Organic Take Over

Taking Over Minds, Feeding Souls, Changing the World From the Kitchen to the Street...Be Organic Take Over TO DONATE PLEASE MAIL CHECKS TO Be Organic LLC Global P.O. BOX 772236 Coral Spring, FL 33077

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Green Tie Tasting

April 21, 2010

How Do I Start My Way To A Healthier Lifestyle?

Ok it’s foodie Roosevelt. Today I’m here to save a couple of people from falling into that dark center bottomless pit of hopelessness! First of all I would like to say if I can save you all I would. But I know for a fact that before I can do that you must have to want to save yourself first from whatever it is that is ailing you. My business partners Mr. Captain Kirk “Preventative” Nelson, Mr. Sky Andre “Diabetes”Walker, and I Roosevelt “Cancer” Desir (what…you thought I had a nickname? I do I’m just not telling lol) not only love educating people on ways to live a healthy lifestyle, but we also enjoy empowering people like you to better themselves through our personal stories. We want you to be that change to a healthier and more enjoyable life that you deserve. Now “where do I start” you say? Well that’s when you call on the three young, black, well educated, single, and sexy foodies of Be Organic/OrganicTakeover to save the day, or in this case your health. I am sorry have to apologize almost thought I was on a dating network. Ok back to the business at hand.

Yesterday I had two good friends of mine call me and asked for advice on where to start the change to eating healthy. I would like to thank them for coming to us for help because we truly feel everyone has the right to live a better and healthy life. The guys and I are here to assist you to the path of better health. Your journey to becoming a healthier person will benefit greatly if it is preceded by self-love and self-respect. I will be honest and tell you this; it is going to be very difficult to take the necessary steps of self-care if you don’t think that you are worth the effort.

First I would like to point out that diets are only temporary. Rather it is that you want to lose weight, lower your cholesterol/blood pressure, managing diabetes, and avoiding certain cancers or heart diseases you have to change your lifestyle. We do not promise that you will lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks; and definitely are not forcing you to adopt a completely new menu of foods. We are simply going to offer you a lifestyle tool. With this tool you will have the knowledge to tweak your current lifestyle into a healthy one.

Well ladies and gents what we are offering you is a food dairy. This approach is much easier for you to maintain for the long haul. Eating right is the first step toward long-term success. From understanding basic nutrition principles and counting calories, to making healthful restaurant choices, the basics are covered here.

Counting Calories:

Counting calories is the mathematical part behind long-term, successful weight loss. By understanding your body’s caloric needs and how to track them in the food you eat, then you will truly learn how to eat almost anything you want and still lose weight.

Recipes That Are Low in Calories:

We host a lot of cooking demos and classes. At these classes we really stress the importance of cooking at home. Cooking at home is an ideal way to control calories. You are the one that is in charge of exactly what goes into each dish, how much of any higher-calorie ingredient is used and how large your portions are. Even if you are new to cooking, the guys and I can give you the ultimate cooking experience (in the comfort of your home) to help you enjoy learning to prepare delicious low calorie recipes.

Start Off Smart with Breakfast:

I am going to be honest with you. For a long time I used to hate eating breakfast. If I was in a rush in the morning I wouldn’t bother. Or if I wake up late I would wait until lunch to have my first meal of the day!! That wasn’t doing my body any justice. It’s the most important meal of the day, so put breakfast on the top of your to-do list starting tomorrow morning. Make sure to leave a good amount of time to enjoy it and not rush the eating process.

