So Long, and Thanks For All the Salmon

 

     After much soul searching and internal debate, I've decided to discontinue my blog. I want to thank you who came here whenever I posted something new, and those who took the time to comment. It was ( and is ) very much appreciated.

     Because I've posted a lot of ( what I feel to be ) really important information, I was able to decide not to delete my blog, but will simply close it to comments and disable the ability for new followers to join. I still get a lot of traffic - especially from Google and Tumblr - so I think people are still looking for this information.

     I tried to walk away last year,  but there was still something holding me to the idea that this whole journey was still the right thing for me. So, I continued. I soldiered on. I still felt like I had something to say.

     That something is gone now, and I realize that my life is elsewhere.

     So thank you again. I hope that you've learned how to eat Clean on your own, and I've helped you to stay motivated.

Good Luck to you.

-M.

Your Body Has to Follow Where Your Brain Goes!

Clean Eating In The News: Another Study Links Processed Meats To Early Death Rates

The study, published in the European journal BMC Medicine, comes on the heels of a 2012 Harvard University study that found people who ate just 1.5 ounces of red meat daily were more likely to die early deaths than people who ate less than that. The latest study, which chronicled more than 500,000 people from 10 European countries, found those who ate the most processed meats (including ham, bacon, sausages, and ready-to-eat packaged meats) were most likely to die prematurely.

"We estimated that 3.3 percent of deaths could be prevented if all participants had a processed meat consumption of less than [.7 ounces a day]," write the authors, from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

People who ate more than five ounces of processed meats daily were more likely to die of cardiovascular diseases and cancers than people who ate fewer processed meats. Many processed meats contain carcinogens "or their precursors," according to the study.

People who consumed the most processed and red meats had the lowest fruit and vegetable intake and were also more likely to be current smokers. The authors say that after correcting for these lifestyle differences, people who eat processed meat are still more likely to die early than people who don't, but that they saw no increased risk of mortality for people who ate large amounts of red meat. In the original Harvard University study, the researchers considered all processed meats to be red meats.

So what does this mean to you? If you are someone who is investigating Clean Eating or who eats little processed foods but still consumes processed meats like bacon or cold cuts - you are doing your body a grave disservice by continuing to eat processed meat. It's not the meat itself that is bad for you, it is the processing, the nitrates that preserve and cure the meat that are to blame.

Want to know more?

I've written about the Cult of Bacon and America's unhealthy obsession with it. ( Full disclosure - I love LOVE bacon. I could eat it every day. But in the years since I began eating Clean? I've probably consumed 5 to 10 strips of bacon, total - over that time period. ) It is an unhealthy food, and something we're learning really gums up your body's machinery.

Here's some reading material:

Dissecting the Cult of Bacon

Processed Meats Raise the Risk of Heart Attack By 42%

BBC News: Processed Meats Linked to Early Death

BMC Medicine - PDF of the medical study at this link

Melt Organic Spreads

 The next time you are at Wegman's, look for Melt Organic Spread. It's a new butter alternative for those seeking something a little lower calorie and fat than butter ( Butter is Clean, but it is relatively high in fat; but it is absolutely preferable to tub margarine. ) Right now, Melt has a very limited distribution. I can only get it at Wegman's in my area, but according to their website, they will be available "soon" through Harris Teeter in the South, and also through Food Town, Ingles, Jensen, Mothers, Nugget,  Price Chopper, Stop & Shop, and Tops. Since Stop & Shop is the "sister store" in the North East of Giant ( which has stores up and down the East Coast ) , I'm pretty confident it will be available soon through Giant Landover / Giant Carlisle / Giant Eagle very soon.

