Christine Scivicque's Blog
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Ok, Halloween is over. So the candy should be gone by now (if you still have left over bite size treats, toss them!). But the holidays are just getting started. This can be a very difficult time for many people. Depression, over eating, and stress are abundant this time of year. Now is a good time to start getting your mind set on having a healthy and happy holiday season.
Consider what you can do to decrease stress levels: you might want to get all your shopping out of the way early. Or maybe you can schedule a few more workouts during the week to keep those "happy" endorphins really kicking. If winter weather gets you down, look into purchasing a full spectrum light which can help simulate sunlight and be effective against "seasonal mood disorder".
Remember to utilize portion control during those holiday parties. You don't have to deprive yourself - enjoy the fun treats but share them with your significant other or simply take half. When going to parties, eat at home before you go so you don't walk in starving. You can also take a healthful dish to share. Up your protein intake as well - this helps improve mood and keeps you feeling satisfied. Take extra care to eat well during these months to help improve your overall mood and immunity (the two main things at risk this time of year!) .
Check back for more tips to having a happy and healthy holiday season!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Cleaning out the cabinet in my bathroom today was a very eye-opening experience. It reminds me of what a supplement junkie I really am. Honestly, it seems like I've tried every vitamin, mineral, amino acid, digestive enzyme, and herbal tonic on the market! The worst part is, I've now got half-used bottles floating around everywhere! What good are they now? None. Sadly, I had to toss anything that was past it's expiration date (which was most of it!). Additionally, it occured to me that keeping them in a room that gets hot and steamy everyday is probably not such a good idea. The few bottles I have left, I'm now keeping in the kitchen (away from the stove) in plain view so that I will remember to take them. Because what good are they sitting in the bottles? None. They have to go INTO the body to work, silly!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Have you ever been at a low-health point in your life? Sure, everyone has! Have you ever empowered yourself to take control and make changes in your diet or lifestyle to improve your health? I'd like to invite everyone to share their stories with me. I find that motivating clients to step up and make changes is an ongoing challenge in my line of work. One of the best tools is to share stories of people who have done it and who have seen amazing results. Have you recovered from a disease? Have you prevented the progression of a disease? Have you lost weight, boosted your energy, or just felt better or happier overall? What did you do to get there? And, do remember one trigger that forced you to take the leap and tell yourself that there could be no more excuses?
Please share your stories by emailing me at: nutrition@suite101.com or post a discussion so that everyone can benefit from what you learned. I look forward to hearing from you all!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
I relied on spinach for way too long. When they took it off the shelves, I freaked out. But it gave me a great opportunity to remember some of my old favorites that I've been passing by each week as I grabbed for my old reliable. For example, I had a tasty butter lettuce salad. I had forgotten it's creamy, soft texture and wonderful light flavor. I also had some steamed kale, which is great with a little soy sauce and sesame seed oil. It's nice to remember some of those tasty greens I normally don't do because spinach is just so easy and available. I actually didn't mind when it wasn't available. But I'm glad it's back!!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Ok, I'm a self proclaimed "food geek". But I admit that I've had one of those weeks. I don't know what it is but food has never tasted so good! I allowed myself a few small indulgences and you know how it goes. A small bite, turns into another small bite, turns into a HUGE bite, and then a oh-I-might-as-well-finish-it bite. Now, I'm struggling to get myself back in the healthy mind frame. Sometimes it really takes a lot of effort to do what's good for you. I think we should all take time to thank ourselves when we work out, or choose a salad over a hamburger. These things aren't always easy to do. The worst part is, I know that getting back on track will make me feel awesome. So why am I having such a hard time? I think it's a natural human thing to fall "off the wagon" and then pick yourself up and carry on. But there are some tried and true methods to getting back on track and I'm ready for them!
To motivate myself, I'm doing the following things: dedicating myself to a long yoga workout tomorrow night, planning my meals for the weekend and getting the grocery store shopping out of the way, talking to my best friend about how eager I am to get back on track, and this evening, I'm reviewing all of the reasons why being healthy is so important to me.
See, I'm feeling better already! Now I just have to convince my boyfriend to throw away those chocolate macadamia nuts (I blame them for ALL of this!).
Posted by Christine Scivicque
I got a great question via e-mail and I wanted to share the answer with all of you. Cathy asked, "How do hormones play a role in staying fit?" This is such a HUGE question (entire books have been written on the topic!) but I wanted to give a brief, informative answer.
Hormones are chemical messengers that send signals through out our bodies for various functions to begin or end, slow or speed up. They regulate mood, metabolism, and sexual function (among many other things).
The Endocrine system is the name we use for the network of organs and glands that influence hormone activity. The 3 main organs are the thyroid, the pancreas and the adrenals.
The best way to care for (and balance) hormonal activity, is to care for these organs. Balancing your blood sugars is essential for a healthy pancreas (see my Blood Sugar Basics article). Keeping a healthy diet and avoiding toxins is necessary for thyroid health (see my articles on Whole Foods and Organic Foods)And to ensure your adrenal glands are healthy, reduce stress!!
