Hey there!
This is Elizabeth from Don’t (White) Sugar-Coat It and I’m here to represent Flax Seeds. So why should flax be a part of your Super Breakfast Bowl? Don’t underestimate these little seeds-they pack a nutritional punch! No doubt you’ve heard all the buzz about Omega 3 fatty acids. These good fats have been shown to lower heart disease risk. Flax seeds contain one of the greatest plant-sources of those omega-3 fatty acids. Flax is also very high in fiber, which helps to keep your cholesterol low, and intestines functioning. One tablespoon of ground flax has almost 4 g of fiber! It is loaded with phytochemicals, and lots of antioxidants. It is also high in lignans, a phytoestrogen, which may balance female hormones, and prevent cancer.
Even better is how easy it is to let a little flax into your life. Flax can be added to your cooking in its milled or whole seed form. The whole seeds will give a tasty crunch to baked goods, while milled flax greatly increases the nutritional value. You see, by grinding the seeds, you let your body easily absorb the nutrients, rather than letting them just pass through. You can put it on top of cereal or oatmeal, or toss it in your smoothies, muffins, scones, crepes, waffles and pancakes. Need an egg? Grind up 1 Tablespoon of whole flax seeds (2.5 T flaxmeal) to replace one egg. Transfer to a bowl and beat in 3 tablespoons of water using a whisk or fork. Not only can these “flax eggs” make a recipe vegan, but they add a little omega-3 boost to your baked goodies!
So what are you waiting for? Head over to your grocery store of choice and pick up some flax seeds! If you’re still a little afraid, you have some time to warm up to these little powerhouses. According to the Flax Council of Canada, whole flax seeds can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Ground flax seed should be refrigerated in an airtight, opaque container, eh? There’s also flax seed oil, but then you miss out on a great source of fiber-so I stick with the seeds!
I use flax on a daily basis, but here’s a recipe I’d love to share with you for breakfast scone! I like manipulating recipes, so significantly adapted one from Ricki Heller’s Sweet Freedom
Pear Ginger Scones
- 1tsp apple cider vinegar + almond milk to make 1/2 cup (rice or soy milk would work as well)
- 1/4 cup honey (or agave)
- 3 Tbsp Apple Sauce (or if you don’t want to make it lowfat, 3 Tbsp light tasting oil)
- 1Tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1.75 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 Tbsp ground flax meal
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.75 tsp salt
- 1 pear, diced. or if you want to use dried pears, about 1/2 cup, diced
- 2 T almond milk to brush tops with
- Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Mix the wet ingredients together and set aside. Then, mix the dry ingredients and slowly add the wet to the dry. Once mixed, fold in the diced pear, and then scoop onto baking sheet in desired scone shape.
- Put in pre-heated over for 6-8 minutes. Remove, brush tops with almond milk and return to oven for another 6-8 minutes. Knowing thy oven is almost as important as knowing thy self, so your baking times may differ from mine.
- This recipe is so easy to play with–try Apricot Pear, Orange Anise, Plum Pecan, Lemon Blueberry, and any other combination!
What breakfast bowl would you put flax in? I’d love to know! And for a little extra incentive, there’re prizes!!! If you send in a picture of your breakfast item along with its recipe to thesuperbreakfastbowlchallenge@gmail.com by next Monday, you will be entered, and I will randomly choose a winner of a SUPER Prize pack which includes: Fantastic Grab bag of Vega Products and Purely Elizabeth’s Perfect Pancake Mix and A wonderful Might Leaf Tea Top Brew Mug. Not only that but we’ll feature your winning recipe on all four blogs
Look at that- Cooking experience, health, creativity, great prizes, and free publicity all in one-what more could you ask for??
Don’t forget about Lindsey’s avocado richness, and stay tuned for Janel’s lentil bake-off tomorrow!!
Cheers!
