Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor
Content is a daily radio
script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin
and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.
Consumer interest in going plant-based has surged over the last few years, and athletes are no exception. In the past, meat was seen as an irreplaceable performance-enhancing food, today the trend is developing in the opposite direction, thanks to documentaries like The Game Changers. Several high-profile athletes, from heavyweight champion boxers to tennis players, fuel with plants. Athletes have increasingly been adopting plant-based diets––not only for the related health benefits but to improve performance. Increasing plant-based foods may boost artery dilation, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties lead to improved blood flow, and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation. This can in turn enhance endurance performance, reduce muscle damage, and speed up muscle recovery. Athletes, kick it in high gear by making your meals plantification stations on this marvelous Meatless Monday!
Exercise itself can release free radicals that can lead to muscle fatigue, reduced athletic performance, and impaired recovery, but the antioxidants concentrated in plant foods can help extinguish them! The level of oxidative stress before and after running for a few hours shows it doubles, but if you eat a cup and a half of blueberries an hour before the run, you can significantly blunt the stress.
Eating blueberries can improve exercise performance, whereas eating meat can make things worse. Shifting to a dietary pattern with more plants and less animal-sourced food has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve immune status. We also know there’s a performance-enhancing effect to nitrates, boosted by eating more nitrate-rich vegetables such as beets, spinach, and other greens. Remember that the time is changing and get up earlier a bit every day to help your body adjust to having a terrific Tuesday everyone!
Stress is one of the leading causes of chronic inflammation. Unlike most of the modern world, residents in the blue zones, where people live the longest and best, turn to traditional down-to-earth practices to recharge and renew energy. And they live to be 100 by avoiding the leading killers of today: cancer and cardiovascular diseases. They go outside to get 15 minutes of sunlight daily, garden, take naps, laugh a lot, drink plenty of water, and follow clean, whole-food diets. They also take 10 minutes a day to pray, meditate or reflect. They get together with friends to have fun, vent and lend support. Their village of friends provides a safe space to help them through stressful times and when members of these groups need financial or emotional assistance, the others are readily available to support them. People who don’t have close ties to a community have a much higher chance of dying than those who do! Destress, unwind, and "find your people" to live longer and live stronger have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!
If you look at overall plant-based diet scores, the more you increase your intake of any plant foods and decrease your intake of any animal foods, the lower your risk of death, but that’s because people were adding healthy plant foods like fruits and vegetables. If you just look at people who ate more processed, sugary junk over time, their mortality risk goes up, meaning increasing the intake of healthy plant foods and decreasing the intake of not just animal foods, but also animal crackers can lower the future risk of premature death. Reducing the intake of carbs, cutting down not just refined carbs and sugars but healthy high-carb foods like fruits and whole grains - is associated with increased overall mortality. WE NEED CARBS more than anything – not the simple sugars but whole food plant-based complex carbs. A plant slant does a body good!
It's
Fix-it Friday and air fryers can be a good way to eat healthier, so how about
some Taquitos!
Ingredients:
1½
cups chopped fresh mushrooms.
1
cup finely chopped onion.
1
cup finely chopped green bell pepper.
1
clove garlic, minced.
1
15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained.
2
tablespoons tomato paste
4½
teaspoons salt-free taco seasoning
2
cups riced cauliflower.
1
tablespoon lemon juice
¼
teaspoon sea salt
10
5-inch corn tortillas
1¼
cups guacamole
Instructions
Preheat
the air fryer to 320°F for 8 minutes. For filling, in a saucepan cook
mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in ¼ cup water over medium for about
10 minutes or until onion starts to turn translucent, stirring occasionally.
Add water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in
beans, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in rice cauliflower, lemon juice, and
salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Warm tortillas according to package directions. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm. To assemble taquitos, lay a warm tortilla on a clean surface. Spoon tablespoons of filling horizontally across the middle of the tortilla. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll up the tortilla, tucking it under the filling and rolling tightly to make a thin roll. Place assembled taquito on a tray lined with an additional kitchen towel. Keep covered. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Transfer half of the taquitos, or as many as can fit, into the air fryer. Air-fry for 5 to 7 minutes or until tortillas are crisp and slightly browned around the edges. Serve warm with guacamole.
From the Archives:
The number of Americans who report being "significantly stressed" is at its all-time high... grief and loss related to the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and inflation are the top reasons. It is manifesting itself in anxiety, depression, and anger, according to a recent study. We know that stress affects us at the cellular level, leading to digestive issues, heart problems, sleep disorders, and the emotional problems mentioned earlier. And it's not just the stress that's unhealthy, it's many times how we respond to it, by overeating, over-drinking, over-working, over-spending...all of which lead to more health conditions and diseases.
Nutrition
is important in two ways: first, we don't absorb nutrients well when we're
stressed so our immune systems are lowered.
Second, the good news is that nutrition can help us cope with stress. Stay tuned to learn more all week and have a
marvelous meatless Monday everyone!
We mentioned yesterday that stress is at an all-time high for us...and it's dangerous. Stress is referred to as the silent killer, so we must take it seriously. One physician reported that 85% of his patient visits are stress-related causes. What can we do? We'll cover 12 tips to help and the first one is to identify the causes. Yes, we're stressed, and we don't stop to understand why. Keep a daily stress journal to see what triggers it most, and when. Over time you'll see patterns and ways to manage them. Second, we must say "NO" when we are overbooked. Our schedules are too full, and saying "no" is hard, but empowering and good for your health! Third, eat and drink your water. Yes, hydration helps us deal with stress better, and food, fruits, and vegetables namely are where a lot of it should come from. Power up your plantified plate for hydration and stress relief and have a terrific Tuesday everyone!
We're sharing more today about stress management since a recent study showed we are more stressed than ever, and we know the effects can be deadly. Here are 3 more tips: Eat well - yes, in addition to eating hydrating foods mentioned yesterday, diets that are high in fiber and low in saturated fat can benefit our mental health. B Vitamins are key and found in fruits, greens, beans, and whole grains. Second, go outside and get 15 minutes of outdoor time everyday and sunshine if possible. Vitamin D decreases emotional distress, along with other great benefits. Lastly, get together with friends to laugh, lend support, have fun, and yes, complain! Pity parties and negativity are not good, but sometimes the best stress relief comes from sharing concerns with trusted friends. Have a wonderful Wednesday and stay tuned for more!
All week we're talking about stress being a leading cause of inflammation with direct links to major health issues AND we're at an all-time high when it comes to stress. Here are some additional tips to reduce it. Take 10 minutes each day to pray, meditate, or "downshift" in any way possible. Also, gardening - whether it's flowers, fruits, or vegetables gives us movement AND stress relief, and yard work can do the same. Lastly, and you'll love this one, take a NAP. Naps can lower the risk of heart disease and gives your whole body a much-needed break. More to come tomorrow on how to live longer, and stronger by lowering stress!
This
is our last segment on stress management and reduction because it's so high
right now and wrecks our health. 3 more
tips are first, make it a point to laugh hard daily and not take life too
seriously. Just pause and reset your
seriousness meter several times a day - flip the page, get past it, and move
on. Also, call your grandparents,
parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren.
Strong family ties keep us healthier and take our focus off what's
stressing us. Similarly, our last tip is
to make friends with those older and younger than yourself. It keeps us engaged outwardly, not focusing
so much on what's happening inwardly, and we learn more from different
generations. Have a fantastic Friday and
enjoy your wealth of health by reducing and coping better with stress!
