Feed your belly, feed your skin

With this fresh and sweet summer salad.

A couple of handfuls of Organic Girl supergreens*  (I find these at Publix in my area).

1/4 ripe avocado, cubed

toasted walnuts

a sprinkling of organic dried cranberries

about 1/4 cup of fresh blueberries, preferably organic

crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Ken's lite raspberry walnut vinagrette goes great with this as does Bolthouse Farms raspberry merlot vinagrette, also found at Publix.

The only downfall to this salad is that the blueberries roll off your fork. I may try eating this with a tablespoon next time!

This salad is very low in fat and calories, especially if you keep the dressing down to 1 tablespoon and is loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients to feed your skin and organs. And of course, it's high in vitamins.

*I recently found out that chard is in the beet family. Beets are a fabulous food to incorporate into your diet as they are especially good for your liver and blood vessels. Eat them often if you have blood pressure issues.

Ten things you can do for yourself...

...to become healthier. 

1. Don't drink soda.
2. Don't eat fast food.
3. Try to avoid processed food.
4. Drink alcohol in moderation.
5. Breathe deep.
6.Don't eat processed meat.
7. Don't hate.
8. Avoid saturated fats
9. Do something physical every day, preferably outside.
10. Love yourself.

Let's talk about oatmeal.
We all know it's a grain and that it is good for our cholesterol levels, but some of us still despise the slimy bowlful. I converted my boyfriend to loving oatmeal and he detested it for 56 years.
I believe there are two keys to yummy oatmeal. No. 1 is salt. And a good bit of it. 
No. 2,  you must pour the oats into boiling water, on the stove top. It changes the texture. No microwaved oats for me, thank you.

So- measure out your water in a pot and start it to boil. Measure out your oats, I actually prefer store brand oats, I usually buy organic, either old fashioned or quick oats. The quick oats have a finer texture.
I pour the oats into a bowl while I'm waiting for the water to boil and pour a bit of salt into the palm of my hand, probably a 1/4 tsp or so for one serving. Add cinnamon, as much or as little as you like and any other favorite spices. Pour the oats into the boiling water and stir, immediately turn down the heat to simmer (if you have a cooktop stove, which I now do, this takes a bit of practice with the timing so the oats don't boil over), then add your favorite dried fruit. I like to buy organic dried fruit: cranberries, cherries, raisins, chopped prunes or apricots, currants. 
Cook according to package directions (1 min for quick oats, 3 min for old fashioned). I like to top my oats with chopped, toasted nuts. I used to put some brown sugar, but my palette has changed since I've gone off the sugar so I'm happy with a bit of almond or coconut milk which is lightly sweetened. If you need sweetener try a little honey or maple syrup. I recently discovered a wonderful alternative to brown sugar. I chopped up some dates with some roasted almonds very fine and it was sweet, crunchy and delicious and my sweet toothed boyfriend was happy without the sugar. (Whole dates remind me of dried out palmetto bugs, but once they are finely chopped with the nuts they are visually appealing. :)

Start your day off with this breakfast several times a week and you are well on your way to your healthy diet switch over.

So many people struggle with their weight. People diet, deprive, binge and yo-yo. I've seen people go on extreme diets, severely limiting caloric intake and possibly compromising their health. Certainly not aiding long term weight loss, which is, of course, their goal. And we all know that being obese or very overweight puts us at risk of disease and shortened life span.

I am writing this because from time to time I hear women (and men, though they don't seem to care as much) struggle with their weight and diet. "Diet" doesn't mean restricted food and calories. "Diet" means what we live on for food and sustenance. I would love to see people throw the notion of "diets" out the window and instead refocus on feeding their bodies healthy food. 

I am not here to discuss "health food" or vegetarianism, raw diets, gluten free or whatever. Don't eat things you dislike or make you sick. However, I would like to espouse the theory of us going back to the good old days when we prepared food from scratch. We bought whole foods at the store: meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables and grains- and made meals from them. Throw out the notion of eating pre-packaged foods that are thrown in the microwave. When you prepare your food yourself you know exactly what ingredients are in it. 

You will never have to "diet" again. Retrain your way of thinking: instead of seeking out the comfort food that will fill you up and make you feel good, or worrying about cutting out carbs, instead focus on stuffing as much fresh produce down your gullet that you can every day. Colorful produce is full of the vitamins and antioxidants that our bodies need to fight disease. 

Don't deprive yourself of foods you love, just limit the unhealthy ones to 10% of your diet.
Cook your food in a healthy manner: grilling, baking or sauteing in olive oil or other healthy fats. Deep fried foods will not only clog your arteries, but also create acrylamides, a substance that may increase your risk of cancer. http://www.livestrong.com/article/440500-why-frying-food-is-unhealthy/
Trade in the Doritos for fresh or dried fruit and nuts. Try to eliminate sugar. After 10 days of detoxing off white flour and sugar your cravings will subside.
Don't drink your calories. Soda is just not good for you, diet or otherwise.
Move, move,  move. Yeah, you've heard it said before, now listen. Park far away from the store. Do isometric exercise while driving or sitting at your desk. Maximize your movements everyday, every little step adds up. Dance to the music. Dancing in your chair is great for your abs! Have sex.
Eat a well balanced diet. Eat high fiber, you burn more calories simply digesting it and it will boost your metabolism. High fiber foods have 2 grams or more of fiber per serving. 
Read your labels and ingredients. Look at the calories and fat and pay attention to the serving sizes.

Make your changes slowly. You didn't gain 50 lbs in 1 month so don't expect fast results. Let your taste buds change gradually, too. The more healthy food you eat, the more you will crave. 

Appreciate the beauty of the whole foods you buy and prepare. Eat the rainbow. Your dinner plate should not be full of brown and beige. Don't eat neutrals, eat color.