Healthy Life Lessons

  I grew up with a mom who is a feminist.  I was taught that gender equality is extremely important and that culture, not biology sets limits on women's capabilities.  My mother always told me to be financially self-sufficient.  I never remember her telling me to get married and have kids.  She wanted me to use my mind and have a positive influence on the world.  Ironically, when I was studying sociology as an undergrad, I became far more interested in socioeconomic status and how that influences individual freedom and choices.  Of course, socioeconomic status and gender are inextricably intertwined. Later on, in my studies the impact of gender roles and cultural stereotypes returned as central players in many of the psychological and sociocultural issues I was examining.  There is no doubt that inequality and antiquated gender stereotypes are still hanging on, far more than I would have expected in 2015. Sure a lot has chang...

I started a book club! Given what an avid reader I am, I can't believe it took me so long to do so. My friend suggested The Boston Girl as our first read.  Although we don't meet until the end of March, I already finished it.  It's very good. It basically tells the life story of Addie, a Jewish woman, born in 1900 and growing up in Boston.  It is narrated by Addie as an 85-year-old woman sharing the details with her granddaughter. It was a timely read for me because Adam and I are taking a trip to Boston in May - it will be my first time there ever - and I always love learning about the history of the place I am visiting.  There isn't tons of historical info about the city, but it certainly gives the story context. While I enjoyed this book, I wouldn't say I LOVED it, but I don't know why.  Perhaps once we discuss it as a group the reason for my reticence will be illuminated. Oh, but Anita Diamant's previous novel, The Red Tent, which I r...

I am the first to admit that I used to be a total carb addict.  Oatmeal, brown rice, pasta...I couldn't live without it...and probably ate way more than I should have...at every sitting.  If a proper serving of rice or pasta is 1/2 cup, then I probably ate 5 servings in a single meal!  I never saw this as a problem since I was firmly entrenched in the 90s low-fat trend.  I kinda laugh at my diet back then, which was not only really high in carbs, but also refined sugar. I used to bake a ton of fat-free baked goods that had tons and tons of sugar.  They were delicious!  But now I realize, they were not really that healthy. I probably got away with this without any repercussions because I was young, I always ate whole grains, and because I have always been so physically active.  But, interestingly, as I have increasingly shifted away from endurance exercise towards strength training, I've started craving carbs less and protein more.  I hav...

If you are at all nutrition-conscious, then you are probably familiar with Bob's Red Mill products. They carry a wide array of whole grains, flours, baking mixes and cereals. I've been buying them for years and am a big fan. When I was approached about reviewing this cookbook , I eagerly agreed. I actually thought all the recipes would be using their all-purpose gluten-free flour blend, which I have not purchased before, but it actually does not.  It contains a wide array of recipes from salads to mains, to desserts, using many different gluten-free flour and grains from their product line, including millet, quinoa, teff, buckwheat, sorghum, etc. This impressed me because I often find gluten-free recipes are anything but healthy and nutritious since they often use nothing but white rice flour, tapioca and potato starch to replace other flours.  These are low nutrition, low fibre products which I try to avoid. The book begins with a section introducing the various...

Its Monday!  Its freezing! ...at least the sun is shining. So, this product news might just sweeten up your day. Just about every packaged food product these days tries to make health claims.  Most is bullshit.  Just because something is organic, low-fat, has a tiny bit of whole grains, is gluten-free, cholesterol-free, etc., doesn't mean its healthy! A trip to the grocery store with the kids involves me saying "No" at least a hundred times, particularly to Big A, who wants to try every single cracker, cookie, snack food, and breakfast cereal out there because she is a total sugar/carb addict.  Most of the crap on the shelves these days makes me shudder. So I was pleasantly surprised when dragging Little A down an aisle the other day and found a product I was truly impressed with: Pocket Treats.  It was in the candy aisle, of all places, and Little A immediately started asking if I would buy them.   I actually said, "Yes."...

The weirdest thing happened on Wednesday: I heard Little A calling me from her bed and when I went  to get her the first thing she said was, "Mommy, I don't want you to die." Huh? I didn't think much of it 'cause she often says weird things. After dropping of the girls at school later that morning, I was walking home.  I started crossing a busy intersection near our house after the light turned green.  A moment later I looked up and the grill of a car was coming at me and was not stopping.  I literally had a few seconds where I thought the gig was up for me.  I was able to pull myself together and lurch out of the way but the car still hit my leg.  Fortunately I was not physically hurt but I was completely terrified and in shock. The driver just drove right into me as he did a left turn, on my right of way! The guy did stop, get out and apologize and said, "Sorry, I didn't see you."  What?  That means he wasn't looking in th...

I really like Michael's two ab training DVDs, so when I spied her Killer Buns & Thighs in the sale bin at the mall, I couldn't resist. I've never been able to get as much definition in my lower body as I have in my upper body, and that was then not helped much when I developed hamstring tendonitis after Little A was born. I ended up doing no weights for my lower body for a few years just to avoid aggravating it. Now I can train lower body and have been really working on it, so I thought this would be a great way to shake up my routine a bit. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed. It has 3 levels, just like her Killer Abs DVD and you need weights and a step or chair for some of the exercises. Level 1 was a bummer (pun intended!). I found it too easy and not very interesting.  Level 2 and 3 are fun and have a couple of cool moves, but really this was not the ass-kicking workout I was hoping for.  Nothing really got my heart rate up that much and some of the ...