According to a recent study, low-fat dairy products, namely skim milk, contributed to a higher obesity rate in children. First thought to help children avoid weight gain, many doctors suggested that parents give their children skim milk instead of whole milk. Makes sense, right? Lower calories and less fat means skinny kids! But as the study states, the added calories in whole milk may not be as big of a deal as once thought.

“When DeBoer analyzed how choice of milk might be affecting weight over time, he found that children who were normal weight at the start of the study and consistently drank the 1% milk showed a 57% increased chance of becoming overweight or obese by the they were 4.”

Read the whole story here.

For more information about the truth about skim milk and how it’s ACTUALLY made, read this Butter Believer article.

“Skim milk actually has no vitamin K because it’s concentrated in the butterfat of the milk. And as for the others? They are fat-soluble vitamins. So even if you were to get a little bit of them in from drinking your fat-free milk, you won’t actually be able to absorb and assimilate them into your body.”

“Before processing, skim milk has a very unappetizing blueish color, a chalky taste, and watery texture that doesn’t resemble natural milk at all. So, to whiten, thicken, and make it taste a little more normal, powdered milk solids are often mixed into the milk. 

What’s so bad about powdered milk? Well, in the manufacturing process, liquid milk is forced through tiny holes at very high pressure, which causes the cholesterol in the milk to oxidize, and toxic nitrates to form.

Oxidized cholesterol contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, while unoxidized cholesterol from unprocessed foods is actually an antioxidant to help fight inflammation in the body. The proteins found in powdered milk are so denatured that they are unrecognizable by the body and contribute to inflammation.”

Read the whole article here.

Moral of the Story

In the 1920′s and 30′s, doctors used to promote cigarettes. We finally all caught on that cigarettes will kill you. That took several decades of studies to figure out.

Just because it’s recommended doesn’t always mean it’s right. Keep this as your rule of thumb: if you’re eating or drinking it the way it was naturally made, it’s probably okay to eat in moderation. If it has been bastardized by humans (like skim milk), leave it alone. One day you may find out that it has been killing you, or making you fatter, all these years.

Broke & Healthy - Live healthy on a dime. It’s possible!

Please allow me to share the nerd side of me for a moment. 

In the website building world, there is something called a WYSIWYG editor, meaning, What You See Is What You Get. When you edit content on a website, like text and images, the WYSIWYG editor shows you what it will look like on the screen, instead of the fancy HTML code that’s behind the scenes.

Lately I’ve noticed that one hinderance to losing weight has been my lunch. In the corporate cube world, lunch usually means going out to a local restaurant with your coworkers. Not only was I spending an exorbitant amount of money on lunches, but I was also eating food I wouldn’t normally eat, like soda, fries, burgers, or full meals like meatloaf with casseroles at the local southern diner.

Food started to get really complicated.

Something had to change, but lunches are tricky. I don’t always have leftovers from the night before for lunch the next day, and I never make the time to make a sandwich or salad the morning of. So for about 2 months now I’ve been “WYSIWYG” grazing.

WYSIWYG food is just what it sounds like: What You See Is What You Get. No hidden ingredients I’m not aware of, like chemicals, preservatives, or evil high fructose corn syrup. It is what it is. Some folks call this “whole foods” or just REAL food, but I’ll stick with my nerdy acronym so I’ll remember it. I’ll eat this food all throughout the day, usually every few hours, resulting in 5-7 small meals before I leave work at 5pm.

