“Plumm is here to change that. We need to act now to impact our future. Make mental health a priority. Make you a priority. It’s time to grow.” ~ @plummhealth
“Sprinkles.” ~ Anonymous Photo by Karley Saagi on Pexels.com
Normally carbohydrates are found in all foods except meat products. Recently, some diets have recommended stripping out all carbohydrates from what you eat. Many companies have bought into this and among other things, have introduced low-carb breads. Limiting bad carbohydrates such as sugar from your diet is a positive step but going further and refusing to eat fruits and whole grains can potentially deprive you of cancer fighting foods.
“Bread, meat and cheese. What more could you ask for?” ~Anonymous Photo by Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels.com
Carbohydrates can be broken down into two main categories; simple and complex. Sodas, candy and even fruits contain simple sugars while whole grains, fruits and cereals contain complex carbs. The main difference between the two groups are their chemical structures. Simple sugars are made up of a few sugar molecules while complex carbs are made up of hundreds and even thousands of these molecules put together. In you body, the end product of both is glucose.
“Lover of pancakes and fruit.” ~ Anonmyous Photo by Chokniti Khongchum on Pexels.com
Another difference between the two is the time needed to digest. If you consume 100 calories of simple sugars, your body can digest it a lot faster than if you eat the same amount of calories that are made of complex carbs. This is because simple sugars are closer to the end product than complex carbs which need more time to digest. Therefore if you take the meal of simple sugars, you will be hungrier sooner than if you ate the meal made of complex carbs. If you make a habit of drinking soda and eating candy; it can add up to a lot of calories at the end of the day.
Studies have shown that simple sugars contribute to obesity and diabetes, especially in children. It has also been shown that eating the good carbs can shield you from many types of cancers. So next time you pick up the magazine about the newest low carb claim, throw it away and grab an apple.
Start by sitting or lying down in a comfortable, relaxing position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths: breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Notice how the air feels cool coming in and warmer passing out. Continue to focus on your breathing for a couple of minutes. If your attention wanders, just calmly bring your focus back to your breathing.
You are a perfect example of health and vitality. Visualize looking at yourself in the mirror and admiring how well your clothes fit your body. Notice the healthy glow of your skin. See how toned and strong your muscles are.
As you admire your appearance, you can’t help but smile and feel proud at what you’ve accomplished through your healthy habits.
“Paradise Found” ~ Anonymous
As you walk in through the doors, you’re pleased that there are very few people in the store. “This shouldn’t take long at all,” you think.
You feel strong and confident just knowing that you’re going to make healthy food selections – positive choices that will fully support the healthy body that you saw in the mirror.
Imagine yourself performing an exercise routine that would support the body you saw in the mirror. See yourself playfully getting the exercise you need. Feel the deep breaths fill your lungs as you work your body. It feels so good to take charge of your health and to be at your best.
Your thoughts drift to how you’ve been eating nutritiously and exercising regularly for weeks now.
The time has really flown by. You’re surprised at how easy and enjoyable it has been, even from the very beginning. You know that you’ll be able to keep it up throughout your lifetime and can expect to live a long and healthy life.
You also realize that you’ve been very relaxed lately. No matter what the stressor, you’re able to handle all challenges calmly, confidently, and with a smile on your face. Each night, you now sleep like a baby.
Calm – cool – confident – relaxed: this is your new way of facing the world!
You remember how your friends and family have even commented on how great you look and how wonderful your mood has been.
Enjoy the moment as long as you like.
Now slowly bring your awareness back to your physical body. Take a deep breath and slowly become aware of the present moment.
When you are ready, open your eyes and return to full wakefulness – feeling calm, cool, confident, and relaxed – knowing that, this day, you’ll make positive, healthy choices.
Changing over to eating raw foods can be quite expensive. The ultimate is to grow your own garden. If you have a back yard you can grow a pretty decent sized one. Otherwise, get a few planters and grow a couple of tomato plants along the patio wall, and put a couple of eggplants inside the porch door with one large circular planter for example. Make each vegetable plant its own design with surrounding works of art. You can put a little garden here of one type of veggies and then another one on the south side of the yard.
If you can find someone who has an organic garden, offer to help them in exchange for food items (i.e. community garden). Most people need volunteers, and the larger the garden the more help they will need. Working in a garden all spring, summer and fall is exhausting work; someone to help us would be a blessing.
If you can find sales on organic or fresh vegetables toward the end of the summer seasons, buy at bulk; either freeze or can your favorite dishes. If you have a large deep freeze you can freeze quite a bit of items. Otherwise, get a dehydrator and dry your food items.
Look around and see what you have in your neighborhood or local city area. There are many, many opportunities that are waiting for your attention and skill, but they won’t come knocking on your door!