There are also many "detox" programs that help balance hormonal activity. Try Ann Louis Gittleman's Fast Track One-Day Detox Diet or Dr. Murray's Total Body Tune Up.
This topic deserves a much more in depth discussion so I'll work on getting an article out soon. Until then, eat well and keep that stress in check!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Have you ever noticed how you feel after you've over-indulged on an unhealthy meal? You probably know that it causes more than just a little tummy ache. A consistently unhealthy diet can really effect your mental health as well. You can become irritable, depressed, and stressed from being under nourished. Your mind and soul benefit from a healthy diet. Science shows that the brain needs certain nutrients in order to create the chemicals that improve our mental health and outlook on life. Chowing down on unhealthy foods can be bad for you physically, but also mentally and spiritually. This isn't to say that you have to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time, but try to notice next time you indulge, and you may realize that the healthier options make you feel better in more ways than one!!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Well, summer is still going strong here in sunny California. I don't know about you, but summer is always pretty "vegetarian" for me. I love a big piece of fruit when it's hot out. And I eat tons of fresh green salads. BBQ's should always involve some colorful, tasty vegetable kabobs. Hikes always require a nice trailmix full of crunchy nuts and sweet dried fruit. Yep, there's nothing like summer eating to make you feel healthy and spoiled all at once! Anyone else have a favorite summer treat? Share it with us!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
I went to the flea market yesterday and bought an old book called "Do It! Let's Get Off Our Buts - A Guide to Living Your Dreams". As a person who is both a self-help junkie and someone who wants to live her dreams, I happily paid a buck for it. The first chapter was all about how we use that tiny little word "but" to keep us from doing what we really want to do and to justify our actions when we know we aren't making the best decision. Then I found myself saying today, "I want to go to yoga BUT I'm really tired". It made me stop and think about what I was saying. Was I really so tired that I was going to skip yoga - something that makes me feel great and healthy? Was skipping yoga going to get me any closer to my dream of living a happy, healthy life? Ug - self help books make my head hurt! So I went to yoga and now I'm still really tired but I feel very proud of myself. I didn't let my "but" get in the way. I'm excited (and a little afraid) to keep reading this book because I'm fairly certain I use this 3 letter word more often than I realize. It should be very eye opening!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Flax seeds can truly be considered a miracle food for their natural ability to heal and prevent disease. They are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids (which I will be writing an article on next week so check back for more info). This essential nutrient is often deficient in our diets and has been shown to (among other things) lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, promote weight loss, and prevent cancer.
Flax seeds are an easy way to get an added boost of Omega 3's in your daily diet. The easiest thing to do is grind them up (in a clean coffee grinder - I keep one just for flax seeds) and sprinkle them in anything - soups, salads, smoothies, casseroles. The Omega 3's are very fragile so don't cook the seeds - just add them to things after they are cooked. Also, keep the seeds in the freezer to prevent them from going rancid.
And remember to check back next week for more on Omega 3 fatty acids!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
Codex Alimentarius is new legislation the United Nations is trying to pass worldwide which will severely restrict the availability of nutritional supplements. The ultimate goal is to make them only available through doctors and thus, only sold by pharmaceutical companies. The implications of this are astounding. Imagine if you didn't have the freedom to use nutritional supplements as a means of preventing disease. Think about if you had to go to the doctor to get an Rx for Vitamin C. Isn't avoiding a doctor's visit the whole point of using vitamins? This legislation will make pharmaceutical companies even more powerful and it will make it impossible for nutritionist to do their job. Where does it end? Will we end up needing an Rx for an orange? If you value your freedom to take charge of your own health, please look into this.
Research Codex more or sign one of the many petitions online.
Posted by Christine Scivicque
The link between our health and our intake of water is unquestionable. Recently, I found an interesting book called "Your Body's Many Cries for Water" by Dr. F. Batamanghelidiji. In 1979, this doctor was taken as a political prisoner in Iran and was set to be executed. While imprisoned, he was attempting to help his fellow prisoners with their medical problems and discovered the amazing healing powers of water. Using just water, he was able to cure stress induced peptic ulcers and relieve the pain of many degenerative diseases. Today, he's the leading expert on water and its miraculous ability to heal. According to his research, water can actually be used to prevent and reverse premature aging and eliminate pains from heartburn, migraines, arthritis, and angina. He says it can actually cure asthma and hypertension, among many other things. I'm so excited to learn more about this topic because I've often felt we are, collectively as a society, continuously dehydrated. Also, water is the best medicine because it plentiful and free!
Posted by Christine Scivicque
I met with a client recently who told me that she thought organic foods "weren't worth the cost". She said the fruits and vegetables weren't as nice looking as the regular ones but they cost more. I admit it; they are a little more expensive than commercial products. But isn't our health worth it? Also, organic farming is a much more sustainable method. It's more environmentally friendly - not spewing pollutants into the air around our communities. And the foods usually taste a lot better (even if they don't look ridiculously over colorful and huge like their commercial counterparts). So, I look at it like this: the few added dollars I'm paying for organics are really going to support a cause that improves my health, the health of my entire community, and the health of the planet. And then it looks like a bargain!!
For more on this topic read Go Organic