Watermelon Slushy

Who's up for  a delicious summer slushy with no added sweeteners? After drinking delicious, fresh watermelon juice on a hot day in Santa Fe, I decided to make some juice myself. Then after accidentally pushing the pitcher of juice to the back of the refrigerator, we ended up with a fantastic slushy!

Ingredient: watermelon

Directions: Cut the water melon as usual. Just be sure to cut it over a pan so you can catch all the liquid. Eat the water melon as usual but save some to put in a blender. Also cut very close to the rind and get every bit of the watermelon. Then squeeze the rind to get every last drop of juice. Blend it all until smooth. Put it in the freezer just until it's slushy. Voila. Yummy and refreshing!

I quickly snapped this picture before my son emptied the glass.

On a related note, if you are committing to a healthier you, this week's mini-pledge may be one of the most difficult yet as you cut refined sweeteners from your diet. As I've said once or twice before, sugar is everywhere. I'm going to jump in this week and participate as well, because my "moderation" has increased a bit. In my mind, this is a great way to get back to basics and eat your fruits and vegetables. By cutting out added sugars, you're going to eat clean, healthy whole foods.

Here's this week's challenge from 100 Days of Real Food. Click the link below for lots of great information from that blog.

Week 9: No refined sweeteners

No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. Foods and beverages can only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup.

 

 

 

Action Item: Keep checking labels. Sugar might be hiding where you least expect it!

 

For Further Reading: From this blog, Fed Up, Sweet Talk and HFCS

Mini-pledges (Week 7 & 8)

I am running behind this summer, so here's a reminder of last week's and this week's goals if you are Committing to a Healthier You. If this is all new to you, read the info on the previous link and see if this can help you on your eating journey. If you are working on these mini-pledges, these two are great steps to healthier eating and a healthier body.

The 100daysofrealfood blog offers excellent advice on the two topics below. "Stop eating when you are full" is a simple, straightforward goal, but often one of the most difficult. Take time this week to really listen to your body. Not only stop eating when you are full, but try not to eat when you are only thirsty or tired or anxious. Tune in closely to read your body's clues.

• Week 7: 100% Whole grain – All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
• Week 8: Stop eating when you feel full – Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.

Action Item: Take on one of these mini-challenges this week or if you haven't already committed.

For Further Reading: White Bread vs Wheat Bread, The Best Bread: Tips for Buying Bread

Skip the Drive Thru

It's week four of the 14 Weeks of Real Food Mini-Pledges, read the entire post here.

Here's the challenge:

No fast food or deep-fried foods – No fast food or any foods that have been deep-fried in oil.

As stated in the original post, the goal (besides a healthier you) is for you to plan ahead and figure out alternatives for eating while away from the house.



If you need reasons to stop eating fast food or frying your own food, here's some more data:

An article from the National Institutes of Health says, " Fast-food consumption has increased in the United States over the past three decades. “It’s extremely difficult to eat in a healthy way at a fast-food restaurant. Despite some of their recent healthful offerings, the menus still tend to include foods high in fat, sugar and calories and low in fiber and nutrients,” said lead author Mark Pereira, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. People need to evaluate how often they eat meals at fast-food restaurants and think about cutting back, according to Pereira.

One reason for the weight gain may be that a single meal from one of these restaurants often contains enough calories to satisfy a person’s caloric requirement for an entire day."

This article from the Huffington Post adds that the dangers of fast food or immediate, "Researchers and health professionals have long been aware of the consequences associated with eating fast food, but until now, no one realized how quickly the damage begins. A new study, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, indicates that damage to the arteries occurs almost immediately after just one -- that’s right, one -- junk food-type meal. Based on the science, moderation with junk food doesn’t really exist.

Read the entire article here, Fast Food's Immediate Damage to Your Health.



Action Item: Plan head. Make your lunch. Put healthy snacks in your backpack/purse if you're heading out shopping or going to the park. And always carry water; you might eat because you're thirsty.

For Further Reading: Travel Snacks, Eat Real Food and Statistics of Health Risks from Eating Fast Food

Are you Committing to a Healthier You?

Today, are you starting the week 2 mini-pledges for cutting processed foods from your diet?

• If you don't know what I'm talking about, visit my page Commit to a Healthier You to find out more.
• If your answer is YES, then today is an exciting day because you are ready to start the 2nd mini-pledge called “Real” beverages – Beverages will be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). One cup of juice will be allowed throughout the week, and wine (preferably red) will be allowed in moderation (an average of one drink per day).
• If no, what's stopping you? Perhaps you've already accomplished this goal, then good for you! If you're not sure you can or want to give up your sodas, give it a try. It's just one week! I can almost guarantee that you will see an increase in your energy and a decrease in your cravings. Dropping this bad habit can also save you money and cut way back on the number of plastic bottles that need to be made and recycled.

Keep checking back this week for more tips (or research) on ways to accomplish this goal. And frequently visit the blog where I found this challenge, 100 Days of Real Food; here's the link for tips on this week's pledge, “Real” beverages.

Start today by:

• Adding more water into your diet; put a little fruit in your water for a nice splash of taste!
• Sweetening your coffee with honey rather than table sugar.
• Eating grapes, an orange or other juicy fruit to quench your thirst. This will also help maintain your week 1 commitment of consuming more fruits and vegetables!

I STRONGLY believe for many reasons that unhealthy beverages (high sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors, unnecessary calories, etc.) should not be consumed, especially on a daily basis. Not by you, not by your children. Here's an excerpt from an article called 10 Ways to Detox from Sugar in 10 Days, by Dr. Mark Hyman.

Don’t drink your calories: Any form of liquid sugar calories is worse than solid food with sugar or flour. Think of it as mainlining sugar directly to your liver. It turns off a fat storage machine in your liver, leading to dreaded belly fat. You don’t feel full, so you eat more all day and you crave more sugar and carbs. It’s also the single biggest source of sugar calories in our diet. That includes sodas, juices other than green vegetable juice, sports drinks, sweetened teas or coffees. One 20-ounce soda has 15 teaspoons of sugar; Gatorade contains 14 teaspoons of the stuff in one bottle. One can of soda a day increases a kid’s chance of being obese by 60 percent and a woman’s chance of type 2 diabetes by 80 percent. Stay away!


Action Item: Take the week 2 mini-pledge today!

For Further Reading: Healthy Beverage Guidelines from the Harvard School of Public Health.