I discovered something interesting. This:

These are both nectars made from the Chaga mushroom/fungus. Apparently, this is something that grows all over Alaska (and other places, of course) on birch trees. 

I've been in Alaska almost as long as I have been living. Why did I not know about this?

Chaga is something that many indigenous people use as part of their diet and natural medicinal needs. Native Alaska peoples are very aware of the Chaga mushroom and its benefits. Okay. I not only have lived here most of my life, some of my family is Native Alaskan.

Once again, why did I not know about the Chaga mushroom? Well, probably because I didn't pay attention to everything that this dear woman tried to teach me while she was still here on earth:

In her 60's, she would walk for miles like she was 15 years old!

That's Marie. She's the grandmother to some of my nieces and nephews. I should have listened to her That woman could go for walks from one end of town to the other, just because she could. She could outwalk a teenager! Anyway, Marie, I am paying attention. Finally.

So, about the Chaga mushroom, tea, nectar, etc. There are many benefits. Here are some links for more information:

• The history, uses and benefits
• Targeting specific health issues with Chaga
• Anti-oxidant comparison chart
• Eartherbs has some good info
• Some detailed information on the mushroom
• Talk about this being the mushroom of "immortality" (?) Okay...
• This explains why Chaga mushrooms look the way they look

I haven't looked through all this information myself, but I did get an overview of the benefits from a couple of the vendors at the Farmers Market. I didn't get any of the tea because I wanted to start with the nectar. The vendors explained that I can add the nectar to my tea, coffee and cereals. That's an easy way to get started with something I wanted to ease into using.

Since am fighting immune problems, I decided to invest in a jar of the nectar from the first place I stopped at. Then I ended up getting upset with myself for not checking a stall further down. Different shaped jar, but same amount (just around 5oz) of the nectar for half the price. What I realized a few days later is that the more expensive nectar was also much thicker in texture and had a richer taste. I suspect it had more Chaga than the cheaper brand...

Now, about this Ch-ch-chaga. (You knew I had to do it. And I'm silly from being sleep-deprived. Forgive me.) As with anything, we have to be careful to check with our doctors to make sure that something we ingest doesn't interact badly or interfere with any prescribed medicines or medical conditions. That said, I'm not thrilled with the last doctor I saw and I am looking for a new G.P., so I've gone ahead and used the nectar. I haven't had any negative reactions that I can tell and I've had a couple of labs done since then to check my blood and urine.

Before I get to the various pieces of info I did check out online, let me give you my take on the taste of the 2 nectars I purchased. 

The $10 nectar is plain and sweetened (I can`t remember with what, but here is their Facebook page, if you want to ask). It`s pretty yummy. When I taste-tested it on a spoon before I bought it, I expected it to taste like a flavored honey. At room temp, it looks just like honey but with heavier caramel color. It has the texture of honey. I was surprised that it tasted so much nicer than honey. To me, the taste was sweeter and richer. Like the difference between whole milk and cream. When the vendor was suggesting different ways to use it (in coffee and tea and on my oatmeal or cereal), I remember thinking that I could just keep licking it right off of a spoon. (And I have done this a couple of times since I got the nectar.)

The $5 nectar is with honey and ginger.  It has the same room-temp constency (maybe a little thinner than the other nectar) and it`s lighter in color. You can taste a hint of the ginger and lemon flavor, but they are not overwhelming. (I actually accidentally used it in my coffee and, surprisingly, it was fine.) I have also eaten this one right off a spoon. I`ll get to that whole "off the spoon thing" later.

When I commented before about the differences in pricing, I hadn`t had a chance to notice the nectars after they had been refrigerated. The more expensive nectar was thickened 5-fold. The less expensive one was about the same consistency it had been at room temp. It was a tiny bit thicker, but not nearly as much. I don`t know why this is, but I am going to do more research. I mean, is it because there is more Chaga in the $10 item? Or is it because the other item has ginger and lemon added? Curious, right? (By the way, my nephew - who is half Alaska native - told me that this is because there was more Chaga extract in the thicker nectar. Get what you pay for, yes?)

I have learned a bit from digging around online and talking to a person I trust.

The person I spoke  with (I will call her "May") is a Native Alaskan who respects her heritage and has been practicing the use of natural resources from the land. She told me that her people have been using Chaga since forever. They appreciate the antioxidant powers and healing aspects of the Chaga Mushroom. It still amazes me that this nectar was made using a mushroom that I have grown up seeing yet never paid mind to. I have family members who are natives of this land and this is the one thing none of them ever brought up. I realize now that I probably was just not paying attention.

May explained that the Chaga she uses grows on the sides of Birch trees. She said that they are odd-looking and easy to recognize (hard to mistake, as with some other fungi, berries and plants). 

She described them as looking a little like they have a beard. This is when they are ready for picking. And, weirdly, the mushrooms are hard like wood when they are picked and stored. When you hear "mushroom", you`re probably thinking soft and spongy. (When I saw one of the mushrooms displayed by a vendor, I did think it was just a strange-looking piece of wood. That`s what it looked and felt like. If I had been more coherent, I would have noticed that the item was one of the mushrooms the nectar had been made from.)

I forget the rest of what May told me, but she did advise that I could pick my own Chaga Mushrooms and make my own teas. (I will be talking with her later so I can take notes and update this post.) I also am going to speak with a good friend who will probably be able to help me with making nectar from the mushroom.

From searching around online, I have learned that Chaga is not any kind of a mystery to any culture who does pay attention to nature and its benefits to health and wellness. Note some of the info in the links I provided earlier.

I have learned that you can ingest Chaga as a tea or a powder (to add to food and drink); you can add the nectar to almost anything that you want to sweeten. Now that I know I like it in general, I'm going to give the tea a try. By the way, I saw the Chaga items flavored in many ways: root beer, lemon, ginger, peppermint, etc. (I will stick with my lemon-ginger and the plain sweetened flavor for now.)

What I can tell you now that I have been using this for a couple of months, this stuff did increase my energy. I was having one of the roughest weeks of my life and was just ragged out with fatigue. Coffee only works until you get all jittery and sick of it. The nectar was something that I could eat right off a spoon or add to some tart juice (think Cranberry) and it gave me energy that felt more like a second wind than a caffeine hurricane. It didn't give me the shakes, irrita-bitchies or make my heart raise. I just felt like I could get through the next few hours. Of course, I had to crash at some point, but I really appreciated the little boost when I needed it.

NOTE: I first started this post way back in, I think, October. I had to update some of it so forgive me if the post is disjointed. Also, I have since gotten some of the tea in a concentrated form. I add a couple teaspoons of it to my green teas, coffee, or I just make a hot Chaga tea and add some of the nectar to sweeten it. Right after Mike's passing, I wasn't eating for several days at a time and I think drinking the green tea and Chaga kept me from just dropping on my face.

Peace

--Free