Elizabeth
Don’t (White) Sugar Coat-It
By Lindsey Toth from Healthy Blog Snack
Welcome to the beginning of The Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge everyone! I hope you are all revved up and ready to challenge your early-morning selves with some breakfasty goodness.
Today’s the day we tout the wonderful characteristics of the Avocado. You can review the 
complete challenge perks and guidelines here, but to recap, send your creative avocado breakfast creations +pictures to thesuperbreakfastbowlchallenge@gmail.com by Sunday, February 14th. The winner of today’s challenge will get The Chef’n Vibe Avocado Slicer, courtesy of Kitchen Stuff Plus, in addition to boat loads of Newman’s Own Organics products AND an avocado gift pack courtesy of Avocados from Mexico.
Now for the Avocado Fun!
The avocado is actually a fruit, not a vegetable, and is native to the Caribbean, Mexico, South America, and Central America, although you could try growing one in your own home or backyard if you’d like. These pear-shaped fruits pack a mean nutrient-rich punch, weighing in at about 250 calories each, less than 5 grams of fat per serving, 80 micrograms of lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene (which both help to maintain eye health), and over 20 other vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. In short, avocados are nutrient powerhouses!
Fat?! What?!
You heard correctly when I said avocados have fat in them – did you know they had fat? Yep, a fruit with fat. Who’da thunk? This isn’t greasy, fried-food fat though, it’s a heart-healthy fat called monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is good for your heart because it has actually been shown to reduce bad cholesterol levels – LDL cholesterol – in your blood, lowering your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Shopping for Avocados
So how do you know if an avocado is ripe for the pickin’ at your local supermarket? First off, try to avoid ones with dark blemishes on the skin, or ones that are overly soft. The best way to tell if an avocado is ready for immediate consumption is to gently squeeze the fruit in the palm of your hand. Ripe, ready-to-eat fruit will be firm, but it will wield slightly to the pressure. If you plan to use the fruit in a few days, pick avocados that are extra-firm, so they will be ripe by the time you want to use them. Only hard, and unripened avocados at your stores? When you get home, place the unripened fruit in a brown paper bag and store it at room temperature until it’s ready to eat – you can even throw in an apple or a banana to accelerate the process, as these fruits give off a ripening agent called ethylene. Soft fruit can be placed in the refrigerator until it is ready to eat, but not more than a few days because it can become too ripe.
How Do I Eat an Avocado?
One of the trickiest things about avocados, I think, is figuring out how to eat them. They are an
awkward shape, with an awkward pit, and an awkward skin. Awwwkwaaaaaaaard. So, what’s the trick to digging into this delicious fruit?
1) Start with a ripe avocado, and run your knife lengthwise around it to split the avocado in half.
2) Now the tricky part: removing the pit. If you’re up to the challenge, use a knife to strike the pit, making it stick. Once the knife is stuck in the pit, rotate it, and pull the knife and pit out of the avocado. If that seems a little too Evel Knievel for you, you can use a spoon to scoop it out.
3) If you’re looking for pretty slices, gently use a butter knife to slice strips of avocado (careful not to slice through the skin), and then turn the skin inside out to release the meat. If you’re making a spread or a dip, and don’t care what it looks like, just use a spoon to scoop the avocado out.
Avocado Breakfast Toast
There are a zillion ways to eat an avocado: topped on a salad, mixed as guacamole, rolled into sushi – the list is endless! My all-time favorite way to eat avocado though, is in Avocado Toast. I found this recipe in the cookbook Muscle Chow, from the fabulous folks at Men’s Health magazine, and made a few tiny recipe tweaks to fit my personal fancy. The foreword of the book was written by David Grotto, RD, LDN, who is a leader in the field of nutrition and dietetics. I figured if he was on board, the book must be worth checking out. Use your shopping and eating skills from above to take this toast for morning test drive!
