Welcome to Optimal Health Mama

Thanks for cruising by and becoming part of my personal revolution of self-love, health, and hilarity!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Agave Kettle Corn

When fall hits, there are certain delicious flavors that even the most health conscious, allergy ridden person should not be without.  One of my favs is kettle corn.  Since I can't have cane sugar, I have had to improvise and came up with the most amazing little treat. 

I pop fresh popped pop corn in coconut oil
When it finished popping, I sprinkled it with cinnamon, nutmeg, and himalayan salt
Then I drizzled Agave nectar on top, stirred it to coat the popcorn, and BOOM!  A delicious treat that is filled with fiber and satisfies the sweet and salty beast in all of us. 

After my my run today, it totally hit the carby spot!
xoxo
J

Monday, November 28, 2011

Green Juice

Raw, Paleo, and Standard American Diet following friends alike should add this alkaline gem into their food repertoire.  Green juice is not always the yummiest thing in the world, but if you can down a shot of vodka or chug a beer, you can certainly down some liquid chlorophyll that purifies your body and hydrates your cells. 

Here is what I have been juicing:
1 cucumber
1 bunch of romaine
1 lime
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
*if you are a total wuss, add an apple and it will sweeten it.  And don't cheap out, buy organic, you DO NOT want to juice pesticides and send them directly into your blood stream (just sayin').

Drink this first thing in the morning and follow with fruit, a green smoothie, or your normal breakfast after about 20 minutes.  The 20 minutes allows the juice to hit up your sexy body without distracting it from doing its magic with having to digest other foods.  

I have a Jack Lalane juicer that was gifted to me a few years ago from one of Nate's co-workers.  It was when I first started learning about raw foods and how powerful they can be in healing your body.  I am a firm believer in manifestation and if you take positive energy and love, focus it in the right direction, then beautiful things will find you.  In this case, I manifested a juicer.  It wasn't as specific as I WANT A JUICER, it was more a general manifestation of helping me to find health and a healing path for me, my family, and my friends.  The juicer found its way to me and has provided the family with beautiful, healthy juices for the past few years.  I hope this blog finds people who are trying to find health and longevity just like that juicer found me ;0)
xoxo
J

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Are we addicted to food?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to that one.  An emphatic YES. 

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say I am not the only one who has found themselves at the bottom of a bag of chips or a pint of ice cream and thought, "Oh shit, I just ate all of that!"  As we are rapidly approaching Thanksgiving, I can't help but think about the gorge fest that we are all about to partake in and our physical and mental reactions to our feasts.  You know what I'm talking about:  psychological beat downs as we step on our scales the next morning, feeling exhausted and grumpy, doped up and ready for another round of stuffing, and the well adjusted few who can handle Thanksgiving without any  major incidences.  I already know I will bake, feast, and guilt  myself to death over what I should have and could have done better nutritionally.

What exactly is this about?  Dopamine bitches.  Dopamine.  It is the reason we gorge.  It is a feel good chemical that is released when we eat certain foods, do illegal fun, and have wild sex.  It is why you see shit tons of sugar at AA meetings and why we just can't seem to give up certain foods no matter how hard we try.  Sugar, wheat, meat and dairy cause spikes in dopamine that cause addictive cycles much like what we see in other addictions like drugs, alcohol, and sex.  Check out what I found on Web MD:

"Neal Barnard, MD, for example, says he believes that cheese, meat, chocolate, and sugar are addictive foods in the diets of millions of Americans. Barnard, the author of Breaking the Food Seduction and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, says that these foods contain chemical compounds that stimulate the brain's secretion of opiate-like, "feel-good" chemicals like dopamine, which drive our cravings for them.
Alan Goldhamer, DC, co-author of The Pleasure Trap and director of TrueNorth Health Center in Rohnert Park, Calif., agrees. "A large percentage of the population is vulnerable to the effects of this hyperstimulation [from foods that trigger dopamine production], and they get caught up in an addictive cycle," he says. But unlike the addiction to drugs, which is widely acknowledged, this problem remains largely unrecognized, according to proponents of the food addiction theory."
source *http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/break-your-food-addictions

So what do you think?  As a former sugar addict, I know I was like a crack head when I came off the stuff.  Same with caffeine and wheat.  Now what about meat and dairy?  Are they addicting too and is that why I am having such a difficult time removing them from my diet permanently?  Very important food for thought.   

Here are my addictive eating scenarios:
Vegetarian- still addicted to wheat, dairy, and sugar
Vegan (the first few go arounds)- still addicted to wheat and sugar
Standard American Diet- addicted to everything in sight
Candida diet- still addicted to meat and dairy
Raw Vegan and Paleo- would still indulge in meat and dairy
Now I wouldn't say I am an alcoholic, but alcohol has been present in my life during all of these dietary stages.  It is clear that it is addictive and can lower your inhibitions and make you more likely to indulge in things like cocaine, that extra piece of cheesecake, or in my case, meat and dairy.

I'm really thinking this might be thesis material for me.  I am seriously considering giving up alcohol, meat, and dairy cold turkey for an entire year to see if I can overcome cravings and get my body to the point where it is operating at optimal awesome. The way I look at it, if my body is operating optimally, I should crave kale and apples, not vodka martinis and steaks.  My body should be looking for nutrient rich foods, not crap.  When I was vegetarian, I didn't crave meat, but I had other addictive foods to go to for comfort and dopamine/opiate rushes.  When I took out sugar and wheat, my go-to addictive foods have been meat and dairy.  Do you see what I'm getting at?  Is this why there is such a struggle for me to align my ethics with my body?  Such interesting things to think about.


 I want your thoughts. And if you think this is bullshit, you will not hurt my feelings, I really want opinions, experiences, and ideas about this even if they are contrary to my own.  
xoxo
J

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Paleo Pumpkin Spice PROTEIN latte. Whassup!?!

I turned my new favorite Paleo Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe into a protein latte.  You knew I would find a way to health up that bad boy even more!

The original recipe had honey.  I made my first one with the honey and it was delicious, but that is entirely too much sugar for me, so I tweaked it.  Here's what I came up with:

Jane's Protein Pumpkin Spice Latte
Step 1 (we can have lots of fun)
Brew 2 cups of your favorite coffee- I use a hazelnut decaf

Step 2 (there's so much we can do)
While that is brewing, add these ingredients to a sauce pan on your stove top over low to medium heat:

1/2 c. unsweetened coconut milk
and wisk in 2 tablespoons of Pumpkin Puree (the stuff in a can)

Step 3 (it's just you and me)
Take it off the heat after the puree is wisked in.  The milk will turn a nice light orange shade.  Very sexy. 

Step 4 (I can give you more)
Now here is when I got experimental.  I added 1 scoop of vanilla egg white protein powder after I took it off the heat.  I use a brand called Vicol in the Ice Cream Vanilla Flavor.  You could use whatever you have on hand.  If you're feeling really brave, and you have chocolate powder on hand, give it a whirl and let me know what you think.   

Wisk your protein powder into your coconut milk and pumpkin.  It might be a little lumpy, but that mellows out.  Then add the coffee into your saucepan and give it another wisk. 

Step 5 (don't you know that the time has arrived!!!)
You can add a sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg for some additional fall shits and giggles.

Fun Fact Time BITCHES!!!!
Nutmeg is used in homeopathy to ease depression and anxiety.  No wonder so much of it comes out this time of year- I guess it keeps us from getting too nutty- get it????  Nutty...Nutmeg...

p.s. did you love my NKOTB reference?