So I've been writing a lot about eating healthier and reading about vegetarianism and veganism. I have been reading a lot out Brendan Brazier and his web program Thrive in 30. Again, here's the link http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S It's free and new lessons are sent every few days to progress you through this 30 day program. I also have been reading his book The Thrive Diet. I mentioned in my last post some of the reasons that I am enjoying his book, but I don't think I talked about this. I have read a lot of healthy eating books of all varieties, but I have never read a book that describes why I should be eating all the foods that are suggested. I don't just mean, "eat vegetables because they have vitamins and minerals". I mean, Brendan Brazier goes into great detail about why he added these foods to his diet, what they specifically provide to the body and how that will affect your energy levels and overall wellness. I am actually reading the book for a second time because I feel that I may have missed something. There is also a 12 week meal plan and many recipes.
So after having received 6 of the 12 emails from the Thrive in 30 program, I have decided to actually participate in it. Which as you may remember from my last post, must mean that I am ready to divulge some personal information. I'm going to give you the basic stats plus some other information of things that may change during this process. Would I like to lose weight? Absolutely, but the main reason that I am doing this is to gain more energy and generally feel better.
Stats:
Age: 33
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 193 lbs. (stop snickering)
I generally lack energy. I get tired trying to keep up with my kids. I go to bed between 9:30 and 10. I usually can't sleep much past 6 or 6:30 am (probably because I go to bed early). I suffered from post partum depression after my second child was born (5 years ago) and continue to take 3 different medications for it (one of which is to help me sleep). I have frequent acne breakouts despite being in my 30s. I drink 3 (very large) cups of coffee a day. I drink alcohol rarely (due in large part to the medications that I take). I have a very busy family. My 8 year old is in hockey and Cubs, my 5 year old is in ballet and Sparks and my husband is a volunteer firefighter when he is not at his full time job. I am currently a stay at home mom, but in a few weeks will be returning to my old job 3 day a week on the days my youngest is in school. About 50% of the food we eat is processed. My kids and husband have a love affair with chips. Because I am the chief cook, some of the foods they eat will change slightly, but I will continue to cook meat and dairy products for them while I am going through this challenge.
The changes I am making for this first step are:
1. Eat a large salad for lunch each day (I plan to use some of the recipes in Brendan's book)
2. Have a smoothie each day (once I have a working blender?!?!?)
3. Have fruits and veggies for snacks (or my smoothie)
4. Reduce the amount of sugar I add to things (ie:coffee)
5. Reduce the amount of caffeine in my diet.
So at this point, I don't have to change my breakfast or lunch if I don't want to. The point of this is to make gradual, sustainable changes, so that it is a lifestyle change. I plan to post regularly about my progress, how I feel, etc, and occasionally I'll weigh in so that I can be held accountable. I plan to put up a before picture as soon as I can. If you decide to join me on this adventure, post some comments, or like me on Facebook and post comment that way. I would appreciate the support!!
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
I'm Going to Talk About the Plant Based Nutrition Guru, Brendan Brazier
If you've been reading my previous posts, you know that I enjoy reading about plant based nutrition (note, however, that I am presently not following any real eating plan and I do eat meat <for now>). I have subscribed for a free online program that was designed by Canadian triathlete and plant based nutrition educator, Brendan Brazier. It is called Thrive in 30 and here's the link: http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/
I previously reviewed lesson 1 and have since received lessons 2 through 4. It is really worth signing up if you wish to get the full lessons. Brendan provides a video plus a written lesson where he goes into detail about the steps to change your diet. He explains why certain foods are very important in your diet and why you should avoid other foods. Below I will give a brief description of the lessons, but please, please PLEASE, consider signing up to the Thrive in 30 program. I will do it no justice and the information is amazing.