Ingredients:
- 2 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted
- 2 teaspoons of Dijon-honey mustard
- ½ avocado, peeled and sliced
- ½ tomato, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil
- ½ tablespoon of ground flaxseed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Spread 1 teaspoon of the Dijon-honey mustard on each piece of toast.
2) Add half of the avocado and half of the tomato to each slice.
3) Drizzle each slice of toast with the olive oil.
4) Sprinkle both slices with the basil, ground flaxseed, and the salt and pepper
5) Eat with caution – this can get messy but it’s totally worth it!!
We Challenge YOU!
Now that you’re in-the-know on the awesomeness of avocados, don’t forget to send us YOUR crazy avocado breakfast creations. If your creation is chosen, you’ll be the lucky winner of The Chef’n Vibe Avocado Slicer, a ton of Newman’s Own Organics products, an avocado gift pack courtesy of Avocados from Mexico, AND your recipe will be featured on all four of our blogs!
Stay tuned for Elizabeth’s flax seed post tomorrow!
Happy Super Breakfast Bowl Snacking!
Lindsey Toth at Healthy Blog Snack
P.S. Speaking of Challenges … don’t forget to VOTE for the winner of GGB’s January Challenge HERE!
WOOT-WOOT!!!
The January GGB Challenge winners are in and they’re dishing up some SCRUMPTIOUS soups! They’re all fabulous and tasty!
CONGRATS Coco, Elena & Elizabeth!!!
Without further ado, the finalists are:
- Coco at Balance, Joy, and Delicias
- Elena
- Elizabeth at Don’t (White) Sugar Coat It
Fish Soup from Coco at Balance, Joy, and Delicias
Elena’s All-Time Fav Chicken Avocado Soup!
Curried Kale Yellow Split Pea Soup from Elizabeth at Don’t (White) Sugar Coat It
Visit the Finalists Page to Nab the Recipes and Vote!!!
We’re changing things up a bit—just a tad—to echo your thoughts as well as mine AND to give you a lil’ more time to put together some tantalizing recipes for the Challenge!
What’s the change ???
Instead of monthly challenges, quarterly season challenges are coming your way! So—you’ll have more time to put together a FAB recipe, which may be hitting the world wide web on behalf of GGB! Plus, that’ll give yours truly a whopping dollop of more time to review and test the recipes comin’ my way!
SO—When’s the Next Challenge & What’s the Challenge?!?
Entry Deadline for SPRING Challenge: April 1st
Challenge: Peanut Butter Madness!
Basically, anything your healthy heart desires made with some good ol’ natural peanut butter! I know y’all love the peanut butter, so I’m pumped to check out your recipes! And, remember this is the blog of a gal who mainly cooks with a skillet and only a skillet–so don’t feel as if your recipe must be Top Chef style–it can be, but doesn’t have to be–just make sure it’s GGB 
healthifying style!
Prize: Something FAB!!! Trust, me you’ll be excited! Details to come!
Submit your Peanut Butter Madness recipes to:
Visit the Challenge Page for more details!
Anticipating your recipes!
Happy Healthifying!
Are you ready to get challenged?!? NO … really—are you? Because we are ready to have some true healthifying blogger fun!!!
So—what’s the dealio with this so called “challenge?”
Okay—here’s the 411.
Five of us nutrition ladies—Jessica at A Fete For Food, Janel at Eat Well with Janel,
Elizabeth at Don’t White Sugar Coat It, Lindsey at Healthy Blog Snack, and Corinne at Green Grapes Blog (yours truly), invite YOU to take the Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge! If you accept, you’ll incorporate a food that typically doesn’t make it onto your breakfast plate or into your usual b-fast bowl—or hey, if you’re really in a jam … your hand or napkin. Simply put, as long as ya eat breakfast within an hour of your rise-n-shine time, incorporate the chosen breakfast item, and send us a pic of your b-fast duds along with its recipe within six days of the highlighted item’s post—you’re good to go and eligible for prizes!!!!!!!!!!