Melt® Organic is a line of luscious, all-natural spreads for butter lovers seeking a healthier alternative. Made from the perfect blend of the healthiest fruit and plant based organic oils featuring Virgin Coconut Oil, Melt spreads sizzle, drizzle, bake and melt just like butter, but with half the saturated fat.

 http://www.meltbutteryspread.com/our-products/rich-creamy-melt%C2%AE/

Rich & Creamy Melt® Organic

• 425mg of Omega 3 ALA’s
• Certified Organic
• 100% non-GMO
• Certified Kosher
• No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• Absolutely no hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated oils
• Soy Free
• Trans fat Free
• Gluten Free
• Eco-social, fair-trade ingredients
• 50% of the saturated fat and fewer calories than butter
• Package size 13 oz., Serving size 1 Tablespoon

Melt® Organic Ingredients: Organic oil blend (organic virgin coconut oil, organic palm fruit oil, organic canola oil, organic hi-oleic sunflower oil, organic flaxseed oil), water, organic unsalted butter, sea salt, organic butter flavor, non-GMO sunflower lecithin, tocopherols, annatto-turmeric.


Have you tried Melt? What did you think? 

Closing Thought For a Sunday Night

Friday Funny - Batman Sets Robin Straight

You tell him, Batman. We aren't dieting!!!

Salute the Rank - Not the Man

Something has been bothering me for quite some time, but I've not said anything about it. I've let it pass. My disturbance has been quietly brewing for a long time, and every time I see a fellow blogger write something disrespectful on this specific subject, I bite back the bile.

The subject? President Barack Obama.

Believe me, I'm no fan. I didn't vote for him the first time around, and I sure as heck didn't vote for him the second time.

However, I recognize he is the duly appointed leader of the United States. He occupies the highest elected political office one can achieve in this country.

I disagree with his politics.

I disagree with his economics.

I disagree with his agenda.

I disagree with his outlook.

All of the above: vehemently.

But I have the highest respect for the office he holds.

I've been trying to hammer home the concept with my 12 year old son that you get respect from people when you give respect. I don't expect my fellow bloggers - especially the gun bloggers I read daily - to start posting daisies and sunshine. But I would certainly hope that if we are to get across our message that we're fed up with the status quo in Washington, we're ready for Government to get out of our business and stop spending money as if tomorrow will never come...we as bloggers wouldn't post our displeasure with F bomb laced tirades that only serve to make those who share our viewpoint be seen as uneducated, ill-mannered - and worst of all, disrespectful.

I cringe with embarrassment every time I see a blogger I admire use crude language against the President.

To quote Major Winters as he admonished Captain Sobel: "We salute the rank. Not the Man."

As I tell my son: What you do matters. What you say - it matters. 

Those who disrespect the office of the President with foul language do themselves no favors. I can only hope my fellow gun and 2a bloggers take this to heart, and give pause the next time the words "Fuck Obama" or something derogatory about his wife or children is about to move from their fingertips to the keyboard. 

Are You Nuts About Nuts? You Should Be!

H.A.L.T.

Are you Hungry? Or are you Angry, Lonely, or Tired? Try to pinpoint what’s sending you to the fridge. Is it a physical hunger or is it just boredom? If it’s hunger, by all means, eat up! But be aware if your desire to munch away is fueled by something else. Your machine needs food when it requires food, and it will tell you so. But your mind will send similar signals out when it needs comfort. 

Is it really hunger, or are you looking for food because you are emotional or tired? 

Questions to ask yourself:

1. When was the last time I ate? What did I eat then? Is it appropriate to eat now?
2. If the answer to # 1 is "Recently / Enough / No" - are you feeling an emotional reaction right now? Am I mad at something? Upset? Lonely?
3. If the answer to #2 is "Yes" - you need to rely on whatever motivates you to work through the "false" hunger. 

Drink water. Listen to music. Call a friend. Read something motivational. Examine your upset or emotional response - is there anything you can do to make yourself happier / less upset? Remind yourself why you are eating Clean. 

Putting the brakes on emotional eating is one of the hardest skills a Clean Eater has to master in order to change their eating habits. 



The sooner you can be honest with yourself - and honest with those around you - the sooner you can grow as a person and as a Clean Eater. Honesty IS the best policy. What is driving you? Hunger, or something else?

