Shira Turkl-Rubin

Taking breaks throughout your day is proven to help you feel energized and less tired by the end of the day. I know what happens with many people – we get so busy that we forget to take care of ourselves. The next thing we know the clock reads 5:00 and we still haven’t eaten lunch.

The problem with this lack of self-care is that at that 5 o’clock time we become ravenous and will want to eat anything in sight. I know this because I’ve experienced it before and I’m sure you have too.

This is not a very good feeling especially at around 6 o’clock when we become so completely exhausted, due to an overabundance of food at one time, that we can barely walk another step for our commute home.

The way to keep yourself energized throughout your entire day would be to eat a healthy lunch at lunchtime AND to consume healthy snacks during the day.

Make sure to eat three complete meals with snacks in between. A key ingredient in maintaining a healthy body is to keep your metabolism moving.

Try your hardest to be aware of yourself throughout the day. Your clients and boss will understand if you take an hour or less lunch break. If you work independently… there really is no excuse for not taking care of your body – but if you have trouble remembering then set an alarm!

If there’s a will, there’s a way.

Enjoy your healthy day.

Spaghetti squash

I’ve found a new vegetable! It’s technically not new in the world of food but to me, its brand new.

Spaghetti squash – what a great invention! For those out there who don’t know what it is I will explain. It’s a squash that’s pretty large in size, oval and is usually yellow in color. It’s one of those vegetables that I’m pretty sure I’ve passed in the grocery store countless times but never stopped to explore what it is and how to make it.

The preparation time takes about five minutes including the hardest part of cutting it down the middle – be careful not to cut yourself! Once you’ve cut it, scoop out the seeds and place a drop of olive oil on a baking pan. Then place the cut sides down on the baking pan and put in the oven at 350 degrees for about one hour.

Even though it takes an hour to make, it’s only five minutes of prep time – so you can be doing other things while you’re making it.

When its finished use a fork to scoop out the squash. It will look like thin strings and resemble spaghetti. I mix in veggies, tomato sauce and tofu but you can use chicken, or any other type of protein that you prefer. Make sure to check the ingredients of the tomato sauce you use – it may have lots of unnecessary sugar and other needless ingredients. Whole Foods and Trader Joes have healthy brands for tomato sauce – just check the labels.

The best part about this meal is that it completes a perfect blend of the healthymix. The spaghetti squash only has 42 calories so you won’t feel bloated like you do when you eat regular pasta.

Happy exploring.

One of many Larabar flavors

I’ve always had trouble finding a granola bar that’s healthy and filling at the same time. By no means am I trying to replace a meal with these bars, but I like to stick them in my purse for times when I’m desperate for something nourishing. I also like to keep them in my pantry for a snack.

The problem that I find with most of these bars is that they are filled with preservatives, sugar and unhealthy ingredients. SO, when I eat them I have now learned that I am prone to getting a stomachache.

You can imagine how frustrated I’ve been that I can’t eat these bars anymore, nor do I want to. My stomach can’t handle the chemicals/preservatives/sugar that’s used.

I have finally been introduced to a bar that is actually healthy! I am so excited about it that I knew I had to share with my blog community. These bars are filled with real, whole ingredients and are naturally sweetened without any added sugar of any sort. Not even agave!

Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a
Larabar and read the ingredients. You will be amazed that there are only about three or four ingredients in most of the bars.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t say it’s healthy to eat more then one bar per day – but if you are indulging in other bars this is a MUCH healthier choice. Be advised that they do have fat, but it’s HEALTHY fat; completely different then the other stuff that’s used in the other products.

Enjoy!

A trip to the grocery store can be all sorts of fun, but on the other hand it can be VERY overwhelming. If you look around there are thousands of packages that are colorful, bright and just popping out at you.

What I’ve come to notice with my supermarket visits is the increasing number of packages that say “all natural” on the front of the item. What urkes me about this is that these companies are just trying to persuade the consumer into buying their product. If I stop to think about it, how can it be “all natural” like they say it is? Either it’s certified organic, or its not… There really is no in-between. If a product is marketed as “all natural”, then why does it have added preservatives?

What I’ve noticed about myself, as well as other people I’ve gone shopping with, is that we are more prone to buying these “all natural” items, but really, I’m just not so sure that they are so different then the other brand sitting right next to it on the shelf.

My question is this, does anyone regulate these “all natural” products? The USDA has different rules and regulations to allow for a product to be considered organic. Why are these “all natural” items getting away with misleading their consumers?

This is definitely something you can/should be thinking about before buying your products. Take a look at the packaging. Are you just buying it because of these added few words on the cover? Are you even comparing the product with its competitor to the left of it? Ask yourself these questions before you spend your precious money on something that may be false.

