Let's All Quit Sugar! (Sort of) and Let's all be Flexitarians

I saw Kris Carr's (http://kriscarr.com) documentary "Crazy Sexy Cancer" before my mom got cancer the first time.  And though this was years before I would, as an adult, buy her books and start to really think about the path I wanted my lifestyle habits to follow, it struck a cord with me. Here was this really cool person (I was a teenager, so cool was important) that had this terrible disease but was doing all these super neat alternative things about it. Drinking wheatgrass?! Totally gross! But totally cool.... so cool was this woman. I instantly loved her. And I know she wanted me to love her. She was banking on the fact that I, an american teenage girl, would be seduced by her ballsy attitude and raucous vernacular. But even now, as a responsible adult who hardly ever uses raucous vernacular, I am confident she is more concerned with saving my life (or at the very least insuring that I have a fulfilled one) then selling me a program. And so even now as I try desperately to bridge the worlds of the like of Kris Carr and Sarah Wilson (http://www.sarahwilson.com) I know I will keep the basis of me, the raw foodie at heart. I can't turn back on that. I know my inner being feels at peace when my diet is light to heavy through out the day and when I limit dairy and heavy animal proteins. I know that, especially now as my mother battles cancer for the second time (caused by the treatment that saved her life the first time) (dramatic twist!!) , she and I have more than just wanting to be less bloated or thin, we need to save our lives. Heavy stuff. We were talking in the kitchen yesterday (we are spending a lot of time there now, as I am usually found chopping or shoving things in a blender more on that later) about how this eating plan has not been hard for her to stick with. She does not crave the sugar and she feels really good. I must inject here, because many of you do not know my mother personally, she and my father both work intense, life engulfing jobs, that pay really well, but take over your whole existence. So needless to say, they both have been living off of packaged foods and take out for a long, long time. As you can guess, no Starbucks lattés and no Sonic is a big big deal. But this is real life and yesterday (with all the construction going on in her house and two roommates under the age of 11) we ended up at Yogurt Mountain and Longhorn Steakhouse (in that order).  About three ounces of sugar free yogurt, salmon with green beans and salad later, we counted the night a success. Essentially my mother and I are solidifying our commitment to a Flexitarian (http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/flexitarian/bgp-20056276)  diet. In a broad sense begin a Flexitarian means that the largest part of your daily nutritional intake comes from a vegan or vegetarian philosophy and but you would not turn your nose at the flank steak dinner your girlfriend painstakingly prepared for you to celebrate your two and half month anniversary. You live in a world of give and take (with the compass always pointing more often to veggie island). Meat and dairy choices are organic and sustainable whenever available. In a more strict sense Flexitarian diets are vegan/vegetarian until dinner. Yet, again, I know I need more flex in my Flexitarianism. I may have a vegan day, followed by a ovo lacto day that was capped by a t-rex kind of dinner. Who knows, I am a bit of a wild card. But as my mother stated in her kitchen yesterday, "It really does make sense, and really is the way everyone should be eating!" We are experiencing a collective AH HA moment. And yes, it did take cancer to get everyone on the same page. But that's ok. Because right now, despite the chemo and the doctors appointments, I get to share green juice with my mom and give her praise every day she marks off her calendar that she stuck to her commitment to controlling our sugar intake. Not only that, but our two roommates under 11 (who are still allowed cookies, more on that later) are watching us. And just as I adored the coolness of Kris Carr and still feel that admiration and inspiration even now, I hope they look back at this time and don't remember that Mema was sick, I hope instead that they remember us drinking green juice and laughing.

There is little success where there is little laughter.

-Andrew Carnegie

Let's All Quit Sugar ! (sort of) a day or so in Pictures

So we are more than half way through Day 2 of my "Let's All Quit Sugar! (sort of)" journey. And maybe for me, because I have done 21 day Cleanses before, it's not too bad. The ability to have animal protein like eggs, definitely help and make this feel more lifestyle-esq than my cleanses ever have. My mom seems to be doing well with it, which is the major victory and makes this feel slightly like a Thelma and Louis style road trip we are having in her kitchen. She and I can't control much that is going on in her life right now, but we can control what we put in her body and that's saying something. Today was a little crazy due to her having an early morning doctor appointment but we were still able to get avocado toast in her before she had to head into the clinic. Today there has been 1 green juice (mixed with coconut water), leftover salad from yesterday with some pistachios and ACV dressing, 1 cheese stick for her (and one more glass of coconut water, trying to give those platelets a boost!), an egg scrambled for me and yes some coffee with 1% Organic Cow's Milk. I will be making some quinoa stuffed spring rolls tonight for dinner and we will probably have some berries and herbal tea before bed. All together we have not had any sugar outside of the fruit infused coconut water, the apples, the toast and the milk. But all in all feeling good and don't want a cookie! #winning

