Reading about Nelson

Today is a great day. Why?

I finally finished reading Nelson Mandela's Autobiography, all 626 pages of it!

I hava always been interested in South African politics, but never attempted to divulge into the sad history of Apartheid. That all changed when I heard that Nelson Mandela would make an appearance, at the Soccer World Cup at age 92. I dont know why, but I was suddenly intrigued, and wanted to know more about Mandela and the 28 years he spent behind bars in the name of freedom.

Luckily, I live very close to an Indigo bookstore, so I ventured over to the biography section, where I found him sitting in between other noted figures, Yasmin Warsame, Marilyn Monroe, Bill Clinton, the whole slew.

For a person who has been reading ficton for way too long, sometimes, its hard to grasp the harsh and stark reality laying between the covers of such a great manifesto. Gritting my teeth, and turning off the the tv, I found myself far away from the pleasantries of my childhood, and turned back the clock to 1918, in Transkei, South Africa, where it all began for a troublemaker, Rolihlahla. Who is now famously and universally known as Nelson Mandela.

I cannot read page for page, although each detail is precise, eloquent and useful to understanding the simple and selfless life Mandela lived. I may barely scratch the surface, but will offer some insight into his life, hoping you will be inspired to read and experience this book aswell.

Mandela was the first child in his family to attend school. His teacher could not pronounce his African name and bestowed upon him, the English name, Nelson. Hence,from early on, Mandela was thrown into the melting pot of English colonization. His direction in life was also chosen earlier than he expected. His caretaker, wanted him to marry around twenty years of age. However, he rebelled, ran away, tried to do his own thing. He eventually stumbled upon a jewish law firm in Johannesburg, where he rubbed shoulders with the whites, and learnt of the subtle prejudices that lie between the races.

One instance of this inequality, occurred during a discussion about tea cups Mandela writes " I was greatful for her ministrations, but I knew that the "two new cups" she was so carful to mention were evidence of the color bar that she said did not exist. The secretaries might share tea with two Africans, but not the cups with which to drink it"

Despite such discrepancies, Nelson found a friend in Gaur, a poltical enthusiast, who soon planted the seeds, the ideas, the platforms of the African National Congress into Nelson's tabula rosa of african politics. Nelson Mandela was only twenty three at that time. Little did he know, that five decades later, at the ripe old age of 76, he would become the leader of this party and the president of his country.

I have tons more to tell you about Mr. Mandela, this is just the beginning to his long walk to freedom.

Brendan Brazier (not Fraser)

Taking advantage of our last and very few summery days, I went down to the Vegetarian Food Fair at the Harborfront last weekend. I was pleasantly suprised to find that Brendan Brazier, Vegan Ironman Athlete was giving a free lecture!!
I was there in a heartbeat.

Brendan is the author of Thrive Diet and the creator of Vega, a line of whole foods plant based supplements, which includs my favorite pick-me up protein powder, Smoothie Infusion.

Brendan's discussion was intriguing, as many people are baffled by how a vegan, such as himself could obtain optium levels of iron, b12, and protein just plants, without resorting to a juicy piece of steak. That's where vega comes in. He has developed various products including plant based protein powder. The various vega whole food optimizer, are good sources of b12 (cyanocobalamin) and iron (citrate). In terms of the composition of whole foods, he explained that 45% of kale, broccoli and spinach is protein. The audience was silent for once.

One of the more interesting parts of his talk, was his discussion on weight gain. Once he became vegan and was training 35 to 40hours a week, he noticed that he would gain a pound every three weeks. He consulted many physicians, who told him to restrict his calories. Although, Brendan wasnt convinced this was the issue, he decided to restrict his caloric intake, to see if it would help. But it didnt. He ended up gaining a pound every two weeks. So, he went to an endocrinologist, who told him that his weight gain was due to his overworked endocrine glands The amount of physical stress from exercise was too hard for his body to handle. As a result, his adrenal glands constantly secreted high levels of cortisol, which resulted in his consistent weight gain.

Unfortunately, Brendan did not speak that long and opened up the floor for questions. At that point I ventured outside to try some yummy samples at the veggie booths.

