Foods that will put you in PAIN - you are probably eating these every day.

I am passionate about many things…nutrition and health being at the top of that list.  But there is also another “health issue” that is near and dear to my heart and that is Back Pain. No, I don’t suffer from back pain myself, but my husband has been a long time sufferer of this annoying condition since his college football days and I’ve seen firsthand how it can really impair not only his own life but our whole family’s life as well.  Imagine if Daddy can’t come outside and play with the rest of us or if I don’t have my hubbie to help me bathe, dress and run after the kids…like I said, it doesn’t just affect the person in pain, it’s tough on the whole family. Today I want to share with you 2 very, very useful tips to help alleviate back pain that I just read in Jesse Cannone’s latest book, “101 Back Pain Relief Tricks” (with Jesse’s permission, of course). Tip 34: It’s a Dirty Word, But… Somebody has to say it: constipation. That’s because extra abdominal gas and fecal matter can create enormous pressure on your spine. Think of it… if you only have one bowel movement a day, there could be as many as eight meals backed up in your bowels.  Here’s a few practical tips for preventing back pain from excess gas and constipation: •        Drink more water! Dehydration is a common cause of constipation which is easily eliminated by drinking a daily ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight (e.g. if you weigh 100 pounds you should drink 50 ounces of water daily). •        While fruit is great for breakfast, avoid eating fruit and sweets before bed. Your body will convert sugars found in them to gas and without food behind it to push it through you’ll wake up in the morning with more back pain from the extra pressure •        Try a visceral massage, also called Sun-Moon. To begin, lie on your back and with both hands starting just above your right hip, apply inward pressure on your abdomen, going straight up to the bottom of your rib cage. Then follow along the bottom of the rib cage to the left and then down to the top of the left hip. Go slow and repeat to tolerance. Tip 47: Don’t Feed the Fire Within Not all foods are created equally when it comes to staying away from pain. Many foods you are eating may be causing an inflammatory response, keeping you in unnecessary pain. Cool the burning fires of inflammation pain by eating more anti-inflammatory foods and less of the inflammatory ones. Anti-inflammatory foods Alaskan Salmon (wild) Fresh whole fruits, vegetables Bright multi-colored vegetables Green tea Water Olive oil Lean poultry Nuts, legumes and seeds Dark green leafy vegetables Old fashioned oatmeal Spices, especially Turmeric and Ginger Inflammatory foods Sugar, from any source Processed foods French Fries Fast Foods White bread Pasta Ice Cream Cheddar Cheeses Snack Foods Oils such as vegetable and corn Soda, caffeine and alcohol It’s really no surprise that the same healthy foods that will give you a lean, toned and healthy body will also give you back pain relief (not to mention the foods that negatively affect your weight loss efforts are the same foods that cause and make back pain much worse).  To read Jesse’s other 101 Tips, you can take a look at his new book “101 Back Pain Relief Tricks: Quick and Easy Ways to FINALLY Beat Back Pain”. In health and happiness, Read more . . . .>

Here are 5 of my favorite Easy and Quick Healthy Snacks

There's nothing like real world experience to teach you a thing or two. To all of you parents who have written to me in the past saying "Isabel, with all the responsibilities I have in one day with the kids, work and the house, I just don't have time to eat healthy." I GET IT! Holy Moly...who knew a little 8 lb baby could take up so much time...I mean the whole day. Since eating healthy is an absolute must for me (I just wouldn't have it any other way), I really had to come up with some quick and easy snacks that I could grab at any time, especially if my little munchkin didn't let me get to make breakfast, lunch or dinner. Even if you don't have kids and are just busy, busy, busy all day....here are a few of the healthy snacks I enjoy (most of which can be grabbed with one hand while holding a newborn in the other). 1. Nut Butter and Honey on Ezekiel Bread (or any sprouted grain bread) - Although this would taste better toasted, I can make do with the colder version. I put 1-2 TBSPs of natural peanut butter or almond butter on 1 slice of Sprouted Grain or Spelt bread with ½ tsp of raw honey. I make 2-3 of these at a time and leave them in the fridge for easy grabbing. 2. Deviled Eggs - These do take a bit of prep time so I have to wait for my husband to come home in the evening to make them. I hard boil 6 eggs. Once cooled, I cut them in half and place all of the cooked yolks in a separate bowl. I add Dijon mustard and olive oil to the yolks and mash them up so they become creamy. I put the creamy mixture back into the center of the egg whites and sprinkle Celtic Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper on top. I keep these in the refrigerator for an easy protein snack. 3. Turkey and Roast Beef Rollup - These are simply just deli turkey breast and roast beef wrapped up in a rollup (I only buy the turkey and roast beef that is fresh and natural, not any of the cold cut supermarket brands with added nitrites and nitrates). I add some mustard to each rollup and keep them all in a container in the fridge. Again, another quick protein snack. These are also great with baby carrots. 4. Frozen Grapes - If you're searching for something sweet, grapes in the freezer are a great way to curb a sweet tooth. I keep a bunch of these in the freezer and snack on them along with some raw nuts. Just a handful of grapes with some walnuts really keeps me full and satisfied until I can get to my next meal. It's also a great "sweet" pick me up (for all those sleep deprived parents and even non-parents out there). 5. Bag of Trail Mix - I absolutely do not go anywhere without my bag of trail mix. Right now I have almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts, dried apricots and raisins all in a bag with a touch of Celtic Sea Salt added. The other day I took my little guy to the pediatrician and we were there for what seemed to be hours! Thank goodness for my trail mix, otherwise I probably would have cried more than the baby did. Enjoy snacktime!

How breaded chicken just became a health food.

This week has been all about “time saving” and finding ways to still eat healthy foods without spending hours preparing or cooking (I just don’t have that kind of time anymore!). Today I’ve got 2 more time saving tips for you that really help me to easily get through the week, while still enjoying healthy foods. 1.        Prepare your own awesome trail mix at the beginning of each week.  On Saturday or Sunday I dump approximately even amounts of the following into a gallon size Ziplock storage bag: almonds, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries (no sugar added), cacao nibs (not as much as all the other stuff) and shredded coconut.  I sprinkle in some Celtic Sea Salt and Voila…a delicious and healthy trail mix.  Next I put approximately 2 oz of the trail mix in Ziplock snack bags to take with me “on the go”.  I usually count this as 1 protein and 1 carb (even though it’s probably not exact).  My 2 year old son has quickly figured out that this delicious trail mix is always in my purse and will go digging for it whenever he’s hungry. 2.       Find recipes that say “Prep Time: 10-15 minutes” (or less).  The prep time of a recipe is usually the FIRST thing I check before deciding whether or not to even consider a recipe during the week (I save the longer ones for the weekend).  The next thing I check is the ingredients list and see whether or not it will require any healthy substitutions or modifications.  Lucky for you and me, we’ve created a wonderful Recipes section in Beyond Diet with recipes that are already “Isabel approved” and have been tested by our wonderful readers. Here’s a new super easy and absolutely delicious recipe I just added today >> Breaded Baked Chicken (must log into Beyond Diet to see the full recipe if you are not already logged in) I hope this week’s tips have helped you to find new and easy ways to make healthy eating simple and still delicious. Remember, if you have a great recipe that you enjoy and fits into our healthy way of life, please share it with the rest of us in the Recipes section of Beyond Diet.