Healthy Breakfast Pancakes

I made delicious pancakes this morning with no flour!  Here is the easy recipe:

2 C Coconut milk (or almond milk unsweetened)
2 C Oats
1/2 C Applesauce (unsweetened)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites (save on the side)
Blueberries (optional)

Mix all but egg whites together
Fold in whisked egg whites

Enjoy!!

Start planning your May goals today!  I can't believe how fast it has come up on us.

HEADACHES

I am currently reading "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and I came across a very interesting section regarding headaches.  We always try to use drugs to relieve them which in turn, cause more headaches as the toxins from those drugs begin to flush out of our nervous systems.  

Here are 15 common triggers he listed:

Sweets
Fermented Foods
Pizza
Monosodium glutamate
Yeast
Dairy and Cheese
Chocolate
Smoked Meats
Nuts
Hydrolyzed Protein
Salted or pickled foods
Vinegar
Alcohol
Food Additives
Baked Goods

He treated migraines and severe headaches from a nutritional approach and that has shown that 90-95% of the patients were able to remain headache-free after the first three-month period.

Phase One Anti-Headache Diet-to be followed strictly for two weeks:

Breakfast:
Melon, apple or pear
Oatmeal and water, no sweetener
Yeast-free whole grain bread

Lunch:
Large green salad, with one teaspoon olive oil
One starchy grain or vegetable-corn, sweet potato, brown rice
Grapes, apple or pear

Dinner:
Large green salad with tomatoes, with one teaspoon olive oil
One steamed green vegetable-string beans, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, zucchini
One starchy vegetable or grain-butternut or acorn squash, potato, millet, whole wheat pasta
Tomato Sauce (unsalted) permitted

After two weeks if you are headache free, you can add in other fruits and begin to add beans to the second phase.  Still avoid nuts for the first few weeks.

Hope you headache sufferers find some relief in this plan!

H2O Fo Sho!

WATER!!!  

You all know that you should drink about 96 oz of water a day...but why?

As we closer to hotter temperatures and more exercise, we need to be sure we are hyrdrating.  Our bodies are made up of 60% water.  We can survive quite some time without other nutrients or foods, but we can only survive a few days without water.  Here is why this one thing is so important:

1. Improves endorcrine gland function-our endocrine system is responsible for adjusting hormone levels to keep us functioning normally.

2. Fluid retention is alleviated.

3. Liver functions improve, increasing the percentage of fat we use for energy!

4. Appetite is significantly decreased.

5. Metabolic functions improve.

6. Nutrients are distributed throughout the body.

7. Body-temperature regulation improves.

8. Blood volume, the total amount of blood in the body, is maintained.

This being said, our bodies CANNOT adapt to dehydration because it impairs every physiological function.

Water and Exercise:

*Consume 16 oz 2 hours before exercise.  Add an additional 8-16 oz if exercising in warm weather.
*Drink 20-40 oz of fluid for every hour of exercise
*Try to drink colder fluids for more rapid gastric emptying
*If exercise is longer than 60 minutes, use a sports drink to replace fluid and glycogen stores (energy)
*If less than 60 minutes, water is experts' choice for fluid replacement
*Goal is to replace sweat and urine losses
*Drink 20 oz of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after exercise

If you are on a fat loss plan, drink an additional 8 oz of water for every 25 lbs carried above ideal weight.

I tell my clients to aim for 3 Nalgene bottles a day.  Drink water right when you wake up and make sure to have a bottle with you at all times.  If you start craving something naughty, drink some water and pop in a piece of gum or have a piece of fruit.