Woo-hoo! Yes, we said prizes.
The Deal
But, before we get on to prizes, let’s talk a lot more nitty-gritty, shall we??? I know—details, details, details…
Starting next week—on February 8th—we’ll each have a day where we’ll post why our ingredient is AWESOME and invite you to use the ingredient in your breakfast within the upcoming week.
The Five Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge Ingredients, Revealed
1. Avocado – Monday, February 8th
- Pics and recipes needed Sunday, February 14th
2. Flax Seed – Tuesday, February 9th
- Pics and recipes needed Monday, February 15th
3. Lentils – Wednesday, February 10th
- Pics and recipes needed Tuesday, February 16th
4. Quinoa – Thursday, February 11th
- Pics and recipes needed Wednesday, February 17th
5. Walnuts – Friday, February 12th
- Pics and recipes needed Thursday, February 18th
Now, to get clout and be eligible to receive a FAB prize—you’ll need to send a pic of your breakfast item along with its recipe to thesuperbreakfastbowlchallenge@gmail.com within six days of the ingredient’s post date (noted above).
For example, if Lindsey writes about avocado’s awesomeness next Monday, then you’ll have until Sunday to send in a pic of your avocado breakfast goodness! AND—if you win, on Monday, the picture of your breakfast along with its recipe will be posted on ALL of our blogs!
So … Basically …
Each “ingredient post” will appear on each of our 5 blogs and each person who sends in a breakfast pic with the chosen ingredient AND recipe will be eligible for a prize! But … wait, there’s more! The winner—chosen by a random number generator—will be featured on ALL of our blogs along with your name and blog/website name, if ya got one.
Don’t ya love it?!? Cooking experience, health, creativity, great prizes, and free publicity all in one!
So, if ya use all five ingredients and submit a pic each time, you’ll have FIVE opportunities to win some pretty fabulous items—if I don’t say so myself! Plus, get publicity across the blogosphere!
PRIZE TIME!
Now, what you’ve all been waiting for!
Below are the items you could nab if you enter each Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge!
- Avocado: The Chef’n Vibe Avocado Slicer courtesy of Kitchen Stuff Plus, lots of Newman’s Own Organics fun, and an avocado gift pack courtesy of Avocados from Mexico!
- Flax Seed: Fantastic Vega Products and Purely Elizabeth’s Perfect Pancake Mix and A wonderful Mighty Leaf Tea Top Brew Mug!
- Lentils: A truly terrific text, Thrive—The Vegan Nutrition Guide. You can ALSO win the book 101 Optimal Life Foods by Registered Dietitian (aka Gu-a-titian) Dave Grotto.
- Quinoa: Newman’s Own Organics loot—everything from delicious, decadent, dark chocolate to dried fruit!
- Walnuts: Mollie Katzen’s get cooking. cookbook and a jar of walnut butter and a jar of chocolate walnut butter courtesy of Futters Nut Butters
GO ON—Challenge yourself to a Super Breakfast Bowl!
There’s never a time like the present! Send us your Super Breakfast Bowl Challenge pics with their recipe—come on now, you must share the health—and you could win some good loot in addition to some good ol’ blogger fun!
Looking forward to your breakfast creations!!!
Jessica at A Fete For Food
Janel at Eat Well with Janel
Elizabeth at Don’t White Sugar Coat It
Lindsey at Healthy Blog Snack
Corinne at Green Grapes Blog
PS there will be no GGB Challenge during February
Do we know how to cook anymore? 
Today, as I walked down the aisles of my beloved TJ’s (Trader Joe’s) something hit me—right when I saw the package of frozen pasta … FROZEN PASTA!!! Its slogan read, “cooks in less than 2 minutes.” I couldn’t believe it! Since when, have we, as a nation, become so busy that we can’t even spend 7 minutes cooking pasta?!? Then, I was struck by the realization—that most of the food around me only requires a simple heat n’ serve.
