Before and after

Before and after
Before...eating junk, no exercise and feeling terrible. After...eating "clean", weight training, cardio and feeling amazing 19 years later.

30 years ago I was in the path of an unhealthy future due to my poor food choices and no exercise. Eating Clean cleansed the inside of my body and I sculpted the outside with weight training. Now 48 years old, I'm in the best shape of my life. It's never too late to change your body and your life!

Monday, April 18, 2011

What's your maintenance plan?


As I sit here waiting for the oil to be changed in my car, it makes me notice how some people are conscious about the maintenance and care of their vehicle, but not their own bodies.  An oil change…they flush out the old gunky oil that’s black and thick so they can add fresh clean new oil that’s pumped through the engine and makes your car run more effectively and efficiently.  That can be compared to our blood.  We want our bodies to run the same way, right?

I never really understood why oatmeal has anything to do with our blood and lowering cholesterol, but after researching it (Google search, of course), here’s what I found:

Oats contain a special kind of fiber called beta-glucan, found to be especially effective in lowering cholesterol, and providing antioxidants that help protect blood vessels from the damaging effects of LDL cholesterol. Oats rarely have their bran and germ removed in processing. Steel-cut oats, sometimes called Scottish or Irish oats, have a nutty flavor, and consist of the entire oat kernel (similar in look to a grain of rice). The oats are sliced once or twice into smaller pieces to help water penetrate and cook the grain.

I have also been making a lot of barley.  Here’s another interesting tidbit about barley:

Barley may lower cholesterol even more effectively than oat fiber, according to some research. A 2009 analysis of studies from the University of Connecticut shows that people who eat barley regularly have reduced levels of LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides, but not high-density lipoproteins (HDL, or "good" cholesterol), compared to people who do not eat barley. Hulled barley, available at health food stores, is higher in whole-grain nutrients but is very slow-cooking. New varieties of hull-less barley are becoming available. Lightly pearled barley is partially refined, missing small amounts of the bran, but still rich in fiber.

I have to say that my favorite is quinoa.  I use it as a side and in salads. 

Compared to other grains, quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn.
Studies have shown that quinoa has documented health benefits too!
Quinoa, in its whole grain form, may be effective in preventing and treating artherosclerosis, breast cancer, diabetes, & insulin resistance
Researchers attribute the health benefits of quinoa to its complete nutritional makeup.
http://bodyecology.com/articles/quinoa_benefits_guide.php

Since I started eating clean, I have cooked and eaten things that were once very foreign to me.  I since have adopted new ways to give bland grains more flavor with garlic, salt-free seasonings, salsa, low sodium chicken stock or broth, ground sun-dried tomatoes, etc.  I encourage you to look at grains in a whole new light. 
Keep your maintenance up and “change your oil” frequently so you can keep on running.  J

7 comments:

  1. Hi Gwen. I'm a new reader of your blog. A friend referred me to your blog.
    Such true in what you're saying. To "change our oil" frequently to keep running smooth. Clean eating (no processed foods) is definitely the way to go. I don't follow the "clean eating" perce, but I do make sure I do limit those.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for reading my blog, Blackhuff! Hey, we do the best we can do, right? It's not difficult once you get into it and keep on doing it. You have to be the inner voice for your own (inner) body.
    Thank again! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. * I'm the friend * :)
    I thought your blog was so amazing I had to share as I too am a huge Tosca fan.
    Going to go through your older posts as been following for about a month now and never commented :(
    I need some meal idea's....live in Germany and we don't get all the foods Tosca mentions in her books...
    You have made such amazing changes to your body....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Marcelle - Thank you so much for the nice comments, reading my blog, and sending friends over here! Some things are a little hard to find here as well, but you can also order things online too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gwen, what tactics did you use to overcome your strong addiction to sugar?? I'm having such a hard time saying no or turning my head to chocolate. I literally will drive out of my way to get it if I don't have it in the house. I need your advice badly!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The first month was the hardest for me. I literally thought I was losing my mind. After that, the constant sweet cravings eventually went away. I talk to myself out loud a lot! It sounds weird, but it works because it overrides that little inner (evil) voice inside of me telling me to go ahead and buy/eat garbage just because it's good on my taste buds. Next time you feel your mind taking over the steering wheel because you're magnetized with thoughts of chocolate, say something OUT LOUD like, "I know it tastes good, and yes I want it bad, but it's not going to look good stuck to my thighs and stomach." You really have to have inner strength to get over sugar. It truly is a total mind game...force yourself to THINK differently and don't let sugar and your inner (evil) voice control what your body looks like. You are in charge, not garbage. Be strong, Rene! Best wishes! :)

    ReplyDelete