I couldn't figure out what to write this time around so I thought about what topic is close to my heart...and stomach. (LOL) Well, for those who know me, I am the original SNACK QUEEN...El Presidente of the 'SNACKS R US' club...Leader of the 'WHO GON' CHECK MY SNACKS, BOO' pack. When I started my whole weight loss journey, besides incorporating more fruits, water and veggies, I had to curb my appetite for snacks. Snacks like potato chips, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, chocolate were a few of the snacks I loved to partake in. And let me tell you, this is not an easy feat. Snacks are fun, comforting, tasty, indulging and yummy for your tummy. Snacks like the ones I mentioned keep you 'company' those late nights when you feel depressed or lonely or bored. They appear to be your 'friend' and trick you into believing that they won't ever hurt you-smile. However, we know that to be untrue and if you are committed to losing weight and keeping those pounds off, these types of snacks are not going to help you with that.
So, what's a snack-a-holic to do? Find replacements. And yes, there are some good, tasty replacements out there. One thing I've learned while studying to be a holistic health coach at Integrative Nutrition is not to just cut out things that have no nutritional value but to replace them with foods/healthy snacks so that you don't feel deprived or hungry.
Here's my unofficial list of recommended snacks (if you MUST snack like me-smile) that are healthier options:
RiceWorks Gourment Brown Rice Crisps
I found these really tasty chips one day as I was perusing through the snack aisle in Duane Reade. (Yes I peruse the snack aisle quite often...how else am I to keep up with what's new, what's hot, what's hip? lol) These chips come in a variety of flavors and they are wheat + gluten free, have no preservatives, no artificial flavors and zero trans fats. Go to their website to find out more: http://www.riceworkssnacks.com. They even have recipes where you can use their crisps as an ingredient.
Luna Bars
Another good option if you are on the go, pressed for time and can't really stop to eat. I love these bars but like most bars some have a high caloric count and are a bit high on the sodium. However, they have a low glycemic index (doesn't jack up your blood sugar levels) and contain quite of bit of vitamins and minerals. This bar is mostly promoted towards women but honestly anyone can eat them. My favorite are Cookies & Cream and Vanilla Almond. Check out their website: http://www.lunabar.com.
Almond Dream Frozen Desserts
I stumbled onto this wonderful little dessert treat as I was...yes you guessed it...perusing through the snack/ice cream aisle in Whole Foods - lol. Now I am lactose intolerant and I RARELY eat ice cream. I remember having ice cream maybe a few weeks ago but before that, I would go ahead and say it's been years. My body just cannot tolerate it so I started to look for an alternative. Just because I cannot have it sure doesn't mean I don't still want it or crave it-smile. So I began looking for something to replace it with and found these little desserts. They come in vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and praline crunch (my fav!) just to name a few. Dairy free and gluten free. They also make Rice Dream and Soy Dream desserts. It's great for smoothies! Their website is: http://www.tastethedream.com.
Green & Black Organic chocolate
"Hi, my name is Lydia...and I'm a choco-holic." Group says: "Hiii, Lydia!"
I could eat chocolate all day and every day. And have done exactly that. Most times I find myself needing a piece of chocolate (well, more than piece...I usually eat the whole darn bar, bag, whatever-lol) every single day. Now chocolate isn't bad for you; it actually has health benefits. Dark chocolate that is and I've learned that raw chocolate is even better. So I had to put aside the Snickers/Kit Kats/Twix bars for a more healthy option and Green & Black can give that, for the most part. They also have great and interesting varieties as well. And Duane Reade sells a little mini version for about $1.99; I usually indulge in that. Their website is: http://www.greenandblacks.com
Duane Reade's DeLish brand of snacks
I have to say this was a great idea the Duane Reade (can you tell I'm in there a whooole lot-lol) chain came up with since the trend has drastically changed with regards to healthier food/snack options. I love their Cashew, Pistachio/Cashew/Almond, Dark Chocolate Almonds and Almond nut snacks. They satisfy my sweet tooth but are not too bad with regards to having a snack. And they are great to buy and take to the movies instead of spending a whole lot of money on snacks that aren't good for you.
Well, these are just a few of my favorite on-the-go snacks. Try them out. And if you have your own favorite snacks that are a healthier choice, leave a comment and share with the world!
Happy snacking.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Healing with Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years, in Eastern cultures, as a way to holistically and alternatively heal the body. In the last decade or two, Western society has become more educated about the benefits of acupuncture and have incorporated this form of healing into standard medicine.
I had the pleasure of talking to Yolanda Vasquez-Douge, a licensed acupuncturist (and my acupuncturist-smile!) last week to get an in-depth view of acupuncture:
Lydia: So Yolanda, tell me what exactly is acupuncture?