Lesson 2 - High Net Gain Nutrition
In this lesson, Brendan describes what he means my high net gain nutrition and in doing so, he talks about the importance of eating good quality whole foods. The reason that this is important is the typical diet of highly refined food lacks many nutrients and vitamins and is also more difficult for the body to digest. So, your body is expending a large amount of energy to digest the food and not receiving much usable energy in return. That's why many people are fatigued throughout most of their day. They are using so much energy to digest their food and are actually left with an energy deficit afterwards.
Brendan also shows that despite what you may hear, that plant based diets do not need to lack certain nutrients and vitamins and shows you what to eat to ensure that you are not deficient in these.
Lesson 3 - Myth Busting- The Whole(food) Truth About Protein, Carbs and Fats
In this lesson, Brendan explains why you don't need to eat animal protein and that plant based protein is easier to digest. I was surprised to hear that soy based protein isn't the ideal protein source, but the explanation he offer was great. He also encourages and lists how to choose good quality fats carbs and proteins. There are some great substitutes for some popular comfort foods.
Lesson 4 - Alkaline Vs. Acid. Why Your Body's pH Matters
One of the first things described in this lesson was that osteoporosis is affecting people at a younger and younger age. The cause? According to the Thrive in 30 program, the cause is the amount of acid forming foods that are consumed. Acid forming foods include animal products (meat, dairy, etc.) and refined foods. Brendan suggests trading in an acid forming meal for alkaline foods (large salad of leafy greens) for a couple of days and noting any changes in how you feel.
It is suggested that shifting to an alkaline diet will help improve sleep, avoid disease, increase energy and lose weight. Brendan makes it clear that this way of eating should not be looked at as a quick fix, but as a long term lifestyle change.
So that sums up the latest lessons I have received. I also must tell you that I ordered The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier and that I have almst completed reading it. I plan to read it through again before I comment much on it, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I think that part of the reason that I am liking it so much is because it is in no way preachy. He explains everything based on his personal experience and although he is a high level athlete and he does write about that and ways that a plant based diet can be utilized to improve high level fitness, he also shows how it can be used by anyone to improve health and fitness. The other thing that I love about it is that I have read many vegan and vegetarian books that focus on animal rights and appreciate the education in that area, but I have already heard it. This book touches on environmental impact (which is very important), but it's main focus is nutrition and fueling the body properly. The last thing that I noticed about this book is that although Brendan is the founder of the Vega line of products, he rarely writes about them. There is imformation on the Vega line in the book, but he gives alternatives to using them. He gives recipes for energy bars and smoothies and mentions his products as convenient for when you don't have the time to prepare other items yourself.
I look forward to completing the book and receiving more lessons, so that I con pass the information on. At some point soon. I plan to start utilizing the Thrive in 30 and blogging my results with weight, energy and any other way it may affect me. I'm just waiting until I get up the courage to post my weight, measurements and maybe even a before picture :O
As Brendan stresss in his lessons, it's about making gradual change so that you can stick to it and so the body undergoes the least amount of stress possible while improving your diet. Feel free to join me on this adventure....I'd love to hear your feedback!
I previously reviewed lesson 1 and have since received lessons 2 through 4. It is really worth signing up if you wish to get the full lessons. Brendan provides a video plus a written lesson where he goes into detail about the steps to change your diet. He explains why certain foods are very important in your diet and why you should avoid other foods. Below I will give a brief description of the lessons, but please, please PLEASE, consider signing up to the Thrive in 30 program. I will do it no justice and the information is amazing.
Lesson 2 - High Net Gain Nutrition
In this lesson, Brendan describes what he means my high net gain nutrition and in doing so, he talks about the importance of eating good quality whole foods. The reason that this is important is the typical diet of highly refined food lacks many nutrients and vitamins and is also more difficult for the body to digest. So, your body is expending a large amount of energy to digest the food and not receiving much usable energy in return. That's why many people are fatigued throughout most of their day. They are using so much energy to digest their food and are actually left with an energy deficit afterwards.
Brendan also shows that despite what you may hear, that plant based diets do not need to lack certain nutrients and vitamins and shows you what to eat to ensure that you are not deficient in these.
