Dirty Pop

No, no, I'm not talking about the terrible ear worm by 'NSync (sorry, I just had to), I'm talking about soda, pop, coke, whatever you want to call it - It's dirty and so incredibly terrible for your health. Today I want to discuss why we (by we I mean, you, occasionally me) continue to drink it. And also offer some better alternatives.

My co-worker and I were discussing pop this morning and he brought up a good point - What if all food companies were forced to market and name their products for what they actually are and what they do... Example: Instead of "Coca Cola" on the can it reads - High Fructose Corn Syrup in a Can! 30 Tbsp of Sugar in a Can! Get Your Monthly Dose of Aspartame in ONE CAN (Warning: Also linked to causing Cancer)!  DRINK ME to Easily Pack on an Extra 10, 20 or even 50 pounds!


You get my point.

Do you think as many individuals would continue to drink it if it were labeled this way? You're right, maybe they would... I mean, all the health risks are printed right on the packs of cigarettes and bottles of alcohol... But, I'm willing to bet not quite as many would if we were to be more frank with our warnings.

The worst thing about consuming soft drinks are the lingering effects. You don't just drink and it passes, the consequences of the chemicals contained in soda stick around for a while...

Here’s some of the ingredients that are contained in some of your fav go-to refreshments and their negative health effects: (Courtesy of www.oleda.com):

Phosphoric Acid: May interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones. Phosphoric acid also neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, which can interfere with digestion, making it difficult to utilize nutrients.

Sugar: Soft drink manufacturers are the largest single user of refined sugar in the United States. It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA (recommended daily amount) of sugar.

Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side 

effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. Further, when aspartame is stored for long periods of time or kept in warm areas it changes to methanol, an alcohol that converts to formaldehyde and formic acid, which are known carcinogens.

Obviously something is going to "get us" someday, right? But, I'm a believer in putting good fuel  in your body and being in control of yourself - Why not choose to do the body good?

Without further ado - Here are my favorite go-to refreshments that are much healthier and equally (if not more) refreshing.

WhoLey NicoLey's Citrus Spritzer

Fill 1 Large Tumbler with a Liberal Amount of Ice
Pour Sparkling Water (Soda Water) Over Ice
Squeeze Juice of 1 Lime Wedge, Lemon Wedge and Orange Wedge into Sparkling Water and stir the wedges, juice, ice and soda water together

Insert Straw and ENJOY!

Very little calories, a LOT of refreshment and best of all, it's proven that fruits and COLD beverages will naturally energize your body.

Iced Tea

Before you turn away or mock my unoriginal-ness of this suggestion, I just want to point out that sometimes we forget about the most simple things and how delicious they can be! Hear me out...

Bring a small pot of water to a boil and remove from heat.
Place two of your favorite tea bags in the water and let steep for 5-10 minutes.
Put the tea in a pitcher and store on the refrigerator - If you want a glass immediately, simply serve over ice with honey or a touch of raw sugar.

Gang, there are THOUSANDS of teas out there! Mint Tea has been my go-to this summer as it is so delicious and refreshing! Tea and Mint have fantastic health perks too (particularly gastrointestinal for the mint). Not to mention the added health perks of honey, especially locally purchased honey.

Fun Fact: Local honey contains natural antibiotics to any infections taking place in your area. Bees really are amazing little buggers (no pun intended, sorry for my cheesy-ness today).

Sip liberally - And quit with that dirty pop (don't lie... you know you're jammin' to that song right now)!

Cheers,
NCB

Baking Soda Rocks

Baking Soda.

My husband and I went camping last weekend on a beach, sans children, with a big group of close friends. We chose Lake Pepin for our camping venture and the only way to get to our campsite was by boat. Lake Pepin is so picturesque, blue water is surrounded by bluffs, which is as close to mountains as we get in Wisconsin, and the trees are so plush and green, the sand resembles that of an ocean getaway, fine and white and so soft on your toes. All in all the camping experience was great, but we brought home lots of bug bites...

Bug bites are not a big deal, they're more of an annoyance than anything, but I was determined to use a natural remedy for our situation.

I did a little research thanks to my good friend Google and discovered baking soda as a natural remedy for minor skin irritations such as bug bites... Here is what I did:

Mix 3 Tbsp Baking Soda with 1 Tbsp of Water (tap water is fine, don't make this harder than it needs to be) and liberally apply to problem areas. 

