Yoga HeadstAnds: Part Deux (aged).

Better than the first? or worse?.

Let me know what you think.

...having a great time playing around with sound. [grin].

Start of series?. first iMovie ever: Yoga Headstands.

Not all milks equal: check for CALCIUM for StRoNg BoNeS!.. and.. Beware Saturated Fat!

In our last nutrition class, we learned about dairy.
Dairy refers to milk and anything made from milk, like cheese, yogurt, and butter.

Where does milk come from?
We learned that milk comes from animals called mammals. Mammals produce [make] milk for their babies. Examples of mammals include cows [moo], sheep, goat, dogs, pigs, whales...


and... don't forget, [human] mommies make milk for their babies too!

We [humans] are the only animals to eat/drink the milk of other animals. Kind of strange, huh?. Animals, like cows [whose milk we eat/drink the most of], don't make milk for us but for their baby cows, aka. calves.

Some people don't like animal milk. For some it may be the taste, for others it may upset their stomach.

So instead of drinking animal's milk, a lot of people drink 'alternative milk', like soy milk. It's not really milk because it doesn't come from an animal but it's very similar to milk.

The one drawback of non-animal milk made from soy, rice, and nuts is that these milks don't naturally have calcium in them. We learned that calcium is found in animal's milk and is super important in building strong bones.


When I was young, I didn't drink 'regular' [cow's] milk because it upset my stomach-- a lot of Asians, African and Native Americans, in particular, have this 'problem', aka. lactose intolerance. So instead, I drank soy milk...


I know a lot of students at TALES drink 'wah ta nai', a particular brand of soymilk by Vitasoy and the one you see me drinking above. I don't drink it anymore, but when I did, I remember this particular soy milk did NOT have calcium added to it-- not all 'alternative' milks do. It's important to remember that when you choose a soy milk, it should be FORTIFIED with CALCIUM and not have too much added sugar. A little bit of sugar is ok [~6-7 g] and actually sort of necessary for it to taste somewhat good but too much, well, is too much..

So, does your milk have enough calcium?.
Check on the Nutrition Facts Label. It should look something like this: Calcium 30%.

Can you find 'Calcium' on these labels for nonfat [Label A] and 2% [Label B] milk?

We also started to learn about Saturated Fat-- the 'bad' fat that's not good for our hearts. Animal milk and products can be high in saturated fat-- not good-- like cheese and butter. That's why it's important not to eat too much of these foods.

Look at the labels again. Can you find how much 'Saturated Fat' is in nonfat versus 2% milk?. Which milk should YOU be drinking?.

Let me know in the Comments section at the bottom of this post!

i gotta feelin woo hooo

Real Fruit, Fake Fruit... kNOw the difference!

Real fruit, fake fruit?.. What does that mean? ..[keep reading, and you'll find out!]


..mmm FRUIT!.. I love fresh fruit! It's healthy, right?..

It sure is. For the same reasons as we learned about vegetables. Take a look..



We get fiber from whole fruit. The least processed it is, the better. That is..

• Eating an orange is better than drinking orange juice.


• Eating an unpeeled apple is better than eating applesauce.


• Eating fresh strawberries is better than eating strawberry jam.

Like vegetables, fruit is loaded with [has a lot of] vitamins, minerals, and antioxidents. In particular, fruit is loaded with Vitamin C, which is a great thing especially during this time of year-- winter, when a lot of people get/are sick. Vitamin C helps us not get sick and, when we are, helps us get better faster. I love to eat oranges during the winter because not only are they high in Vitamin C but they're also in season, which means I can easily find them at the market, they're cheaper than off-season prices, and they're fresh, which means super delish.

Antioxidents work like Vitamin C. They're found in 'real' food, so if you think taking a supplement, or vitamin pill, will take care of everything, then you're sorely mistaken. There's still a lot in food that we don't know about so stick to the real stuff-- who wants to eat 'fake' food anyway?

So what is this 'real' food, 'fake' food business? ..umm, that's exactly what it is! A business. Food companies try to make their food product seem healthier by labeling or marketing their products as containing fruit. More often than not, however, these so-called 'fruit' products have hardly any fruit in them, if any at all. Instead, there can be a lot of unhealthy ingredients like...