Lesson 3 - Myth Busting- The Whole(food) Truth About Protein, Carbs and Fats
In this lesson, Brendan explains why you don't need to eat animal protein and that plant based protein is easier to digest. I was surprised to hear that soy based protein isn't the ideal protein source, but the explanation he offer was great. He also encourages and lists how to choose good quality fats carbs and proteins. There are some great substitutes for some popular comfort foods.
Lesson 4 - Alkaline Vs. Acid. Why Your Body's pH Matters
One of the first things described in this lesson was that osteoporosis is affecting people at a younger and younger age. The cause? According to the Thrive in 30 program, the cause is the amount of acid forming foods that are consumed. Acid forming foods include animal products (meat, dairy, etc.) and refined foods. Brendan suggests trading in an acid forming meal for alkaline foods (large salad of leafy greens) for a couple of days and noting any changes in how you feel.
It is suggested that shifting to an alkaline diet will help improve sleep, avoid disease, increase energy and lose weight. Brendan makes it clear that this way of eating should not be looked at as a quick fix, but as a long term lifestyle change.
So that sums up the latest lessons I have received. I also must tell you that I ordered The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier and that I have almst completed reading it. I plan to read it through again before I comment much on it, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I think that part of the reason that I am liking it so much is because it is in no way preachy. He explains everything based on his personal experience and although he is a high level athlete and he does write about that and ways that a plant based diet can be utilized to improve high level fitness, he also shows how it can be used by anyone to improve health and fitness. The other thing that I love about it is that I have read many vegan and vegetarian books that focus on animal rights and appreciate the education in that area, but I have already heard it. This book touches on environmental impact (which is very important), but it's main focus is nutrition and fueling the body properly. The last thing that I noticed about this book is that although Brendan is the founder of the Vega line of products, he rarely writes about them. There is imformation on the Vega line in the book, but he gives alternatives to using them. He gives recipes for energy bars and smoothies and mentions his products as convenient for when you don't have the time to prepare other items yourself.
I look forward to completing the book and receiving more lessons, so that I con pass the information on. At some point soon. I plan to start utilizing the Thrive in 30 and blogging my results with weight, energy and any other way it may affect me. I'm just waiting until I get up the courage to post my weight, measurements and maybe even a before picture :O
As Brendan stresss in his lessons, it's about making gradual change so that you can stick to it and so the body undergoes the least amount of stress possible while improving your diet. Feel free to join me on this adventure....I'd love to hear your feedback!
Monday, 24 October 2011
My First Lesson
I just received my first lesson in Brendan Brazier's Thrive in 30 Program. This is a free program that is emailed to you for convenience. There is a written portion and a short video to watch. Check out my previous blog for the link.
This lesson focused on stress and diet. I had never looked at stress in this way before, but he talked about two types of stress; complimentary stress and uncomplimentary stress. Brazier defined these in simple terms. Complimentary stress is stress that benefits you or is positive. The examples given were the stress of studying for a test or the stress put on the body from exercising. Uncomplimentary stress is stress that has no positive effects such as psychological stress or environmental stress. The statistics that were given is that 60% of all stress that you experience is uncomplimentary and of that stress, 70% of it is what he calls nutritional stress, or stress put on the body from poor eating habits and choosing food that doesn't benefit the body nutritionally.
So let me get this straight, I can reduce the stress that I feel and that is placed on my body by feeding properly. Okay, that makes sense, but I have never heard poor nutrition linked with stress before. You may think that I am crazy, but when I hear it put like that, it kind of gives me an aha moment (Sorry, I think I just quoted Oprah). It's not rocket science by any means, but when something is explained in a different manner, it can really make you think.
He continues on to give several suggestion (and good ones) on how to incorporate more fruits, veggies and whole foods into your diet and although he is vegan, there isn't any mention at this point on giving up meat. It's more focused on making small changes to your diet to improve your energy and to reduce your reliance on things like caffeine and sugar to give you the stamina to make it through the day. There is even a smoothie recipe at the end of the lesson if you want to give it a try!
