Fiber is a cool thing to focus on

 

This week's challenge is a repeat from a previous round. I remember I decided to include it as a challenge because I had just listened to a podcast by Doctor Rhonda Patrick concerning the importance of fiber in our diets. I won’t require you to listen but I do heartily recommend it. It’s a great reminder of the importance of fiber not only for weight loss but also for providing what is needed to maintain a healthy gut microbiota which assists us to have a healthy immune system. The podcast can be found at https://www.foundmyfitness.com/episodes/the-sonnenburgs 

Nutrition Diva (another of my favorite pod casters)  shares four reasons that including lots of fiber in your diet are of great benefit:

Reason #1 Fiber fills you up.

If you're watching your weight, fiber is your best friend. High fiber foods fill you up with fewer calories because they are naturally bulky, which makes your stomach feel full. Fiber also slows down the digestive process so you can go longer without feeling hungry again. It even decreases the amount of fat and calories that are absorbed from the digestive tract! Trying to lose weight on a low-fiber diet is like parallel parking without power steering. Sure, it's possible, but why make things harder than they need to be?

Reason #2. Fiber prevents disease.

Fiber is your body's janitorial staff. It sweeps up digestive and cellular debris, mops up cholesterol, environmental toxins and surplus hormones, and takes out the trash. That's why a high-fiber diet reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and many kinds of cancer. If you've ever been in Manhattan during a garbage strike, you know that waste management is one municipal service you don't ever want to live without. Same with your body.

Reason #3. Life is better when you're regular

The only people who find the subject of irregularity funny are those who've never suffered from it. And the two of you can just keep your chuckles to yourself! The reason so many people suffer from occasional or chronic constipation is that most people don't eat anywhere near enough fiber. 'Nuff said.

Reason #4. Fiber hangs out with a cool crowd.

You can get more fiber by taking a fiber supplement every day. But you'll be much better off if you simply eat more foods that are naturally rich in fiber. That's because fiber tends to be found in foods that are also full of antioxidants, phytonutrients, lignans, phenols, and other good stuff. When you eat more high-fiber foods, your entire diet gets a nutritional upgrade.

See how much sexier fiber is then you ever imagined?

The USDA recommends that you get at least 25 grams of fiber a day. Nutrition Diva recommends 35-40 grams. The Sondenbergs would like you to eat 50-100. 

For this next week of our competition you will earn the 5 bonus points every day that you eat at least 35 grams of fiber rich food.

Some of the easiest ways to increase the fiber in your diet are to:

1. Include high fiber cereal in your diet.

2. Be sure to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables every day.

3. Eat more beans and legumes and choose whole grains over refined as often as possible.

4. Other foods high in fiber are avocados, sunflower seeds, avocados, tahini (sesame butter), dried figs, green peas, sun-dried tomatoes, raspberries and popcorn.

Follow some healthy foodies

Woah there is power in pictures isn't there? And it can be so relaxing to just scroll through your instagram or Facebook feed? It’s fun to glance at a photo of a friend having some fun, or catch up on some news about a family member. And sometime we even enjoy a bit of inspiration from a great quote, or uplifting meme. 

Also among the fun things ion our Facebook or instagram feed are gorgeous recipes of yummy treats. And treats are an important part of your dietary choices. You really want to make your sugar day count. So I’m glad you have some yummy recipes to choose from.

But I would like your feed to also include some tempting healthy recipes. So let’s go to work! Here are a few healthy eating blogs you might want to check out. This is their blog site but a simple search will show they all have instagram feeds and Facebook pages.

1. Clean Eating Kitchen

https://www.cleaneatingkitchen.com Clean Eating Kitchen is run by Carrie Forrest! She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition. Most of all, though, she has documented her recovery from PCOS, autoimmune disease, and thyroid cancer through the healthy recipes on her site. Food truly is medicine and so many blessings can come to us by focusing on healthy meals,

She focuses on using real food ingredients and her recipes are gluten-free and dairy-free.

2. 40 Aprons

https://40aprons.com Cheryl at 40 Aprons focuses on healthy and easy. Eating healthy really doesn’t have to be difficult, and she takes the steps to make sure you can replicate her recipes. The site is bright and clean and lets the recipes shine. There is a nice menu where you can sort by your dietary concern or flavor cuisine, which makes it fast to find something to make for dinner tonight.

3.  Detoxinista

https://detoxinista.com Sometimes we just want to revert back to our childhood comfort foods, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Megan takes all the classics and ups their nutrition so it almost feels like you are getting away with something. I love the simplicity of her recipes and her photos are always lovely too.

4. Fit Foodie Finds

https://fitfoodiefinds.com Fit Foodie Finds is delightful because it isn’t just food and recipes. In addition to devouring their delicious dessert recipes, you can also find out the best in workouts, beauty, and travel. Life is for living and they have you covered on every aspect.

5. Love & Lemons

https://www.loveandlemons.com Jeanine’s site is absolutely gorgeous and her photos are stunning. This site focuses on eating in-season produce, which can really help you enjoy the flavors and see what plant-based-eating is all about. Because Jeanine and her husband focus on produce, you get a rainbow of food when you visit and it just makes me smile to look at it.