Now, don’t get me wrong I absolutely 100% adore TJ’s. I’m just not crazy about the fact that as time passes, it seems less and less know how to cook—I mean really cook, like grandma style with real, whole food ingredients. NOT a package of frozen pasta mixed with canned veggies and pre-cooked, pre-sliced chicken breast.
However, I’ll admit that I’m a “culprit” of this trend as well. At this very moment, I have TJ’s pre-cooked, frozen veggie meatballs in my freezer, canned soups (low-sodium, high-fiber ones of course!) in my cabinets, and pre-sliced sweet potatoes in my fridge, accompanied by pre-washed leafy greens … in my produce drawer. Yes—this is true.
A Bitter yet Sweet Affair
I guess you could say that I have a bitter sweet relationship with these pre-packed items. Bitter because it takes away from real cooking with foods in their actual form (i.e. bagged Brussels sprouts instead of ones on the stalk, or a pre-cubed butternut in place of a whole butternut), which ultimately, dulls our senses of what a food actually looks like before making it to the processing plant (not a good thing!). Sweet because some pre-packed items, like pre-washed, cut, and/or bagged veggies and fruits make eating healthier quicker and easier—which everyone needs nowadays. Personally, I think these produce items help people eat better, but cause some to lose touch with food in its whole form—not 
to mention the cooking process—from everything to peeling and dicing to laughing and enjoying the “prepping” experience with friends and family.
Cooking Quandaries
I must add … regardless, of whatever produce I have pre-washed or pre-cut, I make about 95% of my meals—and NO, not everything is pre-cooked, washed, or cut—far from it, actually. BUT, these items that are “good to go” have helped me whip up quick, healthy meals in minutes—kinda awesome, if ya ask me.
YET, I have found that these partially assembled foods have deferred from real grandma or semi-Julia Child’s style cooking. Semi just cuz in all reality … I’ll never make it to Julia’s level. If I did, the chick who “once used garlic as a spread” and ensued a warning that this “is not the way to a man’s heart…” (ha-ha!) would have turned a whole new leaf!
Some Reasoning
To add a little proof to the pudding … I get asked a lot, “Do you cook? You must! You’re in nutrition.” My typical reply, “Well … yes, I can cook up something quick, easy, and healthy—like stir-fried veggies and prawns—but don’t expect a boned duck or anything of the sort anytime soon—or ever…” Then, I’ll inquire, “Can you cook?”
And, ya know…??? The answer I get 90% of the time from many is, “Not really…”
For a lil’ extra oomph’ to add to my proof pudding, according to the National Restaurant Association:
- 29% of adults say purchasing take-out food is essential to the way they live.
- $1.6 billion dollars per day is spent on restaurant sales.
- Restaurants will provide more than 70 billion meal and snack occasions in 2010.
- 44% of adults say restaurants are an essential part of their lifestyles.
Mmm … either everyone is extremely modest and in all actuality really can cook, or
we’re all gonna be eating Thanksgiving dinner via heat n’ serve takeout in years to come…
Boiling it Down
Basically, I’d stay away from pre-packed items, including produce items, if they’re packed with sugar, sodium, sauces, or other “junk” that has tainted them. But, pre-packaged produce is just as good for ya as the whole versions—as long as they’re sodium, sauce, and added-sugar free. And, these “set to go” items help people (including me!) make quick, healthy meals at home. And, we all know that eating at home is always healthier for you than eating out! You actually know what’s going in your food! However, these pre-ready items take away from our food and cooking experience as a whole, which is truly a shame. So… buy a cook book, nab free recipes online, or take a cooking class, get in there, and start cooking when you can … I bet you have fun.
But, these are just my thoughts on paper blog.
Happy Healthifying!
What are your thoughts? Do you think most cook?
PS Speaking of cooking…enter your soup into the GGB Challenge! Ya have til the end of the month 
Just as any other health blogger out there—I love me some oats! BIG TIME! They rank high—perhaps number one—in my breakfast staples.