I have been having simple toast with 2 TBS mashed avocado and some sliced tomato and red onion, BUT this would be a great option if you are looking for more HEFT! Sprouted Toast topped with:

Mashed avocado, Spinach, Nitrate Free Turkey Bacon and a Beautiful Fried Egg

GREEN JUICE: 1 green apple, 3 celery stalks, 1 lemon, 5 large kale leaves,1 cucumber, 1 handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of cilantro (optional) 1 handful of parsley (optional)

Serves Two about 8 grams of Sugar per Serving

Salad: any combo of dark leafy greens and vegetables of your choice (I used baby kale, spinach, carrot, tomato, sliced cucumber, green onion, yellow pepper and red onion) and a tablespoon of nuts (I used pecans) and 1 TBS homemade ACV DRESSING : 1 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar, juice from one lemon (or Lime) dash of sea salt and fresh pepper

Quinoa Bowl which included : 2 cups cooked Quinoa (sub Millet for Quinoa), one can rinsed black beans, shredded carrots, 2 cloves minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, chopped pepper, green and red onion, baby kale and spinach. And to give a little more crunch, I tossed in a couple of pecans again! I added 1 tsp of low sodium soy sauce and the juice of one lime to ACV dressing and mixed about 3 tbs of sauce to mix. Each serving of quinoa mix was topped with three chopped chicken tenders I cooked in olive oil in a sauté pan. 

Fruit Infused Coconut Water: Add any sliced fruit (We are sticking to low to medium fructose fruits) to organic unflavored coconut water and let stick in a closed jar or container over night. This is not a staple by any means in the "Let's All Quit Sugar! (sort of)" Plan, But as my mom has MDS- we are including it in our dietary intake. It does have 9 grams of sugar per 8 oz. 

(http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/myelodysplastic/Patient/page1)

Cancer is messy and scary. You throw everything at it, but don't forget to throw love at it. It turns out that might be the best weapon of all.

-Regina Brett

I Quit Sugar (Sort of) Plan and My Day One

Week ONE:

We are choosing our own path here, so you are going to see multiple options:

Upon waking you are going to have one of the following:

• Hot Water with Lemon
• Coffee with/without Milk of Choice and/or Stevia
• Herbal Tea with/without Milk of Choice and/or Stevia 

Meal 1: Toast With Avocado, Tomato, Red Onion and Sea Salt

Meal 2: GREEN JUICE: 1 green apple, 3 celery stalks, 1 lemon, 5 large kale leaves,1 cucumber, 1 handfuls of spinach, 1 handful of cilantro (optional) 1 handful of parsley (optional)

OR if not juicing, blend above ingredients for a (just squeeze the juice out of the lemon) smoothie OR no smoothies? Have homemade salsa an veggie sticks and/or crackers (The I Quit Sugar Lady has a great recipe for homemade super crackers)

Meal 3: Salad: any combo of dark leafy greens and vegetables of your choice (I used baby kale, spinach, carrot, tomato, sliced cucumber, green onion, yellow pepper and red onion) and a tablespoon of nuts (I used pecans) and 1 TBS homemade ACV DRESSING : 1 tbs olive oil, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar, juice from one lemon (or Lime) dash of sea salt and fresh pepper

Meal 4: More Green Juice or a small piece of fruit (preferably low fructose) and a protein source (almond butter)

Meal 5: Needs to include protein source (Animal or Soy your choice), Grain and Vegetable: I have a quinoa bowl which included : 2 cups cooked Quinoa (sub Millet for Quinoa), one can rinsed black beans, shredded carrots, 2 cloves minced garlic, chopped tomatoes, chopped pepper, green onion, baby kale and spinach. I added 1 tsp of low sodium soy sauce and the juice of one lime to ACV dressing and mixed about 3 tbs of sauce to mix. Each serving of quinoa mix was topped with three chopped chicken tenders I cooked in olive oil in a sauté pan. 

