Water, Water Everywhere

Water is one of those life essentials with SO many health benefits across the spectrum of wellness that it’s high time I write about it! At no time is it more critical to stay conscious of water intake than in the peak of summer’s heat…so here are a few thoughts for you about water and hydration.

1 – Drink a full glass of water upon waking.
Drinking a full glass of water upon waking is an age-old beauty secret. Whether or not it’s true, I can still recommend this practice! You’ve just gone 7 or 8 hours without water – break the fast!

2 – Drink water throughout the day.
I’m not going to give you a formula for determining exactly how much water to drink. What I will say is that MOST of us are chronically dehydrated and one way to be less so is to drink water throughout the day. Try it. You’ll be amazed by how much better you feel from this one simple change!

3 – Recognize that dehydration masquerades as hunger.
Sometimes you will THINK you are hungry when in reality you are thirsty! Try this. The next time it’s a hot day and you are jonesing for ice cream… drink a big glass of cold water first. See if it quells your craving. 9 times out of 10 it will – the other time you can go find yourself a cone of the best ice cream in the vicinity with my blessing!

4 – Learn that water can taste great and still be healthy.
Many people claim they don’t like the taste of water – or that they find it boring. This group has fueled an entire industry of flavored waters, many of which are filled with sugar and added calories. Here’s an alternative. Try infusing your water with herbs, or fruit, or even vegetables! Buy a beautiful pitcher…fill it with water…add fresh mint…or watermelon chunks…or cucumber and lime slices…or lemons….and allow it to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours. Voila – spa water!

5 – Practice good hydration for mental clarity.
When we’re starting to feel a little foggy, many of us reach for coffee or a caffeinated soda. Switch that to a big glass of water and you’ll clear your head just as well without buzzing and then crashing. Just nice, steady energy. Aaaah.

6 – For heaven’s sake, bottle your own water!
There’s really no reason to buy bottled water at this point – there are so many beautiful and practical reusable bottles on the market that you can just filter your own and take it with you, refilling on the go. Have you seen these gorgeous bottles from KOR? Or these from SIGG? Or these from Camelback which my kids love? Need a filter? PUR makes a great faucet-mount or refrigerator pitcher. Or you can use the built-in filter in your fridge if it has a water dispenser – that’s what I do! Just remember to periodically change your filter.

A closing thought – please don’t take clean water for granted!
In my former life, I worked for Procter & Gamble, and in my last role with the company, I had the privilege of working pretty closely with a P&G-run organization devoted to providing safe drinking water in the developing world. Called Children’s Safe Drinking Water, the organization really opened my eyes to the World Water Crisis and its impact on the health of individuals without access to clean water. You can learn about the crisis and the organization at the Children’s Safe Drinking Water website but here are a few facts pulled from the site to get you started. I hope you’ll start to view the clean drinking water you have access to as a privilege and that you will take FULL advantage of it!

  • More than one billion people do not have access to safe water.
  • Diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water remains a leading cause of illness and death among infants and children in the developing world.
  • About 1.8 million children die every year due to diarrheal diseases.
  • More children die from diarrheal illnesses like cholera and dysentery than from HIV/AIDS or malaria combined.
  • P&G has collaborated with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) since 1995 to develop safe drinking water systems that people can easily use in their homes.
  • There is conclusive evidence that simple, low-cost interventions at the community level can dramatically improve the quality of household stored water and greatly reduce the risk of diarrheal disease and death.
  • It is well documented that simply providing safe, clean, drinkable water can reduce deadly diarrhea and other devastating diseases by about 50%.



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Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

If you’re looking for a delicious and healthy recipe to take to a Fourth of July celebration this weekend, this one fits the bill! You may already be familiar with Texas Caviar since there are a million variations of the basic recipe in circulation. This party favorite is essentially a marinated bean salad/salsa that is fiber rich and also sugar-free thanks to the stevia substitution I’ve included here. I usually serve this with baked tortilla chips but feel free to experiment with whatever suits your taste.

As for the name….you can rest assured that there is no actual caviar in Texas Caviar! The dish apparently was created by Helen Corbitt, a famed 1950’s food consultant who was the head of food service at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. I found this recent article which gives more of the history if you’re interested. If you’d rather just cook it…well, then, read on!

Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

serves: many

Ingredients:

1 can black eyed peas

1 can pinto OR hot chili beans

1 can black beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 16 oz bag of frozen corn (or 2 c. of fresh corn cut from the cob)

1 small jar chopped pimento

1 medium Vidalia onion, diced small

1 c. diced red, green or yellow peppers

6 finely diced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed)

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. water

3/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. canola oil

10-15 packets of Truvia sweetener OR 1 tsp. PURE Stevia powdered or liquid extract

Baked tortilla chips or other chips of your choice

Directions:

Drain and rinse the first four ingredients in a colander or strainer. Transfer to a large bowl and add next 6 ingredients. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour over beans and vegetables and stir to coat. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (up to 24). Drain most liquid before serving with chips.

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Healthy Convenience Food?? Does it exist?

I’m sometimes asked for recommendations for healthy convenience foods. Okay, honestly, I’m asked that A LOT! And it’s completely understandable. With the pace of life we’ve all become accustomed to these days, there are times when it’s helpful to be able to open a box or a bag and know that a healthy meal or snack is moments away. It’s not impossible to find healthy packaged options, but it does require some solid investigation and a little label reading know-how.

Before I get to that, let me just say that my overall recommendation is still to limit packaged and processed foods as much as possible.

Can you challenge yourself to find ways to get fresh, whole foods on the table quickly? You’d be amazed by how quickly a shrimp stir fry can come together, or a big dinner salad with pre-cooked chicken, or even a healthy sandwich loaded up with extra veggies!

Can you expand your definition of convenience foods to include things like:
– Nuts and seeds
– Dried fruit
– Quick cooking whole grains
– Frozen vegetables
– Frozen fruits
– Plain yogurt or cottage cheese

These can become the basis of healthy meals and snacks and often take just as little time to prepare as a more processed option!

And yet…there are times when packaged foods seem like the only solution. For those times, I’ve compiled a few thoughts for you on how to make the best choices possible.

Self Magazine Healthy Food Award Winners
I was intrigued by the list of Healthy Food Award winners in this month’s issue of Self Magazine. I think there are some real winners on that list (and some i may not have given quite so glowing an endorsement to myself). But all in all I think the staffers at Self have been thorough and have produced a good list of ideas for your review.

Fitness Magazine Healthy Food Award Winners
In the same vein as the Self List above, here is the list as judged by Fitness Magazine. The link takes you to a set of slideshows with Top 10 lists by category.

Eat This, Not That Recommendations
Additionally, I think the editors of the Eat This, Not That empire (and I do mean empire – have you COUNTED how many books they’ve published?) do a great job of helping to highlight better packaged food choices. They also have books on restaurant menu choices, food for kids, and other topics. For the record, I find their website a bit confusing and not very user-friendly but the books are much simpler to navigate!

A few thoughts of my own:
Beyond those lists, I’ve compiled a few principles to follow when navigating the aisles of prepared foods. Leveraging these principles will let you explore various brands and flavor combinations, looking for what appeals to you vs. buying something just because it showed up on a “list”.

Principles:

– Choose packaged foods with the shortest lists of ingredients, and with ingredients you recognize

– Read nutrition labels! Don’t be fooled by marketing claims on the front of the package (e.g. Whole Grain! Low Carb! All Natural!) Those words are often meaningless. Instead, read the actual nutrition label and keep meals within reasonable caloric limits, taking note of fiber, sugar, fat, and sodium content (as well as anything else you are watching for your health)

– Limit consumption of packaged meals to once or twice a week “crutches” vs. making them everyday fare

– When selecting packaged meals and snacks, check out the organic section of your grocery store or shop in a health food store like Whole Foods – they’ve done some of the work for you in narrowing down your options to some of the best ones!

– Build your list of trusted brands and shop their selections first (A few examples: I like Amy’s and Kashi in the frozen meals category, Amy’s and Healthy Choice soups, Annie’s and Back to Nature for snack foods, etc.)

Happy shopping! I’d love to hear some of your personal favorites in the comments section below!

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