Out of the many varieties to choose from—instant, rolled, Old Fashioned, and steel cut—my go-to oat variety is Old Fashioned. Not only do these oats match my personality—as some might
say –but, they work well with my morning schedule (only 3 minutes to heat up in the microwave … thanks to the wonders above and Mother Nature for a quick, natural, healthy, and cheap breakfast!). Plus, I dig their texture. Old Fashioned oats are hearty and semi-chewy. They’re more “gooey” than steel cut oats, but they’re not as “mushy” or “gummy” as “quick” rolled oats or instant oats. Remember—this is only my personal preference.
If you’re wondering what the differences amongst these oats are, well—not too much. All oats are whole grains. The difference amongst them mostly boils down to texture, which depends on how much each oat was rolled or broken down before hitting the shelves. As you progress from steel cut oats—where the hulled oat kernel (aka oat groat) has only been cut into two or three pieces—to instant oats—the oat becomes broken down into more pieces from the rolling process. Here, the oat groat is steamed, rolled, and re-steamed until it reaches its final thickness/size—and, finally … it’s toasted!!! This process breaks down the oat groat’s (I love saying “oat groat” !!!) structured cell wall (cellulose aka the love of my life–fiber). Hence, the rolling or breaking down of the oat makes them softer, gummier, and quicker to cook.
In order of chewiest, nuttiest, heartiest oat to smooshiest, gummiest, stickiest oat is:
- Steel Cut
- Old Fashioned
- “Quick” Rolled Oats
- Instant Oatmeal
Nutritionally speaking, all oats are good for ya! They’re all whole grains! As long as you’re not loading your shopping cart with the instant, sugar-filled varieties, you’re good as groats And, helping keep your heart healthy, weight stable, and stomach full until lunch time—who doesn’t want that?!? In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than eating breakfast and a couple hours later being S-T-A-R-V-I-N-G!!! Oats will keep ya satisfied and satiated!
Currently, my fav way to eat my oats is by cookin’ up 1/2 cup of Old Fashioned Oats and mixing it with Kashi’s Vive cereal—delish, high in fiber, and something to keep me lookin’ forward to the AM and powering on til the PM of 12 noon!
I know YOU all love your groats too! SO—drop a comment and share your FAVORITE oatmeal delish dish! There’s nothing more exciting than finding new creative ways to eat your oats!!!!
Happy Healthifying!!!
What’s your favorite way to eat your oats???
I think you all know by now that I adore the grape. I simply can’t get enough of its sweet, natural goodness that explodes onto your taste buds with a mere crunch. And, after that crunch—my taste buds are waltzing in a wondrous state of love.
BUT, no matter how strong my feelings are for the grape I—in no way—can endorse the grape diet or grape cure.
I bet you’re wondering where this came from. Well–I read Maggie Bullock’s article, The Grape Cure, on my way from San Fran to Boston a few weeks ago and it stuck in my mind like a wad of pink bubble gum on a black shoe. Then, GGB kept getting found via searches for “The Grape Diet.” Hence, I was compelled to share some interesting findings with you. I tell ya—you learn something new every day…
The Grape Cure?
The “grape cure” may be interpreted in different ways depending on the cure/detox/diet, but what each has in common is that there is a set period where a person eats ONLY grapes! Articles I’ve read call this:
- The Grape Diet
- The Grape Cure
- All-Grape Detox Diet
- A Grape Cleanse
Originally, this so called “grape cure” was popularized by Johanna Brandt, a naturopath from South Africa, who claimed that the “cure” abolished her stomach cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, she came to the US in 1927, opened the Harmony Healing Centre
in New York City, and began promoting the treatment. In 1928 Brandt wrote The Grape Cure to promote her grape-laden, cancer-abolishing diet (if it was only that easy…). According to Stephen Barrett, MD, Brandt’s diet had 5 phases:
- Fasting for two or three days, during which only cold water is consumed. A daily enema is also given.
