Beating your sweet tooth!

Now and then (sometimes more now rather than then) we all get cravings for something sweet. While some research has claimed that taking a ten minute power walk around the neighborhood can help calm the craving of chocolate, other times there just really isnt any other way around it- you have to cave in! But now there's no need to feel guilty because a healthier option is in store. Next time you're craving a delciously sweet snack try unrefined sugars such as those found in honey, brown sugar, maple syrup or molasses. According to new research being performed at Virginia Tech, unrefined sugars contain potentially useful amounts of antioxidants which help ward off free radicals and combat infectious diseases!

http://eating.health.com/2009/03/23/healthier-way-to-eat-sweets/

As for just honey, researches claim there may be many different health benefits to it other than just being a delicious additive to teas!

~as a diet helper: In a 2008 study by the Journal of Food Science, scientists reported that rats fed with a honey sweetened diet gained 23% less fat than rats fed with refined sugars over a year long span!

~ as a cough suppressant: Researchers say the part of the brain that senses sweetness and that causes coughing are near to each other, so by eating honey it may help trick the brain into supressing the cough!

~as allergy relief: When honeybees collect honey they gather many different types of pollens that may cause your itchy eyes, running nose, etc. By exposing your immune system to these things (which may be found in honey from the honey bee's legs) you may reduce your allergy to them or chance to develop side effects!

http://www.eatingwell.com/news_views/green/healing_with_honey.html

Here are some sinfully sweet (but healthier) sweet tooth buster recipes! Yumm!

http://eating.health.com/2008/03/05/kiss-cookies/

http://eatingwell.com/recipes/almond_honey_butter_cookies.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/flourless_honey_almond_cake.html

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/cranberry_muesli.html

Here's to a little adventure :]

So this is my first blog dedicated to an adventure like I planned on writing about! For some time now I've been planning and training to run my first ever road race and over break I accomplished just that! On Saturday March 21st my boyfriend and I ran Holyoke's Saint Patrick's Day Road Race (Holyoke, Ma). In total the race was a 10K (6.2 miles). I have always been physically active my whole life, participating in year round sports and while in college I've been a member of the field hockey team but training for this was unlike any other preseason or season of practices I've ever gone through. I made the decision to participate in this race at the beginning of this year as a goal that I would like to accomplish for myself and asked my boyfriend to do it with me. I figured that there would be no harm in trying to do it, our goal wasn't to win the race-it was just to finish and have fun! Not having ever participated in a road race before made me very nervous-I had no idea what to expect! The gym that I belong to at home actually had workout schedules that you could use to get in shape (which I started my training off with) and made me feel a little better about my current level of fitness. Since my field hockey season ended I had been running everyday-starting with 3-4 miles then working my way up to ther 6.2 then some hard days with 8. Up until spring break, though, I hadn't really done any training outdoors because it had been so cold-which might have been a mistake for me but once break came around me and boyfriend thought it would be best to at least go running outdoors once. This cracked a little bit of our butterflies about the race being so close! Now all we had to do was make sure we got enough rest, ate the right diet, and relaxed before the big day.

When Friday night rolled around I could barely sleep. Friends and family that had done the race before told me I was being silly to be worried about this race but I couldn't help it! A friend's mom kept telling me that I had nothing to worry about-that it was simply a race to have fun and enjoy the crowds and enthusiastic people. When I woke up Saturday morning I realized I didn't know what to do with myself. The race was at 1pm, so I had all morning to sit around and prepare myself for it..which may not have been a good thing. Once we got to the meeting place before the race started I realized what everyone had been telling me the whole time-everyone was so happy, excited, friendly;there was music playing, food stands, people selling balloons, it was so festive I forgot all my worries. We went and checked in, got our t-shirts (as proof we did it :) ) and made our way to the starting line. From there on out it was just an amazing expierence. Once you passed the finish line the course seemed to fly by. This past year there were a total of 3,705 people who were registered for this road race. This year was one of the most popular years because they ended up having to turn people away because so many people wanted to participate in it! I met up with a friend afterwords who still ran the race even though he didn't have his ankle braclet (for timing reasons) or had registered meaning there were still others who did the same. Although this course was pretty hilly, as you ran it you were dodging through so many people that you really didn't feel the incline as much as you thought you would. This definetly helped push yourself! The crowds throughout the whole course also made the expierience more worthwhile. Tons of families held up signs and cheered loudly for you as you ran by, younger kids held out their hands for high-fives to everyone, and people blared music outside their houses and cars to give you motivation. My boyfriend and I made a pact to stick together throughout the whole race. Once we crossed the finish line it was like a rush of excitement and relief. Not only did we accomplish our goal but it was such a great expierence.

I would reccomend running a road race to anyone if you've ever thought you might want to do it. there are many local ones around the Westfield area along with all over Massachusetts and New England. A great site to look up races near you is :www.coolrunning.com. At this site you can find upcoming road races, check times from past road races, and even learn training tips!

Nature Bites Back--Tips on what to stay away from Outdoors!

Warmer weather always gets me excited to be able to venture outside and start going on hikes with my family, friends, and boyfriend...this year I'm even more excited because I'll hopefully be able to take my new puppy! Even though the spring is beautiful with so many different flowers, trees, and plants budding there are certain things in the wild that you must stay away from if you don't want to stumble upon a nasty rash, itch, or scratch!