Yolanda: I would say that acupuncture is a way to provide balance in the body from either excess or deficiency. It's a preventative form of medicine; preventative in a sense that it can help you avoid surgery or help you avoid being placed on 10 different medications to relieve a condition. It's preventative in that it allows an acupuncturist to 'catch' anything that may lead to serious conditions, which Western medicine either treats by giving you medication, in order to control the symptoms.
Lydia: Would you say acupuncture embraces the idea of a mind/body connection to disease?
Yolanda: Yes. Western medicine doesn't really look at the root of the problem and acupuncture addresses what the root of the problem may be as well as ultimately treating the symptoms. Acupuncture's perspective is that all disease is rooted in the spirit. There is a mind/body connection to dis-ease and my training has taught me that this is something both the acupuncturist and patient must look into. Without that understanding, a patient will keep coming back for the same symptoms and getting to healthy will be more challenging.
Lydia: Do you find that people are more receptive to using acupuncture?
Yolanda: Absolutely. Because many people feel that when they see Western doctors, they're not finding real resolutions. A person may go to their doctor for gastritis and the doctor will write them a prescription and tell them to avoid these foods...and that's it! There's a lack of personal connection between the patient and practitioner. Or may be a person has gone to several doctors and still has no resolution so they try acupuncture as another option. I had a patient that had back pain, that was also shooting pain down his leg. So I just started to describe to him the energetics of that particular meridian. And how it's a place where energy gets 'stuck'. Just by saying that, it made his treatment completely different because he realized that he was holding something in. That's where you want patients to be; understanding in a simple way that the pain is stemming from something emotional. My practice is about being able to help them decipher what the root of the problem is and what emotions are connected to they physical symptom. My practice is a broader type of practice...a spiritual type of practice.
Lydia: Is there another patient success story you have?
Yolanda: Yeah...I have a patient now who starting coming to me for back pain. It took like 4 or 5 session where she finally got to a place where she stopped taking birth control pills. As we started working through her back pain, it evolved into us finding out that she may have issues with expressing herself. That brought her to her realizing that she grew up like that...not being expressive at all. She didn't want to be that way and it was affecting her relationships and manifesting physically. This revelation took her to a deeper place in that it made her become aware of the emotions attached to the physical manifestation. With that, I felt more comfortable with taking her much deeper in her healing.
Lydia: It's not surprising that you are able to do that with your patients because of your knowledge of acupuncture and because you make an honest effort to connect with your patients to allow them to truly acknowledge what the root issues may be that are causing pain.
Lydia: Explain ear acupuncture.
Yolanda: Ear acupuncture is a completely different system from body acupuncture. Body acupuncture you are moving things around...you are expelling something, clearing something, balancing something...you are working with the channels. The ear has 365 points; the ear is sending that signal straight to the brain. You can focus on these points to treat all kinds of conditions: stress, insomnia, addictions. With the ear, it's more specific...the affects of the treatment. Some practitioners do not combine ear and body acupuncture. I do both because with ear acupuncture it keeps my patients in tuned with the fact that they are being treated and it helps them to stay with that intention. It's like I'm still with them, providing the treatment by the use of the ear beads on these points.
Lydia: What would you tell someone who is apprehensive about acupuncture?
Yolanda: I would tell them to start with ear acupuncture...it's just as effective and non-invasive. This will also begin a relationship of trust between myself and the patient. Sometimes even in a massage I will show them one needle and how it's placed on the body to get them to open up that fear and tackle it. But it's about keeping it light and easy so that they will be open to it.
Lydia: Anything else you'd like to share about acupuncture?
Yolanda: That it's really preventative; it's not a band aid but it can help you get through something. It helps you treat on an emotional level as well as addressing physical symptoms. It's not just for pain. Acupuncture can help you get through the emotional stuff as well.
Lydia: Lastly, tell us what conditions acupuncture can treat?
Yolanda: Main thing I use acupuncture for are stress (huge complaint), anxiety, pain (lower back pain, stomach pain), irritability, women issues such as PMS, infertility, abnormal menstrual cycles. headaches, weight loss. But there's so much more it can treat.
**Yolanda holds both a Master’s degree in Acupuncture, and a Bachelor’s in Professional Studies, from the Swedish Institute School of Acupuncture and Oriental Studies in New York, where she was trained by the world renowned, 88th generation Taoist priest, Dr. Jeffrey Yuen.**
Her website is: http://www.nycclassicalacupuncture.com
I had the pleasure of talking to Yolanda Vasquez-Douge, a licensed acupuncturist (and my acupuncturist-smile!) last week to get an in-depth view of acupuncture:
Lydia: So Yolanda, tell me what exactly is acupuncture?
