This Poor Neglected Puppy of a Blog!

Poor sweet little blog is sitting here still sending out its messages with no input from me, the blog owner. What a brave little puppy of a blog, thank you for your faithful action of being here for those who stop by.

I'm going to actually post something today, and I hope will be posting more into the future. Blogging is a thing that goes in cycles - one second blogging is the most important thing in the blogger's life, and then something else takes over. In my case it was life and other blogs that got most of my attention. I've kept my interest in healthy eating though, and exercise to a lesser extent.

This year I've been promoting my other interests - I have written several books and selling them by connecting with interested people and chatting with them is a favourite things to do. I have a funny little book about dogs and gardening. I have a poetry collection dealing with sex abuse, and child abuse. And I have my most recent book, which is about multiple sclerosis from the viewpoint of a person dealing with it, me.

The dog book 'Dig it! Gardening Tips for Dogs' is the oldest of them, and I did another print run recently, so have copies for sale. The poetry collection 'Damaged Children Precious Gems' is a very personal work, and I don't feel any need to push that one, it's more for sharing with people who may gain from having the poetry there to find comfort from. Knowledge that others understand is a healing thing ...

The MS book 'Mick, Jane and Me, Living Well with MS' is the main and most recent one. It's a more substantial book, a memoir, with some poetry in it. The writing process was an interesting one - I had a mentor to assist me as I went through the writing of it. I'd decided I wanted to write the book in verse, and that took some work - without my mentor, this book wouldn't have been the helpful but lovely book that it is, I don't think.

I know have a brand new way to make a little money with my writing. This is an online article writing site - Hub Garden, and the reason I began this blog post is to share my most recent article posted there. This the link. It a post about healthy snacks.

If you have any healthy snack ideas, I'd love to read about them - feel free to leave a message here!

My New Food Bible

Do you need help finding recipes that are nutritious and acceptable to the whole family? Have you search and searched for a single source that has all you need?

This is the site you need - Chef Jeena. It has everything you need - nutrition, pasta, chicken, sweet treats, it's all there, in colour and with video too. Check it out, you'll be glad you did!

It was onion bhajis that got me to this site, but there is so much more there too. Gluten free, vegetarian, and more.

It's Official now, I am a Community Foodie

Ask me a question about healthy eating, go on, I want you to ask me something. I have spent six weeks learning about healthy eating, good food and nutrition, and I am itching to test out my skills.

If I don't know the answer to your question, I have a nifty book that is packed full of the answers to attaining a healthy diet. I am also about to begin a course that will accredit me as a Community Service Worker. These two things together are my tools to create a healthier, happier world.

I am feeling revved up and ready to go, so keep an eye out as I zip around the community!

Chocolate is good, preferably dark chocolate, and only in moderation. A new study has shown the benefits are truly there for the Mediterranean diet, and the main thing about it is the insistence on the good things, only in moderation.

On my reading, it seems the moderation part is the most important part. And isn't that what the old wives have been saying forever - All things in Moderation. The key to healthy eating is to give all kinds of things a bit of a go, but only a little bit.

Want tome steak - go for it, but only a piece of steak the size of your palm. Like chocolate? Don't deny yourself, just limit it to a small piece. It's not rocket science, and it has been proven to keep you healthier.

Give it a moderate go!

2 Fruit and 5 Vegetable

I've heard about the push from the health authorities for years. Where they try to get Australians to eat more fruit and vegetables.

It has always made me feel a little guilty, because I don't eat that many vegetable. I eat potatoes, and onions, mushrooms too, most days. But I could only rarely manage to eat 5 different vegetables.

Imagine my joy yesterday when I discovered I was mixed up. I didn't have to eat different vegetables, I just had to eat five servings of vegetables. I could have three servings of potatoes and two of sweetcorn, if that was what I wanted. Or five servings of mushrooms!

I found out this liberating information yesterday at my Community Foodies training, and it made me so happy! I've been beating myself up as a bad mother for not giving my son five different veges every day, when all I needed to do is feed him lots of my yummy home-made wedges, and some sweet corn, and I could wear my good mother hat with pride!

Of course, eating a wide variety of food, whether fruit, vegetable, grains, dairy or meat is the best way. Food scientists know a lot about food, but they are always discovering new things. If we all eat a bit of everything, then we'll get all of the goodies scientists know about, and also the goodies they haven't discovered yet.

Yesterday we learned about the five food groups, how to read labels including understanding the sometimes misleading language on them, antioxidants, fibre, the importance of eating breakfast and drinking enough water. We also have a delicious curry cooked by one of the other people doing the course. Thanks Shirley! It was a great day of sharing what we already knew, and learning more.

