‘Dr. Oz’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Eat. Live. Be. #14: What Supplements Do You Take?

April 18, 2011 · Narrative

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

I braced myself.

“All those pills you take… is everything ok?”

“In that little green container?”

“Yes, the one with the days of the week on it.”

“Oh yes, everything is fine. Those are just all the supplements and vitamins I take.”

“Ahh, gotcha.”

And then I rattled off what the container held so there wouldn’t be cause for worry. My friend had every right to be concerned though. I’ll be the first to admit it, I take a lot of stuff. It was such an inordinate waste of time opening up all the bottles every day, when a co-worker suggested getting a pill dispenser to ration out my daily pills, it was one of those “duh, why didn’t I think of that?” moments. But it definitely makes it look like something is seriously wrong with me if you don’t know better.

I have always taken a multi-vitamin and extra Vitamin C. That’s a given. Over the past year and a half, I have seriously upped the regime to include fish oil supplements, calcium, Vitamin D, Vitamin B-12, flax seed and green tea supplements. I even had to upgrade to the XL pill dispenser after just a few weeks. But the thing is, I’ve only been sick once (last week, as a matter of fact) in the past 18 months, so I have to believe that what I’m doing works.

Fish Oil – lowers your triglycerides, lowers blood pressure, prevents and treats arthritis and promotes healthy joints.
Calcium – helps keep bones healthy, and per Dr. Oz, most people don’t get enough calcium from their food sources.
Vitamin B-12 – helps develop your red blood cells and is used to make the protective coating around your nerves; it plays a key role in brain and nervous system development and the metabolism of cells.
Flaxseed Oil – studies show it can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Vitamin D – essential for the growth and development of bones and teeth, and protects against multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions. A higher intake of vitamin D has been associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer in women.
Vitamin C – stimulates the immune system, helps prevent and treat infections and diseases, aids in the production of white cells, helps form and maintain collagen (the basis of your connective tissue) and even assists in lowering your cholesterol.
Green Tea – promotes increased metabolism and aids in weight loss.

I keep the Vitamin C tablets separate (since they’re soft, they don’t do well mixed with the others when I ration out the week ahead), so I take those at work, along with two of the three green tea supplements.

With the way I and the kids eat, I know we’re getting a ton of vitamins from all the fruits and vegetables we eat, but I don’t think it’s enough, and studies have shown that even if you’re hitting all your marks with the proper amount of recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables, it’s still not enough. This regime just bumps it up a notch, and as a single mom, I just can’t afford to get sick. Who will take care of me and the kids? :)

I’m not quite sure why it’s necessary to write the days of the week beneath the letter of each day. My first thought, because it’s raised, was that it would help those that are blind, but my smaller dispenser doesn’t have the days written out on it.

I’ve priced out most of the supplements, checking online and stores when they have their sales combined with coupons, and Costco seems to have the best deal for the ones I’ve researched. No surprise there. If you stock up there, just be sure to check the expiration date against how many pills you’ll have to consume before they expire. I haven’t had any issues, but just something to be aware of.

I’m one week behind on my ELB posts since I wasn’t posting last week, so I will do this week’s topic (what’s on our playlists) later this week. To find out what’s on the iPods of my fellow ELBers (and what supplements they do or do not take, from last week’s topic), please visit them at the below links:

Sarah Caron from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
Joanne from Eats Well with Others
Chris Arpante – Melecotte
Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
Claire – Cooking is Medicine
Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations
Rivki from Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Claudia from Journey of an Italian Cook
New Jersey Epicurean

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Eat. Live. Be. #10: Listening to the Experts

March 7, 2011 · Narrative

This week’s Eat. Live. Be. topic is all about the experts… who do we listen from? Whose tips do we like? Who should we be listening to?

Honestly, this week’s topic comes at a good time for me, as I’m currently in the spot where I’m shaking things up a bit, fighting through any rut that I and my body might be in. A task that is much easier said than done. Last week, I bumped my average work-out totals from 7 hours to topping out at just under 11. And my body responded. I also added a Spinning class to my schedule. And I can’t put into words how much I hate spinning. I swapped out one of my weekend Zumba classes for a three mile hike instead. Little tweaks here and there to change up my regular regime and get things uncomfortable.