Caution: As this concoction dries on your skin it will peel off easily and make a mess if you're not careful. I recommend applying in the bathroom and staying in there for a while until it dries, rinse off and then VOILA! Itch relieved for up to 12 hours.

You can also take a bath with a 1/2 cup of baking soda poured into the water. This will also leave your skin silky smooth and remove dirt and perspiration in a natural, gentle way! Epsom salts are equally good (if not better) in a hot bath.

Cheers & In Good Health,
NCB

Love for WhoLey Foods

I fell in love with the whole foods concept in January. The holidays were over, I'd just run my first long distance race post-baby number two, and I wanted to continue down the path of self-improvement.

One thing I was sure of and that is... I do not believe in diets. I never have. Depriving the body from things you crave is simply not natural. If you want a cookie, eat it. If you're fixin' for a cheeseburger, do it up. This is why I fell in love with the whole foods concept. Whole foods doesn't tell you to not eat anything, you can eat whatever you like, it's how your food is prepared and made that makes the whole foods concept a huge differentiator from any other "diet". With whole foods, you eat whole foods. No reduced fat, calories or flavors.

For example - Before changing to whole foods, I was frequently eating whole wheat toast and organic peanut butter for breakfast. Not so bad, right? Wrong.

Here is a glimpse of the ingredients I was consuming on a daily basis: Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Azodicarbonamide, Calcium Peroxide, Calcium Propeionate, Monocalcium Phosphate. Off the top of your head, do you know what any of these ingrediants are or why the heck they're in our bread?

(Shrug) Me either.

Post-whole foods I still have the same breakfast, but there are only five ingredients in my bread. That's it.

A whole food is exactly what it says, it's the whole food - Nothing else. There is nothing artificial, there are no preservatives, you understand what all the ingrediants are on the label. There are no secrets.

Fruits and vegetables are great examples of whole foods.
Whole, organic milk, is also a whole food.
Full fat organic yogurt is a whole food. Greek Gods yogurt is our favorite.

By eating whole foods, you will find you won't eat as much and your portions will be smaller. Because there is more flavor in whole foods, your food is more rich and satisfying, therefore alleviating your risk of over consumption during snacks or meal time and as a result, there are no extra calories lying around for your body to store as fat.

Challenges to be prepared for with the Whole Foods lifestyle (other than anticipating an extra 30 minutes at the grocery store because you're reading labels!):

-Bread. Breads are SO TOUGH for whole foodies. I challenge you to go to your local grocer and read all the labels on the bread products you buy - whether it's frozen or fresh, I guarantee there are at least 3-5 ingredients that are chemical in some form.

Solution: Bake your own bread, it's cheap and easy. If made in excess, you can keep dough frozen and set out the evening prior to let it rise overnight and bake in the morning while you're prepping for work, or doing morning chores. You can also buy frozen bread doughs at your grocer - Read the labels!! There are options that are fresh and natural, also reasonably priced. Make sure to read the labels on your ingredients too, organic flours are best.

Recipe: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

2 envelopes yeast 

4 cups water 

1/2 cup butter, softened 

1/2 cup molasses (optional)

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons salt 

6 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups white flour Directions: 

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. 
2. In a large bowl, combine butter, honey, molasses and salt and mix well. 
3. Add yeast mixture and gradually add flours. 
4. Turn onto floured surface (a countertop will do!) and knead until smooth. 
5. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double. (Go enjoy a nap, get your chores done or take a long walk! and Voila! It will be done rising!)
6. Punch down and let rest for a few minutes. 
7. Divide dough into 4 parts and shape into loaves. 
8. Place in greased pans and let rise for about an hour. 
9. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

-Salad dressings. Let's face it, olive oil and vinegar gets incredibly boring.

Solution: Explore other flavors of vinegars. There's cidar, white wine, red wine, and a slew of other options out there. Vinegar is much cheaper than oils, so stock up and keep it interesting! Also explore different herbs and spices to add to your dressings. You can make big supplies of dressings and keep in the fridge for anything - salads, cooked vegetables, maranades, etc.

Recipe: Homemade Dressing
1 C. Vinegar (Any Kind!)
1 1/3 C. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 Tbsp. Water
Any spices you desire to taste - You can try: Dill, oregano, pepper, salt, basil, cayenne pepper, chili powder, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon or anything else you desire!
(You can store in the refrigerator for up to 90 days!)

Place all ingredients in a container of any kind and shake them all well prior to serving over or with anything.