So part of my homework is having breakfast every day, and drinking more water - I am not good about these things, but now I have more information about why they are important, so I will follow the guidelines better.

Breakfast is another opportunity to fit more serves of different foods into my day, and water helps my body do what it does. I'm convinced now, and I'm going to get my breakfast of cereal right now!

First meeting out of the way

The Community Foodies group in the Wakefield region had their fist meeting yesterday. We discussed what we knew about healthy food and nutrition, and had a presentation by a person from District Council of Mallala regarding proper food handling for not-for-profit groups. There was a DVD which was interesting and a Q & A session afterwards.

I found the day interesting and informative, and I'm very much looking forward to the meeting next Wednesday, when we will be talking about basic nutrition. You know the kind of stuff, the five food groups, eat more fruit and vegetables, have breakfast, eat more whole foods, drink more water.

Personally, I have a real struggle to fit in 5 serves of vegetables. It's not unusual for me to only manage one or two different vegetables, which is simply not good enough. Thinking about my kitchen at the moment, I only have sweet corn, potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and onions. Almost there, but I'd be hard pressed to put even those four together in one meal.

I'm off to the Adelaide Central Market tomorrow, and I will be buying more of the veg we already have, and I'll get some baby spinach, cauliflower, maybe snow peas, spring onions and perhaps something else entirely - I'll have a good look around and see what I find. I know, capsicum. We usually have red capsicums in the fridge but they've been used up for the week.

Community Healthy Eating, It's On!

Community Foodies classes are starting next Wednesday, so I'll be getting all trained up in healthy eating and all kinds of other interesting things. I am so looking forward to be able to say, with authority, this is true, this is what you might be able to do to have a better diet.

At the moment, I know what I should eat, even though I know I don't eat enough vegetables, but I'd love to have more knowledge, and to know the best places to look for the most up to date knowledge.

There is just so much information available out there, and I know that a lot of the information is just plain wrong. It is frustrating. And every time I go to the supermarket and look in the shopping trolleys of other people, I can see where they are going wrong.

I'm not saying I am a saint with my own eating, but when I have something higher in calories, I make up for it in other ways. Chocolate is fine for me, as long as I only have a little bit, and I have a little less of something else later on.

And as long as I don't have it too often. I shared a block of chocolate with my husband and son last night, and we have another block of chocolate in the fridge still. I'm OK with that - the chocolate block only weighs 30 grams - 10 grams each is not going to be a major weight problem, unless we started eating that at every meal and on every day, instead of for dessert once a month.

So on Wednesday, I will get to know my fellow Foodies better, and begin a whole new adventure in better health for me, my family and my community!

Losing Weight, Finding Friends

I was talking to a woman at the Lawn Bowls Grand Final at Port Wakefield on Saturday, and we got talking about weight loss. We didn't know each other, but we were drawn together by our support of loved ones who were playing in the finals.

She was a bit older than I am (I'm nearly 46) and she's taller than me and a bigger lady. She told me she was excited because she'd lost 21cm. I'm assuming it was in total loss of all of the points measured at the weight loss place she goes to. She said she had recently bought some new clothes and the size 16 she tried on was too big, and the size 14 fitted well. This was good, but it was even better than that because she had been up to a size 22. I congratulated her heartily and we discussed our various methods of healthy eating and weight loss.

I spoke of my trying on of a size 10 dress recently that was too big, and suggested she try something I had read of somewhere, or perhaps the idea crept into my head from someone else. I felt so fantastic when I put on that size 8 dress, and it looked so good on, that I feel everyone trying to lose weight could try a version of what I experienced, but on a cheaper track. I think because we were both on the healthy eating track, we were both connecting in meaningful ways.

The idea was this. Go to an opportunity shop and look at the fancy dresses in a size smaller than what you currently are. Don't be silly and try for size 10 if you are currently wearing size 20, but go down a couple or a few dress sizes. Hang the dress up in your wardrobe, and get it out to look at every now and then. Hopefully you will find it easier to stay focussed on healthy eating when you have the motivation of the lovely dress to wear when you lose those kilos.

Perhaps you could begin to plan an occasion for the wonderful day that you can finally fit into the dress. Get your family and friends involved too. If they don't support you in your plan for attaining a healthier weight, explain to them how important it is to you. They should begin to see it you way, and if they don't well, find supporters from other of your friends.

It's not just about being able to wear smaller clothes, it's about being healthier and happier, and all of your family and friends should want that for you.