Quotes of the Month

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.
Thich Nhat Hanh

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
Mark Twain

The average person eats about 12 grams of fiber a day but the recommended daily intake is between 25- 30 grams or more! This month I hope to give a little inspiration to begin looking at ways you can get those numbers up. There are so many wonderful seasonal foods that provide wonderful taste and high fiber!

The many reasons we love fiber - it has a wonderful way of giving our body a sense of being full, so we end up eating less. By increasing the bulk in your stomach, it makes you feel full without adding a lot of calories. And although we love the weight loss benefit of fiber heaps of studies claim fiber wards off all sorts of serious diseases including heart disease, diabetes and diverticulitis. Just how amazing and powerful is fiber a study in a recent Journal of the American Medical Association found that a cholesterol lowering diet that included fiber rich foods can be as effective at lowering cholesterol as drugs.

There continues to be residual confusion after the popularity of the Atkins and South Beach diets, fruits like apples along with other good sources of good fiber such as whole grains and beans are downplayed in favor of fats and lean sources of protein. Let's clear up this confusion - it is apple and pumpkin season after all!!

Looking at this issue closer the important difference is to understand simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are pastries, cookies, white breads and many snack foods these foods raise blood sugar levels and don't contain much fiber. Complex carbs on the other hand, such as whole grains, whole grain breads, beans, fruits and vegetables don't cause the spike in the blood sugar and do provide plenty of fiber.

How much is ideal? The healthy minimum is said to be 25-30 grams and yet some studies have shown people with diabetes can benefit from eating up to 70 grams! Researchers involved in The Physicians Health Study which looked at dietary records of some 86,000 participants found that men who ate a fiber rich whole grain cereal every day had a 20 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease than those who never ate whole grain cereals. Go Kasha!!

Find the Fiber: A Quick Guide
Goal at least 25-30 grams a day aim to balance between both soluble and insoluble. Many vegetables contain both soluble and insoluble fiber an efficient way to meet your goal.

Soluble Fiber: (responsible for heart protection) How it works: it slows the absorption of glucose and fatty acids into the blood, result lowers cholesterol. Found in oats, lentils, brown rice, barley, oat bran, dried beans, peas, rye, seeds, many fruits (especially apples, strawberries, oranges, bananas, nectarines and pears) and vegetables (especially carrots, corn, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes),

Apple: 1 medium =3 grams
Lentils: 1 cup=16 grams
Barley: 1 cup= 31 grams (check out our Barley soup recipe this month)
Chickpeas 1/2 cup-6grams
Raspberries: 1 cup=8grams
Kidney beans: 1/2 cup=6 grams
Prunes: 1/2 cup= 6grams
Broccoli: 3/4 cup, cooked= 8 grams
Avocado: 1 medium= 13 grams (who knew)
Almonds: 1/4 cup= 4 grams
Oatmeal: 1 cup cooked= 4 grams
Artichoke: 1 medium = 6 grams

Insoluble Fiber: Protects your stomach and colon by stimulating the gastrointestinal tract and speeding waste products through the system, softening the stools, let's just say it helps "move things along" which will help decrease risks for hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

Found in whole grain breads, corn bran, cereals, fruits and many vegetables. (especially potatoes with the skin, parsnips, green beans and broccoli.

Whole-wheat bread 1 slice=2grams
Bulgur 1 cup=8 grams
Raisin Bran: 1 cup = 8 grams
Brown Rice: 1 cup cooked= 4 grams
Sweet Potato: 1 medium= 4 grams

Ideally try to eat foods that show up on both lists often. A note: Increase fiber gradually to give your body time to adjust, also be sure to drink plenty of fluids.

Jon Gordon is a friend and mentor and his words felt worth sharing with all of you this month! Speaking on " Eating for Energy" is my #1 Wellness Talk but as we know it is not just the food we put in our mouth but the thoughts we feed ourselves daily as well.

I believe it's one of the biggest problems facing our society today. Everywhere I go people are overworked, overtired and overstressed. There's so much we want to see, do and accomplish but unfortunately we're running on empty!

As a result we search for the energy to finish our projects, run and grow our business, take care of the kids, make dinner and get through the day. That's why there is a coffee shop on every corner and energy drinks are flying off the shelves. But as we know the quick fixes do not last. We're consuming more caffeine than ever and yet more people are more tired than ever.