I'm interested to see the next lesson to see what it leads to. I'll keep you posted!
This lesson focused on stress and diet. I had never looked at stress in this way before, but he talked about two types of stress; complimentary stress and uncomplimentary stress. Brazier defined these in simple terms. Complimentary stress is stress that benefits you or is positive. The examples given were the stress of studying for a test or the stress put on the body from exercising. Uncomplimentary stress is stress that has no positive effects such as psychological stress or environmental stress. The statistics that were given is that 60% of all stress that you experience is uncomplimentary and of that stress, 70% of it is what he calls nutritional stress, or stress put on the body from poor eating habits and choosing food that doesn't benefit the body nutritionally.
So let me get this straight, I can reduce the stress that I feel and that is placed on my body by feeding properly. Okay, that makes sense, but I have never heard poor nutrition linked with stress before. You may think that I am crazy, but when I hear it put like that, it kind of gives me an aha moment (Sorry, I think I just quoted Oprah). It's not rocket science by any means, but when something is explained in a different manner, it can really make you think.
He continues on to give several suggestion (and good ones) on how to incorporate more fruits, veggies and whole foods into your diet and although he is vegan, there isn't any mention at this point on giving up meat. It's more focused on making small changes to your diet to improve your energy and to reduce your reliance on things like caffeine and sugar to give you the stamina to make it through the day. There is even a smoothie recipe at the end of the lesson if you want to give it a try!
I'm interested to see the next lesson to see what it leads to. I'll keep you posted!
Sunday, 23 October 2011
Fail!!
Okay, so I failed last week with the Meatless Monday. I don't really know what happened.....okay, yes I do. I was good in the morning. I even ate Red River cereal with fruit. But when it got to be dinner time, I had cooked a chicken for the rest of my family. I couldn't resist. Meatless Monday wasn't meatless anymore. This week, just the way my menu planning worked out (yes, you did read that correctly, I plan my meals for the week on the weekend for the upcoming week), I am making my meatless day Wednesday. Is that allowed??? Can just change it to Meatless Wednesday??? Well, that's the way it's going to work.
I have been looking for more reading material on the subject of vegan eating. I had mentioned The Engine 2 Diet in a previous blog, but something that has caught my attention is The Thrive Diet. The creator of these books (there are a few) is Brendan Brazier, a Canadian vegan triathlete. He offers a free course called Thrive in 30. http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S I have signed up and am waiting for my first lesson to arrive. Brendan also help with the formulation of the Vega brand of products.
Brendan's website is http://www.brendanbrazier.com/ I plan to review the first lesson when it arrives in my inbox. I'd love to hear it if you have followed a vegan diet and how it made you feel.
I have been looking for more reading material on the subject of vegan eating. I had mentioned The Engine 2 Diet in a previous blog, but something that has caught my attention is The Thrive Diet. The creator of these books (there are a few) is Brendan Brazier, a Canadian vegan triathlete. He offers a free course called Thrive in 30. http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S I have signed up and am waiting for my first lesson to arrive. Brendan also help with the formulation of the Vega brand of products.
Brendan's website is http://www.brendanbrazier.com/ I plan to review the first lesson when it arrives in my inbox. I'd love to hear it if you have followed a vegan diet and how it made you feel.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Meatless Monday Anyone??
I have decided that with my hectic life, the first change I am going to make is to reinstitute Meatless Monday into my routine. This just means that for one day a week, I am going to avoid meat. The reason that I feel that this is an important step for myself and m family is because we eat too much meat. Typically at our house, breakfast is meat free, but both lunch and dinner involve some form of meat. I think that no matter whether you eat meat or are vegetarian or vegan, we can all agree that everything we eat should be in moderation (except maybe fruits and veggies). I think that, speaking for myself, I eat too much meat (and other animal products).