Look at the third item on this list: 'Red No. 40, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1,2'.
We learned, again like vegetables, it's healthy to eat a RAINBOW of fruit. That means a lot of different colored fruit. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, and white. Yup, there's fruit that have each of these colors. So when food companies make their products they keep in mind that consumers [people who eat their products] want to see color to believe that there's fruit. We eat with all of our senses, including our eyes. We are very likely to eat something if it tastes good. Same: we are very likely to buy something if it looks good. And, of course, companies want us to buy.
But instead of seeing the color of 'real' fruit, we often see 'fake' colors added, or artificial food coloring like Numbers 40, 6, and 1,2. Who wants to eat chemicals??

Here's some examples of some of the cheap fakers we looked at:



Fruit's sweet too. I sometimes call it Nature's Candy-- the only candy I eat really.. In addition to ingredients lists, we also checked to see how many grams (g) of sugar were in these products on the Nutrition Facts label on the back of the packages.


Sometimes it's how foods are processed and packaged that can severely change how healthy something is too. Again, it's all about the ingredients. Take a look at these two cans of peaches. The difference can be found right on the front of the label.



But check out the back to see what this translates into..



Scary, huh? Two people can be eating canned peaches but depending on which can they came from one might be eating TWICE the amount of sugar and calories than the other.

Lesson to learned: READ LABELS!! There's no other way to get around it if you are going to eat processed, packaged foods-- which we all do. FRESH produce [fruits/vegetables] usually don't have labels. Nature-made is best, so choose them often, then you might not have to read so much. [grin].

A lot to be thankful for.. Let's celebrate!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I'm off to go workout before spending the rest of the day cooking and spending time with friends and family.

This year, as usual, I am thankful to have a healthy body and mind. This year, in particular, I am thankful that I get to take advantage of both at TALES. I love working with all my classes-- dancing, learning, cooking, laughing, I must say, are my top favorites.

On the menu at today's Thanksgiving Day party I'll be going to, there will be a cultural blend of foods. There'll be a traditional American turkey, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce; spinach salad; cooked cabbage; Spanish rice and beans; Puerto Rican pasteles, which is plaintain dough stuffed with some type of meat, like a tamale or, in Chinese cuisine, like zhong; clementines, which are festive in Chinese culture; and traditional American desserts including pumpkin and apple pie.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? What kind of activities and food do you do and eat? Will you help out with the cooking? I'd love to hear about it. Please do share in the comments section at the bottom of this post. And share, too, what you're thankful for this year.

I wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday. I'll see you all next week. Until then, here are the rest of the Cereal-Box-Design Contest winners-- what great potential marketers we have..

time to hit the kitchen..

finaleeeeee.... THE RECIPEeeeeeS!!!!

PUMPKIN YOGURT with a GRAHAM CRACKER TOPPING

Pumpkin yogurt is a great treat that can be enjoyed as a healthy snack or dessert. It's a great source of calcium [from the yogurt] and vitamin A [from the pumpkin]. Moreover, it tastes great too! The yogurt makes it creamy, the pumpkin slightly sweet, and the graham crackers adds a nice contrasting crunch.

The recipe uses canned pumpkin, which is easy to use and available all year round. You can use fresh pumpkin as well-- it's currently in season-- just make sure to cook and puree it. If you decide to use the canned version, this is a great opportunity to READ THE LABEL to make sure you're buying/using '100% Pure Pumpkin' as opposed to 'Pumpkin Pie Mix', which has a ton of added sugar. There should be just one ingredient on the label's list: Pumpkin, duh.

Ingredients:

• 1 x 15 oz. can of 100% pure Pumpkin
• 2 cups plain Yogurt [fat free or low fat]
• 0-3 tbsp Sugar**
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon***


• 3 sheets Graham crackers

Directions:
Place the first FOUR ingredients together in a bowl. Mix/stir until well combined. Crush the graham crackers into pebble-size pieces using a ziplock bag. To serve, top with crushed graham crackers.

Notes:
**Sugar: There are three types of sugar that can be used in this recipe-- white sugar, brown sugar, or maple syrup. White sugar just adds sweetness; brown sugar adds a slight flavor of molasses [that's what makes it brown]; and maple syrup, of course, adds a maple flavor. Choose the sweetener of your choice.
***Cinnamon: Other spice/flavoring options include.. Pumpkin Pie Spice-- this is not like the Pumpkin Pie Mix issue added sugar; this spice blend, in addition to cinnamon, has ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and/or clove. Using this spice blend will just add a more complexity to the flavor. Also, adding 1 tsp of vanilla extract is also an option.