6. Ambitious Kitchen

https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com Monique shares a lot of her heart in her blog. I love that she can share her struggles and how she learned that it really is best to be who YOU are, and not who anyone else thinks you should be. There is a great balance of healthy recipes alongside delicious desserts for when you just need a comforting treat.

She is also a great resource for moms wanting to find their healthy balance.

7. Real Food RDs

https://therealfooddietitians.com  Many people don’t know that anyone can call themselves a “nutritionist”. There are no legal requirements or training needed to claim the title. On the other hand dietitians have to complete a rigorous 4 year degree and a 1-2 year internship. And the requirements have recently been increased to include a Master’s degree as well. So I love when dietitians (credentialed practitioners concerning food)  share their insights. That education is so important, and is often something that is lacking when we consult with a medical doctor (who at most have one class in med school touching on food) or others that are not fully trained and credentialed in food and health issues.

But health begins from within, and Stacie and Jessica are fans of simple ingredients coming together in flavorful, easy recipes. If you are feeling overwhelmed with a healthy lifestyle, their Meal Prep section can guide you on planning and prepping your week so health is within reach.

8. Clean Eating Couple

https://thecleaneatingcouple.com Liz got fed up with how she was feeling and wanted to switch to a healthy eating lifestyle. She understands how sometimes you can get caught up in buzzwords and complicated recipes. That’s why her blog focuses on using minimal pantry staples to eat healthy and not spend all day in the kitchen.

No one wants to be stuck in the kitchen all day, so this is another blog I recommend wholeheartedly for meal planning and prep when you want to make an easy lifestyle change.

So what is our challenge for the week?

1. If you have a favorite healthy eating blog share it with us through a comment on my blog.
2. Add at least one healthy eating site (it doesn’t have to be on this list) to your instagram or Facebook feed. If you don’t use social media book mark the healthy blog site and look at it occasionally.
3. Choose one recipe from a healthy blog, Facebook site or instagram account and prepare and sample it this week. 

Week #1 Challenge- Enjoy some sunshine

Not sure if you are aware but there is a movement encouraging families (especially those with small children) to spend 1,000 hours outside each year. Woah that works out to about 3 hours a day but DON’T WORRY— I will not challenge you to spending that much outside time (although if you could manage it that would be awesome!)

However I would like to share a podcast on the topic with you. The hostess grew up across the street from our Florida home and is the CEO of Chatbooks. Here is the link for the interview.
https://chatbooks.com/blog/ginny-yurich-1000-hours-outside-podcast-interview

I hope that gives you some incentive and encouragement to spend more time outside. 

According to Select Health being outside in the sunshine has a lot of benefits for our bodies. They share these seven great reasons you should get outside and soak in the sun.

1. Improves your sleep

Your body creates a hormone called melatonin that is critical to helping you sleep. Because your body starts producing it when it’s dark, you usually start to feel sleepy two hours after the sun sets, which is one of the reasons our bodies naturally stay up later in the summer.

Research indicates that an hour of natural light in the morning will help you sleep better. Sunshine regulates your circadian rhythm by telling your body when to increase and decrease your melatonin levels. So, the more daylight exposure you can get, the better your body will produce melatonin when it’s time to go to sleep.

2. Reduces stress

Melatonin also lowers stress reactivity and being outside will help your body naturally regulate melatonin, which can help reduce your stress level. Additionally, because you're often doing something active when you’re outside (walking, playing, etc.), that extra exercise also helps to lower stress.

3. Maintains strong bones

One of the best (and easiest) ways to get vitamin D is by being outside. Our bodies produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. And since Vitamin D helps your body maintain calcium and prevents brittle, thin, or misshapen bones, soaking in sun may be just what the doctor ordered.

4. Helps keep the weight off

Getting outside for 30 minutes sometime between 8 a.m. and noon has been linked to weight loss. And you don’t even have to be exercising outside to reap the benefits. Why not eat breakfast in the backyard or read a book on the deck?

5. Strengthens your immune system

Vitamin D is also critical for your immune system, and with consistent exposure to sunlight, you can help strengthen it. A healthy immune system can help reduce the risk of illness, infections, some cancers, and mortality after surgery.

6. Fights off depression

It’s not just in your head; there’s a scientific reason being in the sunshine improves your mood. Sunshine boosts your body’s level of serotonin, which is a chemical that improves your mood and helps you stay calm and focused. Increased exposure to natural light may help ease the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder--a change in mood that typically occurs in the fall and winter months when there are fewer hours of daylight.

7. Can give you a longer life

A study that followed 30,000 Swedish women revealed that those who spent more time in the sun lived six months to two years longer than those with less sun exposure. More research needs to be done in this area, but it’s something scientists are continuing to study.

So what is your challenge for the first week of this round of healthy living competition?

1. Each day spend more time outside then you have been spending- how much is up to you but get a good solid extra dose of sunshine
2. Listen to the podcast I linked and consider how to spend more time outdoors with children or grandchildren https://chatbooks.com/blog/ginny-yurich-1000-hours-outside-podcast-interview