The 3 Musketeers

The other day I got the privilege to speak at a retiree luncheon on the topic of nutrition - nutrition for older adults to be specific.

Now I'd love to devote an entire post or even lots of posts on this particular topic, but, I think my audience leans more towards the younger crowd, especially considering I blackmail my friends and family into reading the blog. However.... I am up for a change of pace every now and then... so all you baby boomers... speak up!

Alright, alright.... so while I'm not talking  writing 100% about what I spoke about this past week... I do want to highlight one topic that I find especially important to everyone... no matter how old you are... calcium.

Miley Cryus.... when she was cute and not engaged at 19

A lot of people assume that if they drink their milk and supplement that milk with the occasional cup of yogurt, handful of spinach, slice of cheese on their sandwich and of course that coveted bowl of ice cream before heading for bed, they'll be set for their RDA of calcium.

BUT.

What most people aren't aware of, is how important Vitamin D and Vitamin F are in this whole getting enough calcium equation.

Vitamin D is needed for the blood to absorb that calcium.
And Vitamin F is needed for the tissues to absorb that calcium.

SO. Someone can consume all the calcium in the world, but if they have low Vitamin D and F levels.... all that calcium is not utilized in the body.

Man, this whole being healthy and eating the right foods is complicated, right?
Eh, sorta....
It's complicated if your routine lunch spot is McDonalds, but if you eat your dairy, your leafy greens, those delicious healthy fats.... you won't be far off from consuming AND absorbing those essential nutrients for healthy bones (calcium, vitamin D and vitamin F particularly)

Alright, quick rundown of where we can find these nutrients:

• Calcium 
• aim for 1,000 mg a day for men and 1,200 mg a day for women
• milk
• leafy greens
• yogurt
• cheese 
• Vitamin D
• found in very few foods
• most of our vitamin D is synthesized in our skin with the help of sunlight
• most people, especially in central ohio, are deficient in vitamin D
• Vitamin F
• formally known as fatty acids
• found in healthy fats - fish, nuts, seeds, avocado

source

Get it? Got it? Good!

Now, this weekend... the weather looks awesome, awesome, awesome:

Here is your homework for the weekend:

• Find a pool
• Wear sunscreen
• Pack the following:
• lots of water
• a leafy green salad with avocado, nuts and maybe some fish
• noodles (the foam colored ones.... those are always a good time in the pool)

On THAT note... it's time for some oatmeal...

Have a great Friday!!!

Stay Healthy,

Apple Cinnamon Oats

My ideal start to the day is a bowl of oatmeal... er, and coffee, but that should be assumed by now, yes? When it comes to my oats, I typically go down the banana-peanut butter route, but every now and then, I like to throw caution to the wind and really spice things up by going for an apple-peanut butter combination... what can I say... I like to live life on the edge.

So this morning that is exactly what I did... 

Full-Proof Directions:

• Pour 1/3 cup milk of your choice (I'm on a big almond kick) and 1/3 cup water into your pot
• Chop up small apple into pieces and gently toss into pot of liquid
• Oh yeah, turn your stove on...
• Toss in 1/3 cup of oatmeal and let it all boil until your desired consistency 
• Add cinnamon and a small pinch of brown sugar - being mindful of course that we consume, on average 170 pounds of the sweet granules per year .... (for those of you who are bad with averages and numbers: that's a lot)
• Scoop in a scant tablespoon of peanut butter and enjoy!

• Nutritional Breakdown for 1/3 Cup Measurements:
• Small Apple - 80 calories
• 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk - 14 calories
• 1/3 cup water - 0 calories
• 1/3 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oatmeal - 100 calories 
• Cinnamon - 0 calories
• Pinch Brown Sugar - 5-15 calories
• Tablespoon of Peanut Butter - 100 calories
• Total = 310 calories 

So not only is this an excellent breakfast on the nutritional side of things... it is mighty tasty as well. Yep, I said mighty, so go try it!

Stay Healthy,

Got Milk?

I woke up this morning to a text message from my good friend Mrs. Oliver up in Cleveland Ohio, demanding kindly requesting that I tell her what milk she (or her husband - nothing can be sure with this gal) should be drinking. Before I could even respond, I received another message, letting me know that I was to answer this question for her via the blog... so here, Mrs. Oliver.... is your answer...
Raw, Whole Milk.

And here is why...

• raw, milk is not pasteurized (pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6 and kills beneficial bacteria)
• raw, milk comes from cows who are fed grass, hay and root vegetables... aka REAL FOOD
• cows that are fed commercial feed, produce milk that lacks vitamin A, vitamin D and certain catalysts found in vitamin K
• raw, milk contains no additives
• please note - organic milk doesn't always mean raw milk

Alright, so now that I've convinced you to stay away from pasteurized milk.... here's my chance to convert all you skim milk drinkers...

• our bodies cannot digest the proteins OR absorb the calcium without the fat
• same goes for our fat-soluble friends Vitamin A and D.... no fat means no vitamin absorption
• the saturated fat found in whole milk actually helps raise our good cholesterol levels
• Whole milk is a whole food.... meaning, it's nutrients haven't been stripped 
• Milk fat contains glycosphingolipids - which are types of fats linked to immune system health and cell metabolism

 To further convince you...

• soy milk is often full of sugar and has crazy amounts of estrogen 
• commercial skim milk is cheaper, as it should be - you're not getting or absorbing any of the nutrients!
• don't like the thickness? add some water to it... problem solved. 

Does that answer your question Mrs. Oliver?!
(you can pay me in free swim lessons)

Stay Healthy,

-information gathered from: http://www.naturalnews.com/021986.html-