Examples of WYSIWYG Food in my Lunchbag

1. Banana
2. Hard boiled egg
3. Clementine
4. Mango
5. Piece of grilled chicken
6. Avocado
7. Celery
8. Roasted nuts
9. Greek yogurt
10. Blackberries and raspberries
11. Applesauce
12. Tomato with salt and pepper
13. Green pepper
14. Chicken salad with Greek yogurt
15. Plum
16. Baked sweet potato
17. Boiled, ready-to-eat beets
18. Carrots
19. A few crackers with very little ingredients
20. Kiwi
21. Spinach salad with olive oil and balsamic
22. Dried cherries
23. Prunes and dates

Benefits to WYSIWYG Grazing

1. It’s easy to pack in the mornings. Just throw it in a bag and go!
2. I’m never hungry.
3. My blood sugar is normal all day long.
4. I know what I’m eating.
5. It’s cheaper than going out.
6. I can work through lunch and leave early from work.
7. It’s much, much healthier.
8. I don’t crave the evil food as much.
9. I appreciate/respect/taste the food more.
10. Less digestive issues

You may have to get over the fact that people may look at you funny if you’re sitting there eating an avocado right out of the skin with a spoon, but that’ll pass. At your desk, in your nearby break room, in your lunch bag, or in your kitchen, keep a sharp, small knife, a spoon, a fork, and  maybe some extra seasonings like salt and pepper or all-purpose seasoning like Adobo with you.

If you’re at home with kids, this is a perfect way to keep them fed and healthy all day long. Rachel Marie Stone, author of Eat with Joy, says that kids (and adults!) should be choosing from a preselected variety of healthy foods all day long to help self-regulate their hunger, as they’re naturally created to do. We were created to be grazers, not gorgers!

This doesn’t have to be just for breakfast and lunch like I’m doing. Use this method wherever you need simplicity in your meals. You may find that this small change will help simplify your life and revolutionize your health like it’s doing for me!

Broke & Healthy - Live healthy on a dime. It’s possible!

Please welcome my friend, Mary Buchan from MaryBuchan.com to Broke & Healthy. She is a Nurse, Nutrition Specialist, Certified Strength & Conditioning Instructor, Certified Life Coach, and Wellness Program Coordinator. In short, she is legit and so is her advice. 

Wash Your Hands Often

Not only just before you eat a meal, but because most people touch their eyes or nose once every three hours, and each rub can transport viruses in and out. Mentally discipline yourself to break that habit, plus wash your hands often to shut down the germ exchange.

Drink More Water. A Lot More.

The same dry winter air that chaps your lips sucks moisture from your nose and throat. Not good, for the ability to flush away viruses before they ‘claim your body’ depends on a steady flow of secretions, especially water. Yes, at least 8 to 10 glasses a day. Be careful of drinking caffeinated drinks as they actually dehydrate you.

Decrease the Portions

As ‘different’ as this will be to most people, it is actually healthier to eat from 5-7 meals a day – meaning – every 3 to 4 hours. That helps to not overwhelm your digestive system, but it also keeps your energy level up and helps fight sugar cravings. Your blood sugar level will crest and fall every 3-4 hours. When it falls, so does your energy level, including your ability to handle stress and to concentrate. It’s then you crave sugar to give you a boost. So, frequently eat small amounts of complex carbohydrates and protein together.

Ditch the Sugar

Adults eat an average of 135 pounds of sugar annually. Most people cannot metabolize the sugar they consume because sugar quickly turns to fat. And when one eats sugar it ‘freezes’ your immune system for up to two hours, during which viruses and other weird things attack your system. When we get a “sweet tooth attack” we reach for some frozen fruits like blueberries, grapes, or pineapple. Try rolling pieces of bananas in yogurt and chopped nuts and freeze them. Delicious!

Thou Shalt Not Skip Breakfast

Think of your body as a campfire that dies down during the night. By morning it needs stoking to keep the fire from going out. Breakfast (breaking the fast) is the way to get your body back in shape for the day and supply it with energy. It is the most important meal of the day.

As Your Mother Told You – Eat Your Vegetables!

Veggies are a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. They will help protect you against colds and flues. Eat a variety and pick ones that are vivid in color as they are the highest in nutrients. This time of year we eat a lot of foods high in Vitamins A and C as they boost our immune system – like sweet potatoes, winter squash, tangerines, and pineapple.