In conclusion, here are some tested and tried products, that i would like to mention.

Smoothie Infusion, very good for a simple blended smoothie in the morning or after a workout. It is lighter than most of his other protein powders.

Whole Food Health Optimizer not as delightful as it sounds. Its the hardcore stuff (i.e you dont care how it tastes, you just need to have it) It says to blend with water, but i dont see how, becuase it is so chalky, that you need to blend it with some fruit or veggies.

Vega Shake & Go Smoothie
Just tried this at the veggie fair. Its one of their newer products. It is heavier than the smoothie infusion but not as heavy as the whole food optimizer. Chocolate flavour is not too bad.

Antioxidant EFA Blend
Good stuff. Easy to add to food. Normally I add a tbsp to my salad or in my salad dressing.

I have either bought these products online or in Noah's Health food store. Sometimes you can get a better deal online and try a few more things.

Putting the little phalanges back to work

After another hiatus, I've decided to get back to work on the blog. My latest inspiration for starting again, came this morning, when I opened up the Globe and Mail newspaper, and found that my letter to the editor got published!! Needless to say, my phalanges (my fingers) are pouncing from letter to letter on the keyboard with a newfound energy and gusto.

As healthy as I want to be, not all of my blogs will be healthy musings for readers.
Working towards becoming a nutritionist is not an easy task, but im on the road, making the final turn towards Graduation. Regardless of whether im a nutritionist or a spin instructor, these are just things I do... my work...not my play. Sometime im love it, sometimes i dont. Simple as that.

So the aim of my blog is to write or muse about anything and everything. I might discuss nutrition, share a recipe, or talk about sweating up a storm on the bike. BUT...

In the grand scheme of things i want to share my thoughts and concerns, whatever i feel like writing and whenever you feel like reading it.

Thanks for reading so far...I will be posting my first blog entry, shortly.

Nutty Milk Madness

Confession: I love milk! I recently revisited my love for chocolate milk, when i went to the Total Health show a few weeks back. Organic chocolate milk, slightly chilled, thick and deliciously creamy. mmm......so good. I went back for seconds and maybe thirds that day.

However, when im not craving the coco cow, i tend to drink dairy free milk, specifically almond milk. I've tried soy, but unless its flavored i cant gulp the stuff down without gagging.

So, let me begin. Almond milk. I wouldnt say that im an expert, but i definetly recommend anyone whose lactose intolerant, anti soy and loves almonds give it a try.

Almonds are a great source of protein, vitamin e (important antioxidant), and they also contain minerals such as magnesium, selenium, iron, calcium, and zinc. So, gulp up. You can buy it at the grocery store or make it at home. If you are the adventurous type, here is my simple almond milk recipe:

Hayley's Nutty Milk Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup of almonds (organic, is preferable)
3 cups of filterd water
Some Agave nectar (if you want to sweeten it)

Equipment
Nifty blender
Cheesecloth or sieve (i.e. simply a sifter)

1. Soak the almonds overnight, in a cup of water (24hrs at least!)
2. The next day peel the almonds (if you havent soaked them enough, harder to peel)
3. Blend almonds and water until smooth and frothy
4. To sweeten, add Agave Nectar
5. Strain the almond milk with a cheessecloth or sieve (repeat until milk is smooth & not gritty)
6. The stuff you find in the sieve can be blended with water again to make more milk, OR... you can add the almond paste some hummus.

And that's it! You can keep it in the fridge for 4 to 7 days.
Add this nutty milk to your smoothies or just plain black tea.

I saw this great recipe for turmeric tea which calls for almond milk, check out this link! http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2010/02/05/tea-time-with-turmeric/

Food for thought and.. Rules

Besides my addiction to the Twilight series, the only book I've been able to concentrate on is Michael Pollan's Food Rules. The first good thing about this book, is that its not a book. Rather, its a handy little manual of fully digestive material that you can wrap your head around without going stircrazy.

In Food Rules, Pollan outlines what kind of food we should eat and how we should consume it....