MARINATED BALSAMIC BEETS

Beets are a red root vegetable and are slightly sweet. Because they're so dark in color, it's a good indication that they're rich in antioxidents.
Again, like the pumpkin, this recipe uses canned beets but you can certainly use fresh ones as well, just be sure to cook them. If using the canned version, be sure the label says 'NO SALT ADDED' and there isn't 'Salt' in the ingredients list. Most canned foods have way too much salt in them-- salt isn't a bad thing, but it is in excess. If you want salt in your dish, simply sprinkle in some yourself.

Ingredients:

• 1 x 15 oz can beets, sliced, no salt added**
• 1 tbsp balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive Oil

Directions:
Drain the beets and place them in a bowl. Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Pour the vinegar/oil dressing over the beets and toss.

Notes:
**You can save the drained beet liquid to use as a natural color enhancer. Say, for example, you make strawberry yogurt. You can add the beet liquid to the yogurt to make the yogurt even more red-- just for visual appeal is all [not to mention added antioxidents].


CORN SALAD SALSA
Same schpeel-- use No Salt Added canned or fresh, cooked corn.

Ingredients:

• 1 x 15 oz canned Corn [kernels, not cream style]
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 1 Lime
• 1 tbsp olive Oil
• a few dashes Oregano to taste

Directions:
Drain the corn, if using canned, and place in a bowl. Dice the pepper and cucumber, and add to corn. Squeeze the lime juice, drizzle the oil, and sprinkle in the oregano all over the mix. Toss well until combined.


STUFFED MUSHROOM PIZZAS

Ingredients:

• Portabella mushrooms
• olive Oil
• Tomato sauce**
• Cheese, Italian blend***, shredded

Directions:

1. Remove the stems from the mushroom caps.**** Clean caps with a damp paper towel.
2. Rub the caps with oil and place in a pan [tops facing down].
3. Spoon the tomato sauce into the caps, then sprinkle cheese on top.*****
4. Bake in a 400degF oven for 12-20 min. until the mushrooms are cooked through.

Notes:
**I prefer the No Salt Added kind when using the store-bought version.
***You can just use mozzarella but a blend of 'Italian' cheeses-- including parmesan, asiago, provolone, and fontina and more [and better] flavor.
****The underside of the mushroom caps are what's called gills. Some people like them, others do not-- it's not about good or bad but simply preference. If you do not want them, remove them by scraping them out with a spoon, then wipe clean.
*****An alternative option is to place the cheese in the caps first, then top with sauce, for an untraditional version.


m's BRUSCHETTA SALAD

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer. Traditionally, it consists of toasted or grilled bread that is rubbed with garlic and topped with a mixture of fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil.
I created this recipe just this summer and it turned out to be my go-to for the rest of the summer. It's sooper refreshing and the flavor combo reminds me of the Italian appetizer, hence the name. Hopefully, this will inspire you to forgo bottled dressing evermore.

..umm, there aren't any ingredient amounts listed!.. Yes, that's true, don't be alarmed. Nature is not exact-- heads of lettuce, tomatoes, and lemons all come in different sizes so it makes it difficult to portion, or say 'how much' to use. Use as much lettuce as you [and whoever else you're feeding] want to eat; same goes for the tomatoes; as for lemons, try using the ratio of 1/2 a lemon to about 1/2 tbsp of oil-- toss the salad, then taste it; see which you need more of, perhaps it's neither. That's what's great about cooking: you can make a dish 'to [your personal] taste'. Remember, too, to start out adding little amounts because you can always add more, taking out, on the other hand, isn't as easy..

Ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce
• Tomato[es]**
• 1 Lemon
• olive Oil
• Cheese, Italian blend, shredded

Directions:
Cut/rip the lettuce into manageable bite-sized pieces and dice the tomato; place both in a bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice, drizzle the olive oil, and sprinkle the cheese all over. Toss until well combined.

Notes:
**I prefer vine-ripened tomatoes because of their flavor but you can use your favorite.