Don’t Be a Couch Potato

God gave us bodies that need physical activity and this is an important part of staying healthy. Exercise will increase our energy and lower our stress, plus help keep our weight in check. The following will help you begin your physical activity program: First of all, add the Fun Factor. That’s right – make your workouts FUN. Listen to music (or books or sermons on tape) while walking – read while riding a stationary bike – watch the news while you walk on a treadmill. Add the Friend Factor – meaning – exercising with a friend increases accountability and consistency. And finally, add the Fudge Factor. Don’t get too excited with this one. What we mean is…give yourself one or two days off each week. These ‘fudge’ days make the other days easier.

Remember Mr. Sandman

Sleep – sleep – sleep…7-8 hours nightly. Even if you have to rearrange your schedule – get adequate sleep. Even missing most of one night of sleep can seriously affect your immune system.

Mary Buchan spent more than 15 years as a medical surgical nurse in a hospital setting. She has over 10 years of experience in community health and wellness nursing, providing preventive healthcare, health education, weight loss, and wellness programs. She has been as a Health Coach, helping hundreds of people lose weight. She is an effective public speaker, facilitator, and instructor in forums such as businesses, churches, and civic groups, YMCA’s, hospitals, senior citizens’ and women’s groups. She is a program coordinator of healthy lifestyle programs and support groups, including stroke, cancer, diabetes, weight loss, and cardiac rehabilitation. Visit MaryBuchan.com for a free coaching session. 

Broke & Healthy - Live healthy on a dime. It’s possible!

So, you’ve got yourself a salmon filet and you have no idea what to do with it. There are probably hundreds of things you could do with it, but here’s a very simple method that you’ll enjoy.

Take a VERY SHARP knife, like this one, and very carefully cut slits through the skin about 1/4″-1/2″ apart. Don’t cut all the way through, just cut until it pierces the skin. If your knife is sharp, you won’t have to push very hard. Let the blade do the work.

Then take your favorite herb (I used fresh parsley here) and chop it up finely.

Rub the herbs, salt, and pepper in between the slits in the fish.

Heat up your skillet until it’s smoking hot. Once you see a little smoke rising from the pan, add a little bit of vegetable or coconut oil. Place the fish skin side down. It will pop and freak out, but fear not. You can bring the heat down to medium high if you’d like, but high should be okay. The skin will protect if from burning too much.

Once you put it down, you can swish it around to distribute the grease, but after that, don’t touch it. Leave it alone. Maybe start cleaning up the kitchen so you’re not tempted to poke it.

You’ll want to continue cooking until about 2/3 of the fish is done. You’ll see that the skin is browning nicely by just looking at the sides, and that the majority of it is white or light pink. Try to wait until it looks mostly done before you flip it. Remember, the skin is protecting the meat.

Flip it over for just a minute or so  to finish cooking the filet.

Remove the fish, and add a handful of fresh spinach to the hot pan.

It will quickly wilt. If you’d like to, you can add a dash of cream and parmesan cheese for a creamed spinach flare.

In just a few seconds, the cream will evaporate. Remove from the heat and plate it.

Place the salmon on top and you’re ready to roll! This would also taste good with this side dish and this side dish. I didn’t eat the salmon skin, but if I WAS a skin-eater, this would have been amazing because it’s so crunchy and salty.

• 1 Salmon filet – Prices on salmon vary, but I got mine for about $2.75
• Handful o’ spinach – .20¢

Broke & Healthy - Live healthy on a dime. It’s possible!

This is less of a recipe and more of a fun tip. Summer is coming and there’s nothing better than a fruit popsicle in the hellish heat. Instead of splurging on expensive popsicles full of high fructose corn syrup and who-knows-what-else, make your own! Grab yourself a set of popsicle molds from Amazon and let your imagination run free!

If you’d like to try pineapple popsicles, simply open a can of crushed pineapple and pour it in to the molds.

Freeze for a few hours or overnight…

And voila! Natural, sweet, delicious popsicles. An awesome summer treat.

Broke & Healthy - Live healthy on a dime. It’s possible!