Here are my top favorite food rules

1. Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms/plants) is better than eating what stands on two legs (chicken), which better than eating what stands on four legs (cows, pigs, and other mammals)

2. Pay More, Eat less

My thoughts: As a student, on a oh-so-average income it is sometimes difficult to budget your grocery shopping and get everything you need. Especially when eating a whole foods diet, requiring superfoods, supplements, and all those gogi berries!

However, in contrast to people eating Mcdonald's and Burger King, I know in the grand scheme of things, im making the right choice. Eating fast food or frozen Lean Cusine may save people a a buck or two, BUT they may be spending their extra savings on health bills later on in life becuase of their poor food choices.

3.Avoid the foods you see on television

My thoughts: I love watching CSI and Jeopardy on the weekdays, what i dont love, is the silly commerical breaks in between, especially ones enticing viewers to buy products (NOT FOOD) like reeses pieces, cadbury, hersheys, etc. My latest favorite, is the Snicker's superbowl ad featuring Betty White . The claim: Snickers satifies her hungry and transforms her into a youthful football jock playing around in the mud. Seriously, leafy green veggies could and should be the golden girl's real choice.

4.Stop eating before you're full

My thoughts: I love food and love eating it. But, im grossed out by how many times i see people pigging out at the dinner table, as if it's their last supper. When I dine out, which is not so often, I notice that many restaurants are making portions sizes bigger and bigger. In some people's eyes, the larger quantity on their plate means better value for their meal. In my eyes, the more quanlity translates to less quality. Additionally, it leads to more waste, and more weight around the waist line.


For me, Food Rules, was a great introduction into the complex workings of the evergoing food and nutrition industry. My next step (after finishing Breaking Dawn) is to read his books In Defense of Food and Omnivore's Dilemma!!

A calling for Kale Chips

Browsing the aisles of Noah's one day, I stumbled upon kale chips. I've never been a chip kind of gal, but i was willing to try it. After just one bite, i was hooked. Crunchy, good flavour and a leafy green, all in one!!!

Kale, is from the cabbage family. It is loaded with nutrients. It is a great source of beta carotene, a good source of vitamin k, vitamin c, and rich in calcium.

Of course, when its cooked, it loses some of its nutritional value. But still, its much better than grabbing a bag of potato chips or pretzels.

KALE CHIPS recipe
compliments to Lucy DelRey

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner.
   
3. Drizzle kale with oil, several options : olive oil, hemp seed oil, pumpkin seed oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
4. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

If you don't have time to make them, Noah's Natural Foods offers a selection of different flavored kale chips. Prices range from $4 and up.

Kale caution: Kale contains goitrogen which can interfere with thyroid gland functioning.
Therefore, people with thyroid issues should avoid kale.

The best part of waking up...

Folgers tells people, "the best part of waking up is coffee (folgers) in your cup." But is it really the best part? Of course, its going to stimulate you, get your gears running, but is your body thirsty for coffee first thing in morning? I dont think so.

After sleeping for seven to eight hours a night, your body needs hydrating rather than stimulation. Unfortunately with years of drinking so many cups its hard for people to quit such habits. According to Cliff Harvey, a Nutrition and Natural Therapies specialist, 90% of the North American population ingest 200 to 280mg of caffeine daily. Moreover, with Tim Hortons, Second Cup, Starbucks, Coffee Time sprouting up on each city corner, its easy to be a caffeine scapegoat. If your willing to give it a go, here's what i suggest...

When you wake up, squeeze some lemon (maybe a teaspoon to start) in a cup of room temperature water. Gradually increase the amount of lemon if you want. Resist the urge to put on the coffee pot. Occupy yourself, by cutting up some fruit, packing your lunch for work etc.

If you absolutely cant resist going inside Timmy's or your local coffee joint.
Try to do one of these three things.
1. Order a smaller size of coffee than you normally do. (eg. Order a tall instead of the grande)
2. If you already order a small coffee, change it up, have a tea instead. Peppermint, Green tea etc.
3. If you are absolutely dying for a coffee, have one. BUT for every cup of coffee you drink, drink at least 1 to 2 cups of water!

So, the best part of waking up, is not folgers, but that you get to choose.
Choose whats best for and your body.