Yolanda: I would say that acupuncture is a way to provide balance in the body from either excess or deficiency. It's a preventative form of medicine; preventative in a sense that it can help you avoid surgery or help you avoid being placed on 10 different medications to relieve a condition. It's preventative in that it allows an acupuncturist to 'catch' anything that may lead to serious conditions, which Western medicine either treats by giving you medication, in order to control the symptoms.
Lydia: Would you say acupuncture embraces the idea of a mind/body connection to disease?
Yolanda: Yes. Western medicine doesn't really look at the root of the problem and acupuncture addresses what the root of the problem may be as well as ultimately treating the symptoms. Acupuncture's perspective is that all disease is rooted in the spirit. There is a mind/body connection to dis-ease and my training has taught me that this is something both the acupuncturist and patient must look into. Without that understanding, a patient will keep coming back for the same symptoms and getting to healthy will be more challenging.
Lydia: Do you find that people are more receptive to using acupuncture?
Yolanda: Absolutely. Because many people feel that when they see Western doctors, they're not finding real resolutions. A person may go to their doctor for gastritis and the doctor will write them a prescription and tell them to avoid these foods...and that's it! There's a lack of personal connection between the patient and practitioner. Or may be a person has gone to several doctors and still has no resolution so they try acupuncture as another option. I had a patient that had back pain, that was also shooting pain down his leg. So I just started to describe to him the energetics of that particular meridian. And how it's a place where energy gets 'stuck'. Just by saying that, it made his treatment completely different because he realized that he was holding something in. That's where you want patients to be; understanding in a simple way that the pain is stemming from something emotional. My practice is about being able to help them decipher what the root of the problem is and what emotions are connected to they physical symptom. My practice is a broader type of practice...a spiritual type of practice.
Lydia: Is there another patient success story you have?
Yolanda: Yeah...I have a patient now who starting coming to me for back pain. It took like 4 or 5 session where she finally got to a place where she stopped taking birth control pills. As we started working through her back pain, it evolved into us finding out that she may have issues with expressing herself. That brought her to her realizing that she grew up like that...not being expressive at all. She didn't want to be that way and it was affecting her relationships and manifesting physically. This revelation took her to a deeper place in that it made her become aware of the emotions attached to the physical manifestation. With that, I felt more comfortable with taking her much deeper in her healing.
Lydia: It's not surprising that you are able to do that with your patients because of your knowledge of acupuncture and because you make an honest effort to connect with your patients to allow them to truly acknowledge what the root issues may be that are causing pain.
Lydia: Explain ear acupuncture.
Yolanda: Ear acupuncture is a completely different system from body acupuncture. Body acupuncture you are moving things around...you are expelling something, clearing something, balancing something...you are working with the channels. The ear has 365 points; the ear is sending that signal straight to the brain. You can focus on these points to treat all kinds of conditions: stress, insomnia, addictions. With the ear, it's more specific...the affects of the treatment. Some practitioners do not combine ear and body acupuncture. I do both because with ear acupuncture it keeps my patients in tuned with the fact that they are being treated and it helps them to stay with that intention. It's like I'm still with them, providing the treatment by the use of the ear beads on these points.
Lydia: What would you tell someone who is apprehensive about acupuncture?
Yolanda: I would tell them to start with ear acupuncture...it's just as effective and non-invasive. This will also begin a relationship of trust between myself and the patient. Sometimes even in a massage I will show them one needle and how it's placed on the body to get them to open up that fear and tackle it. But it's about keeping it light and easy so that they will be open to it.
Lydia: Anything else you'd like to share about acupuncture?
Yolanda: That it's really preventative; it's not a band aid but it can help you get through something. It helps you treat on an emotional level as well as addressing physical symptoms. It's not just for pain. Acupuncture can help you get through the emotional stuff as well.
Lydia: Lastly, tell us what conditions acupuncture can treat?
Yolanda: Main thing I use acupuncture for are stress (huge complaint), anxiety, pain (lower back pain, stomach pain), irritability, women issues such as PMS, infertility, abnormal menstrual cycles. headaches, weight loss. But there's so much more it can treat.
**Yolanda holds both a Master’s degree in Acupuncture, and a Bachelor’s in Professional Studies, from the Swedish Institute School of Acupuncture and Oriental Studies in New York, where she was trained by the world renowned, 88th generation Taoist priest, Dr. Jeffrey Yuen.**
Her website is: http://www.nycclassicalacupuncture.com
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