Beauty

[kittykatmom2]

Glad I found this thread. I need help in this area as well as The Compact. Got the results of my bloodwork today. My chloresterol is way too high. Things have got to change.

[rehoda]

bump

[violann]

Hi april- having been a craver-binger since I was 18 (think SEVERAL decades) I hope it may be helpful to you and/or someone else here if I suggest to you to find YOUR OWN TRIGGERS! Just in the last year I've learned that drastically reducing simple carbs also drastically reduces cravings, and my weight, overall health, and comfort levels have drastically improved. If I eat raisins, a fruit containing a lot of natural sugar, I will crave. Raisins are a healthy food, but for me, not a helpful food! Also, the concept of "will power" is nonsense, and I suspect that what I mean may be similar for you. I have "will power" to spare, and I bet you do too, but if a crave hits my brain, all the will power in the world can't stop it. Better for me to arrange my eating (I don't "diet" anymore . to give me tons of vitamins, protein, healthy fats and micronutrients. If I do, I have no cravings, no binging, happy me! Best of luck in your efforts to get healthy!

[just bee]

On 9/3/2014 BigOrangeKitty said:

I dislike going to the grocery stores. They're too huge and so full of stuff it's overwhelming. Who needs all that stuff. And it's getting risky buying produce there, so many recalls - cantaloupe, tomatoes, lettuce - you don't know if it's safe, and why do I have to buy tomatoes from Mexico? We don't grow tomatoes in this country? We have a new Wal-Mart. The food section is bigger than the rest of the store. They have a full deli, meat dept., aisles and aisles of produce, a bakery, huge dairy dept., and then so many aisles of grocery items. You forget you're actually in a Wal-Mart. I think restaurants are going down-hill all over the place. Many are closing and those still going just don't have the quality or service they once had. I'd much rather eat at home. Something simple, light. We don't need so much food!

I lived in California for almost a quarter of a century and I heard tales about agriculture there. I can't remember the last time I saw a piece of fruit or a vegetable from California in my local grocery store. The best produce routinely goes to the top markets (restaurants and such) and whatever's left goes to our grocery stores. I do look to see where things are grown. The bulk of our produce comes from south of the border.

Desperate, we went to Whole Foods the other day. There are actually signs on much of their produce that reveal where the item was grown. A lot of organic produce with signs that report the item is "locally grown"... in Colorado.

That's the trouble with our local farm. We were getting local deliveries and noticed that nothing we purchased was actually grown on the Albuquerque farm. Their idea of "local" can be any of the states around New Mexico. But every week I get an email from our local farmer, telling me they're expanding the farm and need more money in order to buy more real estate. To keep producing local produce that I have actually never seen. Again, that goes to restaurants.

I just checked on the nectarines I bought at Whole Foods. I wanted to see the label. It was tricky -- so hard to see it through the mold. Yes, the nectarines I haven't even tasted are now all fur.

There was a huge apple orchard in New Mexico and it had been in business for generations. A wildfire spread and destroyed it. Where do I routinely get my apples? New Mexico? Nay. New Zealand. Just bought some Kiku apples from Whole Foods. Better taste one quick before it bursts into rot.

But it's not all bad news. After we left Whole Foods we drove back to our side of town and went into Sprouts. Didn't recognize the place -- total renovation. The store looked beautiful. And then I saw them. After looking at organic bell peppers at Whole Foods that would barely fill the palm of my hand (and I have small hands), I saw bell peppers at Sprouts in all colors at sale prices that were so breathtakingly beautiful that I almost wept. They should have been posing for a still life. I held them in my hands and wondered if I'd ever see anything so beautiful again.

And then I almost did burst into tears. All those gorgeous bell peppers and no decent Italian sausage in the state.

[gazelle77]

I have noticed this last week more info on the health new about the benefits of low carb and high healthy fat diet. Preventing Alzheimer's, diabetes and good for blood pressure and heart health. I have been eating this way for well over 10 years now. The other benefit I find is beautiful skin. Smooth, lineless and healthy. My dentist even asked me what I did to have such good skin when I was getting a crown down last week... now, I wear NO makeup when I go to the dentist. At 59 having No work done ever.... under that light they use.... and no makeup... having a young dentist compliment your face skin is pretty neat!

