Number one of the top ten places to eat and shop in Stonington, Maine: Isle Au Haut Boat Service

http://www.examiner.com/healthy-foods-in-minneapolis/number-one-of-the-top-ten-places-to-eat-and-shop-stonington-maine-isle-au-haut-boat-service





Photo by Ian Britton, couresy of http://www.freefoto.com/

Number two of the top ten places to eat and shop in Stonington, Maine: Dockside Books and Gifts

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Photo by Ahmet Guler, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Number three of the top ten places to eat and shop in Stonington, Maine: Lily's Café

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Photo by Simon Howden, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Number four of the top ten places to eat and shop in Stonington, Maine: The Whale's Rib

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Photo by Tina Phillips, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Number five of the top ten places to eat and shop in Stonington, Maine: Island Approaches

http://www.examiner.com/healthy-foods-in-minneapolis/number-five-of-the-top-ten-places-to-eat-and-shop-stonington-maine-island-approaches

Photo by Salvatore Vuono, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Number seven of the top ten places to eat and shop in Stonington, Maine: Seasons of Stonington Shop

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Photo by Carlos Porto, courtesy of http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

New Finds, New Attitude

I wanted to add a couple of food finds to the list for you: Yogi Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life, Herbal Tea Supplement, 16-Count Tea Bags (Pack of 6) and Yogi Green Tea Kombucha, Herbal Tea Supplement, 16-Count Tea Bags (Pack of 6) Both suppress your appetite, and the Blueberry Slim Life really gives me energy, without any nervousness. I just feel more motivated to garden, walk the dogs and exercise. I don't recommend you have more than one cup a day, preferably in the morning. I started out having one cup in the morning, first thing (as I still do), and then another about noon. I couldn't get to sleep for hours so I cut out the noon cup and it did the trick.

The other item is Reese brand Imported Original Holland Rusk Light, Crisp Toast. It is pieces of round, toasted bread, sort of like a hamburger bun but buttery tasting and really good. And . . . only 35 calories each!! I know! Use it for sandwiches or spread on some peanut butter for a snack, or . . . just nibble one out of the bag. If you are like me you like something crunchy and bready every day.

By the way, I have noticed an improvement in my mood and attitude (reading back over these posts) since I started getting in my 5 minutes of movement a day. Now I am up to twice a day for 30 minutes on my treadmill, plus walking the dogs and gardening and believe it or not - I look forward to it! I have lost a half an inch off of my waist (and no weight so see what I mean about the scale?)!

I'm just saying, start with 5 minutes a day and see where it takes you.

Foods That Make You Lose Weight!

If you are like me, you are always looking for quick and easy short-cuts to weight loss. There are actually some out there, but if you are like me, you often negate the effects of the short-cuts by doing them while you continue to overeat and under-exercise. But, in the spirit of "oh yeah - I forgot about that!" I am now going to share with you some things I learned while researching my book, that really do help if you use them along with calorie restriction and at least some exercise. These days, I am taking my own advice and what do you know, I actually know what I am talking about!

One bit of advice I really needed to remind myself of, was to get off that darn scale! I don't know about you, but my body is sensitive to salt and to muscle-building exercise. I can work out like crazy and actually gain a couple of pounds of water or muscle, before I lose. I cannot be a slave to the scale or I will say, "Forget it - this is not working!" before it has a chance to show me the money (or the weight loss.) The best indicator for me is how I am fitting in my clothing, and whether I can see muscle tone increasing in my legs and abs.

These are tips I have read about over time, and have tried out myself. Try out one or two (or all) and if you use them consistently, along with with regular exercise of at least fifteen to thirty minutes a day, you will see improvements in your motivation, weight loss, and shape. I've got to keep adding little tweaks into my routine, or I will get bored and return to my first love of t.v. and nachos, then complain that my triceps are turning to jelly for some unknown reason.