Meal 6: Could be berries, I had one piece of toast with a little butter and melted cheese

For week one you keep the basic outline the same. Making simple changes within the outline to keep it interesting. You could have toast with spinach and egg for meal one. You could eat Avocado toast every morning. Its up to you.  Change up the veggies in Meal 3 or try different nuts. Play with herbs in the AVC Dressing. It's up to you. Here are a list of books that I am getting meals from, I suggest you check them out:

• "It's All Good"
• "Reboot with Joe"
• "Crazy Sexy Diet"
• "I Quit Sugar"
• "Beauty Detox Foods"
• Natural Health Magazine
• Yoga Journal

and some websites:

• http://iquitsugar.com
• http://www.rebootwithjoe.com
• http://kriscarr.com/blog/crazy-sexy-diet/
• http://kimberlysnyder.net
• http://nomnompaleo.com

Week Two we will add more animal protein in, unless you dig a Wilber Free diet, then its up to you!

If you are weight training during week one, I suggest you add more calorie dense foods as needed. Think eggs or Protein Powder Smoothies! 

Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It's a journey of discovery - there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.

-Rick Warren

Let's All Quit Sugar The Rules

The Rules are as follow:

No store bought treats, but you can make your own! 

Stevia is great!

When in doubt, have a glass of juice or eat an egg.

Avocados are a do

Coffee is ok! But limit to one a day

Dairy is a do, but 1% or higher...  the % goes up an so does the protein. 

Organic Organic Organic

Butter is cool, so is Earth Balance spread

If you eat Mayo... and believe me I won't be, NO LOW FAT-- it has a ton of sugar

Follow Your Heart Vegenaise is a go! No sugar

Green Apples are a go! This is how we will be sweetening our green juices!

Our Salad dressing base is:

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar 

Juice of one Lemon

pinch of sea salt

dash of fresh pepper

Your go to grains are Quinoa and Millet!

Sprouted breads are best, but whole grain are a go

Almond milk is a go, look for unsweetened 

Creativity is a go! 

Let's All Quit Sugar! (Sort of)

As some of you know, I have been a real fan of raw diets and juicing for almost four years now.  My gurus have been Kris Carr, Kimberly Synder and Joe Cross. However, these diets ( and all of the beautiful colorful juices peppered through my instagram feed) are pretty super high in fructose. And suddenly with all these peeps eating Paleo and "Quitting Sugar" it left me wondering if I could find a middle of the road. One of the biggest catalysts for this journey is pretty personal. My mom is sick... again. Ten years ago my mom kicked breast cancer to the curb with some pretty serious chemo. Come to find out this chemo from her past is pretty much causing her blood to act pretty funky today. And though, some argue it, many claim that cancer loves to live off of sugar, so my theory is to starve that jerk. But to be fair I should write that many dietitians do state that getting rid of fruit from our diets does more harm than good, especially when it comes to the cancer patient. For example:

"As Julie Baker, Clinical Oncology Dietitian at our hospital outside Atlanta, explains it: “Our bodies use glucose, the simplest unit of carbohydrate, as their primary fuel. Without adequate carbohydrate intake, our bodies will obtain glucose, or fuel, from another source. Possibilities include the breakdown of proteins we eat or proteins stored in our body, which may ultimately lead to muscle loss and malnutrition.”  

All in all though, as a collective, we ingest way too much sugar.  The American Heart Association recommends 6 teaspoons of sugar (100 calories) per day for women and  9 teaspoons (or 150 calories) per day for men. Most of us... if not almost ALL of us blow that daily intake out of the water, easily digesting two or three times that amount.  It is with that in mind that I launch this journey. Taking cues from many wellness sources I am going to devise a plan that marries the principles of both raw and paleo-esq diets into something that I hope some of us wanting to maintain that low to no sugar lifestyle can adhere to. One thing we have have to be cautious of if you are eating pre made foods (like sauces and dressings) this is where the hidden sugar lies in wait. This plan revolves around food that we make ourselves. By leaving out most pre made sauces and dressings we can almost eliminate excess sugar from our diet. 

And cutting out the sugar we attempt to fight off all the bad things we are finding come with over-consumption. We are talking about modern diseases. What makes it a modern disease? What does that even mean!? It means, we are tackling problems now that are ancestors did not have to worry about. Diseases like heart disease, type-2 diabetes and cancer. EPIC.AMOUNTS.OFCANCER. And of course, obesity.  