A 2a Thought For A Pivotal Friday Here in Maryland

Please keep Maryland in your thoughts today, as our leaders gather today at 12 pm EST to vote on the Governor's abhorrent gun control bill.

Product Review: Zone Perfect Toasted Coconut Bars

I was finally able to get my hands on the Zone Perfect Toasted Coconut Bars ( I previously reviewed the peanut butter and cranberry almond HERE -  ) and I liked them a lot. HOWEVER...

 The Toasted Coconut bars are tasty, and have a strong coconut flavor. You can see the coconut flakes in them, and the bars have that firm texture I enjoyed in the other flavors. They have a satisfying firm almost "crunch" to them that is missing from other fruit based bars  

( like Larabars ).

Ingredients: Invert Dried Cane Syrup, Date Paste, Soy Protein Isolate, Toasted Coconut, Roasted Almonds (Almonds, High Oleic Sunflower Oil), Whey Protein Isolate, and Natural Vanilla Flavor

Essentially - sugar, dates, whey, coconut, and almonds. 

Wait - what?

I always thought "invert dried cane syrup" is exactly what it sounds like: the dried juice from pressing sugar cane - a less processed form of sucrose. Then I started to do a little research, and discovered I was wrong. Dead wrong.

 Invert sugar is basically table sugar (sucrose) that has been broken down into glucose & fructose. It is sweet - far sweeter than regular sugar, so you can use less of it in a product. However, the end result is a product nearly identical to HFCS ( high fructose corn syrup ). It is a definite no go on the Clean Eating scale.

I published this post specifically to show my readers that research into the foods you eat does pay off. Don't make an assumption, like I did. You learn something new, and apply it to your diet so you are eating more healthily. Question your food choices. Investigate ingredients. Find out what you are eating. I made a mistake, and I think it is important to learn from them.

I had been willing to look past the point that the cranberry almond flavor had cranberries that were processed with sugar. In the US, it's almost impossible to find a cranberry that isn't processed with sugar ( think Craisins, for example ). But now that I'm more educated about invert dried cane syrup, it won't be something I will consciously eat again.

Did I like the Perfectly Simple bars? Yes, I did. Will I buy them again? No, I will not - not until they remove invert cane syrup from the ingredients.

So - in conclusion, I can't recommend Perfectly Simple Bars to you. They aren't Clean.

( As always, I was not given samples by Abbott Labs to try and review. Any products I post about are purchased with my own money, and if I like a product, I'll tell you. If I didn't like it - I'll tell you that, too. )

Listen Closely - This Hits Home For Me!

Friday Funny: Best Exercise Shirt - Ever.

After yesterday's post about eating clean being paramount over working out, this picture made me grin.

Working out - it still has it's place in your life. Get off your ass and do it. ;-)

Fitness Starts in the Kitchen, Not the Gym

     Many people who are unsuccessful in weight loss believe the old adage "Move more, eat less." I've come to understand that nothing could be further from the truth - and I believe this antiquated notion is the reason 1 in 3 Americans are now classified as overweight. We aren't a fit society, and this is dangerous to our health, welfare, and national security.

     The truth is simple: First and foremost, change your eating habits. Eat Clean. Don't eat processed foods. No white flour, no chemical additives, and as low a sodium and sugar free diet as possible. No soda, candy, chips, or junk food. Eat whole foods, as they naturally occur in nature. Eat smaller meals, earlier in the day, and more often. Drink water - a lot of water, every day.

It's that easy.

     It's a lot less about sweating your butt off for limited results. It's a lot more about changing your eating style to embrace healthy foods that encourage your body's machinery to function at optimum levels. Physical activity absolutely has a place in everyone's regimen - don't get me wrong! I'm learning the sedentary lifestyle is suicide by inches. However, physical exercise alone won't get you there. It begins and ends with Clean Eating as the cornerstone to physical wellness - and if you are physically well, chances are your emotional wellness will follow suit.