As for the experts, I listen to different experts for different things. I’m an ardent follower of Dr. Mehmet Oz. Such practical, easy to apply advice for the general health and well-being of your body. I like Jillian Michaels and Bob Greene for work-out tips. When it comes to food, I lean more and more on Michael Pollan. What about you? What experts do you glean the most from?

One small suggestion for you, as you make your way through your “get healthy” journey, go and “like” your favorite experts on facebook. Most of the ones I follow post regularly, and you’ll get all sorts of new ideas and motivation from seeing their updates. I know I do. From Jillian, particularly. While you’re at it, go “like” our Eat. Live. Be. page and come interact with us too. I also follow all of my instructors (Zumba, Spinning, etc.) … seeing them on facebook are like little subtle reminders of what I’m doing, what my goals are. I’m lucky in that I’ve sought out instructors that are personally invested in their students; they care about me meeting my goals and are quick to offer countless ideas and suggestions when I need help. And my (new) Spin instructor, in particular, gently guilts me into showing up at his class. It works. And I’m grateful for it.

To find out which experts my fellow ELBers turn to, please visit them at the below links:

Sarah Caron from Sarah’s Cucina Bella
Joanne from Eats Well with Others
Chris Arpante – Melecotte
Faith – Blog Appetit
Casey – The Starnes Family
Patsy – Family, Friends and Food
Claire – Cooking is Medicine
Rivki Locker – Healthy Eating for Ordinary People
Jennifer Schulz – Lick-a-Plate
Sarah Rogers – Sarah’s Sweet Creations

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Eat. Live. Be. #7: Celeb Advice

February 15, 2011 · Eat. Live. Be.

Welcome my fellow Eat. Live. Be. peeps. Can you believe it’s WEEK 7 already?! My how time has flown. Now before I forget, I was supposed to do my status update last week and it slipped my mind. As you may know, Sarah and I are in a friendly competition to see who is going to lose 40 lbs first. She thinks she has a chance. Let me say it in black and white, just as Nick used to when he was four: No way, Jose. As of last week’s update, I was at a 6 pound weight loss since we started ELB. Hard to stop a moving train, ya know? Booyah!

This week, our topic was sharing celebrity fitness tips, recipes and the like, and I haven’t made the rounds yet, but I’m sure we all interpreted this one from every angle of the spectrum. Dr. Oz may not be the first person you think of when it comes to “celebrity” and “fitness,” but he is definitely at the forefront of getting people interested in their health again. I am a big fan of his method in explaining how things work and what we need to do to take better, more complete, care of ourselves. He breaks it down in easy-to-digest laymen terms that basically leaves us no excuse but to listen and pay attention. Growing up, my Dad always said, “It’s simple. Eat less, move more.” I will, of course, never tell him, but he was definitely on to something. Kind of the same way Dr. Oz explains it. We all know what we should be doing. Actually doing it is another story entirely.

Dr. Oz’s 10 Commandments for Weight Loss Success is another prime example of breaking things down in the easiest manner possible.

1. Thou Shalt Not Wear Pants that Stretch
Your clothing is an early-warning system for weight gain. When it’s getting hard to snap your jeans, you know it’s time to be vigilant. Wearing stretchy clothes allows you to live in ignorance of how your body is growing, making it easier to pack on pounds without knowing it.

2. Thou Shalt Not Keep Fat Clothes in Your Closet
When you keep the clothes you wore at an unhealthy weight, it gives you a back-up plan if the pounds don’t come off. Instead, force yourself to stay on track by 86ing your “fat pants.”

3. Thou Shalt Not Eat Meat That Walks on Four Legs More Than Once a Week
Meat that comes from an animal with 4 legs is higher in saturated fat (the unhealthy kind) than that which comes from 2-legged animals such as chickens, or animals with no legs, like fish. Plus: women who eat large amounts of red meat more than once a week have a 50% higher chance of dying from heart disease and have higher cancer rates.

4. Thou Shalt Not Graze
Plan your meal before you open the refrigerator, get what you need, and close the door. Opening it throughout the day leads to impulsive choices and overeating.

5. Thou Shalt Not Eat After 7:30pm
When you eat late at night you are more likely to be eating in front of the TV (when you won’t pay attention to how much you’re putting in your mouth) and you’re more likely to pick high-calorie snacks.

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