Three of my most popular plants in the New England area to make sure you stay away from are poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Although not all people are allergic to these things, if you've never encountered one of them (or any of them for that matter) you may be in for a nasty surprise. The good thing though is that most of the rashes that come from these three trouble makers can be treated with simple over-the-counter creams and lotions like lotions with calamine in it.

"The rash is caused by contact with an oil (urushiol) found in poison ivy, oak, or sumac. The oil is present in all parts of the plants, including the leaves, stems, flowers, berries, and roots. Urushiol is an allergen, so the rash is actually an allergic reaction to the oil in these plants. Indirect contact with urushiol can also cause the rash. This may happen when you touch clothing, pet fur, sporting gear, gardening tools, or other objects that have come in contact with one of these plants. But urushiol does not cause a rash on everyone who gets it on his or her skin."(http://www.revolutionhealth.com/conditions/skin/rash/types/poison-ivy-oak-sumac)

Charateristics of the three:

Poison ivy:
Usually has three broad, spoon-shaped leaves or leaflets, but it can have more. The phrase, "Leaves of three? Let it be." may help you remember what poison ivy looks like!
Grows as a climbing vine or a low, spreading vine that sprawls through grass (more common in eastern states) or as a shrub. Often grows along rivers, lake fronts, and ocean beaches.
Has bright red leaves and white or cream berries in the autumn.Poison oak
Poison oak is most common in the western United States, although it is also found in eastern states. It rarely is found in midwestern states.
Poison oak:
Has leaves that look like oak leaves, usually three leaflets but sometimes up to seven per leaf group.
Grows as a vine or a shrub.

Poison sumac:
Has 7 to 13 leaflets per leaf stem. The leaves have smooth edges and pointed tips.
Grows as a shrub or small tree.

Remember the best way to prevent these allergic reactions from happening is to be educated and aware of the plants around you. When hiking, always be on the lookout for any plants, bushes, or trees that resemble poison ivy, oak, or sumac because you never know if it really is the real thing!

Eating healthy made easy for picky eaters!

After spending lots of time trying to convince family members and some friends that they should be eating more whole grain products instead of regular pastas and white breads, and eating more fruits and veggies for snacks instead of cookies and candy it occured to me that maybe their problem isn't that they are being stubborn-maybe it's that they really just don't like the food itself. A few of my very close friends concider themselves to be picky eaters, which has never held me back (I don't like certain things-seafood, especially), but I have still always been on their case about eating less processed foods. My best friend claims he loves vegetables, which is great, but then when you ask him what ones he'd like to eat at tonights dinner he'll respond,"I'll only eat carrots, cucumbers, corn on the cob or potatoes." Ahhh there's the catch-what he conciders to be "liking vegetables" really isn't liking vegetables- it's only liking a select few. For this same friend the opposite happens when you ask him what kind of candy he wants to snack on at the movies- here's where his list really is never ending-dots, gummi bears, gummi worms, skittles, the list goes on and on.

In my best effort to change his ways and help to him realize exactly how he can improve his diet a little bit I decided to research healthy eating tips for picky eaters, hoping it would help. Here's what I found:

* Start with the food you do like: if only like apples and bananas out of the fruit family it's a good start! These two fruits are rich in the daily fiber your body needs! From here try adding these two fruits to morning (Kashi Go Lean Crunch is my personal favorite-it's whole grain and still sweet!). From here on out you will be getting the reccommended serving of fruit in no time!

* Find a diet that allows you to choose the foods you like: Although it might be hard to find a variety in the foods you're eating and you may end up having a harder time keeping the calorie count to a low roar, you'll naturally do better on a diet with the foods you like on it! weight watchers is an example of this type.

* Go on a food adventure!: Who doesn't like a little adventure? Maybe the reason you say you don't like a certain fruit or veggie is because you've never tried it! Here's some ideas to do this:

-Challenge your taste buds~foods you hated growing up you may like now-your taste buds change as you get older!

-Try different forms~if you're used to eating things canned try fresh...it's a totally different texture, taste, and crunch! If you can't give up eating canned soups try low-sodium types instead which don't taste all that different and are healthier.

- Go Ethnic~maybe you dont like the way that we cook a certain vegetable here in the US, but by trying a recipe from another country (i.e. cajun seasoning) may excite your taste buds and help you realize that vegetables potential.

- Try hierloom varieties~maybe you don't really like the taste of eggplant, but the white eggplant version is a totally different sensation!

-Ask the chef~ if you've ever gone out and liked the dinner you ordered (and wouldn't usually like it otherwise) try going back and asking the chef the recipe! If they give it to you that means you have no excuse to not cook it up at home yourself!

- Add some toppings~If you're not that crazy about green or yellow beans but like breadcrumbs, make your own and sprinkle them on top of those freshly steamed veggies-it adds a different flavor then that of just the bean. Also, adding spices and seasonings like pesto to vegetables can help also!

So hopefully what I found will help all you picky eaters out there a little!

http://diet.health.com/2009/02/24/diet-tips-for-picky-grown-up-eaters/2/