Tips for today are as follows. Some of this will be new, others just a good reminder of what you already know but have forgotten about:

Eat oatmeal for breakfast or lunch every day. Oats are known to bind to, and carry, fat out of the colon. Oats also leave you feeling full and satisfied longer.

Avocado, rice-bran and soy also remove fat from your digestive system. Avocado is very satisfying to eat, and is a heart-healthy fat, like olive oil. If you are eating an all-raw diet, you can eat avocados all day long, and you will likely still lose weight. A few slivers of avocado on a sandwich or whipped into guacamole with some baked tortilla strips and I am in heaven! Remember it is higher in fat and calories than many other fruits and vegetables, so eat it in moderation. Rice bran cereal is another good start to your day, with an egg for protein (two eggs a day have been shown to increase weight loss, probably by increasing satiety). I like soy from the source, in edamame, shoyu (soy sauce) or tofu, but there are shakes, drinks and "milks" available. I understand that males should not over-do soy due to the estrogen-like effects, nor should women like me, who are sensitive to estrogen (like in the "pill.")

Acai, ALA, and red foods (like red wine, grapes, and berries) contain powerful antioxidants that help purify your system and get rid of toxins. Toxins make you gain weight and lower your metabolism - not good. Just remember that too much alcohol is damaging to your body, especially your liver and brain. Like the good fats, consume alcohol in moderation. If you have issues with alcohol or other drugs, or prefer not to drink, you can take a red wine pill but I have not researched it to know if supplements have similar benefits. There are also resveratrol pills (the ingredient in red foods believed to create the heart-healthy benefit) but again, I do not know if the supplement is as effective as eating the whole food.

Milk-thistle is a great aid to support your liver health. Among other life-sustaining functions, your liver is one of the organs responsible for cleaning the toxins from your body, which also - you guessed it - boosts weight loss!

Acai, CLA, garcinia, GLA, green tea extract and LCarnitine are supplements that seem to aid weight loss. I've recently read that it may be the caffeine in green tea that boosts weight loss, not the green tea itself, however, I have found that green tea does reduce my appetite, and I do not get the caffeine rush that I do with coffee. I also regularly take Acai, and CLA. CLA has been shown to increase muscle gain, which then increases your metabolism, an "effortless" way to lose weight. I am going to add in garcinia and LCarnitine, and GLA, but if you are already using these supplements, leave a comment and let me know if they help!

Eating foods like nuts, beans and peas, eggs, oatmeal, fruits and veggies will give you sustained energy and each are low glycemic index (GI) foods. Lower GI foods do not raise your blood sugar level as dramatically or quickly as other foods, important to maintain a healthy weight and blood sugar levels. Nuts, beans, and eggs are all high in protein which is the most satisfying food. It has been suggested that eating at least 25% of your daily caloric intake from protein sources will give you optimum weight loss. Nuts contain good fats, which satisfy hunger, but do increase the calorie count, so eat in moderation. Oatmeal, and all whole grains, as well as fruits and vegetables, are high in fiber, which fills you up and binds to fats in the digestive system, carrying them away. Finally, fruits and vegetables contain lots of water, which gives you a sensation of fullness without a lot of caloric intake.

These are my tips for the day. As I come across more helful ideas, I will post them here, as well as how my tips are helping in my own weight loss and maintenance. I would really love to hear what is working for you. Please comment and let me know how we can work together to achieve our goals of eating for health and happiness! And please read my book, Effortless Weightloss: Small Changes That Lead To Extraordinary Results! for the full story of how I overcame depression and anxiety and lost 40 lbs!