Meal Idea - Sloppy Jo's! WhoLey NicoLey StyLe

1 lb. leanest ground beef or ground turkey available at your local grocer
1/2 C. Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Worchester Sauce
1 Can Tomato Sauce
1 Can Stewed Tomatoes
Liberal Seasoning of Mrs. Dash and Steak Seasoning

Cook the beef (DO NOT DRAIN!) and add all ingredients. Let all simmer for 30-45 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and the flavors to soak.

Serve Sloppy Jo's! WhoLey NicoLey StyLe on homemade Honey Whole Wheat bread or buns with a salad and corn on the cob, you've got yourself a fantastic WhoLey Foods Meal!

Final Challenge: Going out to eat.

Going out to eat is always a challenge when trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I'm a firm believer in living life, so if you find yourself at a restaurant craving a piece of the bread in the bread basket or wanting ranch dressing for a change, go ahead an treat yourself. However, I must warn you, that after time with the whole foods diet, you may not want those foods anymore anyway.

FYI - I hope to share many, many, many more recipes! I'm declaring Wednesday as whole food recipe days. I will try to include "meal" ideas that are family friendly and also tips on how to be successful at the grocery store with recommended brands, etc.

Cheers!
NCB
 

Women CAN Have It All

These are our sons, C (3)  & J (18 M)

This is me (post children!) and my wonderful hubby

Anne-Marie Slaughter recently wrote in The Atlantic an article, which received a ton of press (good and bad) entitled, Why Women Still Can't Have It All. Although Slaughter's article was extremely well composed and took a lot of courage on her part, considering she is a proclaimed and esteemed Feminist icon, being a full-time working mother of two young sons, and let's not forget a wife, I disagreed with the main point behind Slaughter's article:

"The women who have managed to be both mothers and top professionals are either super human, rich or self-employed."

It's true, American society places a ridiculous standard on women, especially on women with children. For example, we live in the most obese country in the world, and yet if a woman is carrying a little extra weight after having a baby, she is labeled as fat, or worse, inferior to her counterparts.

It's also true that women place a high standard on each other. We are constantly comparing ourselves to the woman in front of us, behind us, beside us, above us or below us. We will get much further if we put all our differences of opinion aside and stick together. Obviously.

I'm here before you today to proclaim becoming a mom doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your...

• Dreams of having a career. You can. Slaughter proclaims in her article, extremely well, that it's OK to take "investment intervals" throughout the life of your career to take care of your children and be the best mother you can possibly be. The heavy burdens of child rearing are short-lived and once they're gone, they're gone. You don't get that time back. You have plenty of time to climb the ladder once your kids are off to college. And better yet, women now more than ever are having fantastic encore careers in our retirement years. So hang in there, mama. Your time will come if you want it! Don't ignore your feminine aspects!
• Body. My father always told me "you are in control of you". If you eat chocolate chip cookies everyday while pregnant, you're going to get fat and stay fat. Sorry if that's too blunt or offensive, but I speak truth here. Also, just because you are pregnant, doesn't mean you are not able bodied. Most doctors will encourage light-to-moderate exercise, good nutrition, supplements and lots of water consumption. Post bab(ies) I am 20 pounds lighter than pre-pregnancy weight. If I can do it, so can you.
• Marriage. Having children is earth-shattering and life changing. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. However, as long as you're with the right person, and/or you've chosen the right partner, having children should bring you closer together, not drive you apart.

I am a self (and several others) proclaimed SuperMom. And guess what? I'm not rich, super-human or self-employed. Stick with me, you can get there too!

Cheers, NCB 

And So It Begins...

Welcome to WhoLey NicoLey.

Prior to starting I have to give a thank you to the people that believed in me enough to inspire me to begin this journey: A. Archer, A. (DeVaan) Sellers, you have been friends of mine for so long and remain dear to my heart always.

... "You are SuperMom"... said a friend to me recently. "You have to start a blog and keep it focused on the whole food kick, working out and fitness stuff. Mom's will eat this stuff up."

And so, here we are.

I am making a commitment to blog every Monday, Wednesday and Friday/Saturday/OR Sunday evenings. All my posts are dedicated to mothers all around the world, however, I'm sure that anyone will find the information presented useful.

My goal is to inspire others to want to live a better life. I recently told a close friend that life is too short. If you're unhappy with aspects in your life, change them. If you want to go somewhere, go. If you dream of doing this or doing that, do this or that.

Here's to leaving all excuses behind and stepping forward with the best foot possible.

Cheers, NCB