What Cravings Really Mean...

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It's Friday!!! The weekend is here and the weekend is when I usually spoil my healthy eating habits! :-( There are times when I crave fatty foods, sweet foods, salty foods, and fried foods, etc. The body never lies so my craving is the body's way of telling me that it's deficient in something but I never learned how to accurately decipher what it needs until now. Have a look at this cool chart and try to give your body what it REALLY needs this weekend! .-_-

If you crave…	What you really need is…	Healthy foods to satisfy your needs…
Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken
	Carbon	Fresh fruits
	Phosphorus	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains
	Sulfur	Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables, kale, cabbage
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
Bread, toast	Nitrogen	High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
Oily snacks, fatty foods	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Coffee or tea	Phosphorous	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables
	NaCl (salt)	Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad)
	Iron	Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Alcohol, recreational drugs	Protein	Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
	Avenin	Granola, oatmeal
	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
	Glutamine	Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice
	Potassium	Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens
Chewing ice	Iron	Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Burned food	Carbon	Fresh fruits
Soda and other carbonated drinks	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Salty foods	Chloride	Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
Acid foods	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Preference for liquids rather than solids	Water	Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Preference for solids rather than liquids	Water	You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Cool drinks	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
Pre-menstrual cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
General overeating	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables
Lack of appetite	Vitamin B1	Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats
	Vitamin B3	Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes
	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
	Chloride	Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt
Tobacco	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green and red fruits and vegetables

References

  

Lectures, Cheryl M. Deroin, NMD, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, Spring 2003 (healthy food recommendations) 

Benard Jenson, PhD, The Chemistry of Man B. Jensen Publisher, 1983 (deficiencies linked to specific cravings and some food recommendations)

Bikram Yoga!!

Photo by ponsuwan

I've been looking for a workout routine that is more than just jogging around the lake or just lifting weights. I wanted something I could do long term perhaps for the rest of my life. I wanted this workout routine to be fun, challenging, and something I could receive maximum benefits. I found it: Bikram Yoga! Bikram Yoga was founded by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s and has taken the world by storm. I'm obsessed with Bikram Yoga. It has changed my life. Not only does this tone your muscles and improve flexibility but it also improves mental focus, detoxifies the body, and improves the body's internal organs.

Photo by ponsuwan

Bikram Yoga is comprised of 26 poses. The sessions are 90 minutes long and are conducted in a room heated at 105 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of 40%. Yes, it's super hot!! The heat helps the body to be more elastic and flexible while also aiding the body in sweating out toxins. The first session was rough as I was new to Yoga and within minutes I was exhausted. This was due, in part, to the heat. The second session was even rougher as I knew what to expect the second time around. As I attempted to do all 26 poses I exhausted myself even more because I was really paying attention to my form and breathing.  I felt nauseous and light headed but the instructor said this was normal. By the third session I had surpassed that feeling of wanting to die during the sessions. Early on, there were times when I said to myself, "Why are you here? What are you doing to yourself?" However, after the third session, I found myself craving Bikram Yoga.

Benefits of Bikram Yoga:

1. Relieves stress
2. Good for strength training
3. Improves the condition of the skin
4. Decreases insomnia
5. Flushes toxins out of the body
6. Improves flexibility
7. Reduces appetite
8. Improves circulation
9. Speeds up metabolism
10. Decreases risk of injury and hastens recovery
11. Improves digestive system

There are many more benefits but check out Bikram Choudhury's website for more detailed information as he explains what each pose does for your body.  If you are looking for a routine that will detox your body, improve flexibility, and provide cardio, I highly recommend Bikram Yoga. Find a center in your area and try it out. You will regret it the first time but keep going; after the third session you, too, will be addicted!

Photo by ponsuwan

Zoe Saldana

I LOVE Zoe Saldana. I find her so inspiring! As a Latina, I'm so proud of her accomplishments and what she's done for the Hispanic community including her charity work. I just had to share this video clip where she talked about her health and life. Enjoy! .-_-

Lose Weight DURING the Holiday Season: Part I

Photo by Luigi Diamanti

This is my favorite time of year! Everything is wonderful from the good holiday cheer to the music. However, the food and holiday parties are a real killer. I've been following this regimen for two holiday seasons and I've lost at least 10lbs during the holiday season. I'm not supper skinny--I'm a healthy Cubana but I desire to have a very very thin frame sort of like Zoe Saldana, Liu Wen, and Kourtney Kardashian and nothing is going to stop me--not even the holidays! .-_-  Stay tuned for Part II coming soon!

Rule 1: No sweets unless you're at a holiday party
The last thing you want is to be annoying and refuse to eat sweets at a party because you're watching your figure. Instead, just do not have sweets at home, or out and about at a coffee shop, or at a restaurant, or on a date. This includes sweet drinks and sodas. 

Rule 2: Flatten your plate using the smallest plate
No piling on food. Make sure no food is on top of anything. Spread everything out including rice, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. If there are no small plates around use what is available. If you are using a large plate, there is usually a border and the middle is depressed. Place food in the middle and leave the border free of food.

Rule 3: Never refuse the host's food but you don't have to finish it
Even if you're full it is rude to refuse to try a dish someone asks you (especially the host) to try. This is why Rule 1 is so important because we want to have fun, be polite, AND lose weight. However, you don't have to eat the whole thing. Only have one bite and chew chew chew.

Rule 4: Chew until you cannot texturally distinguish what's in your mouth
Not only will this help with digesting easier but it will satisfy your taste buds.

Rule 5: Practice awareness and self-control
Mindless eating will lead to packing on the weight. Instead of eating right away, hold the plate of food in your hand for a while. Socialize, drink water, laugh, etc. Being engaged in the conversation will be a great distraction. It will also help you to pay attention to the fact that you've had 2 brownies and shouldn't have another one.

Rule 6: Take three deep breaths after every third bite
This is linked to the previous rule. If you're paying attention, you'll know that it's your third bite. When you are full you naturally take a deep breath. However, even if you're not full, making a conscience effort by taking a deep breath will trick the body into thinking you are full. This REALLY works!

Rule 7: Never go to a holiday party starving
Having a little soup or salad before going to a holiday party will help you to get full quicker and you won't be tempted to eat everything in sight.

Photo by zirconicusso

Please note: Exercise is always a good option but for busy parents and busy individuals who are decorating the house, grocery shopping, and the like, exercise isn't really a primary focus during the holidays. One's eating habits tend to be more important than exercise when it comes to weight gain.  

This is not a substitute for a regimen already prescribed by your doctor. Always consult a doctor or nutritionist before engaging in any dietary regimen to ensure it is suitable to your needs.