Eating Healthy Snacks:

Incorporating healthy snacks into your day can help curb your appetite and keep your metabolism going strong. To keep your metabolism going strong and to prevent overeating, it’s important that you have a healthy snack around every three to four hours. If you are at home, it’s fairly easy, but “what about in the middle of the Nevada dessert”? Well if the heat doesn’t kill you first; here are some ideas for on the go healthy snacks:

Fruit snacks

Egg (hard-boiled ahead of time)

Low-fat or non-fat yogurt

Single serving orange juice bottles

Single serving tomato juice cans

Sliced veggies

Fruit (apples will store the best)

Instant oatmeal

Healthful Restaurant Choices:

We all love to eat out and socialize with friends and family for all types of occasions. Eating out doesn’t have to be cause for panic. I know you hear about the oversize restaurant portions and the plethora of fattening menu choices available all the time, but that doesn’t mean dining out will doom your dieting/healthy eating efforts! Just use these 5 simple tips for eating out:

1. Cram for tonight’s dinner. Many eateries post their entire menu online so you can print it out for reference. If you often eat at “mom and pop” type restaurants that aren’t online, call and ask for the menu to be faxed to you, or pick up a takeout menu on your next visit. Highlight the healthiest options for each menu and store them all in a central location. Then, when you are planning your next night out, take the time to decide on your dishes at home before you’ve been tempted by the sight of other choices.

2. Order your main dish from the appetizer menu. Not only are appetizers more reasonably-portioned, they will save you some money as well. (This is a great way to save enough calories and cash to split dessert with someone!) Too peckish to be satisfied with just a starter? Order a side salad, too — the fiber -rich veggies will round out your meal. Soup is super-filling, so it’s an awesome appetizer add-on, too (just steer clear of cream-based ones).

3. Beware these high-fat menu buzz words: Cream sauce, butter, oil, au gratin, breaded, Alfredo, battered or batter-dipped, “with gravy,” or smothered. Unless you’ve spared yourself treats for several days and snacked on salad greens all day, these little “extras” aren’t worth the extra calories.

4. Modify the menu. In my neck of the woods, anything and everything can be batter-dipped and fried, so I make special requests all the time. Many restaurants will take your dietary needs into account so you’ll be a happy customer and return. Don’t hesitate to request anything on the menu to be prepared in a more diet-friendly and for sauces or dressings to be served on the side. It’s not likely that you will be denied.

5. The meat is on. As tempting as that bucket of fried chicken looked on the commercial before you left home, order poultry steamed, poached, roasted, broiled, boiled, grilled or baked. Ask for skinless chicken whenever possible or remove it yourself. If you do treat yourself to fried chicken, choose white meat as it has fewer calories than dark. Of course, chicken, chicken and morechicken gets old after a while, so if you’re asking, “Where’s the beef?” allow yourself red meat a few times a week — just be sure to choose leaner cuts of meat like loin or flank.

Healthy Grocery Shopping List:

One of the things that I personally touch base with my section on nutrition on the OrganicTakeover is learning how to read food labels, decode label claims, and making the best choices for healthy foods at the grocery store. My dear friends always remember to make a shopping list that way you don’t get distracted picking up unnecessary items.

Bread, Pasta and Cereal

· whole-grain bread

· whole-grain bagels

· whole-grain English muffins

· low-fat, reduced-sodium crackers

· whole-grain cereal

· oatmeal

· brown rice

· whole-grain pasta

Meat/Protein

· white meat, skinless turkey

· white meat, skinless chicken

· sliced turkey breast

· lean beef

· pork tenderloin

· dry beans

· tofu

· vegetarian burgers

Fruit and Vegetables

· fresh fruit

· frozen fruit

· canned fruit (in 100% juice)

· fresh vegetables

· frozen vegetables

· canned vegetables (low sodium/no added salt)

· vegetable-rich canned soups (low sodium if possible)

Condiments

· low-fat salad dressing

· olive oil

· mustard

· ketchup

· jam or jelly

· honey/agave (substitute for diabetics)

· salsa

· herbs and spices

Dairy

· fat-free or low-fat milk

· fat-free or low-fat yogurt

· low-fat cheese

· low-fat cottage cheese

· light margarine

· eggs or egg substitute

This food diary can be used for recording your food intake and to reflect on your eating habits at the end of the day. Please copy this and print to start your food dairy planner. We suggest that you start off on a Monday and end on Sunday.

Morning (Time: ________)

Food: __________________________ Portion: _________ Calories: ___________