Do research.

To know is ten times better than not to know.

I look forward to hearing your stories/thoughts.

I’d like to write my thoughts on these quick fix diets that are always buzzing through the media. What I really don’t like about them is that they’re really just a “quick fix” that is highly likely to end within a short amount of time. Maybe you’ll stick to this special diet for a few months, maybe a few weeks but the question is, what happens after those few weeks?

I propose that if you’d like to change your weight or the way you look in general, the most important thing is to continue with a change that is realistic for you. If you only eat protein for three meals a day then you’re going to be losing water weight. The second you start eating “normally” again; you will gain the weight back very quickly. This is one reason why people have such ups and downs with their weight; they are constantly trying different diets that eliminate the necessary nutrients for daily survival.

It is essential for each human to receive the correct mix of proteins, fats and carbs on a daily basis. I stand by this statement and believe that if a person is dedicated to eating whole, real and natural foods with the correct proportions then they will not only feel great, but will be losing weight at the same time.

If you’d like to chat about any personal issues that you may have regarding your own weight, please feel free to email me. Again, as a soon to be Holistic Health Counselor, I am very excited to be helping make the world just a little bit healthier starting with you, my readers. Have a great day wherever you may be.

A big obstacle that I’ve had to overcome in my life is my sugar craving. I am ALWAYS craving sweets and most of the time I think to myself… eh, what will one piece of chocolate do for me anyway? Well the fact of the matter is that one piece of chocolate never really turns into just one piece; I’m left with a taste in my mouth that always craves more and more! I’m sure many of you out there can understand this feeling.

I’ve decided to take action about it and I will share with you exactly what I’ve done to cut this terrible habit that’s continued for so long.

My first step was to figure out exactly when I was having these cravings. Once I did that, I was able to see if there was something in particular I was doing before the craving kicked in. For example, on weeknights after dinner I typically have the same routine – I get comfy on the couch with a cup of tea and either turn the tv on, or work on the computer. The problem with this was that every time I did this I always wanted some sort of dessert. I decided that after dinner, instead of sitting on the couch I would get outside to take a walk in the gorgeous summer weather. I’m not kidding when I say this really helped kill my craving!

Sometimes it’s just those small little things that we subconsciously associate with one another – like sitting on the couch, drinking tea and eating dessert.

I urge you to see what it is that you crave throughout your day and try to examine what you can be doing differently to not have the craving. Change your routine a bit, it won’t kill you!

If you’ve tried this and want to let me know how you’re doing, I would be more then happy to hear any stories that you may have.

If you want to learn and talk more about your cravings please contact me and we can set up an appointment.

What can I say about soda? Especially diet soda or any food/drink with the word diet in front of it. Well, the truth is I have A LOT to say about it… First of all did you know that one can of Coke has 45 grams of sugar? That’s enough sugar for one day! If you have two cans, that’s just enough for the entire week! I’m exaggerating a bit, but the point is that these cans of soda contain too much sugar and are definitely not being absorbed properly in the body. When there is too much sugar in the blood it’s too much for the body to consume completely and is then stored as fat, causing many people to become overweight.

Next I’d like to talk about Diet Coke and Diet drinks in general.

Diet drinks are made with aspartame (same as Equal, Nutra sweet), which according to an article found at www.mercola.com “aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods.”
It is also stated on the Mercola website that “the fact that aspartame is digested by your body is what makes it so controversial. After you eat or drink an aspartame-sweetened product, aspartame breaks down into its starting components: phenylalanine, aspartate, and methanol.
Methanol itself is not harmful, but enzymes in your liver break it down into two compounds, formic acid and formaldehyde.
Some claim that aspartame hypes the hormonal system causing hunger, anxiety and insomnia.”

With that being said, the idea that people are creating formaldehyde by consuming this one product is appalling to me. If you don’t already know, formaldehyde is the chemical that med students quickly hate the smell of because they are exposed to it when dissecting human bodies that have been embalmed. It is used to disinfect and preserve human and animal remains – and you can just imagine that it smells pretty awful.

Also, these chemicals that are being poured into your system are unrecognized by your organs. In turn, your body reacts in certain ways because again, you are putting chemicals into your body on a daily basis. If you drink whole, natural juices and drinks, you will see a world of a difference.

With this knowledge of what aspartame actually is, I hope you reconsider drinking the diet soda that you were thinking of including in your daily diet.

If your interested in changing your habits, or need help with your cravings, I will soon be certified as a health counselor and will be able to help on your road to a healthful life.

Until then, I hope you will share your thoughts and comments with me.

If your interested in learning more about this issue please contact me and we can set up an appointment.