[just bee]

On 9/6/2014 gazelle77 said:

I have noticed this last week more info on the benefits of low carb and high healthy fat diet. Preventing Alzheimer's, diabetes and good for blood pressure and heart health. I have been eating this way for well over 10 years now. The other benefit I find is beautiful skin. Smooth, lineless and healthy. My dentist even asked me what I did to have such good skin when I was getting a crown down last week... now, I wear NO makeup when I go to the dentist. At 59 having No work done ever.... under that light they use.... and no makeup... having a young dentist compliment your face skin is pretty neat!

My diet is similar: High in healthy fat but high in carbs, too. Well, high in most fats. But I've never feared fats. I don't reach for the low fat products because what isn't fat is something else -- sugars and chemicals -- that I don't want. Avocados are my best friends. It's funny because when I was little I'd watch my mother eat them and I'd cringe. Of course, when I was little I'd cringe when I'd see her lick the spoon after serving up sour cream. Now I can't imagine life without either.

We do become our mothers.

Sounds like you need to share more about your eating plan! I agree that it's what we put in our bodies instead of what we smear all over it. Got a shopping list?

[just bee]

And speaking of avocados...

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=5

[gazelle77]

I eat very low to no sugar... including foods that turn to starch and sugar in the body. No bread, rice, grains, or the like. Mostly just low glycemic vegetables( no potatoes or such), salmon, turkey breast on occasion, no fruit really other than one apple a day. So it is always a big salad, with raw soaked sprouted nuts, sproutedflax meal, chia meal etc and usually salmon or a health lean protein. Oh yes, avocado everyday in my salad.

Somedays I just for go the animal protein and just have Tofu or the like. Usually once a week I just have Greek yogurt ,plain, all doctored up with nuts, flax/ chia meal and a raw apple. But, Not much dairy other than cottage cheese or greek yogurt maybe once a week due to the sugars in milk product.

I do enjoy unsweetened almond or flax milk and have it with stevia and organic coffee every morning.

I have gotten use to not eating prepared, packed or fast food for so long, it is easy to not think or miss them. I also, enjoy knowing that the food I eat my body can digest and use for the healing and health of my body... the food is not a detriment to my health.

[just bee]

Not for the squeamish:

There was no way I was going to toss those furry nectarines from Whole Foods without tasting them. I nibbled around the fuzzy parts and I have to say that they were delish. I think that's the first time I've ever used that term in a sentence.

http://zealicious.com/_website_zeal/fruit/

The label: Zeal.

Hey! Maybe I finally found a California nectarine! Probably haven't had one since I left that state...

[just bee]

On 9/6/2014 gazelle77 said:

I eat very low to no sugar... including foods that turn to starch and sugar in the body. No bread, rice, grains, or the like. Mostly just low glycemic vegetables( no potatoes or such), salmon, turkey breast on occasion, no fruit really other than one apple a day. So it is always a big salad, with raw soaked sprouted nuts, sproutedflax meal, chia meal etc and usually salmon or a health lean protein. Oh yes, avocado everyday in my salad.

Somedays I just for go the animal protein and just have Tofu or the like. Usually once a week I just have Greek yogurt ,plain, all doctored up with nuts, flax/ chia meal and a raw apple. But, Not much dairy other than cottage cheese or greek yogurt maybe once a week due to the sugars in milk product.

I do enjoy unsweetened almond or flax milk and have it with stevia and organic coffee every morning.

I have gotten use to not eating prepared, packed or fast food for so long, it is easy to not think or miss them. I also, enjoy knowing that the food I eat my body can digest and use for the healing and health of my body... the food is not a detriment to my health.

Great information! Cutting out the prepared/processed foods is job one. But it feels like the stores are offering more of it rather than less. I realize we're busy and are always looking for convenience, but I hate going to Costco and the grocery stores -- even Whole Foods and Trader Joe's -- and seeing so many prepared items. I just want the stuff that actually grows and can be identified.

I'm with you on apples. It's my life's goal to taste every variety. With my luck, I'd sell my house and move to New Zealand then discover I'm unable to find New Zealand apples in the stores. But it still baffles me how it makes more sense to ship apples from the bottom of the planet to our local stores instead of from Washington. Where do the Washington apples go? (New Zealand, perhaps?)

I think I'd better go try one of those Kikus.