We need a different kind of energy to fuel our productivity, performance and success. We need positive emotional energy.

Each day we can generate positive emotions that uplift and inspire us and make us feel great. Instead of allowing negative events and circumstances to dictate how we feel and act, research shows we can take control of our emotional state, generate positive emotions through our thoughts, beliefs and actions, and change our circumstances.

Research shows that by continually generating positive emotions we can train our mind and body to be more positive, more resilient to stress, and more emotionally energized. I have found in my own life and in my work with many others that generating a positive emotional state, like anything else, is a habit and a skill. The more we do it the easier and more natural it becomes. Here are a few of my favorite habits to generate positive emotions.

1. 1. Take a "Thank you Walk" in the Morning - Research shows that when we count our 3 blessings a day we get a measurable boost in happiness that uplifts us and energizes us. Combine gratitude and walking and you get a double boost of energy that recharges you mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I do this daily. It works!
2. 2. Smile and Laugh - People love when we smile and so do our brains and bodies. It sounds simple but many of us are not smiling and laughing enough. We were born to smile and laugh. Smiles and laughter causes our brain and body to produce "positive" neuro-chemicals, hormones and endorphins that uplift and energize us. Make it a habit.
3. 3. Pray and Meditate - Research shows they reduce stress, boost positive energy and promote health, vitality and longevity. Facing a challenge at work or at home, stop, be still, and recharge with the ultimate power.

So if you enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning I say ENJOY IT. But while you are drinking it put a big smile on your face, be thankful, think of something funny and let your positive emotions provide you with a sustained boost of energy.

Jon Gordon is a leading authority on developing positive, engaged people, leaders, schools, businesses and teams. He is the author of The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Work, Live and Team with Positive Energy, The 10-Minute Energy Solution and Energy Addict: 101 Ways to Energize Your Life. Jon's proven solutions are being put to use by people and organizations worldwide and his tips have been featured on CNN, the NBC Today Show, Men's Health, Forbes, Positive Thinking Magazine, and more. He is also the co- founder of PEP- The Positive Energy Program, which creates and funds programs that develop healthy, positive children around the world. Learn more and sign up for Jon's free weekly energy tip newsletter at www.JonGordon.com

(Reprinted with Permission © Copyright 2007 The Jon Gordon Companies)

Indian- Spiced Kale & Chickpeas

Cumin- Scented Wheat Berry-Lentil Soup

Curried Butternut Squash Soup in Coconut Sauce

In Season-Kale
Dark leafy greens like kale grow best in the cooler months of the year. Kale is loaded with vitamins K, A and C, as well as other vitamins and minerals; it has the same health-promoting, sulfur-containing phytonutrients as other members of the Brassica family. Source: Eatingwell.com

The Sweet Potato-Health Benefits
How sweet it is for your health to eat sweet potatoes! Not only do they taste like dessert, here's the latest research on sweet potatoes surprising benefits.

Unique Proteins with Potent Antioxidant Effects
Recent research studies on sweet potato focus on two areas of unique health benefit. First are some unique root storage proteins in this food that have been observed to have significant antioxidant capacities. In one study, these proteins had about one- third the antioxidant activity of glutathione-one of the body's most impressive internally produced antioxidants. Although future studies are needed in this area, count on these root proteins to help explain sweet potatoes' healing properties.

An "Anti-diabetic" Food
Second is the recent classification of sweet potato as an "antidiabetic" food. Sweet potato has been given this label because of some recent animal studies in which sweet potato helped stabilize blood sugar levels and lowered insulin resistance. (Insulin resistance is a problem caused when cells don't respond to the hormone insulin, which is supposed to act as a key and unlock the cell in order to allow sugar to pass from the blood into the cell). Some of its blood sugar regulatory properties may come from the fact that sweet potatoes are concentrated in carotenoids. Research has suggested that physiological levels, as well as dietary intake, of carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels. Once again, more research is needed in this area, but the stage is set for sweet potato to show unique healing properties in the area of blood sugar control.

A Sweet Source of Good Nutrition Our food ranking system also showed sweet potato to be a strong performer in terms of traditional nutrients. This root vegetable qualified as an excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), a very good source of vitamin C and manganese, and a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. From: Whfoods.com