- After the fast, a diet of only grapes is followed for one to two weeks. One to three ounces of grapes are consumed every two hours during the day (seven meals a day). Water could be consumed as needed.
- Fresh fruits, tomatoes, and sour milk or cottage cheese are then added to the diet.
- A variety of raw foods are then introduced.
- A mixed diet is begun. This consists of one kind of fruit each day for breakfast, a cooked lunch, and a salad for supper.
Quick Reality Check in the words of The American Cancer Society
An exclusive grape diet is unhealthy and does not supply the body with adequate amounts of protein and important nutrients. Grape seed extract is believed to be safe, but additional research is needed for confirmation.
Despite Brandt’s written words in The Grape Cure
Under the Grape Diet, [the disease] should run its full course within a month or six weeks. The patient loses weight to an extent that would be alarming if he did not understand the principle of the Cure. While on the first stage of the Grape Diet, nothing should be administered to make him gain weight — no food of any kind except the grape. In advanced cases it is sometimes by reducing him to a virtual skeleton that the disease may be overcome. When in severe cases he has reached this point, there is nothing left for the cancer to live on and it usually disappears spontaneously.
THIS IS BOGUS!!! And, can actually HARM patients! As Barrett, MD wrote in his article The Grape Cure, “[Brandt’s] recommended diet is deficient in most essential nutrients and can cause constipation, diarrhea, cramps, and weight loss that is undesirable for cancer patients.”
Grapes–a Detox Fad?
Okay—perhaps not necessarily a fad, since “grape cleanses” have been occurring, particularly in France since the late 1920s. As stated in Bullock’s article, the idea behind the The Grape Cure
…Was to lose weight, of course, but all-grape repasts were also said to boost health and improve the complexion; women swore by the antiaging benefits of a few months (months!) of eating only grapes.
My gosh! Months of only grapes!?! Even I couldn’t deal with that! Then, I’d definitely need to change the name of this blog…
Today, grape “detoxes” or “cleanses” still occur. However, instead of lasting for a few months and being marketed towards cancer patients, they’re more likely to last for a few days to a couple of weeks and are now hawked to the average Joe and Jane.
Why do people do them you ask? Well, I assume for the same reasons anyone would do a detox: to gain a sense of control over their body, possess a feeling of being “cleansed,” or reap the wonders of the health benefits they were promised.
As one woman who does an annual “grape cleanse” stated in Bullock’s piece, “… it’s really about feeling good, being energized … a brief grape cleanse would brighten my skin, ease insomnia, straighten out digestion, relieve fatigue and stress, and get me on track.”
Detox Schmetox…
Now, I’m all about getting back on track and (hello?!?) I’m all for grape promotion, but am not all about detox diets—at all—even if it’s in the form of grapes and only grapes. Well—especially if it’s in the form of grapes AND only grapes! After all, grapes only provide good amounts of carbohydrates, potassium, and vitamins A, B6, and C, AND you need more than those nutrients to keep your ticker tickin’, your muscles moving, and your brain fully neurotransmitting.
Even more importantly, if you choose a detox that has even less nutrients than a grape—like one 
of the many juice programs being hawked like it’s everyone’s business—you’ll have no energy to function normally and exercise, which will make you expend less energy, perhaps loose muscle mass, and ultimately, rev down your metabolic engine. Not a good idea. Plus, I don’t know about you, but if I was only drinking some cockamamie juice, or eating only grapes, I would not be the happiest camper on the block…
Lastly, the human body is pretty miraculous. It’s designed to purify itself—thanks to our liver and kidneys. If everything is in it’s proper place, there is absolutely no point in detoxing. Your body is already taking care of that.