Where to get it:
ACAI Juice Extreem -240 CAPSULES 100% PURE, 4 times MORE potent for each MG ACAI Berry Natural Nutrition, Energy and also used for Weight Loss Detox Diet 4 Bottles, 4 Months , 1200 Mg
SAMBAZON Organic Freeze-Dried Acai Powder Drink Mix,
90-Gram JarNatrol Acai 60 Capsules


Milk Thistle - Standardized Extract 120 vcaps
21st Century Standardized Herbal Extract Capsules, Milk Thistle Extract, Maximum Strength, 200-Count Bottles (Pack of 2)

Vitamin Shoppe - Alpha-Lipoic Acid, 300 mg, 120 capsules.
ALAEV279 - Emergen-C Immune Defense Drink Mix

Biotivia Resveratrol Bioforte 250mg , Full Spectrum Resveratrol Supplement, Capsules, 60-Count Bottle
Natural Resveratrol (Mega Potency) 200 mg - 60 Vcaps- NOW FOODS

Source Naturals Tonalin 1000 CLA, Softgels,
120 softgelsTonalin Cla 1,000 mg 180 Sgels

Source Naturals Garcinia 1000, 180 tablets
Garcinia: A Natural Approach to Weight Loss (Woodland Health)Garcinia - Lipid Control - 60 - Veg Cap

PowerNutra L-CARNITINE 500 - 90 Capsules 500mg Metabolize Food Into Energy
L-Carnitine 500mg 100 Tabs
L-Carnitine Liquid (3000mg) Citrus 16 fl.oz

What about organic, grass-fed meat?

I have had a busy week, how about you? I haven't posted but I have been using my treadmill and thinking about food, as usual. We have made quite a few recipes from The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet and have eaten very little meat. Overall the recipes were good, and all of us liked most of the offerings on the table. At this point, I believe we can easily cut out the majority, but not all, meat. I don't see us cutting out all cheese and dairy. I get that there is "alternative" meat, eggs and dairy, but what is the point? OK, I can see that I might need a transitional food to help me let go of my favorites, but for the long-term? I don't think I am ready for that.

It seems a lot of the moral issue with meat and dairy products is the way commercial farms raise and process the meat, or produce the milk and cheese. I heartily agree. We raised our own beef last year and although we did not feed organically, our pasture was organic and our animals were raised in a very low-stress, loving environment right up to butcher, which was done on our property. Now, we were in the process of moving, so I didn't actually see the killing or whether the steers were frightened in the process, but an experienced local butcher completed the task right in our own barn. We also had the meat cut up in a local butcher shop with a good reputation for cleanliness and professionalism, and the owner does the cutting in view of customers.

We fed our cattle a grain mixture we bought locally by the ton, and supplemented during winter with whole dried corn. We also fed local meadow hay on demand and kept the stalls nicely bedded with straw. We used a watering system to make sure fresh clean water was always available. We didn't over-crowd, didn't vaccinate, gave antibiotics only upon arrival from the sale-barn (a necessity if you want living calves two days later as a sale-barn environment provides a lot of exposure to disease.) We also treated animals who were sick, of course, which doesn't happen very often if you are doing other things right. We found it was most important to keep them dry, well-fed and to check on them frequently as calves are amazingly good at getting themselves into predicaments. Now, we did treat for ring-worm which gets into the wood of the stalls and really can't be eradicated, and sprayed for flies when it got really bad, but didn't put a growth hormone delivery unit into their ears (as many commercial beef and milk producers do) or give them any other hormones or routine medications.

The result is that the beef in our freezer is far more tender and flavorful than anything I have eaten or bought in my life! I don't even buy beef from a store or order in restaurants anymore because I know it will be a disappointment in comparison. It is hard to believe that although we did not do anything extraordinary in raising our animals, the methods we did use, created such an improvement in the quality of the meat!

So, my question now is: if you are buying (or raising) organic, even grass-fed (as ruminant animals are designed to be fed) meat, from local farmers who raise animals with care and with ethical practices, then is it still "bad" for you to eat the meat?

As for dairy being a good choice at all, what about goat's milk products, which are highly digestible? We raised and milked our own cow when I was a child, and I was still allergic to the milk. But, the milk from our Nubian goats enabled me to enjoy dairy all I wanted, as well as exceptional health and vitality. So, is the meat and dairy itself that is unhealthy, or only the chemically-laced commercially raised meat and dairy, that is the real issue? Seriously, I want to know.

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