As a hybrid plan we will not be counting green apples, lemons, limes, blueberries and raspberries  against us. We will be allowing coffee, dairy and animal products. As a general rule of thumb when it comes to fruit will be as follows: The best fruits to choose from are Kiwi, Blueberries, Raspberries, Grapefruit and Honeydew Melon. The High-Fructose fruits and ones we should avoid are: 

Grapes, Red Apples, Pears, Mangos, Cherries and Bananas. (But even on my plan we will allow these... just not as much) The Plan will be based as a high vegetable intake diet. Basically, I tend to lean on fruits more then veggies... and I am going to up the veggies. 

I am excited and scared out of my mind by this journey. But deep in my heart I know it is time to clean out the excess sugar from my life. I am knee deep in family cancer, my own battles with hormone based disease (PCOS) and I know that there is no other choice than to find a maintainable limited sugar lifestyle. Balance is key and from all the low sugar plans I have studied, none of them seems to fit just right. So I am going to attempt to make one, juicer and all. 

Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.
- Drake

Yoga With Cheri

When I first met her, she may or may not have been having an anxiety attack. She had just purchased personal training and I was being introduced to her as the trainer that would change her life (insert halo and singing angles here). She eyed me suspiciously. I smiled back annoyingly. I like to think we instantaneously became best friends.

Cheri had a very interesting and complex health history, which understandably gave her much anxiety when it came to exercise. To be honest, our first meeting was right after her heart rate spiked while walking on the treadmill, scaring the bejeezus out of her and catapulting her into a personal training contract. She had had the "AH HA" moment. The moment when one seemingly small happenstance causes you to know it's time for a change. I have never in my life met a more inspiring and determined fighter. Within days of training, Cheri changed. Gone was the fear and here was the can do anything attitude I have been inspired by every hour  long, Bon Jovi fueled session we have spent together (and there have been a lot of them). As a personal trainer, I would love to say that every client that passes through your studio doors is special to you. That leaves a mark. But I would be lying. Just like we all have favorite children (joking!), we have favorite clients (totally true.). These clients challenge us and allow us to challenge them. They listen to us. They grow from us. And we become better trainers for having had them in our studio.  And when you tell them, go give a yoga class a try they go.... and they leave 15 minutes into it. These are the special ones because the special ones, try again. And that's how you know it has clicked. That they get it. When months later, you say we are trying yoga class again and they don't even blink an eye. They are all in.

Humans are really good at giving up. It's a major bummer. Throwing in the towel. Being afraid to put in the work or only giving enough to barely get a job done. If I could stress one thing, it would be to never give up on your health and especially not to give up on yourself. You are worth a second, third, even a fourth chance. You deserve to live your life without fear. You deserve to be like Cheri. You deserve to run. You deserve to fight. You deserve joy. You deserve to be proud of yourself. You deserve to be strong. You deserve.

There is no overnight magical change. Big change is an accumulation of many tiny changes. Cheri walked before she ran. She planked before she burpeed. Like pennies in a jar, each workout combined with the next one to increase the total value of every workout we completed over time. So, no, she did not conquer her first yoga class, but she went, she tried. And she went again. And that second class, she spent the whole hour and fifteen minutes in active practice. And I spent an hour and fifteen minutes ... well not paying too much attention to Cheri because it was a really crazy yoga class and I was trying not to fall on my face. However, when I was not focusing on my Warrior II, I did sneak a peak and mentally fist pumped the truly inspiring lady warrior-ing one mat down.

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward.

-Amelia Earhart

Welcome Back Blogger

So I got BIZAY. And completely ceased blogging. Which is sad really.... and not only for all my adoring fans who read this religiously, but because blogging kept me accountable and possibly sane. What's in a blog? Well, for me, mostly, it's getting to hopefully communicate with a diverse group of people on topics I find important and interesting. I really believe I have a lot of good things to put out into the universe and blogging has been a way for me to feel like I am doing that. Even if no one is reading them... but myself... and my mom (because she has too... because she's my mom).
I have been working in fitness for a hot minute now and have found that:

1. I am a pretty talented motivational speaker... when I remember to stop being Italian and speak slowly and without the use of my hands.

2. I really really like talking about health and wellness (mostly with my hands).

and

3. I really really like making positive connections with other humans (but pretty much exclusively oratory ... not so much with my hands).

And so I am grateful that there is this magical place called the Internet where I can do this efficiently. Doing something everyday that makes you feel purposeful in life is " totes essential" and I highly recommend everyone doing so.... every day.  It is with that driving force that I reenter my blog and I would like to encourage you to find something that makes you feel purposeful as well. And there we go... just like that... a mantra for May!

True happiness... is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

Helen Keller