Over the past two years I have learned the importance of reading the nutrition facts of each item that I eat. When I go to the supermarket I take my time through the aisles because I am constantly picking up boxes and packages, reading them and either putting them back or sticking them in my cart.

I have come to realize that the healthiest way of eating is to read each item listed and understand what each ingredient is. If you don’t know what it is then it’s probably not good for you. You want real, whole ingredients in the food that you buy. Otherwise you are consuming chemicals and preservatives, which are most likely harming your health in some way or another.

This realization and understanding has been another way that my life has transformed in the past few years. I’m now completely aware of what’s inside my food and therefore I know what’s being fed to my body.

I enjoy sharing what has helped transform my life because I know many of you suffer from the same type of symptoms that I’ve had. I hope you can learn from what I’ve learned. Please feel free to share any life stories that have helped transform your life into a healthy state of being, or anything else that you’d like to share of course.

Let me introduce myself to you, my name is Shira and about 2 years ago I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and have been forced to change my diet drastically. Doctors told me that food did not play a role in the bloating and the awful feeling that I felt each day. Finally I decided to go against their word and I worked hard on identifying each item that I put into my mouth and began writing down exactly how it made me feel after.

I have been continuing with this and have made a new diet for myself that excludes all dairy, wheat/gluten, caffeine and all refined sugar. This has been quite challenging but I’ve found that I feel much lighter and my bloating has subsided. I recently had a colonoscopy and I’m happy to report that the colitis has improved! There’s definitely hope that changing one’s diet can help and I’m living proof of it. To all those people out there who don’t believe food can affect your body not just with weight, but with emotions, stress and disease I want to tell them that anything’s possible, it’s just about trial and error as well as listening to your body.

So do yourself a favor and pay attention to what goes into your mouth because you have to live with it and the effect it has on your body.

I look forward to helping heal those in need.

This is my first blog post and I couldn’t be more excited to share my thoughts and ideas with the world. Thehealthymix got its name from the idea that each meal eaten throughout one’s day should have a whole mix of protein, carbs and fats to make a “well balanced meal.” The reason for this is that each whole grain, or healthy food that you eat contains nourishing minerals and vitamins that your body needs to survive. Without the “mix” your body may not receive all the necessary nutrients and you will be at a greater risk for deficiencies. With this idea of making sure to mix my foods on a daily basis I have come across this lovely name for my blog. An example of mixing foods for one day would be as follows:

Breakfast:

A decent size bowl of whole grain cereal with fiber and very little added sugar. If possible buy cereal that has been sweetened by fruit juice. One brand that I like is “Barbara’s Bakery.” Make sure that you don’t buy their cereal that contains 15 grams of sugar. I believe the corn flakes have about 3 or 4 grams of sugar from fruit juice, which is much healthier for you. Add some nut milk (i.e. almond, hemp or cashew), which contains protein and when possible throw in some fruit. That right there is a very well balanced breakfast!

Lunch:

One example of a balanced lunch can be to eat a salad with mixed greens or romaine lettuce instead of iceberg because it contains absolutely no nutrients. Mix the salad with cucumbers, carrots,  and other veggies that you enjoy and add some nuts to the salad for some protein if you don’t want to add chicken, fish or tofu. For dressing try to stay away from the fancy dressings at most restaurants because believe it or not, one of the main ingredients is SUGAR! Next time you go to a restaurant ask them if they have any dressings without sugar and see what they say… trust me, I’ve tried it! I say stick with balsamic vinegar or possibly balsamic vinaigrette  without the sugar, or to keep it completely safe just make your own dressing.

If your not a salad eater try a sandwich on whole grain bread or a wrap with turkey and veggies. Can’t go wrong with that!

Dinner:

Dinner is my favorite meal. Its the time where I can be the most creative in my day. My fiance and I are always cooking some wild dish that makes the hallway of our building smell amazing – our neighbors stop by our door to tell us how great it smells!  We always make some sort of grain whether it be quinoa, millet, brown rice, buckwheat, or anything else we come up with. If you haven’t tried any of these grains I suggest you give it a whirl since they are delicious and very easy to make. With the grain we   steam or boil some sort of veggie. We like kale, sweet potatoes, zuchini, yellow squash, string beans, bok choy, spinach, and so many more. If you throw some olive oil in the pan with some garlic, ginger, tamari and possibly some vegetable stock you will have some great tastes in your mouth. For the protein we either bake tofu or tempeh that we marinate or bake chicken or fish. All of these foods mixed together are guaranteed to give you lots of nourishment and taste wonderful at the same time.

I’m glad I am able to express my thoughts to you and can’t wait to post again! Enjoy and hopefully you can take some of my suggestions into your food preparations. Until next time…