If you decide to try Meatless Monday, there is actually a website devoted to exactly that:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
There are great menu ideas and lots of information as to why Meatless Monday is important to ourselves and society as a whole.
Anyone up to the challenge of one day a week of eating meatless? I ask that you join me in this and post your recipes, successes and failures! Check out the Meatless Monday recipe link on my page!!
If you decide to try Meatless Monday, there is actually a website devoted to exactly that:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
There are great menu ideas and lots of information as to why Meatless Monday is important to ourselves and society as a whole.
Anyone up to the challenge of one day a week of eating meatless? I ask that you join me in this and post your recipes, successes and failures! Check out the Meatless Monday recipe link on my page!!
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Will This Be a Controversial Topic?? Veganism!
I have been having trouble deciding what to write about. It's not that there aren't lots of things floating around in my head, but I never know how interesting other people will find them. There is something that I would love to have a good discussion about. There are varying degrees of it and different names for it, but the idea is the same. Veganism....Plant Strong Living.....I went through a period of time this year when I spent a lot of time reading about it. Vegan's avoid all animal products. This means no meat, no dairy, no eggs, most avoid honey, some avoid refined sugar (which I have heard is refined using charred animal bones). Also no leather.....nothing that has come from an animal.
People who live plant strong eat no animal products and eat more whole foods, as close to their natural form as possible. Bill Clinton follows this style of eating. It has been touted by followers to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of and possibly reverse the effects of heart disease.
I have been considering attempting the 28 day challenge that is on The Engine 2 website. Take a look.
I'm still debating, but be sure that if I do, I will be blogging as often as I can about the day's menu and how I feel. Anyone willing to join me? Follow me here or on Facebook and let me know if you are up for a challenge, if I have a support group, maybe I can convince myself to try it for 28 days!
To the right of this post, is some recommended reading on this topic. Consider reading up on it if you are unfamiliar.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
Sorry This Has Taken So Long!!
I apologize for my absence. We have had a busy few weeks here......I suppose that justifies my nickname, The Frantic Housewife. Let me take a moment to fill you in. For those of you who are also stay-at-home moms, you know how busy life can be without anything else added in. You are a cook, maid, chauffeur, laundry service, nurse, and many other things to everyone. Then let's add in that I run a home daycare five days a week from 7 am to 6 pm. Hence the franticness.
My son's hockey season has just begun....and so has arena life. I try to be at as many games as I can be to cheer him on. My husband helps coach. This means quick dinners in the evening along with trying to squeeze in some homework time.
My son also begged to go into Scouts.
He has now joined the local cub pack. We had to make a deal though. The first sign that this is too much with hockey, if he doesn't get his homework done every week, he will have to give something up. Right now, however, he is on his first camp out!
We are both so excited and are looking forward to having some adventures together.
As I mentioned in my previous post, my husband is a volunteer firefighter, so now you can see why life here is frantic!! I would love to hear what you do to make your life frantic!!
My kids are onely going to be young once and I hope that my husband and I can continue to support them as they participate in things to increase their confidence, independence and help them learn life skills.
My son's hockey season has just begun....and so has arena life. I try to be at as many games as I can be to cheer him on. My husband helps coach. This means quick dinners in the evening along with trying to squeeze in some homework time.
My son also begged to go into Scouts.
We just heard from one of the parents who is with him that he is having a great time!! He doesn't want to head home until he has too!
My daughter just started ballet. She is absolutely loving it! Every week she comes home and shows us the new dance steps that she has learned. One of my daycare kids saw her in her ballet outfit and asked me why she looked so beautiful :)
Then we discovered that there is a Girl Guide Unit in our town. So we have signed her up as a Spark, and I signed up as a leader!
As I mentioned in my previous post, my husband is a volunteer firefighter, so now you can see why life here is frantic!! I would love to hear what you do to make your life frantic!!
My kids are onely going to be young once and I hope that my husband and I can continue to support them as they participate in things to increase their confidence, independence and help them learn life skills.
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