HEALTHY EATING

With my upcoming forced diet for Hiatal Hernia surgery and the wonderful weight loss that will be a happy by product, I will be adhering to strict portions in the future. I have also been informed that I MUST give up ALL carbonated drinks and straws as well as change to 5-6 smaller meals per day. The weight I had gained was a side effect of several medications that I've been on for SLE and Fibromyalgia as well as the hernia, so I'm happy it will be gone, but I've decided to adhere to a strict portion control anyway.  Here's the Harvard School of Public Health's guideline:

I'm also going to buy a scale and follow the following portion sizes:

DAIRY 2-3 servings

1 cup milk or yogurt

1 1/2 ounces cheese

PROTEIN 2-3 servings

2-3 ounces cooked meat

1 egg or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter count as 1 ounce of meat

VEGETABLES 3-5 servings

1 cup raw leafy vegetables

1/2 cup other vegetables

3/4 cup vegetable juice

FRUITS 2-4 servings

1 medium app, orange or banana

1/2 cup other fruits

3/4 cup fruit juice

GRAINS 6-11 servings

1 slice bread

1 ounce cereal

1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta

Use oils sparingly

Everyone has super sized for so long that we have become on own worst enemies when it comes to dieting.  I refuse to be one of those people and am not going to waste this chance to stay slim and healthy.  Here's my new sample menu for when I can begin to eat "real" food again.

	DATE	MEAL#1	MEAL#2	MEAL#3	MEAL#4	SNACK	SNACK	SNACK
Monday	7/30	Activia Peach Yogurt	1/2 TUNA SALAD SANDWICH and FRUIT	SALAD	BLACK BEAN BURRITOS with SLICED KIWI	APPLE	GLASS OF MILK	HARD BOILED EGG
Tuesday	7/31	CHERRIOS with BANANAS	1/2 EGG SALAD SANDWICH and FRUIT	SALAD	VEGETABLE STIR FRY and RICE with SLICED KIWI	BANANA	GLASS OF MILK	CHEESE STICK
Wednesday	8/1	Activia Peach Yogurt	1/2 PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH and FRUIT	SALAD	GRILLED CHICKEN and MASHED POTATOES with SLICED TOMATOES	ORANGE	GLASS OF MILK	CARROT STICKS
Thursday	8/2	OATMEAL with RAISINS	1/2 TURKEY SANDWICH and FRUIT	SALAD	GRILLED FISH and MASHED POTATOES with STEAMED CARROTS	APPLE	GLASS OF MILK	CHEESE STICK
Friday	8/3	Activia Peach Yogurt	1/2 EGG SALAD SANDWICH	SALAD	TURKEY MEATLOAF, BAKED POTATOES and BROCCOLI	BANANA	GLASS OF MILK	BERRIES
Saturday	8/4	Activia Peach Yogurt	1/2 PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH	SALAD	TUNA NOODLE CASSEROLE with SLICED CUCUMBERS	ORANGE	GLASS OF MILK	SNAP PEAS
Sunday	8/5	PANCAKES	OUT	SALAD	BEEF STEW (LOTS OF VEGGIES) with SLICED TOMATOES	APPLE	GLASS OF MILK	CHEESE STICK

 HAPPY HEALTHY EATING!

YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE ~ THE ABC's OF HEALTHY EATING

Many of you know about the ongoing struggle I have been having after being diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.  Even before the cancer, I struggled with living a clean eating and healthy lifestyle to cope with the aspects of Systemic Lupus.  Now sandwiched right before the cancer diagnosis was also a a diagnosis of Systemic Scleroderma which now labels me with a "mixed connective tissue disease".  Oh and by the way none of them have cures.  This makes want to find a way to live even more healthy so I'll be around for the cures!

Without going into a long story, many years ago after the Systemic Lupus diagnosis when I was in college and after 6 months of taking Progesterone and various other drugs, I went to my Rheumatologist (a fortunate recent referral and a truly great doctor and caring woman after several other doctors who really had no clue) and said I can't live like this!  The Progesterone had put almost 60 pounds on me, I could no longer play racquetball (something I did 3-4 times a week) or jog (something I did 5-7 times a week after being a cross country runner in high school).

This great and caring doctor sighed with relief and asked me to sit down so we could talk!  Really, she just wanted to chat and chat we did for an hour and a half.  I truly believe that she changed my life forever!

The first thing she did was refuse me a support group - I know that sounds strange, but she truly felt I was better off with my positive attitude working through the steps with guidance.  Step 1 was to change my eating habits.  Remember I was in college, always eating on the run from whatever vending machine was close and diet everything to keep from putting on any more weight.  So, she had me write down my diet for a week and guess what?  When you see it in writing you realize how much all those "a little here" and "a little there" things add up! After that realization was Step 2 - eliminate the "non food" items from my diet.  She qualified these "non food" items as anything that didn't have a direct receptor in the body.  This included saccharin, aspartame, splenda, anything processed with ingredients the average person can't pronounce and preserved in a box or a can.  Below is the new food pyramid in an easy to read and follow format.

And here is an easy to follow breakdown!

It is a personal choice, but she also asked me to stay away from pork and shellfish - you know the bottom feeders of the world that will eat anything!  As she put it, garbage in, garbage out via your kidneys and liver!

Step 3 was to get regular exercise, proper rest and meditation to care for my whole being.  Oh and to avoid stress - yeah right in this world.  Sound advice for anyone, healthy or not!

So, the bottom line is that you were given only one body and despite popular belief, it cannot be easily replaced and does require the proper fuel and rest to work properly.  The easiest way is to start with a good diet.

Pretty Bowls and Crystal Glasses

When I asked Am to unload the dishwasher today, she told me how pretty a glass she was unloading was. I told her it was a Princess House Heritage Crystal Glass and she immediately put it down and backed away from it like it was Uranium or something. I asked her what was wrong and she said she was afraid she'd break it, so she better not touch it. I laughed and said don't worry about it, we use them every day. We even break them now and again. Then I asked her to put the beans in the oven and she looked at the bowl and said, “You really want this pretty bowl in the oven”? Again I laughed and said yes. Then I asked her if she had ever heard of Erma Bombeck and she said no. I had to share this with her. See many, no, most of you know me as just a fellow blogger with a positive attitude and generally friendly demeanor. What you don't know is that I too suffer from a terrible debilitating disease that requires constant maintenance, positive attitude and a stress free life as well as a preservative free diet to stay even close to healthy. To look at me you would never know I was sick, but for that all I can say is thank you as I have worked hard to maintain that appearance and attitude, because it wasn't always that way and it was hard work to get this healthy. I also know though how tenuous life is and how quickly it can change so for that reason I post this tribute to Erma Bombeck as a reminder to us all to burn the pink candle, use the pretty bowl and crystal glasses for everyday.

If I Had My Life To Live Over by Erma Bombeck

The following was written by the late Erma Bombeck after she found out she had a fatal disease.

If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television - and more while watching life.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's".. More "I'm sorrys" ...

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it ... live it...and never give it back.