A Detox Worth Believing In
If you insist on doing some sort of detox, eat extremely clean. Eat plenty of plant-based foods. At every meal and snack nosh on unadulterated (steamed, grilled, baked, steam-panned) vegetables and/or fruits. Also, share some love with whole grains, beans, legumes, low-fat dairy foods, lean proteins, and healthy fats. AND, don’t forget your H20!
Just get back to nature.
Happy Healthifying!!!
What are your thoughts on detox diets?
Hi everyone!
I hope you’re off to a great healthy day (yes … I did just have to throw the “healthy” in there … come on now!).
First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU to all who take time out of their crazy busy day to read Green Grapes Blog and then—provide input! Your comments, e-mails, blog hits, and challenge submissions truly put a smile on my face … really … they do! SO—once again, a big THANKS from me to YOU!!!
AND, an even bigger THANKS to Shannon from Lessons to Learn. She was kind enough to nominate me for the Beautiful Blogger Award—so sweet!!!
Now, what I’ve gathered about this award is that I’m supposed to tell ya 7 fun facts all about me, and then nominate 7 other lovely bloggers.
Let’s give it a whirl, shall we???
7 Facts About Moi
- I have Swiss citizenship, but have NOT yet gone to Switzerland! (Ha-ha. I know—right?).
- I start every day by drinking 2 ginormous glasses of water followed by a cup of joe, which is likely accompanied by a bowl of oats or a straight-up baked or microwaved sweet potato with some sea salt.
- Two of my life goals are to write a fun chick-lit novel and to become a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Boy, when you put these two in the same sentence they appear somewhat random, BUT the goals are true …just not tried (give me some years )
- My best friend’s name is Lindsay. We’ve known each other since the ripe old age of 2!!! We refer to one another as “diaper buddy.”
- I adore the endorphin rush from a good workout and happen to take pride in my obscene sweating abilities—hey, it just means I really worked it out!
- I LOVE physiology text books, nutrition journals, medicine jargon and all the good “sciency stuff” that accompanies becoming an RD, but I also LOVE watching E! News and romantic comedies and reading US Weekly.
- All of my family and close friends call me “Rinny” or “Corinney.” When I came to college I thought the name would vanish, but nope—somehow it has managed to migrate from California to Boston and stick!!!
7 Bloggers I Nominate!
- Lindsey from Healthy Blog Snack
- Jessica from A Fete For Food
- Elizabeth from Don’t (White) Sugar-Coat It
- Janel from Dine Dish Delish
- Kasey from Fit For Wellness
- Gina from The Candid RD
- Kristen from The Swanky Dietitian
THANKS … AGAIN!!!
Once again, a big thank you to Shannon and all the GGB readers out there! Thanks for giving GGB the once-over, but hopefully, the twice-over!
See y’all soon!
Happy Healthifying!
Yay!!! Congrats Liz—your cookies were a HIT!!!! Woo-HOO!!!
Ginger Drizzle Cookies from Liz Weiss at MEAL MAKEOVER MOMS’ KITCHEN
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Servings per Recipe: 3 Dozen Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed or wheat germ
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
Directions:
- Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar and canola oil and beat on medium speed until well blended, 1 minute. Add the egg and molasses and continue to beat until smooth, about 1 minute.
- On low-speed, gradually beat in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 1 hour (note: If the batter feels firm after mixing, feel free to forgo the chilling and move on to the next step).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil or coat two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. With your hands, roll the dough into 1 ¼-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving a 2-inch space in between.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Meanwhile, to make the glaze, place sugar and milk in a bowl and stir until mixed thoroughly. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of milk as needed. Drizzle glaze over each cookie in a lattice or squiggle-shaped design.
Tip: If you want your icing to harden, replace one tablespoon of the milk with 1 tablespoon light corn syrup.
Nutrition Information per Serving (1 cookie): 80 calories, 3.5g fat (0g saturated, 0.3g omega-3), 105 g sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein
Don’t forget to submit your Scrumptious Soups for GGB’s January Challenge!
