Welcome to the 4th week of Five Fun Food Fact Fridays!

This week was a downer after the hype of the Olympics.  I was so disappointed in the Subway and McDonalds advertising.  I am very doubtful that the athletes actually eat fritos on their sub!  I really dislike the way our society advertises health with crappy food.  (I said it–crappy food!, I’ve wanted to say it for a while but didn’t have the courage.  This is for another post and not for today.)

On the blog this week I wrote about the dirty dozen, shared a video making my sweet potato lunch and wrote a post on 11 ways to use sweet potatoes!  We eat lots of sweet potatoes–14 years ago someone told me (Laura) that sweet potatoes boosted fertility–so I began eating them!  I’m not sure if that is an old wives tale or not but . . . I have 4 kids!  I have a great recipe for the stuffed sweet potatoes but I feel weird sharing a recipe made up of leftovers stuffed in a sweet potato.  Is that even a recipe?  

These are the Five Fun Food Facts for this Friday!

#1.  Meditation?  This is a food blog!

I know right!  The journey to writing Renee’s Kitchen has been brewing for several years now.  I won’t bore you with years of details and I’ll fast forward to last year.  My word for 2013 was intention–being present in each moment.  One of the steps I took towards being intentional was to begin a meditation practice or mindfulness practice–I found a few people who had soothing voices and I listened.  I walked each day while listening.  One day I listened to a message/meditation on living in harmony.  For me that clicked.  I knew that I had NOT been living in harmony and I needed to make some changes.  I sought out teachers and guides to help me on the journey of purpose and passion.   Renee’s Kitchen is a blog about embracing a vegan plant-based diet as well as embracing the idea that we can all live in harmony and with compassion.

 I’ve been following Bex now for a year –she is a mom of 4, a yoga instructor and has her own business.  I admire here on all levels.  Her website has some great “four-minute” meditations and lots of free yoga classes.  She is pregnant with baby #5 and I couldn’t’ be happier for her!

#2.  Sweet Potato Frittata (and living sustainably)

Kirsten has a fabulous looking sweet potato frittata recipe!  Not only is Kirsten an awesome cook she is an author as well– Less Toxic Living: How to Reduce Your Everyday Exposure to Toxic Chemicals – an Introduction for Families.  I have read this book and made some very simple changes for a big impact on how we live.  I am on her email list and she sends me great information every so often–anything from a great recipe to if my berries are toxic!  What I really love about Kirsten is that she answers my emails–I can ask her a question and she will joyfully do the research and point me in the direction that I need to go.  I love having a resource like her in my life–so I wanted to share it with you.

 #3. The best place for nutritional information!

My go-to website for all nutrition information is SELFnutrition data.  I’m a visual person so the graphs and charts are exactly what I need to see how what I’m eating measures up!

#4. Kids and toxins

Leah is a mom who lost over 100 pounds!  Ok–so that is amazing!  I am thrilled to have found her website (this weeks favorite!) and it has tons of well researched information.  This post on kids/hidden toxins was eye-opening and frankly a little scary.   The website is called MAMAVATION and I spent WAY too much time reading post after post–it just really spoke to my heart and validated some of my crazy thoughts!  I like it when I can find a place that makes me feel like I’m not “out there”.

 #5.  What is an anti-inflammatory?  

I think of Tylenol . .. or is it Advil?  I always need to double-check the label.  How can Tylenol and a pineapple are both an anti-inflammatory?

Well, it’s complicated.   I began to research inflammation I found–no controversy!  All of the medical research seems to agree on what causes inflammation in the chronic diseases like arthritis and the acute trauma like:

• high sugar diet
• sedentary life style/work environment
• over training
• lack of sleep
• stress
• not getting enough down time
• not being in nature enough
• too much and too little Omega 3 and Omega 6

Mark Sisson has an amazing blog loaded with information.  

Another resource is Dr. Weil’s website.  It has some great recommendations on his version of an anti-inflammatory diet.  What I found to be striking is the recommendation to eat fish and lean proteins TWICE A WEEK! So that really is 98% vegan. 

“Following an anti-inflammatory diet can help counteract the chronic inflammation that is a root cause of many serious diseases, including those that become more frequent as people age. It is a way of selecting and preparing foods based on science that can help people achieve and maintain optimum health over their lifetime.”

Have a Blessed Weekend!

L.O.V.E.,

Renee

P.S.  I’m going to mention this in my email to subscribers and I thought I would also share it here, because it made me laugh out loud!  for real–not just the LOL without meaning!  Kathleen interviewed Pooh, a cat who writes, about the book he wrote “Why Cats are Better than Dogs.”